Carrick Hill Equestrian Centre

20/02/2025

Make it fun! 👐🏻🥶

18/02/2025

The sun was shining and breakfast was hot! 🦄💚❄️☀️

07/02/2025

🐴"When you start conditioning your horse for the new season, I want you to use the most powerful tool you have: the walk. That’s right, I want you to walk your horse into shape. My reasoning is simple. Both the walk and the gallop are four-beat paces. When you walk your horse, you are galloping in slow motion with little concussion and a low risk of injury."🐴
~ Jim Wofford on using the off season to plan for improvement

A quiet time is your chance to plan for a fitter and happier horse next time out.

16/01/2025

Why you will not see me being spectacular on a young horse:

Klaus Balkenhol explains, "Although breeders have created a better horse, the market has created a demand for a stronger, healthier, more powerful horse. It's easier to sell a horse that looks like a carefully developed eight-year-old, and not like a three- or four-year-old just beginning his career. If you force it, you can get a three-year-old to physically look like a developed eight-year-old. Too many colts remain stallions which, if approved, promise breeders higher prices as three-year-olds. Now 250 to 300 young stallions are presented each year, when only 40 or 50 will be approved.
Few breeders have the sense to geld the yearling stallions and leave them on the pasture to mature naturally. Instead, yearling stallions are brought into a stall, fed too much grain, and at three, look like six- or seven-year-olds. They have muscle mass, but not enough bone structure to support it. They look mature from the outside but aren't . . . and when started to work, degeneration sets in. Competitions also create pressure to push horses too fast as competitions are now scheduled throughout the year without any breaks."
Common Mistakes In Pushing Too Fast
Tightening the noseband: "A horse resists by sticking out his tongue. Tightening the noseband too much puts pressure on the nose and on the poll. If it is necessary to tighten the noseband very tightly, then something has gone very wrong in the basic training of the horse. The horse cannot be relaxed, the first step on the training scale," warns Klaus.
Specializing too early: "Drilling every day in the indoor arena is too intense for the young horse. It's very important, especially in the first two years of training, not to specialize the young horse. Training should include a variety of activities, including trail riding, which is good for the mind as well as building strength with hill work. It should include jumping, either free or low jumps under saddle, including small natural obstacles on the trail, and cavaletti. A variety of work will allow the horse to stay mentally fresh and to enjoy his work. Only when the horse is happy can dressage become art."
Not checking tack frequently: "Saddle and tack need to be checked constantly for proper fit and adjusted as the horse's body changes with growth, and as his fitness improves with the training. If the noseband gets too low, for example, and the skin between the noseband and the bit is rubbed and becomes sore, this causes the horse discomfort and loss of relaxation. Regularly check for sharp edges and bit problems in the horse's mouth and teeth."
Working too long: "The goal of our training is to build the horse's mind and his muscles. Suppleness and relaxation require adequate muscle strength. strengthening requires both contraction and relaxation. Blood flow and oxygenation occur when the muscle relaxes. If the muscle is kept in a constant state of contraction, it loses power and strength, and actually becomes smaller. Frequent rest periods, especially for a young horse at a free walk on a long rein, are necessary. The rest periods are not for a rider's fatigue, but to allow the horse to stretch and relax his muscles. The rest breaks will give you a completely new horse. This is the systematic gymnasticizing of the horse."
Riding when the horseman is tense: "Horses are particularly sensitive to the rider's mood. A rider shouldn't ride if she is under undue stress or doesn't have the time to ride. If the rider has a bad day, give the horse a rest day or go for a relaxing trail ride; don't work in the arena. The horse mirrors the rider's mood."
Not praising the horse enough: "The horse must perform from joy, not subservience. Praising a horse frequently with voice, a gentle pat, or relaxing the reins is very important to keep the horse interested and willing. If the horse offers piaffe, for instance, because he's excited, praise him for it. You shouldn't stop the lesson at that point nor make a big deal out of it. If you don't want piaffe, quietly urge him forward into trot, but you should NEVER punish him for offering the piaffe. - Klaus Blakenhol

12/01/2025

Bromance is the theme this year ft. Dags & PT 💕

09/01/2025

💨+ 🥶 = 😥

Happy January

08/01/2025

When you get the feeling you’re being watched. 👀

23/12/2024

Christmas is officially here! 🍎🍎🎅

Thank you Marc & Diane for spoiling us!

18/12/2024

Best friends for life. The bromance is strong. 💚

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 😎