Recent content by TheMule

She most likely has quite a painful udder from having just been weaned, not helped by the fact the spring grass promotes further lactation. The foal coming back is likely to make the situation worse tbh, you really want her dried up completely

As Sbloom said above, a horse lifts its feet when it moves so you don’t have to teach that, what you you is very gradually teach the horse to collect the trot until it gets closer and closer to being on the spot- piaffe is just trotting on the spot, passage is a very expressive collected trot...

Classical dressage is about developing the strength and balance in the horse over many years until the poll is up (genuinely up, not artificially pulled up and in) and the haunches lower so the hocks can support the weight to lighten the forehand. The problem being that this does take a long...

That is training it as a circus trick. Which sadly is often done to create piaffe and passage and it is totally incorrect and corner cutting. That’s why most of them piaffe base narrow, with no lowering of the quarters and hardly any lifting of the front legs

There’s really not a whole load of point worrying about it- either they get taller or they don’t. I have 2 rising 4yr olds, 1 has grown 4 inches from last summer, the other has grown 1 inch

A hammer and a crowbar worked for mine!

To me, this is a management issue, not a handling issue. Unfortunately her management isn’t right so you are getting problems- get her out in a better herd on more appropriate grazing and dial down the handling. Every time you handle her and she behaves negatively she is only learning that...

Thank you, just spent a fair chunk of money but hopefully that is me stocked up!

The highlight of my childhood was being invited onto the lorry to meet King William at Tregembo horse trials. I watched her pilot 2 very green young horses around an event last year, riding as skillfully as ever. What a legend!

Definitely the Equivisor recovery mask, it is the only thing that can actually protect against wind effectively

I'm back on board my two 4year olds. They have both taken to their in hand work well- some progress from last year, a couple of backwards steps, but that is the joy of young horses I guess! I will spend the next month slowly getting them riding in the arena and then they will move to a friend's...

If he can’t live out overnight then can you hand graze for a few minutes before riding?

Took a 3yr old last year- it was a useful part of her education as it’s a very quiet outing. I wouldn't worry about the result too much- very, very few people are aware of its existence! Did no specific prep- this one lives out 24/7 on no feed. She has been well handled, but never 'trained' as...

Simon has done several Badminton’s, but this is the horse's first

It's also customs fraud and could be treated as tax evasion. Sorry OP, I don’t mean to spoil the excitement of new pony day, but I agree that it wasn’t in the best interests of the horse to add so many extra miles to the journey, and it is dishonest (at best) when it comes to the importation laws