Creekside Equestrian

19/10/2024

The reason why most horses don’t need huge amounts of lucerne.

🔍 Understanding Protein in Hay 🔍

Crude Protein % is an estimate of total protein based on the hay’s nitrogen content. 🌿 Legume hays like alfalfa have higher protein content (15-20%) compared to grass hays (8-14%) such as timothy or orchard grass. 🍃 While mature horses thrive on hay with 8-10% protein, growing horses and broodmares need 12-18%. 🐎 If hay has less than 8%, adding a protein supplement may be necessary.

Remember, excess protein in the diet requires additional energy for the horse to metabolize and is excreted in urine as urea. 💧 This urea can produce a strong ammonia smell, which is an irritant to the respiratory tract.

For this reason, it’s important to ensure adequate protein to meet your horse’s needs without exceeding recommended intake. 🐴🌾🔍

Want to learn about protein in your hay? Check out this article:
🇺🇸https://madbarn.com/how-to-take-a-hay-sample/
🇨🇦https://madbarn.ca/how-to-take-a-hay-sample/

10/10/2024

Enjoy this excerpt from one of our livestreams! Tune in to our live streams for your chance to your saddle questions! Keep an eye on ou...

21/08/2024

Today I would like to discuss the thorny subject of BTV (the horse’s nose being behind the vertical).. It is easy for even an inexperienced observer to notice the position of the horse’s head and neck but I would like to encourage you to take a more holistic view of the horse when assessing the ...

14/08/2024

🌿 𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗙𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗗𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗗𝗔𝗬: 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 – 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 🌿

As spring approaches and the days start getting longer and warmer, it’s time to think about how we care for our horses in this transitional season. One of the key areas to consider is rugging—particularly, the risk of over-rugging as the temperature rises.

🌡️ 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲’𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Horses are incredibly efficient at regulating their body temperature. While we might reach for a jumper as soon as the temperature drops, our horses are quite comfortable in conditions that would make us shiver. The key to this is understanding a horse’s thermoneutral zone (TNZ), which is the temperature range within which they can maintain their body temperature without expending extra energy.

For humans, the TNZ is around 25-30°C, but for horses, it’s significantly lower—between 5-25°C. This means that what feels chilly to us might be perfectly comfortable for them. It’s essential to remember this difference as the weather warms up in spring, particularly when deciding whether to rug your horse.

🌡️ 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲

During the cooler months, we often rug our horses to protect them from cold, wet, and windy weather. However, as the temperatures rise in spring, it’s easy to fall into the trap of continuing to rug our horses too heavily, which can lead to overheating.

Here are some key points to keep in mind:

▪️ 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗺𝘁𝗵 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀: The best place to check if your horse is too warm is just behind their withers. If this area feels hot or damp, your horse is likely overheating under their rug. Avoid using their ears or legs to gauge temperature, as these areas don’t give an accurate indication of their core warmth.

▪️ 𝗕𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝘂𝗴𝘀: It’s tempting to think a light rug is harmless, but even these can block the natural cooling process. Horses cool down by sweating, but this only works if air can reach their skin. A light summer rug can trap heat and actually increase your horse’s core body temperature.

▪️ 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘁: Just as overweight humans find it harder to cope with hot weather, overweight horses can also struggle. As the days warm up, consider reducing or eliminating rugs for these horses to help them stay cool.

▪️ 𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸: Horses generate heat from the inside out as they digest their food, particularly roughage. On cooler days, providing some extra hay can help keep them warm naturally, without the need for additional rugs.

▪️ 𝗧𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗢𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗻𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀: Horses that are older or have health issues may struggle to maintain their body temperature at both ends of the TNZ. For these horses, consider adjusting their rugging based on their specific needs—lighter rugs or no rugs during warmer days, and ensuring they have adequate warmth during cooler periods.

🌡️ 𝗥𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗱𝘀

As we welcome spring and the warmth it brings, it’s crucial to adjust our rugging practices to avoid overheating our horses. Always keep in mind that your horse might be feeling much warmer than you think, and when in doubt, opt for less rugging rather than more.

Let’s help our horses stay comfortable and healthy by being mindful of their needs as the seasons change.

12/08/2024

This is why your turn does not come from pulling on the rein. Note the riders hand and leg position and hip angle in each sketch. Note the development of the horses muscles in each sketch. Note the shape of the horse in each sketch. A truly supple, truly bent horse is working through their entire body. It is OUR job as the rider to guide the horse to become soft, supple, and through in all movements.

Rider one is pulling the nose around, and trying to push the haunches in, with a following outside rein offering the horse no balance, and a hardly supportive inside leg to wrap around. This has created a rigid, stiff horse that will surely be back sore, weak in the hind end, with front end bulk in all the wrong places. This horse has every opportunity, and will likely be so uncomfortable that it will try every time, to run out of his right shoulder.

Rider two is pushing the horse from his inside leg to his outside rein. The outside rein is providing a balance point for the horse, allowing him to be both comfortable and willing to carry himself. Because the riders rein is supportive and blocking the shoulder, the horse can not blow out the shoulder, and can only become truly bent along the entire length of the spine.

In order to build the athlete you want, and to allow your horse the opportunity to have a long, successful, and most importantly SOUND career, it is important to understand how we ride, even in seemingly simple tasks such as the walk or trotting circles, is effecting each muscle in your horses body. Not all muscle is good muscle!

- Ali Hamann / South Coast Sport Horses

27/06/2024

When at a saddle fitting, I am often asked ‘so, what size is he?’

And people want to know what width/length saddle their pony/horse needs.

And I feel like a right old twit when I say ‘it depends’.

I am *sure* people think I am being secretive. But I’m not. Hey. I send you all the templates by email, all the measurements etc.

But it’s impossible to say, for example ‘your horse needs a 17.5” medium wide saddle’.

Why?

Cos a 17.5” saddle in one model might fit like a 16.5” in another model.

And a horse could be medium wide in one saddle and wide in another.

I have horses on my books that are a different width in their jump and dressage saddles - even when they’re the same brand.

So, if I look vacantly at you when you ask what your horse measures as… it’s not cos I don’t know the answer, or I’m keeping it secret in an attempt to sell you an expensive saddle and stop you buying from elsewhere.

It’s because, well, it really does depend 🤣

27/06/2024

One of the biggest misconceptions is that forwardness refers to speed, which leads novice riders to kick on and make their horses go faster. Sadly, all this does is push the horse out of a suitable rhythm and tempo, often causing him to lose his balance, fall onto the forehand, get tense and tight through his back, and/or come against the contact.

Another common misconception is that a fast-moving "hot" horse is also a forward horse; this is incorrect. A horse moving at speed can still be "behind the rider's leg," thus, not working forwards from the leg but rushing away from it.

Lastly, don't confuse "forwardness" and 'impulsion." From the first moment you sit on a newly-backed horse, he should be encouraged to work forwards and be forward-thinking, even though he will be unable to produce any meaningful impulsion at this early stage in his career.

Stock image from Shutterstock.
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24/06/2024

This is a great explanation…

Why does my horse invert in transitions?

If the horse inverts in transitions, there are several possible causes. Some of them have to do with the horse, some of them have more to do with the rider.

Transitions are always susceptible to mistakes because the footfall and the balance have to change.

Typical Horse Mistakes:

- Higher gaits require a higher energy level and core muscle engagement than lower gaits. Otherwise, the horse won’t be able to transition from walk to trot or canter.

- If the outside hind leg doesn’t flex enough under the body mass, the horse won’t be able to lift his forehand into the canter.

- For down transitions, the hind legs need to flex and allow the half halts to go through.

- A good up transition also means that the hind legs have to “squat and lift” the body mass up, and a good down transition means that the hind legs have to sit and support the body mass. This is harder work than just “cruising” in the same gait. Since both hind legs are not equally strong or supple, many horses have a tendency to get crooked in transitions, and when they get crooked, they invert or curl up, depending on their specific conformation.

The correction is therefore clear: work on improving the horse’s balance, alignment and straightness, as well as his suppleness and permeability. Then the transitions will improve as a result.

Typical Rider Mistakes:

The rider is the other very likely source of the problem.

- If the timing of the aids is poor, the horse is unable to execute what the rider is asking of him because the seat and aids are working against the laws of physics instead of with them.

- In up transitions, riders often grip or squeeze with their legs so that the horse holds his breath and braces with his rib cage against the leg.

- Gripping legs often lead to locked hips, which blocks the horse’s hips.

- Some riders push the horse forward with their seat bones, so that the horse drops his back, inverts, and falls onto the forehand.

- If the reins are too short or too long, the horse will not be able to perform a good up or down transition.

- In down transitions, many riders pull on the reins so that the horse’s back drops and the hind legs are pushed out behind.

- Some riders don’t have a good enough connection between their pelvis and elbow, so that the horse doesn’t understand the half halt and therefore resists against it.

- Half halting on both reins instead of only one often provokes resistance from the horse.

- Sitting too heavily will drop the horse’s back and prevent the hind legs from engaging.

If you and your horse have trouble producing good transitions, check your seat and aids. Make sure you apply your aids during the proper window in the footfall sequence. Stay connected between your pelvis and elbows. Keep your leg and arm muscles relaxed so that your hips, knees ankles, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and fingers can move freely.

Don’t forget the release, even if an aid didn’t go through. In that case, prepare the horse and ask again with modified aids and better timing.

Dr. Thomas Ritter
www.artisticdressage.com

Read this article on our website: https://www.artisticdressage.com/blog-content/2024/6/23/why-does-my-horse-invert-in-transitions

25/02/2024

Yesterday started like any other day…got up and went straight outside to feed the horses. Got the feeds made up and set off with the buggy only to start feeling nauseous and lightheaded!!🥴
So I walked back to the house (no doubt with the horses cursing at me…where’s my breakfast??!!😖) and had an electrolyte drink and a small piece of chocolate, thinking my blood sugar must be really low.

Anyway, half an hour later I felt ok so had a boiled egg for breakfast. (Should say that my dear Mum had fed the horses by now so they never suffered!!).😉

No sooner had I finished my brekkie and I passed out totally, only to fall into the edge of the glass coffee table which at least caused enough pain to bring me around again! Got a lovely shiner to show for it!!😵‍💫

So up to ED for me and long story short, I had two more fainting episodes with the second one resulting in 3 chest compressions because my heart decided to stop doing its job for 8 seconds…basically I flat lined!!!😮
It was super scary to return to consciousness and find 12 dr’s and nurses around my bed all looking concerned!!

Now I’m writing this post from my hospital bed in the Prince Charles cardiac unit in Brisbane and will more than likely be having a pacemaker fitted tomorrow.⏱️

I can’t tell you how fortunate I feel to have been at the right place at the right time otherwise I could’ve been a goner!! The staff at Gladstone Hospital ED and resus department are nothing short of amazing and I think they’ll remember me for being a troublemaker!!😈😇

Events like these definitely make you realise how fragile life can be and it’s made me even more determined to stop worrying about things that don’t really matter and focus on what’s important to me.🥰

P.S I know it should be ‘quietly’ not ‘quitely but it definitely captures the way I feel at the moment!!😍

20/12/2023

Is anyone interested in 2 x Rhodes grass round bales as pictured.

Unfortunately my horses won’t eat it…it’s clean and dust free but quite stalky. Probably best suited to cattle.

We’d had very little rain when I bought them and I paid $150/bale but would accept $150 for both as they are taking up storage space.

13/06/2023

Trick Riding at Creekside Equestrian 😁

03/06/2023

Posting on behalf of a friend…

🌟🌟Expressions of Interest 🌟🌟

HAVANA 🐴 Very attractive bay TB mare, 16.1hh approx
Rising 7 yrs. 3yrs OTT.

Very sweet nature and great to handle but is green and therefore, needs an experienced rider to fulfil her potential as an Eventing or Dressage prospect.

If interested please contact Heather Dow on FB for photos and more details.

13/04/2023

🐴Creekside Equestrian will be off grid from 15-23 April. I’ll respond to messages on my return.🐴

15/02/2023

***EDITED TO ADD***
Thanks so much to all the people who have responded to this advert.
I have been inundated with interest so I’m creating a cut off point at 12pm today Thurs 16 Feb 2023.
If you genuinely wish to be considered for this position and haven’t already done so please send your resume to [email protected] within the next hour.

Creekside Equestrian has an job opportunity available!!

This job is for you if….
You just love being around horses.🐴🐴
You don’t mind cleaning up after horses.💩💩
You’re able to work either early 5am-7am or late 4pm-6pm when the days are stinking hot!!🌞🌛
You don’t mind wearing wearing boots in case of snakes.🥾🐍
You are reliable, thorough, fit and self-motivated.💪🏻💪🏻
You are confident around horses of varying sizes and temperaments.👌👌
Riding lessons may be possible for the right candidate.✅✅

This job is not for you if you….
Just want some spare cash.💵💵
Don’t like getting your hands dirty.💩💩
Can’t work unsociable hours(9-5 only).
Want to wear thongs.🩴🩴
Have health issues that makes heavy lifting impossible.🏋🏼🏋️
Have too many other commitments.😬😬
Are nervous around big, powerful horses.😲😲

If you think you fit the bill contact me via this page or Clare Figueiredo.
Very fair remuneration for the right candidate, 8-10hrs/wk which can be split to suit the individual.
Very flexible employer and happy working environment.😃

14/09/2021

Some excellent advice😃

1. Riding corners. It’s so easy at home to get just a little lazy about corners, and that’s an expensive mistake. Because then when you start putting tests together, surprise! There are corners in those! And even just in regular schooling, corners are where all the prep lives for your lateral wo...

13/07/2021

Still working on my new logo but this is my bitfitting flyer. Please feel free to share.

10/06/2021

Bit fitting advice from the Queen of Dressage herself Charlotte Dujardin!!
I agree with everything she recommends; however in this post she doesn’t mention another common sizing mistake…that is the fact that double jointed bits should also be fitted a size smaller than single jointed or Mullen mouth bits. This is because under contact, a double jointed bit will spread wider in the mouth.

Want to know more?

Watch this space for more bitfitting advice.😊😊

I don't know if most of you know this, but most of the time when I was training this beautiful horse, I mainly did it in a snaffle. Only really putting the double bridle on every few weeks, or the week leading up to the show.

My feeling is I always want to be able to do everything in a snaffle to the highest level and not 'rely' on a double. For me, it's so important. Anyway, I'm going to try and share more bits of how I train and do things, which hopefully you'll enjoy. This is the very basics on these bits.

Loose ring snaffles

- the ring should always be able to move freely

- not more than 5mm space between the corners of the mouth and the bit ring on each side

Bits with fixed cheeks

- the side part should be close to both mouth corners

- must therefore be chosen one size smaller than loose ring snaffles

We use Sprenger Bits for all of our horses and find they have something for every horse x
Zebra Products

02/06/2021

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas here at Creekside Equestrian and A Bit Unique Bit Fitting Services! Here are just a few of the selection of bits that I have available for trial. Bits for all disciplines are on sale at Bitbank Australia with 10% discounts on offer. Contact Clare Figueiredo 0413 298655

https://lddy.no/tecc