Recent content by Burnttoast

I don't think that's an unreasonable question to ask. Mankind has spent millennia just doing things because it could. These days ethics are a thing in some quarters, and there seems no harm in running some of our past decisions by our inner ethicist, particularly now that we don't need horses to...

*bounces up and down in chair with hand in air* "I can think of a causal link!"

Folding is fine if it means closing the hip angle. What you don't want to do is just lean forward while maintaining an open hip angle - that will more or less guarantee that your leg shoots backwards. Many people are riding too long, too. Pull your stirrups up a few holes and practise a...

If we were talking about humans, this would be called victim blaming. We can predict that the likelihood of injury/death when presenting a horse at a reasonably solid fence at racing pace among other horses is much higher than when not doing so.

Thank the lord for huge blocks on saddles, eh?

They're thinking: "I've got a position to maintain".

Well, if CP doesn't realise foxes are killed by other means he may well think that it is an animal welfare thing. But I imagine he knows perfectly well that they are in the same way that I do, despite not being involved in it myself. It's harder to argue against shooting for 'pest control'...

Not only does none of that make it ok, most of that isn't even true. That really grates. They aren't treated like kings, even if that meant anything to a horse (and we have one handily close by we can compare them with), they want for many things, and running = fear for the horse brain. Wasn't...

Gotta keep a vice-like grip on that lower jaw or anything might happen 🙄 head might fall off, e.g.

Yet another skilled, elite rider riding with sympathy and finesse and really listening to their horse's opinion

Honestly, who puts a trail along a railway line...

Presumably they don't realise it because some hunts (the ones they know of/are involved with) are carrying on as before.

Tbf my boy was very ornamental ever when rather plump. And fields do look better with something grazing in them 😁

I found beetroot powder good for disguising the taste, plus it's good for them. Also making up feeds and mixing minerals in just before feeding. If the feeds sat around for a while they were less interested.

When I finally got to own my own after best part of 30 years of working with/riding other people's, I suddenly discovered I much preferred just hanging out with him. If I'm ever able to have more ponies in the future they will be strictly for hanging out with only.