Recent content by khalswitz

I love this! Mary would be Frosty Mistletoe, and my old boys Geoff and Fitzroy would be Merry Sleigh and Merry Rudolph respectively. Mary’s current pals would be Jolly Angel, Merry Cookie and Jolly Tinsel. Actually weirdly suits them!

A nice post today from Patrick Pollock, at Glasgow Vet School: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1C52rsAHAU/?mibextid=wwXIfr

This is actually really concerning if only dial hats will be available. I teach vet students, and we’ve had major H&S issues with dial hats and tail hair catching in dials when working with hind limbs. We’ve thus banned students using hats with dials as PPE. CO was our go to for our own work hats.

If saddle is checked and fine, as are teeth, and pony is so unhappy under saddle (including heavy sweating it sounds like), I’d be talking to the vet. Could be bilateral lameness, ulcers, kissing spines - a whole bunch of things can lead to this type of behaviour if the horse is in pain.

All these things. Mine was a nappy sod when I first got her - she's still spooky and a bit insecure on her own compared to a bombproof rock in company but she's a different horse now. What I did was a combination of: a) hacking the same 20 min circular route in company repeatedly, ideally in...

I use these too. Mine is over 10 years old and still great.

I’m looking forward to that one I have to admit!

I'm going to the first day (Fri 21st) which is aimed at scientists - but I saw that Day 2 (Sat 22nd) is aimed at horse owned and allied professionals, so wondered if people from here were planning on going along. Might be a nice day out with the Birmingham Xmas Market on across the road as well...

I’ve also only just seen this Birker - so so sorry to hear this. It’s completely shit to lose a horse you love, even when you’ve given them the best chance you can. I took a long time away from here after Geoff passed. It’s not a bad thing. I personally still struggle with feelings of guilt...

I had Mary's hocks injected with steroids in April, and was planning to try cartrophen this autumn if she got worse, but with injections and a mix of boswellia, devil's claw, meadowsweet, green-lipped mussel, glucosamine, MSM and chondroitin she has been fine all summer. A massive help has...

I have used molasses, apple juice, blueberry juice, cranberry juice, pineapple juice, halved apples (get some juice and also get them 'dooking' for the apple pieces'), a small amount of their usual soaked feed (eg mine uses Coolstance Copra) and even a bit of no added sugar squash. I tend to...

This. Mine was muzzled all summer and has only recently had it off - and she's gone wired, exactly like happened in the spring when it all went whoosh! She's also been girthy and her droppings are very soft, which to me, adds up to grass changes. The only thing that has helped a little for mine...

Our hay is the same price as last year at £40 a large bale. But we had a decent hay and silage crop this summer in our part of the Borders.

I agree on a Highland. I used to break Highland ponies in fairly regularly and a good one is comfy and chill but can still have nice (smaller) paces! One lady I used to show ponies for was riding hers into her 70's. I'd definitely go that route.

So my absolute must have that I think every yard should have is a set of tools for removing a shoe in an emergency. If you find a horse unable to walk with a twisted shoe, it’s going to save an emergency vet call out if you can do it yourself. I’ve also had to do it when a horse got a shoe...