High Wooley Equestrian

31/08/2025

‼️DIY livery available‼️

DIY livery vacancies available, 30 x 50m all weather arena with lights, mirrors, jumps & dressage boards, good hacking, cross country schooling field, all year turnout, equestrian Laundry service, visiting instructors.

High Wooley Equestrian is is a small friendly yard located in Stanley Crook (DL15) just off the Deerness Valley Walk.

As a result we have miles and miles of bridleways to explore, including woodland and optional water crossings. You can hack for hours in the most beautiful countryside!

Inbox for more information

24/07/2025

Stop Fixing Problems You Created

There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to say it plain:

A lot of the problems people bring to me — barn sour horses, buddy sour horses, horses that won’t load, won’t stand at the mounting block, don’t stop, don’t steer, don’t pick up the right lead — didn’t come out of nowhere. They weren’t born that way. And most of the time, they weren’t trained that way either.

They were made that way. And most often? They were made that way by the very people trying to fix them.

Now before you get your feathers ruffled, hear me out. I’m not here to shame anyone. Horses are honest creatures. They respond to the environment they’re in and the leadership they get. If you’ve got a problem horse, that horse isn’t out to make your life miserable. That horse is just reacting to what it’s been taught — directly or indirectly — by you.

So before you go looking for a fix, stop and ask yourself one simple question:

“Did I create this?”

Horses Learn Patterns — Whether You Meant to Teach Them or Not
Horses are masters of pattern recognition. They don’t just learn what we intentionally teach — they learn what we repeatedly allow.

Let me give you a simple example. You ride your horse for 45 minutes, and every single time you dismount right at the gate. After about a week of that, your horse starts pulling toward the gate at the 40-minute mark. Two weeks in, you’re fighting to stay in the arena at all. You say, “He’s barn sour.” No — he’s gate-conditioned. You taught him that the gate is where the ride ends, and he learned it better than you realized.

Same thing with mounting blocks. You let your horse walk off the second your foot hits the stirrup? Don’t be surprised when he refuses to stand still. He’s not being disrespectful — he’s doing exactly what he thinks he’s supposed to do. You taught him that.

Buddy sour? Happens when every ride, every turnout, every trailer ride, every everything happens in pairs. You never ask that horse to be alone, never train it to focus on you instead of the herd, and then act shocked when it melts down the minute its pasture mate walks away.

These are learned behaviors. And if you taught it — even accidentally — then you’re the one who needs to un-teach it.

Avoidance Creates Anxiety
I see it all the time: the rider knows their horse doesn’t like something — maybe it’s going in the trailer, riding out alone, crossing water, walking past a flapping tarp. So what do they do? They just avoid it. Again and again.

And you know what happens? The horse gets more anxious. The issue doesn’t go away. It gets bigger. Because now that thing is associated with stress, and the horse has never been taught how to work through it. The human’s avoidance has created a mental block.

And then one day they try to address it — maybe they need to trailer somewhere, or they’re in a clinic and someone pulls out a tarp — and the horse explodes. And they say, “I don’t know why he’s acting like this!”

I do. You’ve been letting it fester. You taught your horse that he never has to face the thing that scares him. Until now. And now it’s a fight.

Inconsistency is the Fastest Way to Ruin a Good Horse
You can’t train a horse one way on Monday and another way on Wednesday and expect them to understand anything. And yet that’s what a lot of folks do.

Monday: you make him back out of your space.
Tuesday: you let him walk all over you because you’re in a rush.
Wednesday: you smack him with the lead rope for doing the same thing he got away with yesterday.
Thursday: you feel bad and let him be pushy again.

That horse has no idea what the rules are. And when there are no clear rules, a horse will either take charge or check out completely. Either way, it’s not going to end in a safe, willing, responsive partner.

Stop Saying “He Just Started Doing That”
I hear that phrase constantly: “He just started doing that.”

No, he didn’t. You just started noticing it once it became a problem you couldn’t ignore.

Most bad habits start small. A little shoulder lean. A step into your space. A half-second delay in picking up a cue. But when you ignore those things, they grow. Horses don’t suddenly wake up one day and decide to bolt, buck, rear, or refuse. They show you the warning signs first. It’s up to you to listen and respond before it becomes a crisis.

So the next time you say, “He just started doing that,” stop and think: Did I actually miss the signs? Did I allow this to build?

Horses Are Honest — But So Are Results
Your horse is just doing what it was taught. Maybe not on purpose. Maybe not maliciously. But consistently.

The results you’re getting today are a direct reflection of the leadership you’ve given up until now.

And the good news is — that works in reverse too.

If your horse is a problem today, and you take responsibility, and you start showing up consistently, with clear expectations, fair corrections, and better timing — the horse will respond. Horses aren’t holding grudges. They’re not being stubborn just to spite you. They’re not political. They’re not bitter. They’re honest.

They will follow a better leader the moment one shows up.

Final Thought
If you’re spending your time trying to fix a problem, the first place you need to look is the mirror.

Because if you’re the one who taught it — even by accident — then you’re also the one who can fix it. But only if you take responsibility.

Stop blaming the horse. Stop acting surprised. Start being the kind of leader your horse actually needs — not the one that avoids, excuses, and compensates.

The horse isn’t broken. The horse isn’t rebellious. The horse isn’t hard to train.

You’re just trying to fix something you created without first owning the fact that you created it.

And until you do that, nothing is going to change.

30/06/2025

🤣🤣

11/06/2025

19/03/2025

Good morning from High Wooley.

15/01/2025

WARNING: DRAMATIC POST AHEAD!

As the new financial year takes off like a galloping horse with a broken bridle, we’re all asking the same question: IS A LIVERY YARD EVEN A VIABLE BUSINESS ANYMORE?! Spoiler alert: if you're not making money, it's not. Cue the dramatic music.

I don't usually rant—but after working a ridiculous 70-hour week in my very real career (you know, the one that's not related to horses at all) while relying on livery yards to keep me sane and my horse mostly happy on weekends, I HAVE HAD ENOUGH. It's time to speak the truth. The hard truth. And trust me, it's about to get dramatic.

Let’s talk about reality for a second: LIVERY YARDS ARE CHARGING WAY TOO LITTLE—and it’s a ticking time bomb. We're seeing a slow and painful death of full livery options everywhere, and the reason is simple: IT'S NOT WORTH IT. You heard me. Yard owners are literally getting out of bed in the morning, hoping they’ll be able to keep their lights on and horses fed—and that’s it. And they’re doing it with zero profit. And no, it’s not because equine people have become lazy or entitled (although let's be honest, some have) but because COSTS. ARE. RISING. And the income? It’s dragging its feet like a tired pony at the end of a show season.

The unforgivable truth is that yard owners have been running on sheer blind devotion to their lifestyle (not their bank account) for years. And now? The bills are piling up like an avalanche, and even the most passionate professionals are asking themselves, “Why am I doing this?!” Because here's the kicker: NO BUSINESS CAN SURVIVE when you’re bleeding cash just to keep the doors open. The business model is utterly broken. And if we don’t wake up and realize that, we’re all in big trouble.

So let’s have a moment of clarity: owning a horse is a privilege. And if you think you can just waltz into a yard and expect everything for pennies, you're living in La-La Land. The whole amateur-owner scene will crumble if these businesses close, and you’ll be the one left with nothing but a picture of your horse on your phone—no competition, no training, no beautiful stables, and no opportunity to complain.

Here’s the part where I beg you (seriously, BEG you): ACTUALLY BE DECENT HUMANS. If you can’t afford to pitch in during a wet season and buy extra hay, or help cover bedding for a horse on box rest, or just accept when prices go up, then you are part of the problem. Be understanding when the prices increase, because they WILL. They have to. Yard owners are not running a charity. They're running BUSINESSES—with bills, with staff, with real costs.

Now, prepare yourselves for the ultimate breakdown of the insane reality of running a competition livery yard in 2025. Ready for the numbers? Here we go:

Hay: £5.50 per ¾ bale per day = £25 per week
Straw: £3.50 per bale, 4 bales per week = £14 per week
Feed: 2x Cool Condition, chop, balancer per day = £42 per week
Horse care (AM/PM stables, on/off walker, grooming, etc.): 1 hour/day @ £15 = £105 per week
Facility costs: Rent, utilities, insurance, maintenance, etc. = £70 per box per week
That’s a whopping £256 PER WEEK PER HORSE just to cover basic care, before any actual training or riding happens. And hold on—if we factor in staff wages at minimum wage (£15/hour), we’re talking £346 PER HORSE PER WEEK just to break even. And this is the part where you grab your heart and gasp for air.

So when riders raise their fees, it’s not because they’re trying to roll in cash—it’s because they’re barely scraping by. It’s about paying their staff and keeping the lights on. You think £15 per hour for a groom is too much? Imagine what it costs to run a business. No one is making a killing. But it’s time we all faced the truth: horses are a luxury. So, if we want these businesses to survive, we need to pay the price.

Oh, and let’s not forget: when you pay £15 a day to ride, and £15 an hour for a groom (who by the way, is probably working harder than your office manager), we’re already at £30 PER DAY—before we even look at the rest of the costs. So, let’s all take a deep breath and face it: £210 A WEEK just for STAFF TIME, not including any of the other overheads.

To sum up: the livery business is NOT a hobby. It’s a business. So next time you feel that whisper of frustration because of a price hike, ask yourself: What would YOU charge for your services? Would you let someone undercut your time and effort? Exactly.

If we don’t start respecting these businesses and supporting them, they’re going to disappear faster than your chance at that next competition. And then you’ll be left asking yourself, “Where did all the yards go?” Well, this is where. Right here, right now.

Let’s not let that happen. Get real. Get dramatic. Support the yards that keep us all in the game. 💥🐴

Send in by a follower running a livery yard.

Added: comment from Riding With Rhi

This may be of interest ! For the past four years I’ve run a project called Equestrian Money Diaries where horse owners from around the world share their monthly costs anonymously. This year I’ve put it all in a public spreadsheet with averages. You may find it interesting to read / contribute to - nb: doc may not open on mobile, it’s huge:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nIZt-6ZAkoHQAE5gxidneOT_HwEr2OmlM_zhR0kIt60/edit

14/01/2025

❌ 𝗙𝗔𝗟𝗦𝗘! This myth is doing the rounds again. It doesn't have to be a cold day on the actual day you worm in winter!

❄️ You may have also heard to wait until after a hard frost. This will kill bot flies and prevent their eggs being ingested, however frost alone isn’t enough to determine when to target encysted redworm. Redworm activity on the pasture slows below 6°C, so it’s best to plan your winter worm control after a few consecutive days of wintry weather which reduces redworm reinfection. If temperatures stay mild in your part of the country, then ensure you blood test or treat before Spring regardless.

✅ Everything you need to know about winter worming control 👉 bit.ly/WinterParasiteControl

23/10/2024

Stunning skies for our early riders this morning. Post yours in the comments below ⬇️

26/09/2024

*** STEP AWAY FROM THE EQUEST (at this time of year) ***

A repeat post, but people STILL don’t understand!

Just a little reminder that you should absolutely NOT be using Equest or Equest Pramox during the Spring, Summer and early Autumn months. It should be reserved for the main purpose of Moxidectin; targeting the ENCYSTED stages of Redworm. Redworm encyst into the gut wall when it is COLD.

The emergence of these encysted redworm as the temperatures warm up in March/April, can result in fatal cyathostominosis. We only have TWO drugs that can treat encysted redworm, and there is already widespread resistance to one of them (Fenbendazole), and rapidly developing resistance to the second one - MOXIDECTIN. It’s imperative that you DO NOT USE EQUEST or EQUEST PRAMOX during the warm months, unless specifically directed to do so by your vet.

Lots of people correctly use worm egg counts during the spring and summer months, but some are then very dangerously worming with Equest if they have high egg counts. This is both a waste of Moxidectin, and a danger, due to helping increase the resistance to this drug.

DO NOT WASTE MOXIDECTIN WHEN IT’S WARM! The whole point of the drug is that it treats ENCYSTED redworm. The redworm burrow into the gut wall to keep warm; it’s as simple as that to understand! They need eradicating AFTER they have burrowed, so AFTER it gets cold, and BEFORE it warms up in the Spring!

27/05/2024

26/05/2024

Well done to Steph and Andy qualifying for Aintree. Very well deserved 🏅⭐️

Prelim restricted championship winner Vicki Wood and Wildfire and second place Steph Marshall and Abel Handy