Search results

This article may help to answer your question :) https://forageplus.co.uk/winter-laminitis/

Would you believe that I have three horses who enjoy the Aspero chop on its own so much that I can use it as a clicker training reward? Our regular feed for a 17hh and a 13.2 is a one litre jug of dried cobs soaked (they swell up and fill a bucket when soaked). Big guy gets two thirds...

Nice work, BrownMare :)

I have three quarters of an acre. It took me 6 years of keeping my horses elsewhere to realise that I had this (very common) misapprehension - "Turnout" is the same as "grazing". It's not. Horses need to move and they need to eat, but they don't need to eat grass, and in many countries, they...

Mine injured his front suspensory 12 weeks ago - a large core lesion, the vet said she could see a 1cm hole. He did about 4 weeks strict box rest, then she rescanned and was surprised at the amount of healing. I had got hold of a red light pen and had been using this twice a day for 10 minutes...

Central Scotland and - sensing a theme here - £30 per bale, plus £10 delivery if I get three. So effectively £33 per bale. I can get a huge round bale of very tightly baled dry haylage for £35, but with a horse on box rest, haylage is a no-no if we want to survive with horse's and my sanity...

I have never used mine with stirrups, so although I knew the half-tree option existed I didn't pursue it. I do know somebody locally who has ridden her (beautiful) Halflinger in competitive LeTrec using a Lammfelle with stirrups very successfully. It's definintely a mark of how good it is if...

I think Vikki Fear covers that area? I know she visits two people I know around Nottingham. I think her website is freshhooves.co.uk

I would recommend joining a Facebook group called Empowered Equestrians. Lots of impartial advice, free resources on getting started and a whole group of professional trainers giving advice for free. Helps avoid common pitfalls like "I'm afraid my horse will do stuff when I don't want them to"...

My horses live out in a big field, so all operations are done in the field. Including rugging. They all know the rug procedure, and when approached with a rug, stand still until all done up, when they get their bit of carrot. A few years ago, I was rugging up prior to a big storm arriving...

Well done. Most of them are quick learners when given the chance. And you can be confident that nothing you did to stop the behaviour will result in the horse having negative associations with being stabled, with people approaching when in the stable, or with approaching or getting near the...

The best approach is to deal with the frustration that's causing her to want to do it. So anything you can do to improve her surroundings and make them more interactive and stimulating, company, stable toys, different forages. Once you've improved the emotional state as much as you can, then...

First of all, domesticated horses that we manage aren't the best to study in terms of working out horse behaviour. So what they do and don't do isn't really helpful in terms of working out the original functions of some behaviour. Feral horse groups have specific rolling spots. They all...

Two things that really seem to affect wound healing (esp. in winter) are zinc and vitamin E. Lots of UK grazing and forage is low in zinc, and high in iron which competes with the zinc that is there for uptake by the body. So the horse can end up very low in a mineral that's essential for...

I would recommend you look at Connection Training :) For an older horse, who has had a lot of life experiences and who is, as a result, a bit nervous, the best approach is to teach them using rewards. That way, they learn very quickly but in addition they start to change their opinions about...

What about all the countries in the world where grass pasture isn't available? Horses need constant access to forage. Most forage is preserved grass - the freshness of the grass isn't really an issue. Grass is a complete red herring, and seems to be the main reason that people end up getting...

Possibly because I live in a very wet area (west of Scotland), I have been thinking about this for quite a few years and have started to plan and develop. Instead of investing in expensive barns and stables, I have put what available cash I have to making a good all weather outdoor space...

I guess you were wanting to see pictures of them looking smart and clean, but that's not how we roll around my neck of the woods :D Here they are after tending 5 field kept horses in Storm Desmond... (my legs were still warm and dry underneath). Yes, they do look a bit pervy, if you're into...

Control is an illusion. There is no physical way I can stop a 700kg animal with a brain and instincts from doing whatever he likes, and I would be completely kidding myself if I thought I did. I do, however, have a very large amount of influence on his behaviour as a result of a lot of...

Haha I started with brown and then got the black ones - they are a step up in the "very strange" stakes :D They do what they say though - they are waterproof even in hideous weather, and are also windproof. You need to wash inside out, as the water actually does not go through them - then...

Mine has the rear door that opens either as a ramp or as a barn door - up to three quarters height - with the mesh roller blind thing for the top. The horses actually seem to like the step up option - I didn't think they would but sometimes it is really convenient, especially if the ground is...

Having suffered the wet CL for nearly 8 years now (I'm also in the west of Scotland), this year I finally caved in and bought a cover. I can't believe I've survived without it! It is amazing, has stayed on through Storm Barney, and the inside of the trailer has stayed bone dry :) It's a great...

Treat anything that may be causing pain - so SI. I am now coming to the conclusion that ulcers and digestive issues associated with ulceration follow pain, as I seem to have seen a string of horses who are treated for ulcers and only afterwards are quite clear physical issues that most likely...

Funny coincidence that I saw this thread today :) I saw the weather forecast on Saturday and dug out the rainsheets. I put the sheet on the horse on Sunday morning. It started raining at 11am. It continued very heavily all day, and then rained on and off all night. Monday (yesterday) we...

It certainly sounds like defensive aggression - the horse is concerned that what is about to happen is either frightening or will cause him pain. Horses learn this due to previous experience. The problem is that many people respond to defensive aggression with defensive aggression of their...

Google "Trigger stacking horses" and you will find some explanations :) I particularly recommend the Evolution Equine article on it. ETA - ConfidenceEQ might help for you if you can manage to take it very slowly with the clipping at a quiet time of day. If he still reacts, he may have become...

Done, and compliments on a nice clear questionnaire (I write them for a living and I love to see a good one :D ). I agree on bucket vs concentrates - for three out of the five in my answer, a bucket feed consists of mainly chop and beet pulp. For the other two it's soaked grass nuts, which I...

They have also upgraded their HiViz gilets, and now they have two way zips. My only complaint about them in previous years was that I couldn't open them from the bottom when I was riding. I'm the same - went to buy a new gilet. Came out of shop with a waterproof jacket, a pair of country...

It does sound as though you have an issue that a behaviourist could help you resolve. Bear in mind that there is a world of difference between a behaviourist and a natural horsemanship trainer (and confusingly, some natural horsemanship trainers say they are behaviourists although they have no...

Me too. Notes, he would probably pick up for me - he will pick up a dropped glove :D