Castle Copse Equestrian

11/07/2024

Well this makes a change to wake up to!!

10/07/2024

As someone why grew up being taught to pull the legs forward after girthing up the saddle, this is a very interesting perspective on the topic….

Yesterday I posted about how pulling legs forward when girthed can, on some horses, cause excess skin to be pulled through and cause rubs at the girth area.
And I happened to attend a fitting where this very thing had happened, so I made a little video for y’all. Scroll down the page to see them, if you missed it. Cos it’s pretty cool, even if I say so myself.

Which brings us to:
𝙎𝙃𝙊𝙐𝙇𝘿 𝙒𝙀 𝘽𝙀 𝙋𝙐𝙇𝙇𝙄𝙉𝙂/𝙎𝙏𝙍𝙀𝙏𝘾𝙃𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙁𝙊𝙍𝙀𝙇𝙄𝙈𝘽𝙎 𝘼𝙁𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙂𝙄𝙍𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙉𝙂?

I know that I was always taught to do this at Pony Club, but… I was a little twerp then and also thought I was the height of sophistication with a RED Cottage Craft girth… and let’s face it, we have come a LONG way since then. Thankfully. *cringes at the memories*

There are lots of reasons that we don't need to stretch out their front legs anymore. Here are a few...

1. We now know that cold muscles shouldn't be 'passively' stretched. They are much more likely to sustain injury if stretched when cold.

“𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮. 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴.”
(𝙂𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙃𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙨, 𝙃𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙊𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙃𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝘼𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙮).

2. Girths have come a realllly long way since I yearned for a red crunchy girth. They have a broader surface area, they’re better shaped… and they often have an element of stretch/elasticity to them. They don’t dig into the horse’s soft tissue so much… and many are designed anatomically.

3. It can pull excess skin (and in some cases enlarged veins in the region) through to get trapped between girth and elbow (see yesterday’s video). This can cause rubs, chafing or discomfort.

So…. What can you do instead?

1. Speak to your saddle fitter and ask if you are using the most perfect girth for your horse.

2. Don’t do your girth up super tight straight away, do it gradually. And walk them to the arena/mounting block with it a hole or two looser. This allows their forelimbs to move naturally.

3. Check regularly for rubs. Look at photos of you riding, where is your girth sitting? Is it giving your horse enough space at their elbow?

4. Make sure your girth is CLEAN and NOT CRACKED. Make sure the material is smooth and edge-free. Replace your girth as soon as it gets cracked or non-smooth edges.

5. Check your girth is the correct length. Short girths should be as long as possible without interfering with the saddle. If this means the buckles get in the way, try a different type of girth. Long girths should end up in hole three or four of your saddle when horse is worked in and girth is done up correctly.

6. Avoid girths that crumple up, girths should have substance to them. To hold their shape and distribute the pressure as evenly as possible.

7. Not so relevant to this topic but PLEASE people, please stop doing your girths up so darn tight! Do your girth as tight as you’d want someone to do your bra up… I’ll do another post about this.

STILL WANT TO PULL YOUR HORSE’S LEG FORWARD?
Fine, I’m not the boss of you. You do you.
But… think about WHY you want to do it…

Let’s not just do things because we ‘always have’… let’s do things that are best for our horse. We owe it to them to always be looking for different ways to make them happy.

Over and out. *kisses*

Quote above by Horses Inside Out - Gillian Higgins

10/07/2024

We have added a bullfinch to our working Hunter course, so if you have qualified for the Working Hunter classes at Royal International Horse Show and want to practice beforehand over a Bullfinch fence then look no further! Or even if you just fancy giving one a go?

Click here to see the drone footage of our Working Hunter Course: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGes21fej/

As an added bonus, when you book, as well as the working hunter you can also use the Show Jumps in our 25x60 sand arena and our Cross Country Course of 60 fences ranging from 30cm-80cm

Click here to book: https://www.myridinglife.com/RemoteLocationEventList.aspx?SecretaryID=470045

05/07/2024

I can highly recommend Georgia Darlington Equine Services as an instructor. We will have the working hunter course available to anyone who hires the cross country and there will be a bullfinch for anyone wanting a practice before RIHS

I will be riding and teaching cross country schooling next week with clients at Bucklands Farm XC on Wednesday 10th July afternoon and Castle Copse Equestrian Thursday 11th July late afternoon if anybody would like to book lessons with me or would like me to ride whilst I'm there. Pm me for more info

03/07/2024

Lovely to see you guys again, as always with some cracking horses / ponies!

21/06/2024

Looking for somewhere to take your horses on holiday? At Castle Copse we have everything you need to take your horse on holiday. Bring the family and explore the amazing hacking/walking. Then, if you want, you can make the most of the facilities on our cross country course or show jumping in the arena. We can even arrange an instructor for you if you would like to make the most of your stay. The hacking is amazing and there are a vast network of bridleways around this area to be explored! You can either stay in our flat above the stables or camp in a tent, or stay in your lorry/trailer or campervan. For more details, availability and pricing email [email protected] or message us on 07891 112952

19/06/2024

Stunning moonrise tonight with the sunset reflecting in our arena mirrors 🌅🌝🌕

🐴

08/06/2024

Read , let it sink in, then read again :

“No. 1. Get your tack and equipment just right, and then forget about it and concentrate on the horse.

No. 2. The horse is bigger than you are, and it should carry you. The quieter you sit, the easier this will be for the horse.

No. 3. The horse's engine is in the rear. Thus, you must ride your horse from behind, and not focus on the forehand simply because you can see it.

No. 4. It takes two to pull. Don't pull. Push.

No. 5. For your horse to be keen but submissive, it must be calm, straight and forward.

No. 6. When the horse isn`t straight, the hollow side is the difficult side.

No. 7. The inside rein controls the bending, the outside rein controls the speed.

No. 8. Never rest your hands on the horse's mouth. You make a contract with it: "You carry your head and I'll carry my hands."

No. 10. Once you've used an aid, put it back.

No. 11. You can exaggerate every virtue into a defect.

No. 12. Always carry a stick, then you will seldom need it.

No. 13. If you`ve given something a fair trial, and it still doesn't work, try something else—even the opposite.

No. 14. Know when to start and when to stop. Know when to resist and when to reward.

No. 15. If you're going to have a fight, you pick the time and place.

No. 16. What you can't accomplish in an hour should usually be put off until tomorrow.

No. 17. You can think your way out of many problems faster than you can ride your way out of them.

No. 18. When the horse jumps, you go with it, not the other way around.

No. 19. Don`t let over-jumping or dull routine erode the horse's desire to jump cleanly. It's hard to jump clear rounds if the horse isn't trying.

No. 20. Never give up until the rail hits the ground.

No. 21. Young horses are like children—give them a lot of love, but don't let them get away with anything.

No. 22. In practice, do things as perfectly as you can; in competition, do what you have to do.

No. 23. Never fight the oats.

No. 24. The harder you work, the luckier you get."

~Bill Steinkraus

07/06/2024

Loving our new sign!

30/05/2024

A fab fun filled 3 days hosting Daniel Galleozzie Equestrian for their May camp. Lovely to see everyone having so much fun with their horses 🐴 😊

30/05/2024

Lovely video of Alice Goring Eventing and Cyril trying out our brand new xc course 👏🐎

24/05/2024

Really interesting re short versus long on a “short” dressage girth…

20/05/2024

Our grass Working Hunter course , near Haslemere, Surrey now open for hire. If you book to hire the working hunter course you also get use of the cross country course during your time slot. Watch the drone footage we captured this weekend of our working hunter course. Click here to book https://www.myridinglife.com/RemoteLocationEventList.aspx?SecretaryID=470045

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19/05/2024

In honour of mother's day here are 6 facts about motherhood and childhood for mares and foals.

1. Without human intervention 6months foals suckles from 8 to 10 times a day. Yet in the equestrian industry most foals are forcefully separated from their mothers around the age of 6months.

2. Without human intervention, horses wean their offspring at a much later age and very gradually.

3. Mother and foal bond persist up to 3years and remain strong even after the birth of the next foal. A close association is also formed between the yearling and the new foal.

4. Parental aggression towards young foals (either from stallion or mare) is abnormal and can be the result of lack of socialisation or stress. Both mares and stallions are very tolerant of their foals and yearlings; stallions can tolerate close observation and even sexual interaction from their foals/yearlings during mating. Stallions even have been observed waiting for foals to finish sexual sequences with the mare before breeding.

5. Foals use their mother as a safety base from which to explore the world. As they grow older and more confident, foals venture further away from their mother for longer period of time. First week old foals spend 94% of their time within 5m from their mothers and 8 months old foals spend 20% of their time within 5m from their mothers. (Tyler, 1972)

6. Early and abrupt weaning put the foal more at risk of developing stereotypies. A study conducted on 225 young thoroughbreds found that 35% of them developed stereotypies following weaning. (Water et al, 2002)

If you are a mother or/and an animal lover please share to raise awareness against early and abrupt weaning of foals. Not only this practice is cruel and unnecessary but also counter productive to raising healthy, well-balanced animals.

For more info on humane, science based horse training visits: www.fairhorsemanship.com

For videos and posts on foals, mares and stallions management visit the Meadow Family Rescue & Rehab

Other sources for this post:
NAC equine behaviour qualification course stage 1.
Broom & Fraser, 2015. Domestic Animal Behaviour, 5th edition.
McDonnell, 2003. The Equid Ethogram: A Practical Field Guide to Horse Behavior.

15/05/2024

Finally the ground has dried up and we have been able to roll, harrow and top the grass cross country field! 60 fences across 14 acres, including water ditches and a bank, all moved onto the course, and now flagged and ready to go!

As well as our main course of fences from 50cm-80cm, we have invested in a fantastic set of 30-40cm cross country fences from Countryside Equestrian Showjumps and Cross Country. (See pictures)

The course will be open for bookings from May 22nd onwards. If you hire the course you will also have access to our working hunter course of 15 fences (including a bullfinch!) and the main cross country course.

25/04/2024

14/04/2024

Think about it 🤔

Our crew lives outside and seems to thrive as a result. Horses 🐎 living like horses 🐎

11/04/2024

It’s been a long day, but finally we have the camp kitchen and dining area ready for our first residential camp tomorrow! So pleased with how it’s come together 😊

07/04/2024

Lovely to welcome NB Equine back to Castle Copse Equestrian yesterday

07/04/2024