After a hiatus of four long years, New Zealand’s Horse of the Year show in sunny Hawke’s Bay is finally back for 2024.
If you’re like us, you’ve eagerly been anticipating HOY 2024 and making plans to hit the road and get to the Hastings Tomoana Showgrounds on 5th to 10th March.
If you want to know more such as the HOY schedule, how to get to HOY, how to buy HOY tickets, or where to stay, you can check out their website HERE.
We’ll be there and hoping to meet lots of you, have a yarn, and help you with something we all need to stay on top of – our fencing needs.
But if you’re going to HOY, just who is watching the house or farm back home? And most importantly, have you thought of everything before you shut the truck door and trundle off down the driveway?
Let us give you a helping hand with our quick checklist of what you need to do to prepare for HOY 2024 so you don’t get that “I’m sure I’ve forgotten something but I don’t know what” feeling halfway up State Highway 2!
Here’s what we recommend:
Sort out the animals: If you have pets or other animals at home, make sure they'll be well cared for in your absence. Arrange for a trusted friend, family member, or pet sitter to look after them, ensuring they'll be fed, walked, and cared for as needed.
Organise childcare: If you have children who won't be joining you at HOY, make sure they're in good hands. Book a reliable babysitter or ask a family member to take care of them while you're away.
Pack for HOY: Create a comprehensive list of all the equipment you'll need for the show, including saddles, bridles, covers, brushes, feed, feed buckets, hay, haynets, bandages, riding helmets, first-aid kits, riding boots, and show jackets. Start making your list early and add to it as needed to avoid forgetting anything important.
Lock up securely: To prevent any opportunistic theft while you're away, make sure all doors and windows around your house and barns are shut and locked. Tell trustworthy neighbours about your absence and ask them to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity.
Check fencing and gates: As a responsible horse owner, you know how important it is to ensure your fencing is secure and functional. Before you leave for HOY, take the time to inspect your farm's fencing and gates, so that horses and livestock left at home stay exactly where they’re supposed to be.
Here are some specific things we recommend to look for:
Gates: Check that gates are fastened, the hinges are intact, and everything looks to be in good condition. Have you seen our 7.5 m retractable gate tape? Designed to keep horses safe and secure, it's so handy for leading horses through, and quick and easy to install.
Electric fences: Check that the hot wire is working correctly with quality insulators and is not acting as a direct earth, to prevent any outages during your absence. If your fences are looking a bit tired and in need of an update, take advantage of our special offer on our popular equine tape - Equine Naturae range in green and brown. It’s getting rave reviews, and for good reason. Quick and easy to install yourself, safe, secure, looks sharp, and horses can see it too.
Outriggers: Make sure that outriggers are secured well, with no sharp edges and no exposed metal that could earth out the fence. Fed up of having to walk countless kms to find where the fault is? Our outriggers are a hassle-free and safe option, lightweight, installed in seconds, and fully plastic so won’t earth out anywhere.
Energisers: Often forgotten about, but energisers need tested, cleaned, and checked regularly to see that they're functioning correctly, especially if they're solar-powered. Before you leave for HOY is the perfect time to test your energisers and to make sure they’re well-earthed to suit your conditions and the size of the energiser.
Fences: Walk the boundaries of your paddocks, checking for damaged wires, holes or gaps, or loose tape that could get caught around a horse's leg or cause a direct short compromising the performance of your electric fence. If you need to fix up the fences in a hurry, our Styx Battens are quick and easy to install, work on 2.50mm diameter wire, and create super secure fences in minutes.
By following this checklist, you can rest assured that you've taken care of everything at home before heading to HOY 2024.
We hope this guide has been helpful, and we're here to help with any fencing needs you may have. Safe travels, and don't forget to visit us at Stand D05 to say hello!
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