Meadow View Track Livery

09/02/2023

Food for thought.....

A paddock all to herself and she has chosen the hay piles over grass for most of the day!

Remember this in Spring/Summer when you think your horse is stood at the gate waiting to come in 🙄
I used to think the same and that my boy loved coming in UNTIL he was given choices, variety and a different way of living!

09/02/2023

09/02/2023

🪱🐴🪱🐎🪱🐴🪱

If in doubt or in need of advice, contact Poopost.
They provide nothing but an outstanding service with follow up feedback, support and advice all year round!

The weather can't seem to make its mind up at the moment!
Forecasts seem to be pointing to mild weather, which means we need to be prepared for spring parasite control.

If you haven't already dosed or tested against encysted small redworm this winter and have been waiting for more frost or snow, then its probably worth sorting that now, as its uncertain that we will get any more cold frosty winter weather this year.

Lots of you already dosed/tested earlier this winter & are coming up to routine worm count (FEC) time again. We have been seeing a lot of adult redworm activity on tests all through the winter, with the milder weather they are not dying off or slowing down, so be sure to keep up with regular testing on an 8-12 week cycle depending on your horse. Remember that the worms don't respect our "seasons" as such, even though its technically still winter they are still around & regular monitoring will give a good overview of whats happening in your pasture.

As we come towards spring many of you will be thinking about tapeworm, which has traditionally been dealt with in spring & autumn (although is active year round). If your horse hasnt been treated or tested for tapeworm within the last 6 months or so its worth considering doing an Equisal saliva test. If you do this along side one of your routine worm counts as we come to spring then it makes it easier to target treat based on both sets of results (the redworm & roundworm result from the worm count & the saliva score for tapeworm). If you used Equest Pramox wormer this winter then you can wait longer before testing for tape, aim for around 6 months after dosing unless you are checking for reinfection/resistance following a dose of wormer, in which case 2-3 months is advised.

As always, if you need any advice regarding your parasite control programme please do message us on FB or else email us at [email protected] or [email protected] & our friendly RAMA (SQP) will help 🙂

All the test kits you need coming into spring can be found on our website. Worm count kits in sizes 1-4 plus bulk kits for big yards & liveries, Equisal saliva tests & other items such as lungworm tests, pinworm tests, calendars for planning the years testing & weigh tapes to estimate weight.

poopost.co.uk

Hang on in there folks, long light evenings, dry ground and warm weather are not too far off, we have nearly made it through!

Poopost x

09/02/2023

The right environment can be life changing 👌

We get asked if tracks are just for older, retired, non-ridden horses....NOPE! They suit horses of all ages, from all different backgrounds and in all kinds of work 🐎

09/02/2023

💦🌿 Paddy's visit to the Water Station 🌿💦

As we were walking back after a morning of introductions, Paddy saw Tom Tom having a big drink of water and showed quite an interest. That much of an interest, he was close to sticking his head through the fence 🙈
With the rest of the herd on the other side of the track eating hay, we waited for Tom Tom to finish then went in to investigate...

Paddy's first choice was Salt Water, followed by plain water. He then stopped and was looking back at his new friends for a while then back to the waters...

He had a big drink of Nettle 🌿
Followed by a taste of Apple Cider Vinegar 🍎
A sniff of French Green Clay & Sodium Bicarbonate and then finished off with a bit of Fennel 🌿

A quick stop at the Water Station gave Paddy the opportunity to investigate using his senses to smell & taste something completely to him, and something that provided health benefits, enrichment and most importantly...choice!

* Fresh water is ALWAYS available from the automatic water trough.

** Remember this is based on our own research and something we have introduced gradually through careful monitoring and observation.

*** It was water trough cleaning day for those wondering why the water trough isn't full to the brim.

08/02/2023

All that space but she insists on standing there until we move out of her way 🤣

This happens most mornings and if you don't move quick enough she kindly tips the barrow for you 🙈

Ally...our one and only mare 💗

08/02/2023

🤍🖤🩶 When Paddy met Ted & Fergus 🩶🖤🤍

In this video, I've tried to capture the whole morning to give you an idea of how we do introductions here at MVT...

You'll start by seeing Paddy in the paddock with Ted (who haven't met yet) & Brady (who met the day before) stood on the fence line, patiently waiting to say hello. The moment felt right, so in they both went...

You'll then notice Fergus has made an appearance and is happily grazing his way around the paddock. All was nice and calm in the paddock with Paddy, Ted & Brady, which meant the moment felt right so in Fergus went...

Whilst observing Paddy, Ted, Brady and Fergus you'll notice that Duke has now made an appearance. It might look like he's observing too, but like yesterday, he was more interested in having his favourite scratches than he was the boys. As all was nice and calm in the paddock, I opened the gate and in he went...

You'll notice there is a little bit more movement now, which could be down to there being 5 horses in the paddock and/or the addition of Duke who is higher in the pecking order but I think you'll agree that this was another very successful, stress-free morning of introductions for the MVT herd 💚

07/02/2023

🤍🤍🤍 When Paddy met Brady & Duke 🤍🤍🤍

Over the fence introductions have been going well. Rather calm actually with very few squeals and even less strikes.

It was a beautiful peaceful morning here with Brady just standing at the fence, waiting patiently for Paddy to come over. The moment felt right, so I let Brady in to say a proper hello...🤍🤍

Shortly after, Duke strolled down from the top of the track and just stood at the side of the fence. It was obvious that he was more interested in having his favourite scratch than he was in Brady & Paddy. He had a scratch and groomed me back then just stood by the fence again. The moment felt right, so I let Duke in to say a proper hello...🤍🤍🤍

We don't have a set plan when it comes to introductions here at MVT. We watch, we learn and let our herd members lead the way 🐎
We take it one day at a time, observe behaviours and use every interaction to plan the next step.
It takes as little or as long as it takes. There is no rush!

06/02/2023

Come on...check your geldings and get grabbing that empty sack ✋️

Take it from someone who has a gelding who doesn't have a nice, tidy, straight incision but since I discovered that this was an area he needed some help with, I can vouch for how much happier he is down there! He will even turn down a row of buckets full of feed and happily position himself to have his scar seen too instead 🤣

06/02/2023

Well would you just look at that...Paddy's 4th day In the paddock with Duke, Ally & Brady keeping him company 😍

06/02/2023

Paddy has been having some time on the track over the last few days to explore his new surroundings.

It's important that we give our newbie's the time they need to find their bearings and familiarise themselves with the layout of the track.
Its also an opportunity for them to sniff out their new friends whist discovering where the hay stations are, the water station, corners and loafing areas.

Here's what Paddy thinks to the log section 🤩

05/02/2023

Only the very best for the MVT herd 💚

Aubiose is made from 100% natural h**p. It is dust-free and recognised for being one of the most absorbent bedding materials available on the market.

Aubiose works by soaking up liquids, forming a capped layer that locks in smells and remains at the bottom of the bed, preventing wet bedding from mixing with dry so that the top layer stays nice and dry, providing horses with warm, soft and fluffy dry beds all year round!

And better still, as it is a 100% natural product, it can be added to the muck heap where it will decompose quickly without the need for added composting agents, creating an organic fertiliser for the land 🌾

If bedded on Aubiose Horse Bedding, they are bedded on the best!

**p

04/02/2023

Morning fence checks and track inspection walk 🧐

I started with 3 lovely chaperones but ended with 1 🤣

03/02/2023

Today was a very exciting day for us!
It was Paddys first day in the paddock where we like to start over the fence introductions. He got a lovely warm welcome and it looks like he's already made a friend 😍

We talk a lot about safety when It comes to fencing. Prior to introducing new members, we go round the paddock and loosen all connectors. We do this to try and minimise the risk of injury during this time and in the event of a horse striking out.
If you pay close attention, you will see that with the swish of a tail our fencing does exactly what we say it does 👌

We are super happy with how today went and so very proud of our boys. Can't wait to see what tomorrow's introductions will bring 💚

03/02/2023

Boys will be boys....🐎💨

03/02/2023

We get asked about stables and whether we stable or not❓️

We have stables which are there to be used but generally we don't stable no, unless there is a reason to or for short periods of time like when waiting for a pedicure...🌾

03/02/2023

🩶 Everybody loves Fergus 🩶

He's the baby of our herd! He is such a kind and gentle boy who has really taken a shine to Zeus, and vice versa.
Whenever Fergus sees Zeus, he'll come over and just stand with his head down, waiting for Zeus to approach him. He never steps into his space, he just waits so patiently, giving him the time he needs. Fergus has helped so much in building Zeus' confidence on the track, which is amazing because he just loves to help with daily jobs, and you can tell he feels safe with Fergus by his side.

There's not a day that goes by that this gorgeous boy doesn't make me smile 😍

02/02/2023

💩🐴 And the Poo Sniffing has begun 🐴💩

Horses have a long nasal cavity and flexible nostrils which get considerably bigger when they flare them to investigate a scent they are curious about.
The large nasal cavity is very effective for decoding smells. The odour particles from the air are inhaled by the horse and deposited onto the moist tissues of the nostrils.

Inside the nasal cavity are structures called turbinate bones that cause the inhaled air to stir around. This warms the air and distributes the scents over the receptors in the top part of the nasal cavity. The horse’s nasal cavity is large and has many scent receptors. From there, the information is sent on to the brain for processing.

From smell alone, horses are able to identify relatives and friends, distinguish between herd members, seek sexual relationships, recognise territories, find food and water as well as sense danger.

Because of this, and before we start introductions, we like to give them all the opportunity to use their smell to engage in a little bit of poo sniffing. We find this helps our herd learn a little bit about their new friend and vice versa.

They've all been very interested in each others smell today 👌

02/02/2023

An example of why it is so important to use the right products to make sure that your fencing is as safe as it can possibly be in order to reduce the risk of injury ...

02/02/2023

Wonderful to see that a new Track Livery will be opening soon 🎉

The more tracks become available, the more easily accessible they will be, helping owners to make the change and give their horses a more natural way of living with Friends, Forage and Freedom 24/7 💚

Being new ourselves, we know first-hand how hard it is to set up a track system, not to mention costly, especially if starting from scratch so let's show Falcon Meadow Track Livery some support...Check out their page and give them like 👍

We are all in this together 🐎

01/02/2023

Play time for the boys......🐎💙🐎

01/02/2023

Can anyone guess what we'll be doing with these???

01/02/2023

This is a fabulous product to have in your tack room and better still...a little goes a long way!
Try it and make the most of their 15% discount code 😁

01/02/2023

We always have a helper or two when we're on hay duty 🥰

01/02/2023

Start your day watching this...you definitely won't regret it 😍

31/01/2023

Hello everyone, Tom here 👋

A lot has changed since I introduced myself last year. For those that don't know me, I'm 21, have lived here now for 18 months and have been with my mum for nearly 16 years. Because of my health, I have caused my mum a lot of worry and sleepless nights over the years with Laminitis, EMS, problems with tying up, pain in my muscles (PSSM), respiratory problems, and arthritis.

When I first came here, I shared a grass-free paddock with my friends, Duke, Brady & Ally, where I spent my time munching on tasty Meadow Hay, browsing the hedges, playing, grooming my friends and going for walks with my mum.

Not long after I'd moved here, Leigh, the lady that looks after us (Dukes mummy), started making some changes to our paddock, which began with some fencing in the middle. We were all a bit confused and thought she'd gone mad but she showed us that we could walk all the way around and that we'd find lots of different things to enjoy along the way. She called it the mini-track! We had brush heads on trees (good for scratching my bum on), different flavoured waters to choose from, herbs scattered along the track, tyres to walk around and logs to step over. She was right, we did enjoy it and one things for sure, we certainly moved a lot more than we did just standing around our hay feeder.

There was a big field in front of our mini-track. I'd heard Leigh say that it was going to be a Track System and talking a lot about movement and about all the benefits it would bring, especially me. So I watched it get built with interest...
When it was ready for us, even though I was doing very well, my mum and Leigh were extremely cautious. I was only allowed 5 minutes a day to start with but over the months it gradually increased to hours at a time.

So what has changed?

Well, the track is now my home and where I live 24/7 with my friends. I have 2 new friends now, Fergus and Ted who came and joined us last year. Oh, and I think we'll have another new friend joining us soon. I haven't met him yet but I hope he likes riding out and going on adventures.
Before moving here, my mum thought we would only be able to manage short rides but since being here, I feel a lot fitter. Me and my friends take our mums out, sometimes for over 2 hours, doing up to 6 miles! I know this makes my mum very happy because she didn't think we would ever make it to Country Park again but we do!

Since my last post, the only time I haven't been on the track was when my friend had a bandage on his foot and because we don't like to leave our friends on their own, I volunteered to keep him company on the yard. We had a feeder on the hardstanding and stable doors open so we could go in if we wanted to. We had a selection of waters and full view of the track so we could keep an eye on our friends, and they would come round to see us.

There's now an even bigger Water Buffet selection. We have Salt Water, Sodium Bicarbonate, French Green Clay, Apple Cider Vinegar, Nettle and Fennel.
Leigh has told my mum that Fennel seems to be my favourite, so after checking it was OK, she now saves the seeds and sprinkles them on my breakfast...How spoilt am I???
Oh and at Christmas we had Mulled Wine, alcohol free of course!

The best change has been to my health and that I haven't had a days illness since June 2021. When the vet came to see me last week, I wondered what was happening but my mum told me it was only for my vaccinations. I then realised that it had been a whole year since I'd seen a vet, which is the longest time I have gone between visits for years.
The vet checked me over, confirming that all was good, that I am fit and well and he even commented on how much better my breathing is now. My mum said that it's all down to my new way of life and all the positive changes in it and I agree, especially with the mild nights we've had this winter, I would have been all hot and sweaty if I'd have been in a stable but my life is very different now...I dine on Meadow hay, moving day and night between 10 different hay stations whilst browsing trees and hedges. I have places I like to snooze and lots of good rolling spots. I have so much space here, which is good because sometimes i like to do my own thing but mostly I spend my days side by side and playing with my friends 🐎🐴🐎🐴🐎🐴🐎

30/01/2023

Nothing beats poo-picking whilst getting groomed at the same time 🥰

Paddy hasn't been a minutes bother! He's just so chilled and has settled really well in our quarantine paddock.

I like to make the most of this time to spend quality time with our new arrivals and get to know them as best I can. I think it's such an important part of what we do here, to not only help them settle into their new environment, but to help them feel safe and know that they can trust me, especially when we start introducing them to their new friends and herd.

Not be long now....😁

30/01/2023

Every day, we observe 👀
Every day, we learn 🐎

If something isn't quite going to plan, we adapt and make changes where needed because at the end of the day...Progress is impossible without change 💯

29/01/2023

Fergus on his way to the Water Station and making good use of the logs on the way 🪵

Having logs on the track provides enrichment and mental stimulation but they also provide many physical health benefits too.

In this short clip you can see Fergus walking around the logs, so we've got some bending, as well as picking his feet up to step over the logs...Good boy Fergus 🩶

29/01/2023

What better way to spend a Sunday morning 👌

Track Systems aren't just for older, retired or non-ridden horses. They suit horses of all ages, whatever their background may be.
The benefits are endless...

Here we have a 6 year old, a 13 year old and a 21 year old on their way out to have some fun and enjoy some quality time with their humans 💚

28/01/2023

A very happy and relaxed herd, who clearly feel safe in their environment and not bothered in the slightest that one of their friends is off to do some exercise 😍

Ted has only just started laying down on the track so to see him stay laid down, without feeling the need to get up is just amazing!

Super proud moment 😭

28/01/2023

An afternoon snooze for Ted, Brady and Duke 💤
Whilst Tom, Fergus & Ally re-fuel 🌾

Lunchtime zoomies are hard work you know 🐎💨

28/01/2023

And here's a walk along the other high traffic area of our track...

28/01/2023

A morning walk along the track for those of you who have been asking how it's holding up...😁

27/01/2023

Just love our little herd 😍
Each one with their own quirks and personalities.
They are just the best!

Love it when Fergus gets his sass on 🩶
He definitely deserves to be the face of Wella 🤣

27/01/2023

👌

Friday focus…determining body condition!

A visual assessment is not accurate and should not be relied upon when determining body condition!

I cannot tell you how many times a horses natural body shape gets mistaken for fat and this is something that I see, or hear of far too often! They are all different shapes and sizes and they can be very deceptive to look at, so a horse cannot be condition scored with out being physically felt!

Horses are all different, some are fine, some are stocky, some have naturally wide rib cages that make them look bigger than they actually are. The horses belly, is from my experience, one of the main parts that is looked at and often the part they are judged upon the most, particularly if they have a wider shape. Frequently, when I feel those horses, my hands are not sinking into fat and I can often feel the outline of their ribs. So putting these types on a diet will not alter their natural shape, that is their ribcage, that is their shape, that will not change with any dietary restriction!! Yes, there are plenty that are overweight and those are helped to ensure they lose weight gently and healthily without compromising digestive or behavioural health.

If anyone does tell you your horse is fat, please ensure they have actually touched them and condition scored them properly!! This applies to any equine professionals commenting on your horse, including your vet!

I used to frequently get told one of my horses was fat by another equine health professional, until I told the said professional to feel him and then tell me he was fat! I didn’t get an apology, but they never said he was fat again! This particular horse is an Irish Draught cross and is a stockier build and short coupled, so this makes him look bigger than he actually is. But you can pretty much feel his ribs all year round, he has small fat pads by the end of the summer, which are gone by the end of the winter, his condition score very rarely goes over 3.5 (on the 0-5 scale) in summer and he always drops down over the winter. Yet his body shape gets commented on frequently!

My warmblood on the other hand is never commented on, yet he usually carries more body fat than my Irish Draught cross. I assume this is because he has a finer build!

I do this everyday as part of my assessments of clients horses and I can tell you that some horses are very deceptive! By eye, some look like they may have a higher condition score than they actually do and vice versa. It is unfair to comment on any horse or pony based on what is thought to be seen upon a visual assessment!!

So please ensure that anyone who does comment on your horse knows how to condition score correctly and that they have condition scored thoroughly before commenting on your equines body condition.

26/01/2023

When Mr Sunshine puts his hat on it normally means one thing...Afternoon snoozes 💤

Paddy seems to really like this spot and can often be seen here dozing. He's also got a few good rolling spots too 😍

26/01/2023

When your Water Station is so good....