Sweet Wall Eventing

03/11/2023

Somebody knows where the sunshine is! ☀️ 🌞 R Nesbitt Paddock Equipment

20/09/2023

So our last event of the season was supposed to be an adventure to Little Downham to compete with Quingenti in the 4*S. Unfortunately, Quingenti appears to have given himself a knock in the stable overnight and while he’s 100% sound, we’ve decided not to travel and take the risk with the competition so close. So with the event season officially over I’d like to thank my
team, owners, supporters, trainers and anyone who has helped me this year. I’ve had a fantastic season with some lovely horses, and to top it off, my number 1 partner Quingenti returned to competition after a serious illness. Now to look forward to a long winter of training and showjumping with a team of fantastic young horses, getting ready to go Eventing again next year 🥳🤩
Agaso Equestrian

21/07/2023

We all dream of breeding a Badminton horse and we’ve done it! Here is Sweetwall Tamarind (Taffy the Teaser ex Paprika) and his special person Daisy competing at the PC Area 9 dressage championships at Badminton! It was their first proper competition! Bravo Daisy and Tamarind!

01/06/2023

‼️ We’re Hiring ‼️

Unfortunately the fantastic Shannon McComb is moving on to concentrate on her BHS qualifications and Dressage Ireland competitions, so we are on the look out for Sunday yard cover. All usual duties required, feeding, mucking out, turning in and out, poo picking etc. Great opportunity for anyone looking for more hands on horse experience, caring for foals up to competition horses and even a few pigs! Own driving license necessary 😎
Please contact me on 07944622244

06/05/2023

First Sweet Wall foal of ‘23 delivered in the field as usual by Eagle’s Wing (Puissance ex Cavalier Royale ex Henbit xx). By Kingdom SF, so as it’s H for names this year she is called Honour for the day that’s in it.

08/03/2023

An episode of Farming Matters with Nicola Weir to celebrate International Women’s Day that Lucca and I featured on. Please listen to it all but we start at approximately 5:50 minutes.

Nicola Weir celebrates International Women’s Day with some inspirational farming women.

28/01/2023

A lot of sound information.

*** WORMING PART 3 - REDWORM ***

I first posted this in 2019, but after reading a LOT of worrying comments recently about how people don’t worm their horses at all, as they do worm egg counts, I thought it was time to do a little encysted redworm refresher!

1. Redworm can kill your horse.

2. Encysted small redworm are NOT DETECTABLE in worm egg counts.

3. The larvae of small redworm, “encyst” or burrow into the gut wall. These can cause fatal consequences when they re-emerge.

4. Redworm appear as tiny pieces of thread in your horse’s droppings. They are very short and thin, and can be hard to see. They are white if they haven’t yet fed, and red if they have fed.

5. A horse can appear completely normal and healthy whilst carrying a large redworm burden. However, weight loss and diarrhoea may be early indicators; don’t ignore these signs.

6. Most wormers DO NOT target encysted redworm. Only TWO do: Fenbendazole and Moxidectin.

7. Lots of combination wormers contain IVERMectin. This WILL NOT have any effect on encysted redworm. The only wormer that contains MOXIDectin, is EQUEST. The Pramox (blue) version will treat tapeworm at the same time. Don’t use Pramox if you have treated separately for tapeworm, or used a saliva or blood test for tapeworm. Use the normal Equest (green) if this is the case.

8. Redworm are eaten by the horse during grazing. The larvae start to burrow into the gut wall as temperatures drop. Treating for encysted redworm whilst temperatures are warm, is not the optimal time, as the larvae may well not have started to encyst. Treating after a few hard frosts, also reduces the level of reinfection from larvae already on the fields.

9. The larvae stay in the gut wall during the winter, and are then triggered to emerge from the gut wall as the temperatures warm up in the Spring. If the horse has not been treated for redworm during this redworm “hibernation” stage, he/she is at risk of developing CYATHOSTOMINOSIS.

10. Cyathostominosis has a mortality (death) rate of up to 50%. It presents as colitis; profuse diarrhoea and colic. Contact your vet immediately if you see these symptoms in your horse at any time of year, but it is more likely to be due to redworm if this occurs in the Spring.

11. Ensure you have treated for encysted redworm before temperatures start to increase as Spring arrives, incase of a large encysted redworm burden that may suddenly emerge.

12. There is a very new blood test for all stages of redworm, including encysted. I have not yet used this, but worth discussing with your vet. I would not be recommending this route for high risk redworm horses ie horses in herds with no poo picking, or rescue cases.

13. 5 day Panacur Guard (Fenbendazole) is the only other wormer that can treat the encysted stage of redworm. There was widespread resistance to this wormer, and a huge move towards everyone using Moxidectin for encysted redworm. It is my wormer of choice for very sick or poor horses, due to its milder action over 5 days. However, there is some evidence that it may cause more damage to the gut than Moxidectin, so more research is definitely required!

14. Poo picking daily is perfect pasture management, but does not mean that your horse is worm free! You still need to egg count/blood test for all worms and/or worm.

15. Herbal wormers do not work.

16. Worm egg counts do not detect encysted redworms (or tapeworm/bots/pinworm). I realise I am repeating myself, but this is something that lots of people still do not realise.

17. Do not UNDERDOSE when worming, as this will aid resistance. If in doubt, add 50kg to the weigh tape weight of your horse. Wormers are very safe with regards to toxic doses.

This is not an exhaustive review of redworm, and I may add to the list if I think of anything else, but I hope this is of some use! Worming regimes and what worm egg counts detect, seems to cause lots of confusion amongst horse owners, and even yard owners.

Blood tests currently used for tapeworm, and just being introduced for redworm, measure antibody levels to the worm. The saliva test also measures antibodies. The concern here would be false positives. This means the test coming back as positive when your horse has been clear of the worm in question for months. Antibody levels remain high for months following successful treatment for the worm being tested for. However, a negative obviously means the horse has been clear for a good few months. Still a lot of research to go I think!

EDIT: obviously the blood test for encysted redworm is not new now, but I still haven’t used it, as we know how inaccurate ELISAs can be, and redworm can, and will, kill.

Happy reading!

Feel free to share, as this is really something that all horse owners should know!

And it’s a good time to worm for encysted redworm, around about NOW!

31/12/2022

Wishing our wonderful team at Sweet Wall, our friends and our brilliant owners and clients a Happy New Year and best wishes for 2023!

10/10/2022

At the end of the season it’s always a time of mixed feelings when some of the team members have to move on. To that end - please see below. She’s an absolute cracker.

Darcy is a mare with a confident attitude and has no problem making times and distances.She has been competing at Eventing Ireland 1m with a clear XC record apart from one error with jumping the wrong fence .Her showjumping is careful and she rarely has a pole. She is schooling a...

03/09/2022

7 years, well 8 from conception to today. 18 months ago she was heading for her first event and then… anyway, today she did her first EI90, 19.8 in the dressage, 1 down in the SJ (too small!) and clear in time XC. 1st by 7.7 penalties. This is the real story of breeding and producing horses. A huge amount of time, effort and money. But we have a lovely mare who is very happy to have completed her first event. Zeevagh Green (by Creevagh Ferro ex Ethos ex Ashley Green ex Juniper Green)

30/05/2022

Omaybe is looking for a new address! A great amateur’s/grassroots horse.

https://www.horsequest.co.uk/advertisment/278351

Omaybe is an ISH mare by Omar (BWP) ex Meadstown Flash (ISH) by Holycross (ID). She is a substantial type who will easily carry a man. She has attractive paces and produces a lovely test. Very good show jumping record. Bold, confident cross country horse. Good to shoe, box and clip....

06/05/2022

Shavings £7/bale - 48 bale pallet £336 ex VAT
Pellets (in bulk blown in) £240/ton up from £170
These are my usual suppliers doing their best.
Anyone any sensible suggestions for Northern Ireland?

27/02/2022

Lucca has been taking part in the Baileys Horse Feeds Flexi Eventing (Flexi because you can choose what phases to do with an arena each for dressage, showjumping and cross-country) at The Meadows Equestrian Centre. We have mainly concentrated on the dressage with Zeevagh Green and our ex racehorse Kessler. It’s quite a difficult place for an ex racehorse with motorway noise, beautifully decorated arenas etc but after the first week Kessler settled to the job and finished with 2 wins and a 2nd. Nothing much phases Zeevagh but she took a week to settle too and then led her dressage 3 times.
This weekend the older horses went showjumping at Portmore and Kiltown Watson (110) and Quingenti (120) both jumped double clears. So the rust is starting to come off and the events are getting closer, exciting times.

09/02/2022

Today is my friend William Micklem’s 70th birthday! Happy Birthday! Many years ago William was involved in setting up Festina Lente a charity that supports people to achieve their personal best in the natural world of horses, horticulture and community. Festina Lente is on a fundraising drive to purchase a new home which is a huge challenge. If you think you could help go to their website and find out more about the charity and click on the donate button. Every penny makes a difference.
https://www.festinalente.ie/

08/02/2022

Some opportunity.

🔥 Staff Wanted 🔥

🏆Join our Classic winning team today

Competitive pay rates, great work environment and an exciting season ahead 🏇🏼

☎️ Get in touch to apply

07/01/2022

Great opportunities.

We are recruiting! 😊

31/12/2021

Wishing you all the best for 2022 from all of us at Sweet Wall Eventing. Kick on!

17/12/2021

Such a good evening on Thursday at the Treo Eile Thoroughbred Classic show jumping. Lucca Stubington rode Sarah Sands’ lovely 6yo Clebourne on the Tigers team led by Davy Russell and joined by Olivia Swan and Emily O’Brien. They were pipped at the post into 2nd but “Jason” enjoyed posing at his first prize giving! Many thanks to Treo Eile for organising and for the shots.

14/08/2021

This week saw the end of an era as Hayley Surgenor left us after nearly 25 years. We’ve grown with Hayley and watched her develop into an amazing person. She has worked hard, bought her house, raised Alex and now starts a new chapter in social work. Strength to your arm Hayley - we wish you well. (This was the best photo I could find!)

28/07/2021

‼️ FULL TIME GROOM POSITION AVAILABLE ‼️

Unfortunately my lovely groom Marta has decided make a new start with her family in Holland. We are very sad to see her leave but now we are looking to fill her position with a new team member. We are looking for a full time employee to work along side me, travel to competitions and help prepare fit event horses.
Job requirements include all usual yard chores (such as mucking out, poo picking, turn out etc), riding for the right candidate and opportunities to travel around Ireland to groom at national events as well as International competitions further afield. Also, as we are a stud farm, assisting in the handling of youngstock/mares and foals. Ideally 6 days a week and wage will reflect the level of experience an applicant has. Opportunity to bring your own horse and accommodation can be made available as well. Applicants must have a full drivers license (trailer test and HGV not required but an added bonus!) and be a non smoker. We would love it if the new team member could start at the beginning of September so they could get a chance to settle in before Marta leaves in the middle of September. We are based just outside Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Any enquiries please either text/ring 07944622244 or email [email protected]

01/07/2021

Always a useful reminder.

COOLING HOT HORSES - THE STATE OF THE ART

*** PLEASE SHARE ***

Since Atlanta 1996 we have known that using continuous application of cold water without scraping is the most effective way to cool down horses that are moderately to severely hyperthermic (re**al temperature in excess of ~40°C/104°F), especially in hot or hot/humid conditions.

The sources for this evidence are:

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLISHED PAPERS
1) Williamson, L.S., White, S., Maykuth, P., Andrews, F., Sommerdahl, C. and Green, E. Comparison between two post exercise cooling methods. Equine Vet J., 27(S18), 337-340.
https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.2042-3306.1995.tb04948.x

2) Marlin, D. J., Scott, C. M., Roberts, C. A., Casas, I., Holah, G., & Schroter, R. C. (1998). Post exercise changes in compartmental body temperature accompanying intermittent cold water cooling in the hyperthermic horse. Equine veterinary journal, 30(1), 28–34.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9458396/

3) Kohn, C.W., Hinchcliff, K.W. and McKeever, K.H. (1999) Evaluation of washing with cold water to facilitate heat dissipation in horses exercised in hot, humid conditions. American Journal of Veterinary Research, 01 Mar 1999, 60(3):299-305. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10188810/

4) Takahashi, Y., Ohmura, H., Mukai, K., Shiose, T., & Takahashi, T. (2020). A Comparison of Five Cooling Methods in Hot and Humid Environments in Thoroughbred Horses. Journal of equine veterinary science, 91, 103130.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32684268/

5) Kang, H., Zsoldos, R.R., Skinner, J.E., Gaughan, J.B. and Guitart, A.S. (2021) Comparison of post-exercise cooling methods in horses. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 100 (2021) 103485
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2021.103485

DATA COLLECTED & ANALYSED AT
a) Atlanta 1995 Olympic Test Event
b) Atlanta 1996 Olympics
c) Athens 2003 Olympic Test Event
d) Athens 2004 Olympics
e) Beijing 2007 Olympic Test Event
f) Beijing 2008 Olympics
g) Tryon 2018 World Equestrian Games
h) Tokyo 2019 Olympic Test Event

Cooling hot horses with cold water DOES NOT
1) cause muscle damage
2) cause laminitis
3) induce shock
4) give horses heart attacks
5) prevent them from cooling by constriction of skin blood flow

Water left on horses DOES NOT
1) insulate and prevent heat loss
2) cause them to overheat

It is NOT MORE EFFECTIVE TO
1) start at the feet and work up
2) scrape water off whilst cooling (it causes them to warm up)
3) focus on large blood vessels
4) cover the horse with wet towels

*** PLEASE SHARE ***

08/06/2021

So we had an amazing weekend at Millstreet International Horse Trials. Quingenti stole the show by finishing 6th in his first 3*L. Xanthe Green had a more educational weekend but showed us exactly how much ability she has. Thanks to Bit Media for the photos.

16/05/2021

Nice to see Sweet Wall bred Rey Nacarado (Posidonas ex Ice Pearl, half brother to Florida Pearl) featuring in the Irish Field tribute to Jamie Codd.

20/04/2021

You don’t mind staying up late when you’re watching this! Turn your sound on.

11/04/2021

One of those “nearly” days at Tyrella yesterday. All 3 horses had lots of positives to take home and we’ll just get to work on nailing all 3 phases on the day. Super dressage scores from everyone, Xanthe Green and Kiltown Watson both scored 26 in the novice and Quingenti a 30 in the intermediate. Xanthe was slightly disappointing in the jumping but you can’t be perfect every week! But stormed around the cross country inside the time 💪 Kiltown Watson jumped well but couldn’t contain his excitement about going cross county and had an early mistake. However we regrouped and finished the round in style. Quingenti started our cross country round a little sticky and an odd jump into the water resulted in breaking the frangible pin, however we got going after that and had a super spin, giving me a fantastic ride over some technical fences. Horses are great levellers and we are looking forward to heading back to Tyrella next week 😎 Thank you to Dora and the northern region for another safe and well run day and to Adam for more brilliant cross country courses.

04/04/2021

What a lovely start to the Eventing season with a gorgeous sunny day at Tyrella! It was a quiet start for us, with only 1 horse. Kiltown Watson, a new ride for me and owned by Jackie Harris, was in the EI 100 and he didn’t disappoint with a super 28.8 in the dressage and double clear to finish second. This was our first competition together and it was great to get off to a good start, up to the EI 110 next week and hopefully our luck will continue! Just want to say a huge thank you to everyone in the Northern Region who helped run such a fantastic day. Every rule and guideline was fulfilled and everyone got to enjoy a safe environment to compete 😎

30/03/2021

Now, I’d lay down in that!

01/03/2021

We gave the horses their first jump at the end of last week. Whether or not we’ll have anywhere to go is another question. Viruses, human and equine, seem to rule us at the moment. Anyway showing their best feet were Xanthe Green, Zeevagh Green and Quingenti

31/12/2020

These must be the “sunlit uplands” that are coming tomorrow! In the mean time keep safe, warm and at home until we can get on with our lives. Thanks to all our clients, support crew and, of course, Hayley, Jim, Marta, Emma and Catherine who keep the show on the road! Happy New Year from Georgia and Lucca!

18/10/2020

Finally getting around to writing an update for our last event of the season. Xanthe Green had a super run in the novice, putting her confidence wobble behind her. She went out of the start box ready to rock and roll and most importantly, finished happily with her ears still pricked. Quingenti was the star of the day by finishing 2nd in the Intermediate 😎 A good dressage, another solid clear cross country and a brilliant showjumping round left us only just pipped for the win! I was slightly disappointed with having a showjump down but looking back at the scores for the intermediate showjumping, I was more than happy! Both horses will focus on jumping and dressage now over the winter, can’t wait to get started next season 🤞