Discover 12 things that officially, make you an equestrian

There’s several things, as time goes by, that we may do or say that are classed as common equestrian traits. What makes us turn around and take notice? Normally a significant other that doesn’t share the same passion and enthusiasm for the animal or sport.

Here’s 12 points you may be able to relate to. If you answer yes to most, give yourself a pat on the back as you have already become a fully fledged equestrian!

1. The Equestrian’s Car – Alloys and wheels are covered in mud, there’s hay in every nook and cranny, and a selection of worn riding boots and the odd welly can be found in the already full to bursting boot
2. Odour- Equestrians smell of horse, period
3. The Equestrian’s Home – An equestrian’s bed is never made; the DVD collection only includes equestrian training videos or movies such as International Velvet. Other rooms, such as the hallway, are filled with mud, horse jackets, boots, riding hats, brushes, carrots and other ‘should be at the yard’ gear
4. Family – They have a child, who has a child, who has a child, all of whom are horse mad
5. Weekends – A relaxing weekend is spent down the yard, running around in circles completing the same tasks over and over again. Brush, turn-out, muck out, waters (wash, rinse, repeat). Bathing the pony is more important than bathing the kids, as they roll around in knee-high mud and hay filled barns
6. Wardrobe Style – Clothing consists of knee-high equestrian socks in a variety of colours, most probably with stripes and a very visible branding somewhere on the side. A selection of outdoor coats are found crammed on end of the Bannister. These include hi-viz wear, waterproof jackets, gilets and other dusty riding coats, non of which are suitable for anything other than horse/stable outings
7. Nails get less attention than the horse’s hooves! More time is spent talking to the farrier than a nail technician, although the thought of making a nail appointment (real soon) is never far from their thoughts (it just never happens)
8. Looking out the window and seeing rain sends an equestrian into overdrive! Several texts are swapped between livery manager and horse owner amidst panic that the horse may actually get wet!
9. More horses appear on Facebook feeds than friends
10. The ability to memorise a dressage test but not their personal mobile number
11. Yard keys are grabbed before house keys, meaning they find themselves being locked out of the house more times than out stables
12. They can’t run down the path or a stable block without starting to skip in a horse-like trot motion, followed by several vocals that sound characteristically like a horse!