It can be so daunting during competition season, between making sure you've mastered that flying change and if your horse is in its best shape there's always something that we can forget or miss!

Two of our ambassadors have shared their best kept secrets regarding  top tips and tricks for competitions that land them in the winners circle every single time!
 

Katrina - @katrina_horseeventing

Tip 1 rugs! To make sure your horses and ponies keep clean before a competition skinny hoods are your best option. Personally I use a skinny hood then a cotton hood and shot set over the top. It all depends on how cold or hot the night is because you do not want your horse to overheat because you have over rugged them. 

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Tip 2 tails! Using a tail bandage or guard the night before your competition makes the hair at the top of the tail flow and stay a lot flatter to ensure it looks a lot less like a dunny brush. 

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Tip 3 learn your test If your doing dressage, make sure you learn your test because there’s nothing worse than getting out into the arena and forgetting your test. I like to practice my tests at least 5 times at home before a competition to make sure I am confident about where I am going in the arena!

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Tip 4 cooling down legs. If you have just finished cross country it is very important to hose your horses legs off until they have fully cooled off. You do this to reduce any swelling or injuries. Using ice boots or leg clay (Tuffrock) can help keep the legs cooler for longer and come in useful. 

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Tip 5 washing your horse. When you wash your horse before a competition, to get your horse as clean as possible let the shampoo sit for and soak in for approximately 5 minutes then rinse off. This will ensure you get a nice shine on your horses coat and make sure you put clean rugs on after you have washed them!

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Tip 6 boots! I use boots everyday to ensure my horses legs don’t get any injuries. Before your dressage tests it is useful to ware them in the warm up so your horse doesn’t get dirt or any injuries while you warm up. Fleece boots heat up the horses legs so I don’t recommend using them if you are doing something like showjumping where you don’t want their legs heating up. I use PEI cross county boots to all my cross country runs because they are cool on the horses legs and protect them at the same time. If you use fleece boots on cross country, when you go through the water they will fill up and become damp, heavy and uncomfortable for the horse. 

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Tip 7 covering up scars or old injuries. I have a horse who went through a fence and now had a permanent scar on her front leg. To cover it up I use hood oil and it darkens the colour. If you have a lighter colour horse like a grey or chestnut it won’t work. It also makes the scar moist and it is very beneficial for it!

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Ellie - @elliegilberd_equestriannnn

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My hack/ tricks when I am either leading up to a competition or on the day of a competition is to make a list so I am organised and prepared so I am not rushing or stressed out whilst competing. I make a list with all of my preparations towards the show like for e.g packing gear, cleaning gear, washing & plaiting horses…. As I have previously experienced I have gone to many events and have been rushed and forgotten some of my things therefore I was unorganised and rushed. I find making a list so beneficial and helps me out so so much.

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I plan my list out and normally start a few days before and then keep going until I’m about all ready for the show. Another one of my tricks/hacks when I am at a competition is try to focus mainly on my self and I always have this saying and that’s be better then what u were last time.  If I only focus mainly on myself I am not getting distracted by others, I know I will be on time for my event and know that I can perform the absolute best I can. Now this is my last trick/hack but my favourite hack!!

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If you have a horse/pony that has socks this is so beneficial. When I paint my horses socks I normally paint them the night before as by the next day it looks so much more natural and also saves another thing to do on the competition day. I use the MP gloss products and use their sock powder. The reason I do my socks the evening before is because in the day sometimes the socks can look a bit blotchy we’re as if you were to do it the night before it has time to settle in and find it’s place on the sock. I hope my tricks/helped and hope they can come in handy one day!!

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Head over to both their Instagrams, @katrina_horseeventing and @elliegilberd_equestriannnn, to follow their incredible equine journeys and to learn even more about their awesome horses.

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We want to hear from YOU, let us know what your best kept secrets are for competition tips and tricks! Sshhh time to share those secrets.

Keep on riding, pushing your boundaries and don't forget to tune into our blogs!

Venture Equestrian