What better way to spend a day off with your horse, riding, enjoying the fresh air and getting some exercise! It’s important to stay hydrated due to the physical activities required such as mucking out, riding, organising the hay barn and grooming etc. Those points aside, the dust alone can also make you super thirsty too. All types of activities will involve loss of bodily fluids, even if you don’t necessarily notice this at the time.
Taking a flask down the yard is a popular choice for ‘coffee heads’ but have you ever thought of using a flask for cold drinks too? How many times have you dismounted and had to reach for the yard hose pipe for a quick sip of water, or for the drink you purchased from the shop, for it only to have gone lukewarm?
We recommend The Ultimate Insulated, Double Walled Stainless Steel Drinks Bottle, a great example of a traditional ‘flask’ type container that will keep cold drinks cold for up to 24 hours and hot drinks hot for up to 12 hours.
Ideal for yard days, the bottle is Bpa and toxin free and comes in a selection of colours that include midnight blue, pink grapefruit, very berry, aqua and other just as fabulous colours. They are even small enough to fit in your car cup holder.
RRP £12.99 – £26.99, Amazon
These flasks are an excellent choice as;
- They’re robust, needed around 550kg plus animals!
- It doesn’t matter whether they’re left in direct sunlight, it won’t affect the temperature of the fluids inside
- They come with a lifetime guarantee
- Super trendy, so handing on to young children on the way out the door shouldn’t be a problem
Choice of drink
With the above flask in mind, you may wish to opt for one of the following drinks that are great for rehydrating.
- Milk, yes Milk! A Trial VIA Mens Journal has suggested that drinking milk helped people retain body fluids following a two hour follow up – so make sure you have a drink of Milk before heading out to the yard or keep some in the flask for while you’re there
- Hot or iced Tea
- Hot or iced Coffee
- Water (the obvious one)
- Fruit juice
Whatever you decide to carry with you to the yard this summer, make sure in some way you remember to take a drink, whether it be a hot summer afternoon or a typical dull British day.
Have fun with your horses.
Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.