7 Reasons Why Summer with Horses is Both a Dream and a Disaster

2. The Ground is Too Hard – Really?

You’d think that after surviving the swampy quagmire of winter, the hard ground of summer would be a relief. And yet, here we are, complaining again. "It’s too hard now! The ground’s like concrete!" But somehow, the sound of their joints clicking with each step doesn’t seem so bad. That’s what you get for wishing for a bit of dry ground—now you're living with the consequences.

It’s a timeless paradox: Too soft in winter, too hard in summer. Is it too late to go back to complaining about the mud?

3. The Battle of the Electric Tape

Now, if there’s one thing that makes summer truly unforgettable for many horse owners, it’s the annual electric tape battle. Setting up strip grazing and attempting to keep your horse from looking like they’ve eaten more than their body weight in grass, getting that fence set up becomes a Herculean task. Deep breaths, deep breaths.

The tape tangles, the posts won’t go into the ground, and your horse stands in the background, staring at you with a mixture of confusion and amusement as you mutter curses at the tape. You finally get it all set up only to realise that your energizer, which you stored away so carefully last year, won’t work anymore.

At great expense, you invest in a new energizer and/or battery, and after a short but intense course in “How to Be a Professional Electrician for Dummies,” you finally get everything hooked up. The moment of triumph is nearly upon you—until you power everything up and, of course, the only thing you’re shocking is yourself. Classic. At this point, your horse has already made their way to the other side of the fence, munching happily on the forbidden grass, while you stand there questioning your life choices and contemplating taking up knitting instead.

4. Sun Protection Overload

By summer, it’s no longer about the coat changes and waterproof trousers —it’s all about the sun‘scream’. For the first time in months, you’re embracing the sun, layering on that kids’ factor 50 like you're preparing for a trip to the equator. Slather it on—hands, arms, neck —and voila, you’re ready to face the day. [avoid the farmer tan lines at all costs]

What you always forget, however, is that sunscreen doesn’t apply so well when it’s already got hot in the tack room. Nope, it turns into a warm, sticky mess, streaming down your face with every canter. And, as if things couldn’t get worse, some of it inevitably ends up in your eyes. You’re riding through a constant sting, sweat dripping, wondering why you didn’t just wear a full suit of armour instead.

Ah, summer, the season where the only thing hotter than the sun is an equestrian encouraging a lazy cob around the arena for just one more lap of trot.

5. The Gift of Daylight

Let’s be real: one of the best things about summer is the extra daylight. After months of riding in the dark or near-dark during winter, you can finally make the most of the extended daylight hours. You can ride until the cows come home—literally! It feels like you’ve unlocked a whole new level of freedom. And even if you're sweating like a pig from all that sunscreen and fly spray (and possibly a few tears from the temper tantrum earlier), at least you can enjoy a nice long hack in the evening sun. The best part? No need to worry about rushing to get back to the yard before the sun sets at 3 pm.

Yes, it’s the season where you can enjoy your horse for as long as you want—until you realise that your legs have just about had enough, and the sunburn on the back of your neck (where you totally forgot to apply suncream) is starting to make you reconsider all of your life choices. But hey, at least you’ve got the extra hours of daylight to enjoy the pain!

And let's not forget the inevitable “When are you going to be home?” texts from your partner, who now starts to moan about whether there’s a single weekend left between horse shows where they might actually see you. New schedule – out of the house by 6am and back by 9pm.