Leicestershire & Rutland Farriery

25/07/2024

30/05/2024

26/03/2024

Entry confirmed, for Heidi Coy! and Hallie!

The Mars Badminton Horse Trials are delighted to announce the list of entries for the 75th running of the horse trials.

With 90 entries from 11 nations including 19 first timers it's going to be an incredible event, but who will be crowned the Badminton Horse Trials Champion of 2024 - click on the link below to see the full entry list including some incredible data and predictions supplied by EquiRatings

www.badminton-horse.co.uk/list-of-entries-for-badminton-2024/

12/01/2024

Hoofin Friday! 👍🐎👠😎

30/12/2023

The 2024 Equestrian Para Olympics take place in early September in Versailles, France.

29/12/2023

Please read. An American publication, but the salient points are there! Little is known about the condition. Had a case over Christmas. Be mindful of limestone in gateways being an aggravating factor.

This year's wet weather and seemingly endless mud are wreaking havoc on horses' feet. Dr. Scott Morrison, head of the podiatry department at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., said he has seen more cases of retracted soles this year than ever before. In addition to Kentucky, he is awar...

12/12/2023

BobbyDazzlers™️ today for Yuri Rockport KTRHA.

09/11/2023

A message from your farrier;

(The farrier you fired, the farrier you hired, and your "forever" farrier.)

We don't ask for a lot. But we understand that you think we do.

Our prices are set anywhere from "I can survive on this" to "I can retire on this". Most of us are inbetween these two. We don't charge a lot.

We "require" safe working conditions. But if we see that you care and do everything in your power to make our appointments go well, we can be extremely flexible and accomidating. We never ask for perfection...only effort.

Most farriers "grade" their clients. One farrier can say to another "that's a D horse" and we will know exactly what they mean. Every farrier wants a full book of A+ clients and horses. Early on, we will work on a C horse... and give the average client three chances (~6 months) after three appointments, if the horse doesn't improve, we might be "too busy" to work on Fluffy any more.

"You only have so many horses in you" is a common saying among older farriers. What they mean is that each horse wears us don't a little bit. Each wiggly horse costs us some of our joint cartilage, and longevity. A horse that is difficult to work on is worth two or three that are well-behaved.

In the best of conditions, our trade is inherently dangerous. We deal with sharp tools, hammers, fire, and a 1,000 pound creature that makes violent decisions on a whim...and we are nearly preforming surgery in these conditions. A swipe of the rasp, a slice of the knife, or a nip can be the difference of good work or bad, lame or sound. All we ask for is safe environment so we can do our best work for you.

Often, our frustration is due to not being able to do our best work. We strive to do good work. No farrier leaves their house planning to do sub-par work. Our satisfaction is derived from good horses, kind clients, and quality work. When we are asked to work in the mud, or work on ill-mannered horses; our ability to do quality work is nearly impossible, or (for us stubborn ones) the work takes twice as long and causes us more pain. We aren't frustrated because we're just having a bad day or we're impatient. We are frustrated because we are being deprived a simple satisfaction of a job well done.

We chose this profession for the love of horses and working with people that share that love.

Next time you're dissastisfied with your farrier... consider our possition. Did you do everything you can to help us, or did you point to the horse and say "They're over there, let me know when you're done."

Give us the chance to do our best work and see what we're capable of.

11/09/2023

Had to share 🐴♥️ How true …..

♥️💋🐴♥️💋🐴♥️💋🐴♥️💋🐴

5 Things Your Horse Will Always Remember!

Horses have an exceptional level of awareness meaning that they can understand situations much more deeply than other animals. They are so attentive that they can pick on other people's emotions through body language, voice, or just the general vibe you give off. This type of awareness can lead to much more intense experiences for horses. Here are some experiences your horse will remember forever!

1. Places

Horses have quasi photographic memory, meaning that they can remember places very clearly. It can be positive or negative, depending on the experience they had in a particular place. Imagine your horse witnessed a very traumatic event. Most likely he will never forget the place or event and move away from that area. If your horse seems hesitating to go somewhere, listen to him, comfort him and trust him, he knows what he's doing!

2. People

As horses have an almost photographic memory, it’s no surprise that they remember people by their faces. Show them the picture of someone they know and they will probably react. Horses can even recognize people after years of being apart! But their memory goes far beyond our general appearance. Horses can read our facial expressions and remember them for later, too.

As part of the study, horses were shown pictures of people with happy or sad expressions. After meeting these people in person (with neutral expressions), the horses reacted based on the original expression they had memorized in the photos. If you meet a horse for the first time, then you have to make a very good impression on him!

3. Emotions

Besides places and people, horses have an innate ability to recognize human emotions. Horses have a tendency to perceive body language, even the most subtle, which helps them determine a person's feelings. If we are feeling stressed, sad or angry, our physical appearance tends to reflect this. Same goes when we feel happy or excited! Horses don't just read emotions, they also remember a person based on the last emotion they felt from their last interaction. This is a useful strategy for horses to avoid any possible aggressive encounters.

4. The other horses

Humans aren't the only ones who can leave an indelible imprint on a horse! Horses can remember and recognise other horses from their social network. Whether it takes a few years or decades, one horse will never forget its relationship with another. This doesn't mean as much they will pair up with each other if they ever get together. One horse will only react to another if the bond they had was particularly strong. If he knows a horse from a previous encounter, he may treat it differently than others.

Other important bonds between horses, like the one that unites a mare and her foal, are known to last a lifetime. As horses also remember smells, this can help a mare recognize her baby, even years after separation.

5. The words

Horses are able to understand words much deeper than we thought, but not in the traditional sense we give words. They understand the words by tone, height and length of the voice. Words with fewer syllables tend to stick better to horses. They can tell when someone is insulting them and when someone is complimenting them. Don't underestimate their intelligence, because there's a good chance they're listening very attentively to every word you utter.

Horses are incredibly gifted animals, and should be treated as such! Having an idea of the memories horses hold with them forever will allow you to understand and communicate with them even more deeply. Whatever the experience, good or bad, you can be sure your horse has felt it fully. Do your best to give them a good memory, and they will surely do the same.