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For riders across the UK, March brings a familiar feeling. The days get a little longer, the ground begins to dry out, and the British eventing season finally begins again.
After months of winter schooling and muddy hacks, horseboxes start rolling out early in the morning as riders head to their first events of the year. Whether it is your first BE80 or you are moving up the levels, the start of the season always brings the same excitement and, usually, a bit of last minute panic.
Because no matter how organised you are, there is always something you forget.
The Night Before the First Event
The evening before a competition often turns into a checklist of jobs that suddenly feel urgent.
Tack gets cleaned. Boots get scrubbed. The horse gets the most thorough groom it has had all winter.
A good grooming kit becomes essential at this point. Many riders reach for basics like a Lincoln rubber curry comb to loosen mud and winter coat, followed by a Hy long bristle dandy brush to get the coat clean and tidy. A quick scrape down with a sweat scraper after washing can also make life much easier before plaiting.
It is amazing how these simple tools suddenly become very important the night before a show.
The Tiny Things Riders Always Forget
Ask any rider and they will tell you that the smallest items are often the ones that cause the most stress.
Plaiting supplies are a classic example. Everything can be ready to go until someone suddenly realises there are no Lincoln plaiting bands left in the grooming kit.
It is a tiny item, but without it the neat row of plaits for dressage becomes a bit harder to achieve.
Keeping a small stash of plaiting bands, hairnets and spare bits in the lorry is always a good idea.
Rider Essentials for Competition Day
It is not just the horse that needs to be ready. Riders also end up checking their kit at the last minute.
Competition gloves are one of those things that often go missing between events, which is why many riders keep a spare pair such as Woof Wear competition gloves in their show bag.
Other useful extras include Hy5 stable gloves for early morning yard jobs and hi viz hat bands or hi viz riding whips when hacking or warming up in shared spaces.
They are small items, but they make the day run much more smoothly.
Getting the Horse Show Ready
Once the horse is clean and plaited, a few finishing touches help everything look polished for the arena.
Many riders finish with hoof care products like hoof oil to give hooves a healthy shine, along with coat sprays or shampoos to remove stubborn stable stains.
It is those final details that can really make a horse stand out in the dressage arena.
Preparing the Yard for the Season
The start of the eventing season often means getting the yard organised as well.
Fresh feed skips, Red Gorilla tubs, or stable storage bins make it much easier to prepare feeds, organise equipment and keep everything tidy during busy competition weekends.
Once the season starts, anything that saves time around the yard is always welcome.
Ready for the Season
The first event of the year always comes with a mixture of excitement and nerves. But with the right preparation, a well packed lorry and a few spare essentials tucked away, the day becomes much more enjoyable.
So before you head out to your first start box of the season, it might be worth double checking your grooming kit, your show bag and your yard supplies.
Because the only thing you want to worry about on competition day is the next fence.
