Recent content by YourValentine

Yes, mum had a horse who didn't look mature till 9. He had a very poor start (borderline neglect) and he didn't muscle up and look 'grown' till 9. He didn't grow height etc wise after 6, but just never matured into his frame, if that makes sense, till he was 9. We owned him and fed him well...

I'm tall and have ridden all shapes and sizes, Im skinny, and I definitely aesthetically look best on something about 16.2hh What I prefer is based on what we're doing a bit. If jumping I prefer over 16hh so I feel like I have something in front of me over a fence. Anything else I'm not fussed...

Ive ridden over all sorts of terrain on a variety of horses, and as others have said if they aren't used to uneven terrain you have to build their experience with handling it. Also if you want to trot and canter, sometimes you need to take advantage if the small stretches that are suitable and...

I think from your description of his manners & behaviour on the ground you need to take a few steps back and fill in what sound like some holes in his basic education. Not nessecarily someone who is a riding instructor, but someone who will focus on ground work - help you teach him some manners...

A friend in the fire brigade was saying that they are only really a good idea if you have the resources and manpower committed to their long term care & maintenance. Many in public place, like the village phone box, aren't maintained and may not be any good in an emergency, unfortunately.

As she is so good to mount at home from your steps, I think ypu need to start practicing mounting from varied objects at home where there is no pressue (e.g.traffic etc) so she gets used to lining upbto random objects. If you dont have a handy yard of things to climb on start by putting you...

Those dapples are amazing! And you look fine on him.

Love that description, beautifully put 😊

I owned for a few years my dream horse a TB x Trakener Absolute roll royce of a ride with the power of the TB with a bit class movement from the Trakener. Enough blood to event and the moves for DR. So another one of him would be great. Failing that an unraced TB or 16.2 Anglo arab or a...

Yes! Or liver chesnut with a flaxen mane...

They can be if they take the right bits of each, or slightly unfortunate if they take the wrong bits. Knew a couple growing up, 2 were stunning the other 3 were...erm...functional 😅 lovely people but not head turners. Great combination for endurance, spice/forward attitude, and a comfortable ride.

He fits you/you fit him :)

He looks very GIANT in the photo 😆 legs for miles.

If you want to collect the lab samples yourself there is excellent guidance on how to do it here: https://cawood.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Soil-How-to-take-a-Sample-Guide.pdf (ignore most of pgs 3 & 4). In terms of soil tests you want a broad spectrum nutrient analysis. You do not need...

Do you have anthills like this: Big old anthills like this have massive biodiversity value so if you can preserve them please do. Their presence is often an indicator of a traditional meadow that has had minimal/no inputs (seeding & fertilising) and no cultivation, and should have a good...