Snowy winter days and below zero temperatures in January normally means one thing for Bertram’s string of horses and I: Florida time! I started working for Aloga Stables in 2021 and every year since then (with the exception of 2024) we move southwest for the three first months of the year. Personally I love the break from winter coats and heavy rugs, but there is a lot of packing and planning that goes into the trip over the Atlantic.
We usually start planning for the Florida leg of our season a few months out - which horses are going, what paperwork needs to be done and how much equipment are we going to bring. The planning, preparation and packing is definitely something that takes time to learn how to get it right. I first went to Florida back in 2019 and I don't think I got much right regarding packing!
Rugging in Florida might be the biggest challenge. Some years the temperatures rarely drop below 15 degrees, even at night, some years it gets down below the zero and you will kick yourself for not bringing your heavy rugs and necks. This year has probably been the coldest I've experienced over here and I have simply had to use every single blanket that we brought to keep the boys warm at night and for warming up before riding!
I'm obviously very spoiled being on the Aloga Team in the way that I can pick whatever rugs I want to bring since we have everything at home. This year I brought the Pro Stable 200g as my heaviest option, as well as the Pro Stable 100g and 0g which are probably the two rugs I use the most over here.
For the field I brought the Pro Turnout 0g and the Fly Dry Sheets for the inevitable rainy days we sometimes get, and of course also the Fly Sheets that they wear on the daily. The blankets really get tested hard here with the horses absolutely loving to roll in the black Florida sand, and they are still holding up very well!
To save some space while packing I always try to bring as many rugs as I can in the horses separate flight bags that we bring in the containers on the plane with them. This year it was really handy as we stabled one night in a very cold Amsterdam before heading to the airport in the morning - I needed both the heavier rugs that I had packed in the flight bags to keep the boys warm! Another blanket I always keep in the flight bag is the Pro Fleece blanket - if you load on a cold day you're gonna want to keep their backs warm while they wait on the tarmac to get loaded on to the plane. De-attaching the tail strap for easy removal once you're on the plane is a good hack to know.
We had a nice, easy flight here and our five boys took the trip very well. Once we got over to America, they spent two days in the quarantine in Miami while I made myself busy preparing the stables, ordering feed and making sure everything was ready for their arrival in Wellington.
Writing this we have already been State side for a few weeks and what a successful time we've had so far! Bertram has been super consistent in the ribbons with Darragh Kenny’s horses and our own Qonquest and Kadans have started off the season equally well. This week we're starting Qonquest and Pacino in the first 5* show of the year and if it keeps going like they have started the season I think we have two fun months here ahead of us!