The First Day of Fall: 8 Equestrian Truths
The first day of fall might mean cozy sweaters and pumpkin spice for most people — but for equestrians, it means something a bit different. Spooky horses and all the mud, to name a few…
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Ah, fall. The season of pumpkin spice, Instagram-worthy leaves, and sweaters you’ll regret wearing to the barn approximately 3.2 seconds after your arrival. While “normal people” celebrate the first day of fall with pumpkin candles and apple cider, equestrians have a slightly different seasonal experience. Here’s what autumn’s grand entrance really means when horses are involved.
1. Horses Turn Into Kite-String Monsters
Cool air = extra oxygen = your horse suddenly believes he is some combination of a Thoroughbred galloping the Kentucky Derby and a dragon on a string. That “perfectly civilized” gelding you trusted all summer now spooks at leaves, shadows, and the sound of his own hoofbeats. Congratulations, you are now flying a 1,200-pound kite.
2. Goodbye Sleek Summer Horse, Hello Woolly Mammoth
Overnight, your horse will begin growing hair like he’s prepping for a Siberian expedition. He may look adorable, but he’ll also sweat through his coat the second you try to do more than a walk-trot. If you clip, the season is coming… and so are the endless blanket debates.
3. The Great Blanket Migration
The barn aisles become a chaotic fashion show of mismatched blankets, torn straps, and questionable repairs made with baling twine. You swear you’ll organize them this year… You won’t.
4. Hay Hoarding Mode Activated
Fall means every horse person you know suddenly is talking about hay like it’s gold. If you didn’t fill your barn during summer, prices rise, barns fill, and you find yourself calculating exactly how many bales you need to survive winter (and then adding 30 more “just in case”).
5. Trails Are Instagram Gold… Until They’re Not
There is nothing more magical than a fall trail ride under bright orange leaves… until your horse decides those crunchy piles are portals to another dimension. Cue dramatic sideways leaps. Don’t forget your helmet and air vest — or your sense of humor.
6. Mud Season Is Here
Or, at the very least, it’s not far off. Get out those knee-high boots and every ounce of determination you’ve got, because you’re going to be schlepping through mud and hosing down legs from now until it freezes. Sigh….
7. Pumpkin Spice Horse Edition
Sure, pumpkin spice lattes are nice, but horse people know fall by the scent of… fly spray, damp wool coolers, and that unmistakable “freshly clipped” aroma. Bonus points if you accidentally discover your horse loves pumpkin and now won’t let you eat a muffin in peace.
8. Show Season Chaos
For some, fall means chasing year-end points. For others, it’s the bittersweet end of summer competition. Either way, it’s a perfect excuse to wear that wool cooler you bought because it looked fancy — even though it’s covered in shavings five minutes later.
Here’s the bottom line: the first day of fall isn’t just about cozy sweaters and pumpkin patches — it’s about friskier horses, fluffier coats, and hay math that never quite works out. It’s chaos, yes, but it’s our chaos. And honestly? We wouldn’t trade it for all the pumpkin spice in the world.
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