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Last year when all seemed hopeless with my young horse, I bought a young connie as a plan B. He's proving to be a really nice young chap and is currently away being professionally backed. I had him vetted on purchase by an experienced vet at RVS who failed to spot a sarcoid lurking under his...

My horse is barefoot. A couple of monts ago I noticed a horizontal crack. Mentioned it to trimmer. He thought it was a bang from coronary band growing down. Then today, brought horse in and part of his hoof wall has broken off - yikes! Recognising how hard the ground was, I had been turning him...

Are there places where you can send a mare to be inseminated, then mare stays there until foal is weaned?

I posted earlier about oak trees - and thanks very much for your reassurances. Now I've had the other field boundary checked out and there are some cherry trees nearby. I've checked online and the leaves of cherry trees are very poisonous when wilting - say on a fallen branch - and the cherry...

Looking at some land to buy and have found 3.5 acres of well-draining land with great access to hacking/outdoor school nearby. There is a wood along one side of the field with a number of oak trees. They are not near enough to drop acorns but I'm guessing we will get leaves in autumn. The...

I'm trying to improve the steadiness of my hands by keeping my arms by my side. I tend to round my shoulders and have short arms. When I manage to achieve arms hanging by my side and shoulders back, my reins feel very long, particularly in trot. Horse is young, bouncy in trot and has a good...

I'd be grateful for any reviews of this trainer please.

I'd be grateful for some reviews please.

Looking for someone to start a youngster. Needs to be smallish lightweight rider as horse is only 14.3. Looking for someone with a sympathic and patient approach - horse is well-behaved and lovely temperament but I don't want him rushed. I have done loads of groundwork but damaged knee and lack...

I've got a skewbald shetland pony aged about 9 on loan - standard rather than mini. She's to be a companion. Very nervous but we're working on it and she's responding. She's overweight, I think, under all that fluff. Teeth, vaccs and feet all up-to-date. At present, she's in at night and...

Just pondering how to keep my young horse happy in my lorry and going out and about. He frets and sweats up when travelling and clearly can't wait to get home, so we don't go anywhere. Do you think it would be possible to find an elderly, small pony on loan/companion status to travel on the...

Still experimenting with treeless saddles to find one that his nibs is happy in and that doesn't give me hipache due to width. Trying out a HM Vogue. Only sat in it for 5 mins yesterday but stirrup buckles dig into my inner thigh due to the bar being in a different position. Webbers have been...

My two youngish geldings (3 and 5) are having a lovely time playing together - but are trashing each other's rugs. It's mostly "knock and run" where they play bite the back of the rug and trot off. They are a very happy little herd of three so I don't want to separate them, but I'm getting fed...

I'm looking to buy a chain harrow to go behind a small Kubota 20 hp tractor. This year and last I have let my grass grow long as "foggage" on two acres of my 5 acre field. This has resulted in a kind of "mat" of dead material at the base. The harrow needs to be able to rake this dead material...

What type of topper do people recommend? I have 5 acres to do. Gently sloping field. Some parts of the field have been left for a while - perhaps 9-12 ins high? It will be pulled by a compact Kubota with PTO and 3 point leverage. Tractor has agricultural rather than turf tyres. I feel that I...

I'm thinking of buying a secondhand small tractor for harrowing, topping and rolling. Needs to be small in order to fit in my shed. Any ideas on best makes, what to look for, etc. I know virtually nothing about tractors so any advice would be welcomed. PS I'm not in the market for a quad bike

Currently riding my young horse in a Torsion treeless as this is the only saddle I can find that he is happy in. The stirrup leathers attach to a ring rather than a bar so can't come off in the event of a fall. I ride in bent iron safety stirrups but am also thinking of trying these safety...

If a foal is orphaned and then a foster mare is found, will this have any affect on the foal's later behaviour or temperament? I have heard that hand-reared foals can prove difficult later in life and other horses may reject them. Is this true of foster foals? Thanks in advance for any replies

Yesterday while doing groundwork, horse went berserk frantically trying to scratch round by his stifle - an awkward place to reach and he was really throwing himself around, then set off bucking and tail swishing. I had a look in his coat but couldn't see anything. On the other side in roughly...

Having some free time on my hands, I decided to clean up the inside of my Theault 3.5 lorry. It's pretty ancient but a very strong and safe transport. Inside it's got padding at a higher level then it's lined with black rubbery stuff - maybe vinyl? I scrubbed these today and although they look...

Went with a friend to view a lovely young horse this weekend. She really likes it as it ticks all the boxes and has a super temperament. On the way to the viewing, got a message from seller saying horse had come in with puffy hind legs and asking if we still wanted to come. Over half way there...

I currently rent my horses' field but thinking ahead it would be better to buy some land as my income will be much reduced but I will get some capital on retirement. 3 acres is possibly coming up for sale near me but one acre was planted as an orchard about 15 years ago. Would it be...

Decision made today to retire my young horse, aged 5. I've owned him for 3 years and adore him. Did well as a youngster in inhand classes winning 3 championships so had high hopes. Great breeding: FS Golden Moonlight x Royaldik. Started gently at 4. Not up to ridden work. I've tried every saddle...

My internet is so slow only going to post pics of one foot but these are before and after photos of hoof 12 weeks later with new trimmer and twice weekly toe rasping from me. Chip in wall spoils it a little, but overall I'm very pleased. Hoof wall still thin but hope it will improve with the...

Apparently from next spring farmers can't spread horse muck on fields so no one is going to be willing to empty muck heaps anymore. Something to do with preventing contamination of water sources? These are new Environmental Protection rules. Anyone know anymore about this and what to do with the...

My young horse has developed yet another minor ailment. This time a swollen sheath with possibly some blood inside. Uncomfortable with it as he was stamping back leg. Vet was out last week to look. He's had 5 days of antibiotics and bute. Swelling went down but now back again - but this could...

Does anyone know if she is still fitting saddles please and, if so, how to contact her? TIA

I've recently come across a couple of knowledgeable people whose horses are not laminitic or overweight but who do not ever get grass. They are kept in pens and fed hay/haylage. They have grazing but horses do not go on the grass - ever. The belief seems to be that grass is fundamentally bad...

Is there a particular type of saddle that suits NFs? Companion pony is now 3 and doing groundwork. I'm planning to get her used to wearing a saddle and to have a little sit on her at the end of the , then turn away. She's 14 hh and has a reasonably long back - but very short neck! I will of...

Not sure I can bear to watch but apparently it exposes the fact that thousands (yes it says thousands) of racehorses, including many young horses and previously successful horses, are sent to slaughterhouses each year. When will action be taken to stop this cruel and awful wastage in this...