With dry weather some parks are beginning to open trails and a few horsecamps are draining out. It’s time to start thinking about which trails to ride and what horsecamps to head for come spring and summer but first, how’s your dates? Is everything up to date?

There’s no better time than now to start checking dates to make sure things are current. So if you haven’t taken the time to check items to make sure they are current, there’s no better time than now – before the serious riding season arrives – to update those outdated items.

The first place to begin is in the first aid kit, horse and human. Check the expiration dates on bottles of medication from people aspirin to equine eye drops. Equine medications HAVE an expiration date on them so if outdated, toss ‘em and either get a refill but before refilling always talk to the vet to see if the medication is still needed. Often we buy more than is needed with the idea of “having it for later”. But later doesn’t come so the equine first aid kit is suddenly full of outdated and expired liquids, tablets and medications. So take it all out, read the labels and then repack. If the labels are beginning to fade and the contents are still good, copy the label and then put copy and medication into a bigger bottle. (Save those old people prescription bottles from the local drug store. They’re often big enough that smaller bottles can be stored inside. They’re also great to keep sterile needles in so they don’t roll around breaking the seal and then the needles falling out.) While repacking, make a list of what to refill and update so it can be purchased from your vet, on line or at the local tack shop. And once everything has been repacked, make a list, date it and store in bottom of equine first aid kit or in people first aid kit so you’ll know the last time it was updated.

Next, check those fly spray containers. They too have expiration dates. A couple months back I began to check some of the fly sprays sitting on the shelf in the tack room. Some had been sent to me “for trial”, others I had purchased “on sale” and still more just suddenly began to sprout on the shelf. It sometimes seems containers, bottles and cans regardless of what’s in them start to multiple in the darkness of a tack room as they get pushed further and further back on a shelf. So check the dates on ALL the containers on shelves including shampoos, conditioners, salves, etc. And again make a list of what’s what, toss those outdated items out and file, date the completed list for refill reference.

(When tossing, remember a lot of canned sprays can’t be dumped into garbage cans or household garbage because some of them are considered ‘hazardous chemicals’. Always check with the garbage company to make sure what items and can be canned and which have to be taken to a specific recycling center.)

What about your horse’s papers? Are they up to date? Is the picture of the horse current? Or was it taken when he was 2 years old and he’s now 9 year’s old? And if he’s an Appaloosa, does his coat pattern still match that when he was two?

Flint, an Appaloosa gelding I owned many years ago, was a roan with a white blanket over his hips and big brown spots. As he aged, his roan body color turned lighter and the white blanket began to spread over his back and with each year, the brown spots got a little smaller on the hips while some disappeared from his back. In a picture at 4 he was a dark strawberry roan with blanket but at 14, he was a light red roan with a blanket over back and hips and different sized brown spots. When he died at 29, he’s blanket over the hips was solid white and there were only four brown spots left. So as each year came, his photos on ownership papers had to be updated. Is your horse’s picture current?

Remember, ownership papers should be safely tucked in the horse trailer so they are always available for inspection. So if up to date, can you still find ‘em in the trailer? And after winter weather, can they still be read?

If planning to leave the state, what about health certifications, Coggins tests? Since Coggins is only good for a specific time, when did it expire? And if you plan to ride out of state, at what time should you plan to have Coggins tests redone along with health certificates. Done to early and you’ll lose riding time. Done to late and they may not be ready from the vet’s office when you want to load up and head out. So make sure all necessary hauling papers are current and if not, up date ‘em.

Planning on riding a specific trail? Or heading to a horsecamp? Got a map? What’s the date on that map? Maps can be up dated and with those up dates come possible trail closures, rerouting and even trail head and staging area expansions or closures. So check your supply of maps and if over 5 years old, look for new ones.

Many agencies don’t update maps except when they have to. That have to may not happen for 10 years so always save notes regarding any trail, horsecamp, staging area or trail head. Then put those notes in a binder. For reference, write a notation on the map: “Check up dated notes”. This way it will be quick and easy to know which map has up date notes. And if the map is old, always change the area codes for phone numbers. Area codes tend to change faster than spots on an Appaloosa and it’s easier to make a phone call from a cell with the correct area code than trying to find it through the operator!