SB Equestrian Services

24/02/2025

⁉️ Do you have any small horse and pony bits (maximum 4.5 inches) lurking in your tack room?

😀 If so..... We have an fantastic cause to donate them too....

✈️ Neil Brimson, a fabulous local vet to us, is going to The Gambia to work for The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust.

https://www.facebook.com/share/16FZo7ZebB/
http://www.gambiahorseanddonkey.org.uk/

⛑ The charity has a veterinary hospital in Banjul and also does outreach work throughout the country. They see many mouth and tongue related injuries caused by poor quality bits or bits made of inappropriate materials.
The injuries badly fitting bits cause are too horrific to show on this platform. However by donating you will be able to help stop this happening.

🙏 If you have any pony or small horse bits (maximum 4.5 inches) that you could donate, then Neil will ensure that they are put to good use in Gambia.
🤞 If you are able to donate any bits please drop them into the office at West Wilts by 1st March, Neil will then be able to take them with him on his next visit.

Any bits received after he will arrange to be sent.

23/02/2025

Have you tried salt therapy for your horse?

I'd love to hear how it helped both your horse and you! Or even just pop a picture of your horse being salted in the comments💨💨

*******************

I'll start....

Salt therapy sessions have given me my horse back after suffering for many years with a pollen allergy. I've ditched the nebuliser, ventipulmin and steroids and replaced it with Salt.

I can now prepare his lungs and airways by having salt therapy before the pollen season begins to strengthen his immune system and natural defense mechanisms.

🩵

22/02/2025

21/02/2025

Training pony Marple and her little rider focusing on building trust, communication, and teamwork for a strong partnership 🤍🌟

21/02/2025

ALL HAY AND HAYLAGE ARE SHORT OF ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS!

Even if they supply enough energy and protein, they won't supply enough vitamins and minerals.

If you want to know the best vitamin and mineral supplements, comment vitamins below and I will send you my recommended list.
🐴🍏

17/02/2025

** 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗛 𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗗 **

𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲’𝘀 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗲

Russell MacKechnie-Guire, Hilary Clayton, Jane Williams, David Marlin, Mark Fisher, Diana Fisher, Victoria Walker and Rachel Murray

𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 (𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻) https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/4/537

New research funded by the FEI investigating if pre-determined lateral locations on the horse’s head could be used as additional measuring sites to determine the laxity of the noseband. This is phase 1; the next phase is to test a measuring tool (dimensions informed by data from part 1) on the lateral aspect of the horse’s head. This work is underway.

𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆: Measuring tools to determine noseband tightness are available but their use requires insertion beneath the noseband on the dorsal nasal bone where the noseband is fitted. There are several locations on the lateral aspect of the head that may be practical and repeatable, offering additional sites. This study investigated the repeatability of using three anatomical locations on the lateral aspect of the horse’s head to determine noseband tightness. One hundred horses were recruited and fitted with a snaffle bridle with a cavesson, Swedish (crank) or dropped noseband. Using an ISES Taper Gauge, noseband tightness was adjusted for each noseband (2.0 to 0.0 finger-equivalents). For each adjustment, a digital calliper determined the distance (mm) between the inner surface of the noseband and three lateral locations on the nasal bone, the maxilla and the mandible. Friedman’s analysis was used to test differences between locations (adjusted significance p < 0.02). At 2.0 and 1.5 finger-equivalent tightness, the coefficient of variation was “good” for the lateral nasal and maxillary sites. These sites could potentially be used as locations in addition to the dorsal nasal site for determining noseband tightness. These data can be used to inform the dimensions of a laterally admitted measuring tool.

𝗔𝗰𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: thank you to the FEI for funding this project. Thank you to Hartpury University, the research team, research assistants, owners, data collection venues, and of course the horses.

17/02/2025

I have some Availibility in March for the following services 🌸🌿

🌸Turning out / in

🌸Mucking out

🌸Holiday cover

🌸Ground work, long reining, lunging, rehab

🌸Teaching nervous and novice riders

🌸Assistance with starting youngsters

Please PM to book 📩

15/02/2025

So much of what many of us have learned is “correct” riding is all about controlling the head and neck of the horse and maintaining a rigid position.

In reality, if you watch how horses move at their most correct, unimpeded by humans, they are adjusting their balance using the head and neck near constantly.

They are moving side to side to scan surroundings.

They are moving their head and neck up and down to balance across different terrains.

They stretch their neck out as needed to help utilize their back more, to balance after a jump and to regain stability after a multitude of movements.

In our desire to control the beauty of the horse, we have made a grave oversight in believing that correctness must require their inability to use their body appropriately.

Taking away a flight animal’s ability to perceive the environment and look for potential dangers is impactful to their mental and physical wellbeing

Assuming that we can do a better job of determining their own proprioception and how the body must be used is problematic.

Yes, they do need to learn how to engage their core and back to a higher degree in order to safely carry a rider.

But that doesn’t need to involve having complete and utter control over their head and neck.

It doesn’t need to involve viewing “perfection” as a rigid posture that is completely lacking of the fluidity of how bodies are meant to move.

Watch how your horse moves on their own.

Watch how they move on a loose rein.

Their head and neck are constantly on the move, even if just for minor little adjustments.

🌼➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖🌼

Support my work, access behind the scenes and training tutorials: Patreon.com/sdequus for as little as $1 a month

15/02/2025

Very interesting morning with V.C Equine Sports Massage Therapy & Training! 🤯

Max had his body work / massage followed by specific ground work exercises targeted to his areas of tightness found. Really amazing to see the difference in him before and after and he seemed much more comfortable in his body at the end 👌🏼😍 Really worth doing!

09/02/2025

When a horse is forced into some shape, whether by strong hands, strong bits, leverage devices like draw reins and bitting rigs, side reins, anything too powerful for the horse to respond in any way but to submit, the head and neck position is only part of what is affected by the coercion.

The head and neck are attached to all the rest of the horse, and so every part of the horse moves in a more restricted way. But worse than the physical response to force is what happens mentally and emotionally to the horse, fear of pain, fear of restriction, the long lasting post traumatic stress disorder of anticipating pain even if the horse isn’t still being ridden incorrectly.

This is why it can be so hard to gain a horse’s trust after it has been lost. That anxiety lasts a long time, even with more kind and gentle handling.

The point here? Don’t use force. As in be a better trainer. It is not a hard concept to understand.

09/02/2025

I don’t think people realize just how many horses out there carry trauma with them.

With that, I don’t even mean severely abused horses that have been starved, or beaten heavily. There are plenty of those around, and those usually cause a lot of outrage (as they should).

What I am talking about though, is the horses whose trauma is never really recognized as such. The ones who tolerate humans and their requests, but never learned to trust them. Those who get extremely obsessive about food which are labelled as “bossy” or ”dominant”. Those who deal with severe Separation anxiety, which are said to be “dramatic”. Those who cannot self-regulate, or co-regulate and constantly carry tension. Those who try to express their pain, which get punished for it because “just a mare”.
Those who are “perfect” until they finally get a choice.

Between Unethical weaning practices, unsuitable welfare, constantly moving homes & and ownership, and aversive training/handling approaches, most horses at some point experience trauma. And this trauma can present itself in a variety of ways. Some are more subtle than others.
Trauma doesn’t have to be this huge explosive reaction. Just like people, horses can carry trauma and move on with their lives fairly normally. It can shape their personality just like it can shape ours.
However, that doesn’t mean doing so is healthy.

The horse that has been in 6+ homes before the age of 10, and thus can’t cope with changes. That is Trauma.
The horse that has never had consistent companionship and becomes obsessive with certain herd mates. That is Trauma
The horse that has only known corrections when they tried to express their confusion, fear, or dislike, and turns from “a perfect beginner’s horse” to “Don’t touch me” the moment you stop using corrections. That is Trauma.
The horse that never had a chance to learn from other horses or connect with people and thus can’t trust people to make good choices for them, can’t self-regulate or co-regulate, and can’t think their way through a situation. That is Trauma.
The horse who was only ever fed 2 times a day and was left without food for 6 hours each night, and has thus become food-aggressive. That is Trauma.
The horse who experienced highly aversive training techniques, and thus now gets frustrated, tense and severely stressed out anytime they are handled in a similar manner. That. Is. Trauma.

Sometimes, awareness of this can be a frustration and defeating realization. I think as equestrians we are often blind to this reality, because sadly, it’s just so common to see horses like that.
It’s not until you work with young, untraumatized horses, or rehabilitated horses, that you realize: “Oh! This is how it should be!”

06/02/2025

STOP BLAMING YOUR HORSE! 🚨🐴

Harsh truth time: If your horse is consistently struggling with something… it’s probably not the horse.

I see it ALL the time:
❌ “He’s just being stubborn.”
❌ “He doesn’t respect me.”
❌ “He’s testing me.”

More often than not, he’s actually:
👉 Confused because your signals aren’t as clear as you think they are.
👉 Physically uncomfortable and trying to tell you something.
👉 Frustrated because he doesn’t understand what’s being asked of him.
👉 Not trusting you because you've been inconsistent, unclear, unpredictable or unfair in your handling.

THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT 🧠

Horses learn through associative learning, meaning they connect actions with consequences. But here’s the catch: They don’t think in terms of right or wrong like we do—they think in terms of safe vs. unsafe, clear vs. unclear.

If your horse is "misbehaving," it’s not a personal attack—it’s feedback. Their behavior is always a response to something. Instead of labeling them as “naughty” or “difficult,” ask yourself:

🔎 Is there a physical issue?
Did you know that studies show up to 70% of so-called "behavioral problems" are actually pain-related? Sore backs, ulcers, ill-fitting tack, dental issues, and even mild lameness can cause resistance. If your horse suddenly starts acting out, check for pain first.

🔎 Am I being crystal clear?
Horses aren’t mind-readers. They don’t intuitively know what we want—they learn through repetition and consistency. If your cues are inconsistent, too subtle, or changing too often, your horse will get confused, frustrated, and eventually shut down or resist.

🔎 Am I rewarding the wrong things?
Horses don’t understand the difference between "good" and "bad" behavior the way humans do—they simply repeat what gets them a desired outcome. If your horse pushes into you and you step back, he learns that pushing works. If he fidgets and gets a treat, he learns that fidgeting = food.

The best trainers don’t punish the wrong things, they reinforce the right ones.

WHAT TO DO INSTEAD 🔄

✅ Slow down and observe. What’s REALLY going on? Is he tense? Confused? Anxious? Physically uncomfortable? Take time to figure it out before getting frustrated.

✅ Be crystal clear. If your horse is struggling, break things down into smaller steps. Set him up for success by rewarding the smallest correct responses.

✅ Check for pain first—ALWAYS. If your horse’s behavior changes suddenly, something is wrong. Get a vet, bodyworker, saddle fitter, or dentist involved before assuming it’s a training issue.

✅ Stop taking it personally. Your horse isn’t plotting against you. He’s just reacting to the environment, your cues, and his own physical state. Take the emotions out of it and work with him, not against him.

THE TAKEAWAY 🚀

Your horse is not being "naughty"—he’s communicating. The question is: Are you listening?

Drop a 🙌 in the comments if you’re committed to listening to your horse better this year! Let’s hear your stories—what’s a time your horse “acted out” but was actually trying to tell you something? 👇🐴💬

06/02/2025

This is so true 🤍

06/02/2025

Ponies having a snooze before their lessons start 🥰

06/02/2025

🌞🦄

05/02/2025

I've lost count of the number of times I've watched a rider tack up a horse who was very clearly communicating that they were uncomfortable.

Ear pinning when the saddle pads come out..
Jigging on the cross ties when the saddle goes on..
Nipping when the girth gets tightened..

These are not behaviors to be ignored.
These are not 'moody mares' or traits of certain colored horses.
These are pain related behaviors and negative association behaviors.

If we want to set a better standard for riders of the future, then recognizing equine behavior and communication is paramount.

We need to stop minimizing pain in our horses.

Instead, prioritizing learning how to communicate with our animals and what we can do to keep them comfortable is what will help change the future of equine welfare.

How well do you think you understand your horse's behavior and communication?

https://stan.store/abequinetherapy