It really is autumn now – at least according to the calendar. We’re hurtling towards October, even though it’s still around 20 degrees outside. Down here in the south, the nights are still quite mild, too. It almost makes you have to remind yourself where we’re actually heading – towards cooler times.
But for now, it’s just a case of enjoying it, enjoying it and enjoying it a bit more. I’m using all my riding sessions to be out in the fields and on the roads. It’s an indescribable feeling to gallop across the embankment we have by the stables, which is designed for riding and jumping over natural obstacles. Then you can follow the loop round the farmer’s sugar beet fields and trot or gallop up the slopes. Or why not have a gallop across the nearest stubble field? All, of course, with the landowner’s permission.
It’s easy to forget that the everyday life that awaits us, in just a couple of months’ time, means dark afternoons and evenings, when on weekdays we’re often confined to floodlit riding arenas, indoor riding halls and roads. That’s why it feels all the more important to really make the most of these lovely days whilst we have them.
At the same time, I – like many others, I imagine – am finding it a bit tricky to choose the right rug at the moment. What feels just right on a chilly night can be far too warm the next night when a high-pressure system moves in. Some mornings are really cool, whilst the early afternoons are still bathed in sunshine.
What’s more, quite a few flying insects have reappeared and are swarming in certain places. So the so-called ‘Indian summer’, which I really love, does have its downsides. I often sit in my office wondering just how warm the horses actually are – and which rug might be the right one on that particular day.
We can also see from our rug orders that we’re experiencing an unusually warm transition from September to October. For the first time, we’ve sold a number of pure summer rugs in September, such as the Rainbug Combo. This particular type of combination rug is actually very well suited to an autumn like this one, when the weather can shift so quickly between sunshine, warmth and light rain.
So for now, we’re continuing to enjoy the lingering late summer – even if the calendar says otherwise.
I wish you all many wonderful outdoor rides in the crisp autumn air, with lively horses, beautiful riding trails and, hopefully, plenty of sunshine!
/Agneta
