Crewing List - What to take

Short Distance Rides:

In Car:

Water carriers;
Buckets with well sealing lids for water & sugar beet water;
Slosh bottles (well washed fabric conditioner bottles);
Rugs – cooler rug, warm rug, new zealand;
Spare horse shoes;
First aid kit – horse & rider;
Spare tack e.g. stirrup leathers if you have it;
Food & drink for rider & crew;
Towels

For Venue:

Drinking bucket;
Feed bucket & feed;
Hay / Haylage;
Stethoscope or pulse monitor;
Sponge & sweat scraper

Medium – longer distance rides

In addition to above:

Extra water carriers;
Change of numnah & girth for mid way vetting;
Feed for vet halt ready made up in carrier bag;
Hay / haylage;
Electrolytes in feed, sugar beet water or in apple sauce in syringe;
Chair, food & drink for rider;
Change of clothes (especially socks)

Kit for rider:

Drinks- water / sports drink (bottle holder for saddle is very useful);
Map case;
Bum bag containing:
- Shoe lace
- Whistle
- Vet wrap bandage
- Wound gel (robinsons hydrogel is very small & convenient)
- Space blanket
- Plasters
- Energy bar
Complete change of dry clothes for finish
Food & drink – especially water en-route
Money- in case you have to pay farrier, vet

Other useful items & tips

Black bin liner (for wet gear);
Spare head collar;
Shoof boot with sock & vet wrap;
Paracetamol / Ibufprofen, plasters, arnica pills/cream (for horse & rider);
Hilton Herbs ‘Triple Jollup’ (3 in 1 Remedy – Arnica, Ruta Grav & Rhus Tox) for horse&rider;
For horse with a long mane – plait to help slosh neck effectively;
Lots of extra drinks & food for rider & crew on longer distances;
Horse feed – take more than you think you will need; Longer distances – At vet gates offer horse lots of choices of food e.g. apples, carrots, sugar beet, nuts/mix – Keep foods separate to offer – Use plastic bowls which can stack inside each other, or carrier bags opened out to offer the horse different foods;
A jug can be useful in a vet get to pour a steady stream of water on the horse from a bucket;
2 sets of spare shoes on longer rides;
Large syringes – can buy lamb feeders from farm supply shops;
Apple juice or peppermint cordial to add to water for fussy drinkers.
Staying away from home, water can taste very different – take a couple of containers of home water with you;
For first overnight stay – rides run from a racecourse or with portable stabling are good, as all horses are stabled together and it is less stressful

Organise your crew at vet gates as to who does the jobs such as taking off tack, trotting horse, keeping an eye on the time to leave and looking after the timecard. (Don’t go to the loo with the riders time card just as they are about to leave – been there – done that!)