Recent content by little_critter

That just flipping my perspective of a behaviour makes it easier to handle. I’d always labelled my girl as a bolshy cob, this year I’ve reframed that bolshy, bargy behaviour as an anxious horse trying to communicate that anxiety. If I work to calm that anxiety it works better than getting into...

I’ve heard that whenever confronted about this abuse, the owner just rudely laughs in your face. Ho ho ho!

I think you’ll just need to move your rug storage. My mare is fine with me hanging a couple of rugs in her stable; I would never store rugs with my gelding, he’d trash them. I don’t imagine there is anything I could do to put him off.

I was at my first lesson with new trainer, she asked me to move off, I gathered up my reins and before we’d even taken one step she was “let me stop you there….” So I’m pretty new to it too but as I tend to ride with light contact, it’s a ‘rule’ I can get behind.

I can go to them, but Soft & Sound is 2 hours plus away, and I know she a Legerate person which I've tried in the past and I just couldn't gel with it.

My favourite quote from my trainer is "his neck belongs to him" Which I interpret as "you can only take up as much rein as he gives you". If his outline is too long then address it through your seat or through the exercise....but you CAN'T just reel his neck in by shortening your reins.

I'm trawling around trying to find a trainer at the moment. I've had some fabulous classical lessons from a lovely, very well educated (and gentle) lady...but the dates of her clinics mean I can only see her a handful of times a year, and I feel I need some help more frequently than that. I just...

Just checking - do you know why she's currently on haylage? Presumably not for a medical reason (eg cough)

I don't compete any more but when I did, it did feel like "could be more supple" and "could be more over the back" were standard phrases that get put on pretty much every sheet. To be fair....unless you are scoring 10's all the way down a GP sheet then there is *always* room to improve...

I can’t visualise what you mean. Are you able to add a photo? (obscure anything sensitive)

And the tricky thing is, do you need to decide on the number before you go to the till and say “I’d like x bales please” Don’t want to be bold, ask for 3 and discover the limit is 2. But what if you ask for 2 and find you have space for a 3rd, then you have to go back and ask for another. It’s...

My gelding loves being out in all but the worst of weathers. My mare will stay out 24/7 in summer (say April- Sept) but in the winter paddocks she won’t tolerate more than say 6 hours out (much less if it’s bad weather) She will be waiting at the gate to come in. It’s better than she used to...

Good to hear from you Mrs Jingle Balls, I was worried that the quiet few days meant bad (animal) news so I'm pleased they are both still with us and heading in the right direction. I'm sorry to hear about your son's decision and understand it must be distressing for you, however as you say, it's...

To answer the question asked, my OH always uses Swarfega orange to get grime and grease out of his hands...

I’ve been wearing those rubber palmed work gloves to do the horses recently. It’s working well You could also look at putting some barrier cream on your hands before you do the horses, it should mean the dirt washes off more easily.