Long Road Farm

08/15/2024

The Armstrong Spallumcheen Fire Department would like to send out a big thank-you to Purple Springs Reforestation and Curtis Farms for allowing their water systems to be used during the Hullcar Mountain Wildfire. We really do live in a community that is there for each other in times of need!

08/14/2024

A big shout out to our friends at On Stride Equestrian for kindly taking in our horses during evacuation from the Hullcar Fire!

08/11/2024

10 Things All Athletes Can Do That Require No Talent

08/10/2024

Things are looking a little more settled at this time. They have been throwing a lot of resources on this fire, and today did a planned back burn. This is not our first time evacuating animals over the years. I think if you live in BC and you have livestock, you'd better have a wild fire plan. Also, we did a Fire Smart assessment of the farm last year, which was a very helpful exercise. So grateful to all involved in fighting this fire!

08/06/2024

Not on evacuation alert yet, but making plans.

08/05/2024

This is interesting info. We offer our horses both salt blocks and tubs of free choice loose salt, so they have their pick.

Recent research has revealed that the placement of mineral or salt blocks in pastures significantly impacts horses' consumption rates. When the blocks are positioned in areas where horses frequently gather, their intake increases. Conversely, placing the blocks near the water source results in a drop in consumption to alarmingly low levels.

Learn more here - https://koperequine.com/how-electrolytes-affect-muscle-function-and-exercise-recovery/

https://kb.osu.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/1aea4bec-e75a-40c5-9318-3e1d23715d4d/content

08/05/2024

Did you know??

Unlike humans who salivate when something smells tasty 🤤, horses only produce saliva when chewing or when something is in their mouth. Saliva not only helps coat and soften the food passing down the esophagus (aka the food tube) and into the stomach, it acts as a natural buffer to the high acidity of the stomach.

In addition, horses produce stomach acid continuously, whereas acid production in people is stimulated by eating. This is how excess time between meals can increase the risk of gastric ulcers in horses, but not in humans. They are grazers, designed to bascially eat all the time. Sorry guys, we are not!

08/02/2024

Walking backwards - rein back - step back

This has always been an exercise I recommend and a recent article has used 3D motion capture to explore back and pelvis motion during the movement - Jobst, Zsoldos and Licka, 2024

'A significantly larger maximum and a greater ROM was reached between the withers, thoracic region and sacrum (labelled D-angWmT16S2) in Backwards Walking compared to Forwards walking, indicating a lifting of the back, an effect necessary to facilitate strengthening of the horse’s core and therefore often desired in equine physiotherapy and in equestrian sports (Clayton, 2016; Shakeshaft & Tabor, 2020)'

A few steps backwards - Unmount SD Cardnted - as part of groundwork and before mounting are a really good idea to mobilise your horse's back.

Link to article:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090023324001412?via%3Dihub

08/02/2024

It looks like the grasshoppers have been helping themselves to my basil. Luckily there's enough to share😐

07/30/2024

Always such good info and advice on this page💐

07/29/2024

Thanks VDRC for another great show! Bridget was a star, as usual. Go Team OTTB!

07/28/2024

Still some lovely feed quality straw available! Cleaned, chopped and compressed 😃

07/27/2024

Body Condition Scoring (BCS) is a method used to assess the overall body condition of a horse. The popular 9-point system was developed by Dr. Henneke and provides a standardized way to evaluate a horse's condition. The 9-point system is as follows:
• 1: Emaciated
• 2: Very thin
• 3: Thin
• 4: Moderately thin
• 5: Moderate (ideal condition for most horses)
• 6: Moderately fleshy
• 7: Fleshy
• 8: Fat
• 9: Extremely fat (obese)

To determine a horse's BCS, specific areas of the horse's body are examined and palpated. These areas are: the neck, withers, shoulders, ribs, back and tailhead.

Evaluating these areas helps provide a comprehensive picture of the horse's body condition, allowing for better management of diet, exercise, and overall care. Proper BCS is crucial for maintaining a horse's health, performance, and well-being.

📷:

07/23/2024

Replacing hay or grass with hay pellets or cubes reduces chewing time by 75%!

Why is this important?

Horses spend 14-18 hours per day on foraging behaviors. When food is unavailable, horses will continue to spend 8-12 hours a day on these behaviors (basically simulating grazing). The boredom or anxiety can lead to wood chewing, cribbing, excessive drinking, eating f***s or shavings (up to 7lbs per day), and an empty stomach and stress can lead to ulcer formation.

- Harris et al., 2016

Horses are grazers/foragers, designed to eat continuously. They will continue foraging behaviors regardless if forage is available. Completely replacing long stem forage with meal-fed pellets or cubes (meaning not free choice) can increase the amount of time between meals and lead to behavioral issues as well as health problems due to decreased chewing time and lack of “fill” passing through the gi tract.

This is not to say these forms of forage are bad as they can be a really useful tool in the diet, but to keep in mind the potential negative impacts when used as a sole roughage source. One scenario where replacing long stem with pelleted or cubed forage would be necessary is in horses with poor or missing teeth as they may be unable to properly chew long stem forage to meet their needs.

07/23/2024

These are the nicest bridles, and such great customer service! I wish we had a Canadian retailer.

Want to explore the Arc de Triomphe line IRL? 🤎💭

Visit the link in our bio to find a retailer closest to you. 👋🏼

07/22/2024

Qualified Equine Physiotherapist and Masterson Method® Certified Practitioner. Fully insured.

07/17/2024

Won this book in a contest a few years ago, and I confess that I hadn't read it yet. It just didn't look interesting and the title isn't all that appealing. However, it has some good info on horse training and handling put in a very straightforward way. And pairs well with a cup of Peruvian coffee under a shady tree!

07/17/2024

🌼 Trauma therapy, healing, and post-traumatic growth in a specialized eco-therapy program nestled in nature! Counselling for children, adults, families that’s compassionate, trauma-informed, and individualized for each person. Tammy is certified and works extensively with equine-assisted therapy; EMDR; Playful EMDR and play therapy 🌼

07/15/2024

07/15/2024

A good post. I remember reading before never more than 6 poles in a row - maybe it was Reiner Klimke? As it just causes the horse to rush through.

Everywhere you look, you see different pole exercises, and I often wonder what they are trying to achieve. Many times, they just seem like pretty patterns made of poles, but the unintentional result is they confuse the horse, upset the rhythm, overtax the joints, unfairly challenge the horse, unbalance the rider, and make the task harder than it needs to be. They cause more problems than they solve.

Poles are used a lot in training (including mine), but it's essential to know the specific outcome they are intended to achieve. Always ask your trainer what the purpose of the exercise is. If the answer is unclear, it's time to rethink the approach. Here are some key points to remember:

Never Destroy the Rhythm: Poles can be excellent for establishing correct gaits, but they must be set at the correct distance for the individual horse and used sparingly. Maintaining rhythm is crucial.

Single Challenge Focus: When using poles, it's best to pick a single challenge at a time. If the pole is on an angle, it should test steering and straightness only. Don’t add wrong distances, different heights, or colours. Stay on one line and one pace.

Rider Position: If you're working on lower leg stability or position in front of a jump, use a pole instead of a jump. It's safer and just as effective for training.

Avoid Overuse: Dozens of poles in lines or patterns wear out the horse, the rider, the pole picker, and the coach. A worn-out horse makes mistakes and risks injury. A tired rider loses position, which can harm the horse's back, mouth, and balance. Keeping it simple is often more effective.

I've found that using just six poles is plenty to cover everything you need, including jumping. For flatwork, I often use only three or four. Poles can safely imitate jumps, test canter length and stability, and challenge the rider's position stability before jumping.

If you're looking for effective pole exercises for jumping, check out the exercises on the "Classical Jumping" website. Just three poles can transform the way you prepare yourself and your horse to become a competent jumper.

Even if you never plan to jump, these exercises will improve your canter, position, adjustability, and awareness of areas needing improvement.

NB: Using potties for pole rests is common, silly, expensive, and labour-intensive. When you want to reposition a pole, you have to move the pole itself, a potty at one end, and a potty at the other end. Instead, try pool noodles. They're very cheap (one noodle cut into four pieces for four pole ends is a fraction of the price of one potty per pole end), UV stabilised, and can be attached to the pole with baling twine (who doesn’t have that?). This means you can move the whole pole with its risers in a single lift.

07/13/2024

Look what our neighbours are up to this summer!

07/11/2024

The HEAT is on!
☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️
We have a poster for you to share at your yard, stables, tackroom and anywhere else you feel other horse owners will see it!

Please print the poster – it should print directly to your home printer as an A4 poster. Please print in colour or black and white, whatever works for you.

https://drdavidmarlin.com/heatwave-poster-print-and-share/

HOW CAN I TELL IF MY HORSE/PONY IS TOO HOT?
1. Are they hot to touch?
2. Covered in sweat?
3. Showing prominent veins on the skin?
4. Blowing (laboured deep breathing)?
5. Have flared nostrils? 6. Look depressed or overly excited?
7. Unsteady on their feet (ataxic)?
If you answer YES to any of the above the horse needs rapid cooling AND A VET!

There is lots of help and advice on the website > https://drdavidmarlin.com/?s=hot+Heat+cooling

07/03/2024

07/03/2024

A good day to hang out with your bestie.

07/02/2024

Love it when clients bring us pies made with local strawberries 😍

06/30/2024

One of my favourite exercises, taught to me by two different top level trainers. Walk/trot/canter and over small jumps😃

I will be doing this myself

SITTING TROT (Quick tip)
To practice your sitting trot: STAND UP!

Yes, that’s right!

Standing up in the stirrups while trotting is one of the first steps to real balance.

Not jumping position leaning over, but STRAIGHT UP.

Are you wobbling around up there?
When you learn to absorb through your joints - hip, knee and ankle joints, up there standing in trot, then your sitting trot stands a chance of being good too.

If you can’t stand with a tiny gap between your p***c bone and the saddle standing fully, your stirrups are too long to help your balance and your heels will be up.
If the gap is Huge when you stand, your stirrups are too short.

Good luck with this exercise!

06/30/2024

So exciting to have clinicians of this calibre coming to our little neck of the woods!

06/30/2024

M is for Multifidus - a series of small muscles running along the back and neck.The first thing I should say is that my picture makes these look a lot stringier than they are (my on-screen brush control is limited so I thought I’d quit while I was ahead!). However, it gives you the picture of what they do - they run along the spine linking small groups of vertebrae together, to provide support and stability (a bit like guy ropes on a tent).
The multifidus muscles are amongst those we are targeting in core stability exercises like the DMEs we looked at under D (and if you do Pilates, you’re working on yours in class!). Research has shown that those DMEs can have a significant effect on the size of these muscles (so they’d be a LOT more developed than the ones in my picture!)
I make no apology for the recurring theme of core stability! 😀