Carrick Hill Equestrian Centre

11/12/2024

I’m excited, House is excited, Peter is (not as) excited.
🩰🌸🌷🎀💕

11/12/2024

This might be the winter to invest in a second rainsheet or 50-100g turnout. Blanket rotation is in full effect. ❄️💦❄️

05/12/2024

First rule of Mare Club, is don’t talk about Mare Club. 👀

03/12/2024

Someone finally got her own pony for Christmas, welcome WVF Guinness 💕🦄🎄 Thank you to Winsome Valley Farm for entrusting us with this little gem.

🍀Guinness has a very fun future ahead, meticulously mapped out by and we are excited for the adventures awaiting them.

Nice to have a bit of Mick in the barn again also

16/11/2024

My not so secret, secret sauce is ⭐️

We have been closely working with Jess for the past four years and every horse in my program is on a monthly schedule.

This past season I bumped up to bi-weekly treatments and noticed a big difference.
His work load had drastically increased and I wanted to help him practice, perform and recover his best.
Horses are athletes after all!

Thank you Jess for sharing your knowledge and insight with me and the horses. We appreciate it, looking forward to next season! 🦄

Action shots Teresa Finnerty

11/11/2024

Goose aka VINNY is looking for his forever person please see his current add posted below.

2016 16.3 (sticked) TB gelding.

Confirmed training level dressage, was schooling ev85 SJ and xc and ev90 xc questions- banks, ditch, coffin and water. No stop.

Hacks on the buckle alone or in company, easy keeper and a barn favorite.

Absolute AA dreamboat, located in Ottawa.

03/11/2024

Beginning of November and still schooling outside 😎

24/09/2024

🦄💚My real life unicorn 🦄💚

It’s been a (very) long time since I passed through the white on black numbers. So grateful for this fierce little horse for making it happen, I couldn’t ask for a better partner. Yay Houses!

Thanks for capturing the memories 🏠

11/09/2024

Also *take their temp* after vaccinations 👍

Serum Amyloid A, a protein in a horse's blood which increases in response to stress, infection, or injury, has been shown to increase for up to 10 days after routine vaccinations. Thus, researchers recommend that owners to offer their horses a recovery period following vaccination to allow elevated SAA levels to abate.

Read more: https://bit.ly/3zkWueb

28/08/2024

Form = Function

Train Your Eye - Is Your Horse's Topline Healthy?

I think it is safe to say the condition of the horse's topline relative to their performance has never been as scrutinised in the media as it has been this year - with many people questioning how horses are able to perform so well despite their lack of muscle.

Your horse's topline is an indicator of their overall health. In my day-to-day practice I use it as a roadmap to hypothesise where there mught be deficits in their training and how they might move as a result. My wish is that I can show everyone what I see so they can use this as a means to help them with their horse's training and management.

In this live Train Your Eye webinar, expect to learn:
- How to feel for muscle wastage even in horses that are overweight
- How to see compression points throughout the horse's topline
- How to determine if your horse should be ridden or not.

02.09.2024 19:00 BST

Recording available after the event if you can't attend live ❤️

24/08/2024

There is no piece of equipment, supplement, vet/chiro/massage treatment that will make up for lack of hours spent developing your horse.
Take the time.
Do the work.
Warm your horse up
Cool them out
Be consistent
Do your homework

I did not write this, but everyone needs to see it...

When we rush our horses in their training, we aren't expediting their fitness or building muscles faster - we are breaking them down and rushing to a place that will require more veterinary intervention, more alternative therapies, more time off, more risk of injury, more wear and tear on the fragile structures, and a quicker end to the riding career and soundness of our equine partners.

You cannot rush fitness, you cannot rush collection, suppleness, relaxation, it's impossible. Wherever you do rush and cut corners, you will end up with holes and issues in other areas of your riding and the overall health and welfare of your horse.

Don't want to take the time to teach your horse to collect, and instead just force him into a false frame? Well, you're going to be stuck with fixing the slew of problems that come with the tension that was just created.

Don't want to work your way up the scale to create true endurance and stamina? You now risk your horse pulling a muscle or injuring themselves from overexertion and being pushed too hard for too long when the body simply isn't ready for that workload.

Don't want to get a saddle fitted to your horse? Your horse will suffer the consequences of altering his posture and way of going to alleviate the pressure and pain caused by something that isn't suited to his build, even going so far as risking injury to yourself when he can't pick up his feet enough, causing a stumble which can be catastrophic.

Don't want to do boring small jumps to build up to the larger ones? You risk your horse not being able to find a good take-off spot, knocking rails, refusing and even crashing through the jump. You will also make the horse more nervous, anxious and again, tense and sometimes unwilling to jump again.

Don't want to waste time working up the scale of collection to achieve the proper head set without force? Let's just throw a harsher bit in his mouth, maybe tie the nose shut with both noseband and flash to get him into "frame". You've now lost all relaxation, the wrong muscles are activated and depending on how deep you yank the horses face in will determine if he's even able to swallow. Tension throughout the jaw and neck translate all the way to the hind legs, so zero collection is possible, even the slightest bit of engagement and lift of the back cannot be achieved.

Rushing will lead you nowhere except to more problems that could've been avoided had you taken the proper time for development.

📝 Unknown

📸 Sister

08/08/2024

Everyone is tucked in for the evening due to pending storm-geddon. Hopefully back to our normal schedule by tomorrow night. 🤞🏻🌂

08/08/2024

“the body operates as a system of interconnected parts. When one body part is restricted or compensating for another, it can create a chain reaction of biomechanical changes throughout the body. This can lead to inefficient movement patterns, increased strain on certain muscles or joints, and a cycle of compensation where the body continues to adapt to accommodate the initial imbalance or restriction.

In other words, if you want your horse to perform and have a long career, you need to help his body work efficiently. “

In biomechanics and movement science, the body operates as a system of interconnected parts. When one body part is restricted or compensating for another, it can create a chain reaction of biomechanical changes throughout the body. This can lead to inefficient movement patterns, increased strain on certain muscles or joints, and a cycle of compensation where the body continues to adapt to accommodate the initial imbalance or restriction. Identifying and addressing these imbalances is important for optimizing movement efficiency and reducing the risk of injury.

In other words, if you want your horse to perform and have a long career, you need to help his body work efficiently. The best way to do that is through a combination of regular massage therapy, fascial training and functionally correct exercise.

https://koperequine.com/the-importance-of-understanding-biomechanics-and-tensegrity-in-horse-movement-and-structural-integrity/

https://koperequine.com/why-hands-on-massage-is-the-best-way-to-for-sore-care-muscles/

03/08/2024

Sometimes doubles as

27/07/2024

If all you’re doing with your horse is chiro and/or PEMF then you aren’t taking care of your horse’s musculoskeletal system. You may think you are, but you aren’t.

You’ll also find that each individual massage therapist, and other types of soft tissue workers, will differ in their approach, and so will vary in their effectiveness.

Function will follow form which means if the muscles are tight, imbalanced or set in a particular functional pattern, that’s how your horse will go. To interrupt the set in their ways muscle (and neuromuscular) patterns and help your horse move forward towards a more functional, higher performing ambidexterity, find yourself an effective, experienced massage therapist, preferably one with a solid sport horse background. Even your backyard horse will benefit from it.

Why Hands On Massage Is The Best Way To Care For Sore Muscles - https://koperequine.com/why-hands-on-massage-is-the-best-way-to-for-sore-care-muscles/

The Box Analogy – (And Why You Need To Know It) - https://koperequine.com/the-box-analogy-and-why-you-need-to-know-it/

13/07/2024

The summer heat and sun won't be letting up any time soon, so make sure your equine friends are adequately protected from harmful UV rays. ☀️

Hot summer weather puts horses at risk not only for dehydration and heat stress but also the skin damage and discomfort that accompany a sunburn— just like humans.

A lot of equestrians love some chrome on a horse, but it's important to remember that those beautiful white markings and the non-pigmented pink skin underneath are more likely to suffer from sunburn, especially in areas where the skin is more sensitive — like around the eyes and the nostrils.

In addition to the pain and discomfort, horses that are prone to recurrent sunburn may also face other long-term consequences, like the increased likelihood of developing squamous cell carcinoma (a common cancer).

If your horse is susceptible to sunburn, contact your veterinarian for more information about sun damage and recommendations to keep your horse protected this summer.

10/07/2024

🏠🐭 out and about at the Buck clinic last month.

🦄