AB Equestrian Bristol

08/03/2025

☀️☀️

07/03/2025

Making the most of the weather today ☀️

🐴 4 ridden & 1 long reined
🐴 Holiday care for Murphy this weekend

Also this week ..

🐴 Livery Yard cover
🐴 Riding school cover
🐴 Hacking
🐴 Holiday care
🐴 AM Livery

07/03/2025

Welcome to the season of rug indecision

Take comfort in the fact that no matter what you chose between now and May….it will be wrong!

If you leave them naked it will p**s down and be windy - if you put a medium weight on because it’s 5degrees in the morning, it will be 18 be lunch time, if you go for a light weight, you’re horses are probably clipped and we will have a return of the beast from the east!

Take the stress out of it, horse fans….we are all going to be getting it wrong!

I’m a fan of less is more - mine have light weights because although it’s 8degrees currently, they are both clipped out and we have a fresh easterly and south easterly wind until tomorrow when it’s north easterly - luckily it should stay mild but if we get a heat wave they won’t die!

Special is naked now unless we get a random storm.

Be ok with the fact that no one gets it right this time of year

06/03/2025

As some of you may know I have been working on my bit and bridle fitting course alongside my freelancing 🤓 and I have finally started to add a few bits to my tool kit! 👏🏼

I'm looking for some case studies for my portfolio if anyone is interested in trialling some bits.

Please drop me a message if you'd be interested at a reduced rate! 📩

01/03/2025

“Horses regularly trained with ground work are more relaxed when ridden”

A recent study of dressage horses in Germany that looked at rein length and tension revealed a surprising finding: horses who were regularly trained in ground work/in-hand work had lower heart rates during ridden work than all of the other participating horses. This wasn’t what the researchers were investigating, but it was clear in the results. From this, the researchers concluded that, “Perhaps horses trained in ground work had more trust in their rider.”

So why would it be true that horses who regularly learn via ground work/in-hand work are more relaxed? There are a few possibilities.

1) Horses trained regularly with ground work are more relaxed because their trainers are more relaxed. It’s possible that humans who take the time to teach their horses from the ground are less goal oriented and more concerned with the process. They may be more relaxed in general and foster this same relaxation in their horses. As you are, so is your horse.

2) Horses trained regularly with ground work have trainers who are more educated about a horse’s balance.

Their horses learn to move in correct balance which allows them to be healthy and sound in their bodies and, therefore, more relaxed. Physical balance is emotional balance.

3) Horses trained regularly with ground work understand the trainer’s criteria better. They have mastered the response to an aid before the rider mounts and know the “right answer” already once under saddle. They don’t experience any conflict when the rider asks for a behavior because the neural pathway has already been installed. They are more relaxed about being ridden because it rarely has caused confusion for them.

For us highly visual humans I think that ground work is often a better way to begin exercises because we are much better at seeing our horse doing the right thing than feeling it from the saddle. Often, my feel in the saddle is enhanced by the fact that I have watched my horse perform an exercise over and over in our in-hand work. It feels how it looks. In-hand work is also a good way to teach our horses because our own bodies are often more in balance when we are walking beside our horses. With the ground under our feet we are able to be more relaxed if something goes wrong and less likely to be so busy wrapped up in our own balance that we give our horses conflicting or confusing aids. It’s a good place to figure things out. I am a huge fan of in-hand work.

I’m glad to learn research revealed ground work is good for horses. Horses with a low heart rate are relaxed and relaxed horses perform better and live longer. In this day and age of people starting horses under saddle in under an hour and increasing monetary rewards for the “young horse dressage program“, everything seems to be done in a hurry. The entire horse culture seems to privilege “getting up there and riding your horse”. But as one of my favorite writers and accomplished horsewoman, Teresa Tsimmu Martino writes, “In today’s horse culture there are clinics that brag about starting a c**t in a day, as if the quickness of it was the miracle. But old horse people know it takes years to create art. Horses as great masterpieces are not created in a day. An artist does not need to rush.” We need more scientific studies like this one to encourage us to slow down and take our time with our horses.

So why were the horses in the study more relaxed? Likely it was a combination of all three factors – a relaxed trainer, better overall balance and clear understanding of criteria.

These are things that matter to your horse, and yes, will allow him to trust you when you ride. Take some time to slow down and work from the ground, learn a bit more about equine balance and teach new things in-hand before asking for them under saddle. You can take your riding to a whole new level and help your horse become more healthy and relaxed in the process.” - from the article by Jen of Spellbound Horses https://spellboundhorses.com/2013/03/07/horses-regularly-trained-with-ground-work-are-more-relaxed-when-ridden/

21/02/2025

Thank you TG Equestrian for the grid work lesson!

I love this horse with my whole heart, he always tries so hard for me and it's the best feeling when we achieve something together 💖

It's not always about the height jumped but also foot placement and rhythm which I can confidently say, Sunny absolutely nailed

21/02/2025

Ignore the baby voice (I know as equestrians we're all guilty but no one likes hearing themselves haha)

Arthur is roughly 6 months old now and such a character. He'll literally storm over with his ears flat to his head, looking like a demon, all for some loving which I'm always happy to give

Can make getting the yard done a mission though 🤣💕

18/02/2025

Woke up to a beautiful day which always puts me in a great mood ☀️

And I received a lovely photo from one of my clients last night of herself and the very handsome Douglas strutting their stuff over the weekend - I clipped him last week in prep for the spring shows. A hunters clip with blended legs and he looks very smart ✨

A busy week ahead

🐴 Full days, sole charge livery yard cover today
🐴 Holiday cover for another livery yard yesterday
🐴 Hacking
🐴 Groundwork
🐴 AM Livery
🐴 Riding school cover

Let's hope the weather stays like this!

14/02/2025

A VERY handsome rebel, looking incredibly shiny with his fresh Irish clip ✨😍

Every time we clip he's a little more confident with having his face done. I find lots of praise and scratches really help and I couldn't be prouder of him

What a smart boy Catherine Thomas

09/02/2025

The shame of being soft 🐴

About a decade ago I was hacking out on my newly backed 4yo just outside the yard. He was being extremely lovely and leading the ride. As we approached a tight bend, our neighbour came flying round the corner in her car and had to slam the breaks on to not hit my horse. My horse quite rightly spooked, then said no when I asked him to walk on. I immediately felt the pressure to make him go and started to kick him on, eventually he crept past despite being frightened and me being generally horrible to him. All of this occurred in about 30 seconds, but the neighbour still hung out of her car window and shouted “you need to get a stick on that bloody horse!” All because my 4yo horse had been frightened when she nearly crashed her car into us and then dared to say no when I asked him to go forward.

I felt so much shame about this and so conflicted. Shame that I knew I had been horrible to my horse and it didn’t feel right to me, but also shame that clearly I just wasn’t brave or firm enough and everyone thought I was too soft and ruining my horse. My confidence was in the gutter, I used to cry often when I was riding and I felt absolutely pathetic and useless. I wasn’t pathetic or useless, I was just trying to fit in with people who were not my people and didn’t understand horse behaviour. The only way they knew how to train was by dominating and any query over pain/discomfort was met with eye rolls and comments of “bloody pony patters/tree huggers” etc. 🙄 These people couldn’t help me and they can’t help you.

If this situation were to occur now I would either get off my horse and safely lead him past, or I would ask one of the other riders to give us a lead and I’d have a few choice words for the driver. But it is hard to get to the place mentally when you’re nervous and surrounded by people who shame you for being kind to your horse. As if your frightened horse not jumping to attention when you ask them to go forwards is some cardinal sin.

Its okay to get off, its okay to change the plan, its okay to wait and its okay to not do something at all. Don’t let people make you feel small just because they jump their horse bigger than you or do things you wouldn’t feel confident enough to do. Making horses do things by bullying them has absolutely nothing to do with good horsemanship or understanding behaviour. If you want a good relationship with your horse keep following your gut and find your people. We’re out here I promise.

“You’re going to ruin that horse/letting it walk all over you/needs someone to sort it out” anyone who speaks to you like this is not going to make good choices for you or your horse as the only way they know how to train is by dominating or frightening. There are much safer ways to train horses that don’t involve being horrible to them, we just need to look at things a little differently and let go of the ideologies that have been conditioned into us.

It is okay for your horse to make mistakes, it is okay if you don’t have 100% control over your horse’s every whisker at all times and it is okay to listen to your horse instead of other people.

There is something very empowering in embracing that softness and letting those comments slide off your back. After all I really do love to hug a good tree. 🌳💁🏻‍♀️🐴

www.lshorsemanship.co.uk

www.patreon.com/lshorsemanship

09/02/2025

✨ George ✨

I've been working with George for a few weeks now - groundwork and hacking

His owner purchased him recently backed and as well behaved as he is, he's still only four years old so I've been helping her continue his education and settle into his new life

Today was our 4th hack and his best by far! Up until now he's found things a bit overwhelming and has really needed a lot of encouragement to keep riding forward but today was much more relaxed and he seemed to enjoy himself and taking in his surroundings

It really amazes me how willing they are to work with us when we're patient and consistent 💕

08/02/2025

06/02/2025

Couple pics from this week so far -

Gizmo looking all cute after demolishing a horslyx during the night, which he shouldn't have had & Snowie looking less than impressed with me after his clip 😂

🐴 Livery Yard cover
🐴 Riding school cover
🐴 Hacking
🐴 Groundwork
🐴 AM Livery
🐴 Clipping

Friday tomorrow, hopefully this beautiful weather holds up ☀️

04/02/2025

Give your young horse’s time off to be a horse every year 🥰 Rough them off, turn them out in a herd and leave them alone! 😁

Tom has a holiday in the winter every year, this year he had 3 months off as I was busy planning a wedding and had lots of horses in so I decided to give him more time off than usual (he usually has 6-8 weeks).

He always gets turned away whilst he’s at peak fitness and performance, and I have absolutely no problem with “starting again” with him every year, he always comes back stronger!

He’s been back in work now just a couple of weeks with hacking work. Yesterday I took him in the arena for a little trot round as I was short on time to hack him. Before I turned him away we had just started to work on medium trot, and he had done just a couple of strides which was great! Yesterday I asked for medium just to see what would happen, and he produced the most beautiful medium trot across the whole arena!! WHAT! 😍 still in all his winter woolies 😂 and BIG smiles from me on my fluffy pony 😁🩷

Turn your horses out and let them be horses at least once a year people 🥰🥰 it’s so good for them. 🤍

02/02/2025

Took Sunny for a lush hack earlier with his owner who walked with us and her dog Murphy

We took a much longer route than we usually would which was nice. It's always good to explore the area and find new hacks for us to go on

I then spent way too much money at Wadswick but I needed some new riding leggings and clipper blades so it's justified right 🤣

Got another busy week ahead - hopefully the sun keeps shining ☀️

31/01/2025

The classic summer mix of rain, warm temperatures and plenty of sunshine can quickly cause a pasture flurry in the matter of just a few days! So, it is very important after such spells, that we take extra care and vigilance on our horses who are more vulnerable to high sugar diets ☀️

Did you know that the actual time of day can have an effect on pasture sugar levels?

As light intensity increases, so does a plants photosynthetic rate, which produces sugars, right up until several hours after sunset. It often isn't until the depths of the night that the plant has processed its photosynthetic goods, and returned to its baseline level, ready for the next day of sunlight. This means that the early morning period can be the most favourable time for low sugar grazing.

If you have concerns about your ponies consumption, sugar levels or nutrition, you can reach out to our team at [email protected]