BLS Horsemanship

13/07/2024

Storm enjoyed some resting time with his human friend. He ended it with a lovely stretch. It is beautiful to witness the trust he has in us. 🥰🩵

24/01/2024

During the last year Valentine and I have participated in a dressage biomechanics course. The photos below are one year apart. Valentine had and still has a lot of issues. He had lots of trauma, behavioural, conformational and postural issues. It’s a slow process of rehab and confidence building. We still have a long way to go but he is finally and slowly improving and making lovely progress. All this while growing our relationship of trust in one another. When I got him he was not safe to ride. Also, I’m always working on improving my posture and aids.

31/12/2023

Wishing you, your family and your horses a Happy New Year. May 2024 be filled with joy, fun, abundance and lots of horse time! 🎉🥳🎆 #2024

25/12/2023

We wish you, your family and your horses a very Merry Christmas! May your days be filled with joy, fun and happy horse time. 🎄🥰 photos by

09/12/2023

Thank you Livvie's Photography for taking videos and pictures today!
I put on a small demonstration of groundwork, liberty and tricks for my clients today.
This was Storm’s first ever outing. He was a superstar! 🤩 He settled and relaxed so quickly and it was lots of fun playing with him. He just turned 3 yo, so to me he is still a baby, this is why we play instead of doing formal training.

06/12/2023

Last night's non-horse-related action: Midnight hits, and Ben and I are jolted awake by a mysterious sound. While I'm still pondering the source, Hubby morphs into a nocturnal superhero, dashing through the house grabbing a torch, straight out the front door. When I finally catch up, Ben had already pulled a python – with an unfortunate strangled chick – out of our daughter's chicken coop. 🐍🐥

Quick background: these are our daughter's beloved pet chicks.

Hubby's handling the python like a seasoned snake whisperer 🤣 (don't worry, Euro pals, it's not poisonous). One hand on the back of the snake's neck, the other clutching a torch. He put the torch down to free the chick.
Sadly, little Rose did not survive. But the others are safe and sound.

When I asked Ben how he pulled off this ninja rescue mission so effortlessly in the middle of the night he just shrugs it off like it's an everyday occurrence. 🤣

He acted like a ninja on a mission to safe chickens. 🤣🤣 I hadn’t even figured out what was going on when he was already on his rescue mission. 🤣
I think this makes him super dad! 🤣🥷🐓💪🏼

Fear not, snake lovers - Ben is passionate about wildlife. He actually felt sorry for the snake. We safely bagged the python and relocated it to the Forest, where it can now feast on forest creatures.

And my role in this wild escapade? Bag holder and reptile relocation. 😱🤣🙈
Photos of said snake and little Rose. May you RIP. 🐓🤎

20/11/2023

Thank you for sharing. It’s been a pleasure working with you two! Livvie Kathleen Begley
Thank you Yarra River for taking the photos

19/11/2023

Well done you two!

19/11/2023

Another important lesson we can learn from our horses: let's enjoy the moment, life is now 💙

12/11/2023

Valentine has come so far. He was and is a very anxious and high energy, extroverted horse. He was traumatised and had physical issues as well as having sligh conformation problems.
He had bucked the previous owner off. He was herd bound and extremely anxious.
I’m so happy to see him be able to not only cope with going out but be able to relax when out and about!
Today was a busy day at the beach. Lots of cars, people, dogs and other horses. He managed to stay calm. It was only his 4th time on the beach.

On our first beach ride he was terrified of crossing the tier tracks in the sand, would spook at seaweed and be very nervous. I was only able to walk him.

Today we had fun cantering along the beach, having a play in the water and of course a roll.
I’m very proud of his progress mainly because he is able to self regulate now and look to me for comfort and safety. And just how handsome is he…?!🥰😉

12/11/2023

When your sister in law rides one of your horses for the first time on the beach and makes it look effortless! 🤩 River is one of our therapy horses and for all we know she has never been to the beach before. She is such an amazing and gentle mare.
It was busy on the beach lots of cars, people, dogs and other horses. Nothing fazed her and have a look at that beautiful rocking canter. 😍 I was trotting next to her.
She is one special mare! 🥰

09/11/2023

I was planning on saddling Valentine for a ride, but my young horses wanted to be involved today, so they got the choice to wear a saddle. First time for Flame (chestnut) and second time for Storm (bay). I have introduced most things to them at liberty using clicker, their play drive and curiosity or free choice. The saddle was not cinched up they just got to experience the feel of it. It did not bother them at all which is a great start. This was a spontaneous and very short session. They are still too young to be started under saddle but that doesn’t mean they can’t have a playful feel for new things.

16/10/2023

What is your heart beat like when you are around your horses?

Horses can hear the heartbeats of their nearby companions, up to several feet away. In the wild, horses will synchronize their heartbeats to the other horses in the herd in order to sense danger more quickly. Recent studies have shown that they use those tactics in domesticated life as well, modulating their heartbeats to match the human they’re interacting with.

Learn more about your horse’s heart here - https://koperequine.com/26-interesting-facts-about-a-horses-heart/

12/10/2023

I knew introducing Flame to the boys would be trouble. For her protection, I put her into a fenced off area first. Well turns out she was the trouble. 🤣 She did not get hurt and is now happily bossing the boys around.

10/10/2023

Almost 3 years between these photos. Now that Storm is gelded they can finally run in one paddock again. I love having all my herd run together and watching them be horses.

04/10/2023

This is a very interesting study.
I have limited experience in breeding. A few things I learned is breed for health and purpose not just because your mare is cute. If you breed your mare to keep the foal for yourself by all means go ahead and do so.
If you plan to sell the foal please consider if your mare has good confirmation, temperament and health because you want that foal to get a great home and have a long happy life.
I was under the impression that the stallion would count more but this study proved the dam is more important. This is confirming my observation in my own horses. I had noticed that most of mine have mum’s colouring and traits, obviously mixed with some of their dad’s talents and health too.
Breeding is fascinating, exciting and can be risky and expensive but also rewarding.

Who matters more? The mare or stallion?

In a 2015 study, 675 foals were divided into 4 categories.
1. Elite dam x Elite sire (EE)
2. Elite dam x Poor sire (EP)
3. Poor dam x Elite sire (PE)
4. Poor dam x Poor sire (PP)
Unsurprisingly, the best offspring came from the Elite dam x Elite sire group. Here’s a twist… the worst offspring did not come from the Poor dam x Poor sire group as one would expect. The worst performers came from the Poor dam x Elite sire group!!

Overall, the lesser performing foals came from the PE and PP groups. The highest performers were in the EE and EP groups.

Can you say ‘girl power?’ Mares have a large impact in the quality of the foal! Keep this in mind for the upcoming breeding season 😉

Www.equineeggslist.com

02/10/2023

The full moon has been beautiful. Our horses were enjoying it too. Though I think they were hopeful they would get fed again. 😏

30/09/2023

Sunday morning ride. It’s been 2 years since our last beach ride. He did well!

29/09/2023

It’s been 2.5 weeks since Storm was gelded. This was his reaction to hearing and seeing a mare today. He had already gotten the canter and buck out of his system. Seems like he doesn’t know he isn’t a stallion anymore.😆
He does have a paddock mate and all in all has settled down a little.
Unfortunately due to everything having gone a bit wrong he is in recovery for longer and has lost some weight. He is now of all medications and doing well. I treat his wound twice a day, do bodywork and recommend exercises with him. I also do energy work with him to help him process the trauma.
I feel like we are back on track. He has been an absolute champion throughout all of this. 🥰

25/09/2023

My boys often hangout with me and enjoy nap time in my presence. I appreciate that they see me as a safe person and take the opportunity to rest, relax, let go and nap while I’m with them. Sometimes this is all we do. Other times I wait till they have rested and we go of to train. Either way it teaches them to relax in my presence which is such an honour and not easily achieved with Valentine.

15/09/2023

Quick update on Storm. The castration went well and he was such a good boy. Unfortunately the vet had to come back the day after because Storm had a pr*****ed sc***um which needed to be cut off. So after two procedures he is now well and truely on the way of recovery! Poor baby! He is such a great horse! He let me shampoo and scrub his back legs and tail today. There was a lot of blood on them. (We are the lucky ones with a horse that bled a lot! 🤢🤣) He also lets me disinfect his wound without fuss. He will need meds for a few more days and daily walking and backing up but he should be fine from now on.

11/09/2023

It is important to look at the whole horse. One of my horses has this issue and we are slowly correcting it or at least getting to a point where we can manage it.

The only thing I would add is to consider the mental state of the horse. A stressed or anxious horse will always have tension in its body.

Everything affects everything... hoof imbalance can contribute to a 'hollow' or 'inverted' posture , which then feeds into a saddle fit issue. There's always a lot to consider and only a whole horse view will help us to understand the cycle of problems.

- Jane

Dr Jane Clothier
Bodywork & acupuncture, Tamworth NSW