Hello everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend; personally I spent mine slicing and dicing myself at the lake as I had a bit of a run in with the boat propeller. Nothing serious but enough to warrant a few no stirrup rides since putting weight on the ball of my foot is not all that fun currently!
At the lake this weekend, I reflected on the lack of summer “vacation” that those of us who are past the days of school have. I remember counting down the days, oh who I am kidding – MINUTES, until the last day of school and dancing through summer without a care in the world. Who wouldn’t love spending every waking moment of every day at the barn? I know there’s a few of you out there! Once August comes around, the sobering reality of homework and responsibilities hits you like a wall, and the countdown to summer begins all over again.
Fast forward a few years, when you are slaving away at the good ol’ 9-5 and wondering where these forehead creases and tiny laugh lines are coming from. I myself still look forward to summer each year, although Missouri has notoriously miserable ones. The thoughts of tank tops and awkward tan lines and days where the sun seemingly never sets are just too good to pass up. If you’re anything like me, you too dread the impending cold that is sure to at least put a stall on your winter conditioning plans and sense of fashion. I know the Oompa Loompa look is totally out, but it does wonders for a cold day at the barn!
Anyway, before I get too sidetracked, I have here for you some tips on how to best prolong your summer. Enjoy!
1. Invest in a sweat suit.
Sweat suits come in handy when pro wrestlers need to drop weight, but in reality they serve the best purpose for reliving the glory days of summer, complete with eyeball sweat and straggly helmet hair.
2. Refuse to layer up and continue riding in your summer clothes.
On the flip side of the sweat suit idea, you can always attempt to recreate the feeling of freedom brought about by loose clothing or tank tops and continue wearing these clothing items in the dead of winter. I guarantee that the numbness brought about by cold temperatures will help you feel invincible when you inevitably bite the dust!
3. Take those summer clothes to the tanning bed and keep those tan lines going!
As I’ve said many a time, tan lines are an integral part of being an equestrian in the summertime. It’s like a mark of membership, what with pale lines where your gloves end and where your tank top begins. What better way to preserve your favorite part of summer than by ensuring that these tan lines don’t fade? You might get a few raised eyebrows when you waltz into the tanning salon all decked out in your schooling gear, but hey it’s for your own personal gain so don’t worry about them!
4. Continue to religiously apply fly spray to yourself and your horse.
Yes, I fly spray myself, and I know you do too! I swear, DEET doesn’t work as well as my fly spray so why would I use anything else? Even when the flies are gone for the year, continuing your daily fly spray regimen will only help bring them back sooner.
5. Speaking of flies, fly masks and sheets come in great handy during the winter.
If nothing else, they make your horse feel dignified and elegant when they go out for turnout, so why stop just because it’s a little cooler out?
6. Layer some sunscreen underneath your fly spray.
You can never be too careful with sun damage (tan lines aside), so a good, healthy application of SPF Sweatshirt is never a bad idea, even when the forecast calls for nothing but snow and ice for the next 14 days straight. Yes, I know you have an indoor arena but those UV rays will get you every time!
7. Continue riding during the coolest times of day, aka early morning or late evening.
Your horse will surely not mind a bit when you drag him out of his cozy stall in the wee hours of the morning for a ride. After all, this is the healthiest time of day to exercise when the temperatures are expected to climb throughout the day. Perhaps maintaining this routine will coax the warm temperatures to return sooner, although I get the feeling you’ll just end up with a cranky horse and no feeling in your toes.
8. After a long ride, cool your horse off with a nice shower.
I know that rinsing the sweat and grime off of myself after a good ride is one of the best feelings in the world, so shouldn’t my horse feel the same way?
9. Wear sunglasses at all times.
I have always associated sunglasses with summer, even though the sun clearly shines during the winter too. Keeping with this thought process, keeping your shades handy at the barn will most certainly bring about happy thoughts of warm weather. Plus, you’ll look really cool at the same time, which is always a bonus.
10. Turn your horse into an anatomy painting once a week in honor of summer camp.
You may want to keep an eye on the local ads for coupons for your local craft store as you will be purchasing large quantities of tempura paint and glitter for this project. As a former summer camp counselor, painting anatomy on a horse is a staple summer activity, and once you are done you can revert back to tip #8 for cleanliness’ sake.
