Benefits of Gloves

When I first started working with horses I suffered terribly with my hands. They would become extremely painful from being dry and chapped and would be so dirty with ground in dirt, just as you would see with a mechanic who has been working with oil. Mine would be from mud and filth which I thought was just one of those things that you should expect from working outside and with horses!
I would be forever scrubbing my hands and using moisturiser and barrier creams to try and help, but it felt like a losing battle.
Then I came to work with the Bells, who all wear gloves, so I began to copy and after realizing the benefits, I began to become pickier with what type and style of glove to use for certain jobs.

I now use the grip gardening gloves for picking out feet as these are half waterproof on the hand side and these are strategically placed by hoof picks and skip buckets in the areas that we have set out to pick out the feet. These gloves are also used for feet trimming so are with all the kit we need for this, and in the school for moving the jumps about, this is one of the most rewarding times to wear gloves as getting sticky sand on your hands or under your nails is probably the worst feeling! and yes I do have nails as I wear gloves!!
A pair of marigolds are kept under the sink, while my gloves for riding are never to far away – I personally use a thinner glove as I like to feel the reins. My everyday gloves for general use are fluffy and warm, especially needed in weather like today – it was minus one!

Latex gloves are my new find. They are ideal for applying traumeel and cleaning wounds, treating abscesses, we all know how horrific the smell can be!! and I also use latex gloves for oiling tack, there is nothing worse than getting oil on your clothes or belongings or even on your steering wheel, as trying to drive with a slippery steering wheel is not a nice experience, believe me I’ve tried it !

Plus a few spare pairs in case a set get wet or are in need of a wash, gloves are so inexpensive that although this may seem extravagant it is definitely worth it !

People look at me in disbelief when I say I help look after 10 horses, as my hands definitely tell a different story!