Aussie kids grow up in bare feet and thongs. In fact, thongs are such a part of an Aussie kid’s life that they don’t even get it when American kids laugh at them for calling them thongs… in their vocabulary a thong is something quite crude and not for children!
 
Aussie kids can run in thongs, bush bash in thongs, ride their bikes in thongs, hell – Aussie kids with a pony can even ride in thongs!
 
However, when you travel south-east Asia you learn things about walking in thongs that no Aussie childhood can prepare you for! Navigating mangroves, walking through wet-markets without getting that gross black shite all over the backs of your legs, making it through rice paddies with your thongs still attached to your feet and climbing jungle vines without releasing your thongs to the orangutans below.

We all like to be able to be self sufficient and there is nothing like kitting out your own tack room, feed room or tie-up area with custom hooks and shelves that are just right for your system of tacking up, feed storage or bridle hanging.
 
Not everyone has a welder, or welding skills (my favourite past-time!) and the good news is that you don’t need one either! The friendly cordless drill, some screws, and some creativity can give you everything you need. So here is an equestrian friendly cordless drill user manual…
 
Firstly, in order to be equestrian friendly we have to first remove the horses from near-by before embarking on our drilling adventures. It’s likely that you’ll make the drill make all sorts of funny noises, the sort that horses don’t like much and will send them running for their lives, so don’t try adjusting that hook or shelf in the tie-up bay with them tied next to you!
 
Secondly, it’s important to know which screws you need for each purpose, and what sort of surface you can and can’t screw in to. A lot of this can be worked out by trial and error but sometimes that means messy holes in walls that ideally shouldn’t have been touched!

​Can’t think of what to get your horse for Christmas? Get out your tools and start building – your horse is going to love you when you create him his very own slow feeder! Ok, so it might be more of a Christmas present to yourself, but it will do him the world of good too (see Greedy Guts vs. Slow Feeder).
 
You’ll need a plastic drum (or half of one to be precise), a slow feeder hay-net (you can get them at your local equestrian retailer or stock-feed store – we get ours from Bio-John Equine and Pet Superstore), a drill, some scissors and either a jigsaw or a handsaw.
 
Start by cutting your drum in half (if it isn’t already). You can do this by drilling a hole in it at the level you would like to cut, inserting your jigsaw and cutting your way around. Alternatively a handsaw works equally as well.
 
Next step – you’ll need to cut the top/bottom out of it. This can be achieved by using the jigsaw as above, or if you’re clever with a knife you can get it started this way and finish off with the handsaw. Either way, we aren’t aiming for any amputations in the process – so be careful to keep your fingers out the way and perhaps wear gloves.