Recent content by planete

I would not do it. Somebody competent enough will have their own way of doing things and will not be able to refrain from 'training' him. Somebody less competent will drive you up the wall (you can tell how well I would get on with a sharer!).

When I volunteered for a lurcher rescue we were careful to rehome dogs well away from the places they came from.

From what I understood it seemed the horse she was riding went down with her when they were alone in the school?

My pony, who has turned out to have some kind of muscle myopathy (not pssm1), presented as a probable wobbler at one time. He failed to put a hind foot back when crossed over the other one, felt incredibly unsteady behind when ridden and went down on both knees at once with no obvious cause...

Definitely! Mine has been so cooperative with a bit in his mouth lately, I thought he might enjoy going bitless (Lightrider) for a change and the occasonal food reward would be easier to chew. I do not think he liked the fact it tightened around his nose and he eventually decided he would go...

Some bareback pads have a Y system for the girth straps so pressure is spread over the back. I think Dardo is one.

A small pure bred arab. Plenty of fire and stamina but trustworthy. A good one will seem a bit deranged to onlookers but will still be looking after his rider.

I wonder whether some horses need vitamin E. supplementation over the colder months? Some vets are now advocating it for all horses.

Flamazine cream from the vet actually cured the mud fever on my retired horse quite quickly even though he was out 24/7 throughout. If the legs are swollen you probably also need antibiotics. Speak to your vet and see what they say.

I can see why you are a writer. You have put it into words far better than I could. I still get the same thrill that I got as a teenager when my pony canters over on seeing me and am buzzing for hours after a successful bit of training.

The BEVA have put 'Don't break your vet' videos on Youtube, one is about desensitising your horse to injections. I used it with my pony who used to rear and, much to my surprise, it has worked. I had never done proper clicker training before either.

I had a habit of always overhorsing myself slightly as I liked the challenge and the usually steep learning curve. This time I have underhorsed myself to give me time to get back into riding as an older rider. It has been equally frustrating and unexpectedly challenging as the pony came with...

Riding my young horse on a small road in Snowdonia with a fairly steady stream of tourist traffic coming towards us. Horse unbothered walking on steadily until he caught sight of a Robin Reliant and promptly tried to turn tail. My cheerful greeting of "ah, ah, I think my horse has learnt to...

We,adopted an ex racing greyhound a few weeks ago. My OH is in his sixties and I am seventy six. He is the easiest dog we have ever had. He is affectionate,happy with as little or as much exercise as you want to give him, was clean in kennels and has been totally clean in the house from day...

About wanting or expecting to be paid for work. I have started paying Woody for trotting in an energetic onward bound manner. Gone is the grudging heel dragging trot he would offer going away from home. He trots until I say walk then gets a treat before going on. I have never done this before in...