Recent content by ClaretCarrot

I read conflicting things about first cut and second cut hayledge. First cut is more expensive so I'm assuming it's better nutritional value *but* most of my horses are fatties so the hayledge would only really only be something for them to munch on. Can anyone clarify things for me? I have...

My pony pulled a tendon recently and I was told by my vet 6-9 months recovery. He lasted 1 month on box rest and he started going ape. (Also used to living out 24/7) then he lasted another month in a small turnout on his own before he started trying to jump out. Finally I took a risk and went...

I'm sorry but I have to agree with some of the others, a yard should not offer livery if it does not have the space/facilities for year round turnout. Even if a horse is worked twice a day plus on a horsewalker, then the horse is locked in a stable the other 21 or more hours a day. Thats a long...

Thank you for all the replies. Lots of food for thought. With so many love/hate stories I guess i'm just going to have to be brave and just pick one and sell it on if it doesnt suit! Thanks again

Thank you for the replies. I'm in Ireland and saddle fitters are very few and far between, and most of those that are here generally have a very poor reputation. (A friend got one who arrived out with a wintec gullet gauge, selected a gullet with it, and sold my friend a wintec saddle. Hey...

I'm planning on getting a treeless saddle. I'm only at the research stage but i'm struggling with choice. Firstly my budget is reasonably limited, so a barefoot saddle would be pushing my budget. Definitely cant spend more. I am fussy and I dont think I could cope with second hand unless its...

Very shocking read I have to say!

Well i've struggled with one of my horses schooling and some behavioural issues (mainly napping) have crept in. Dealing with them in the "traditional method" made them worse. He is also very much a horse that needs a leader and I havent been that for him. I would also like to create a bond with...

Thanks a million everybody. Lots to research and read. I saw a Buck Brannaman demo, and maybe he was just having a quiet day but all I saw was him spinning horses with very little explanation! So hopefully its more clear when I read up. I bought Mark Rashid books a few years ago and never got...

I have a curiosity in natural horsemanship for various reasons. I would like to do some reading up on it. Where can I get more info without getting too lost? I'm not really sure where to start or where to get more info. Thanks in advance!

He was lunged for 20mins sporadically over the winter and he's the type of pony that spends the day running around the field terrorising the horses, so he's surprisingly fit despite his weight. I started him at 40 mins on the horse walker and he wasn't even breathing heavier than normal. I had...

Right my miniature/Shetland type pony is alarmingly obese. He lives out and has been fed no more than a bit of hay over the winter. There isn't a huge amount of grass and I suspect he's just reaching the bits of grass the horses can't reach. I didn't want to have to put a grazing muzzle on him...

I did. Their reaction was really quite powerful. One of them lay down beside her. Her son, who has always been stabled beside her, is now reluctant to go into his stable despite knowing there is food in there (previously he used to open the door himself and go in)

Thanks a million for all the input. I guess they were all grieving the actual pony rather than her position in the herd. They were all visibly depressed and quiet after she died, some still acting strangely. There has been no infighting, they just seem sad and depressed. So no new mares for me :)

I'm just wondering about herd dynamics in an established herd (same group of horses for years) I've recently lost my one and only mare (who was also the matriarch despite her failing physical ability) and I am left with 5 geldings. I'm quite conscious that the herd dynamics have changed...