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I got to the yard this afternoon just as someone’s horse was being shod. When the guy had finished he packed up his gear and departed, leaving the usual mess of hoof trimmings and general gunk on the yard. The owner of the horse went off to find a brush to sweep up and I joked about farriers...

Is this normal .... not something I’ve ever encountered before .....? Walking doggo this morning we encountered a lady with two elderly labs who were wandering about off lead minding their own business. We were in a large parkland area so no probs with being off the lead. My boy scampered over...

(Sorry for Too Much Information!) .... Our new lad (8 weeks and counting) is in great shape, active, shiny coat, seems happy with life generally, eats well, but occasionally just vomits for no apparent reason. So far this has happened maybe 6-8 times, the latest being this afternoon when we were...

Chatting to a friend yesterday about dogs - having recently acquired a new one - and she mentioned personal security whilst dog walking. She’s a lady in her late 60s, lives alone and frequently walks her dog in woodland near her home. She told me she carries an attack alarm and some sort of...

We recently adopted a staff cross type dog from a charity. He's a lovely lad and is settling in well ... now into week 8 ... However, I couldn't help but notice that he was strangely quiet and never barked or made any other noise. In contrast to our old dog who was very vocal, this has seemed...

We have recently adopted a rescue dog. He’s genuinely the sweetest, gentlest, most loving lad you could wish to meet. He just loves everyone and hasn’t got a bad hair on his body, so to speak. But... he’s a staffie cross, looks like a real tough nut and is covered in scars from goodness knows...

After 15 dogless months, the new adoptee arrived yesterday. A lovely, sensitive boy, around 4 yo we think, staffie crossed with something much more leggy - possibly a whippet or even greyhound. Apparently has a very sensitive tummy and gets the squitties with any kind of wet food. He’s been fed...

I?m looking to buy a pair of long boots from a friend. She can?t remember how much she paid for them but only been worn twice. I?ve been looking on line to identify them (just to get an idea of retail price) but can?t find them anywhere, so think they may have been discontinued. They are long...

I own 19 year old highland. He's a chunky boy, a good 14.2 and well built with good bone. He's fit and well; sound and generally enjoying life. My vet came yesterday to give him his annual flu/tet jabs and generally give him a once over, and feels that he's getting stiff in his back end -...

A question, if I may, for those whose dogs live outside full time in kennels or pens. What would you consider to be a decent minimum sized run or kennel space for a dog like a large Labrador and how many hours per day would it be reasonable for them to be confined in such a space? . I ask...

Struggled a bit with the title for this one, but it occurred to me recently that the yard isn't just place where we go because our horses happen to live there. At my yard anyway, it's place where friendships are formed and where we go for a bit of social interaction, as well as looking after...

Just looking out of my kitchen window to see a large cloud of midges bobbing about over the lawn ...... ARGH!!! NOOOOOO !! It?s way too early, surely. Anyone else?

I've been asked to put together a slideshow of photographs from our local riding club's summer season, to run at the end of year presentation party in a couple of weeks time. I've got hundreds of photos, and have selected around 100 of my favourites, but my laptop will also run a soundtrack...

.... sorry .... We lost our old lad a couple weeks ago, sadly, after a mystery illness which our vet now thinks was most likely caused by a tumour in his sinuses. Today, I fetched his ashes back from the vets after an individual creation. I wasn't expecting them to come back in a small, neat...

Looked at my highland this afternoon and thought he looked a bit grubby, especially his tail (he had been turned out for several hours and was a bit muddy). He's also busily shedding his summer coat, so lots of short, biscuit coloured hair coming out, soon to be replaced with long biscuit...

Our staffie/collie cross has been suffering with congested sinuses and nose for 5-6 weeks now.(I've posted about this before). He's had several visits to our local vet, who seems to have done everything in his vetinary medicine arsenal to find out the cause and treat the problem, including...

Our little guy - an elderly collie/staffie cross - has an absolutely horrendous sinus infection, possibly caused by an obstruction. At the moment we don't know, but vet is tying a combination of vaso-dilators, antibiotics and something to clear the snot out of his nose. He's also on anti...

Our dog has been very snotty for a while. The vet has prescribed antibiotics and anti inflammatories but his nose gets very congested, especially at night. Someone has suggested using Sinex or Otrivine nasal spray to help him. Has anyone done this? Is this a yes or no? I have Sinex in the house...

My elderly collie cross has been sneezing a lot over the last few days and has a visibly snotty nose .... advice please oh wise HHO people. He's well in himself, active, eating and no other symptoms. I'm thinking an allergy, but to vet or not to vet ... ? Thanks all .... (PS ... I'm erring...

An interesting debate arose recently at the yard when someone saw a picture of a person standing on a horse's back (on a saddle) ... something which really winds me up tbh. The crux of the discussion was around whether standing on a saddle puts more pressure on the horse's back than sitting...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-39628629 ..... just seen this; what a clever horse!?!? Anyone else have a horse with an unusual talent?

As those of us who live on livery yards know too well, the only way we all get along, share facilities and generally get the chance to enjoy our horses is if there's a bit of good manners, give and take and flexibility on all sides. As such, there are loads of "un-written" rules on how to behave...

Does anyone just insure their tack and not their horse, or cover them on separate policies? My current insurer won't cover my two saddles and other gear to be left at the yard due to the security measures not meeting their specific requirements (the door locks are adequate, but the window does...

Someone has just shared a brilliant idea on my FB newsfeed .... a pair of over gloves draped over a saddle (when not on the horse, of course) with the stirrups curled back and tucked into the padded bits at the end where you would stick your hands to protect them. Keeps the stirrups secure and...

I used to be on a yard with terrific facilities, good off road hacking, nice stables and a generally nice crowd of people. (I left for other reasons, but that's a whole different thread!) ....... but the downside - well, one of them - was the extremely poor communication between to YO and the 28...

By this I mean feared for their power over our use and ownership of our horses and the security of tenure those horses have at the nation's livery yards. I ask following a chat with a fellow livery at my current yard, who is leaving for good reasons (she lives a long way from the yard, and...

... on a horse which has been barefoot all of his 17 years. For some reason, my highland - who has been barefoot all his life (now 17) - is seeing greatly increased wear and tear to his feet, mainly the fronts. He's kept at livery at a good yard, with daily turnout and in at night over the...