Okey Dokey Farm

23/11/2024

Where this dozer is working is now covered in young trees...the most precious residents have moved in. I spotted these 3 koalas today in the planted area..

23/11/2024

Bit of a clean up day today for a couple of residents...Ollie and Frankie. Ollie is an OTTB who has been with us for close to five years. He is not a fan of humidity and rain and is prone to rain scald. Malaseb bath today and reapplication of SWAT. The 🪰🪰 are next level right now.

21/11/2024

I choose to take joy in the little things.

18/11/2024

Little man Rex is feeling better 🙂. He's been intermittently lame for a bit 😵‍💫. Working alongside his dedicated owner .bygrace, we've done a couple of days of poultice, and low and behold, we've had 2 abcess breakouts... let's hope that's the answer. Blinding shine under that cotton there Rex😎.

12/11/2024

Morning feeds and extra lucerne to help the meds go down❤️

09/11/2024

5 weeks holiday is up for Flossy and Trump and they're heading home with Richard from . If you are seeking professional caring transport give a Richard a call.

09/11/2024

Farrier visits today for 8 residents...thanks Max.

07/11/2024

You can cut the humidity with a knife.
Summer is here and it's only spring.

05/11/2024

This💯🙌🙏 thank you Tanja Kraus Horsemanship for as always explaining clearly and fairly what I sometimes struggle to articulate. And yes ...Godspeed to all involved.

The Cup

Another topic that divides our nation, particularly those of us that have horses. Today our biggest horse race will be run. Millions will be won and lost, millions spent, and for about 10 minutes at 3pm, our nation stops to watch 24 horses race across 2 miles. It is a day that celebrates the magnificent athletes that these horses can be, and yet one that by its very existence results in thousands of horses being destroyed each year.

You’ll see socials and news groups flare up with both sides of this argument. That these horses are the most well cared for animals on the planet, and that ‘The Cup’ is a catalyst for some of the greatest suffering these animals can endure. At the end of the day, both arguments are correct in their basics, yet the argument for the horses being the most well cared for is flawed. The flaw is found when you compare a horses natural existence, to the completely unnatural existence of a racehorse. Yes, they are given perhaps the best of feed, the best of veterinary care, the best of everything that could be used to get just a little more speed from them. The driver of this care is greed, and the promise of a very large pay day. The filter we use to assess these horses is that of a humans needs, not of a horses. That fancy stable that he lives in ? Its about 4 metres x 4 metres and he lives in there most of the day. Horses in nature move around 15 to 20 kilometres per day. This fact alone should prompt most to reconsider what is ‘exceptional care’. Walk down the aisle of a thoroughbred training facility and you can witness the stereotypic behaviours these horses develop. These behaviours are developed as a pacifying behaviour, an escape of the mind because the feet and the body are prevented from moving as far as they need to. Those ‘funny’ videos of horses weaving, head bobbing, pawing, tongue chewing or cribbing. This is the equivalent of a human rocking, or sucking their thumb. They are pacifying themselves because they are distressed.

The majority of these horses have stomach ulcers as a result of their natural acid in their stomach eating into the stomach lining, due to the lack of grass. The majority of racehorses are ‘retired’ by 3 and 4 years old with some kind of injury due to the extreme load that their young bodies endure as part of race training. The truth is, the horses you watch today in the Melbourne Cup are the exception, not the rule. The rule is that most of these horses are out of the racing industry by 5 years old. In this country we breed between 13,000 and 15,000 horses every year. Between 10,000 and 12,000 are ‘retired’. Trust me when I say there are not 10,000 people per year able to take on a retired racehorse. The majority are sold through Saleyards, and end up as dog food.

Even the best of the best are not immune to an untimely end - in the past 10 years, 7 horses have died just in the Melbourne Cup alone.

Reading this, you may think that I am anti racing. And I’m not there just yet. I simply believe that we have a long history of racing horses in this country, the first race was in 1810, and despite us becoming more educated on horses basic needs (friends, forage and freedom) we are yet to embrace these standards as expected practice. We are still training and housing horses in ways that optimise financial return, and disregard mental and physical health.

I absolutely believe that there are ways we can significantly improve thoroughbred welfare, while still being able to enjoy the race that stops the nation.

In the meantime, Godspeed to all those in the cup today

Tk x

📸 Flash Pony

04/11/2024

Leading and how horses respond to halter and lead on the ground makes an immense difference to your under saddle work (if that's where you're headed). If you're not riding it makes all the difference in your horse handling and care routines too. Your vet and farrier will also thank you.
Credit Amy Skinner Horsemanship

Why Accurate Lead Rope Work is So Important

When I get a new horse in training, regardless of its experience, I generally spend a good amount of time working on leading. To some, this may seem like a trivial waste of time - “he already leads! He’s here for canter work!” Or some such thing. Firstly, I’ll start out by saying accurate leading is so much more than putting a halter and lead on and dragging a horse around. And secondly, a horse that leads accurately is safer, more responsive to riding aids, and will more willingly load or cross into areas that might have otherwise created resistance.

So to begin, what exactly is accurate leading?

To me, a horse that is properly halter broke is one who understands and responds to the feel of the lead rope without resistance. This horse leaves the slack in the lead rope, and does not drag behind or pull ahead. This horse knows how to speed up, slow down, stop, back up, and turn when the feel of the rope changes without resistance. They don’t pull back, step on top of you, or crowd you.

Why does it matter so much?

I can tell pretty quickly from leading a horse how they’re going to handle under saddle. If they drag on the lead rope, pretty frequently these types of horses are heavy in the hands, stiff in the neck, and heavy on the forehand. If they are tough to speed up on the ground, you can pretty well bet they won’t respond to the leg promptly, and if they’re running over the top of you, well, you have some big problems there, too.

If I can get a horse operating on the lead rope well, not only can I tune up these riding issues before I’ve ever stepped in the stirrup, I can also make a more peaceful horse. Horses do not love being pulled on, and they also do not love pulling on you. They’re just doing what they know, and what their education has set them up to do. I can get them lighter in their shoulders and more balanced from just proper lead rope work - a horse who is resistant to lead forward is often very heavy on the forehand, therefore canter work (if that’s what he’s here for) is going to be a battle if he’s dragging around. The more little pieces I can help him make sense of and connect, the easier the more advanced stuff will be for him.

It makes a much safer horse. I don’t need to tell you that a horse that steps on you isn’t too fun to handle. Teaching these guys where to be and when makes all the difference. A properly halter broke horse will NOT jump on top of you when scared by something (provided you have given them enough space and have not trapped them and given them no other option). They will load in trailers, lead into wash racks, and walk over scary things on the ground, if you give them time and preparation, because they know how to respond to the lead rope. They will not pull back when tied (again, assuming you have not put them in a situation where they have no choice).

So many times, a riding issue can be cleared up by just tuning up your leading. If all you did was commit to better leading for 30 days, you would find a much easier ride the next time you climb I to the saddle. It sounds simple, because it is, but it isn’t always easy.

03/11/2024

A quick break from fencing.

02/11/2024

These two beautiful gents have been with us for a couple of months and will be joining the "hill tribe" shortly. These two haven't been with other horses for a long time... and they are super keen. The hill tribe are the young/ middle-aged, sound horses who thrive in a herd on varied terrain. When horses arrive here, they are kept in an isolation paddock separate from other horses for 2 weeks... then slowly introduced using yards and smaller paddocks. We spend time getting to know them, establishing they can be safely and easily caught and handled for feeding, daily checks, paddock moves, medication, vet, farrier etc. We also train them to use feed bags, ensuring minimum fuss feeding in a group environment. Some people have suggested I just throw them out there and let them sort it out. Keeping your horses safe is our priority.
We are finally almost finished the second equicentral area, which will open up another 20 acres or so of rotational grazing and speed up the integration process. Did it take longer than I'd hoped ..yep. That's OK. I'm learning, things take the time they take.

02/11/2024

Evening feeds and hoof care....let's hear it for daylight saving 🫶🙌. There's not enough hours in the day....fencing, slashing, drainage, w**d control, riding? What's riding 🤣🤣🤣. At least the evening peace includes these special ones.co agistment

01/11/2024

Rug change and bath for Nikki. Poor love has advanced melanomas and absolutely hates flies🪰, so she's one of a handful that are under rugs👻.
We normally only rug the itchy or those with other skin conditions, the old and infirm (when the weather dictates). Obviously, the horses in the all terrain paddocks are rugless unless they are yarded in bad weather. It's such a hot topic rugging, it's never one size it's all. Listen to the horse is the only advice I ever give if asked.
PS. this humidity makes it extra challenging🤷‍♀️

31/10/2024

Happy holidays for these guys while their mum has been OS for 5 weeks. Mid 20s is suiting these retired standys.

31/10/2024

Absolutely great service today from Glen at Pristine Water Systems. On time, on budget and super helpful with info and advice. Highly recommend. Northern Rivers folks...if you need a tank clean or filter system give Glen a call.

30/10/2024

Sun's out 🌞...means some extra protection may be required. The zinc putty from The Hoof Co has some serious staying power 🤜🤛.
Use okeydokey10 at check out for 10% discount.