Hunters Gap Equestrian

04/01/2025

What a way to spend a morning ❤️🐎💨

Bring your horse on holiday! Dogs too!

www.huntersgapequestrian.co.uk

30/12/2024

Heartbreaking day today saying goodbye to our retirement livery Olga 🥺❤️ just shy of her 31st birthday she will leave a massive hole in the hearts of us all at the Gap 💔

29/12/2024

It's the night before Christmas and I'm out in the barn
Blanketing my horses to keep them all warm.
They're eating their dinners, tucked cozy in stalls,
Not aware that it's Christmas, or any day special at all.

They dream of spring pastures from their pine-scented beds.
No visions of sugarplums dance in their heads.
But we people are thinking of merry parties and such
Quickly doing our tasks so we don't miss too much.

This season is special, but the horses don't know.
They munch on their hay safe out of the cold.
I finish my chores and head on inside
To get ready for dinner and my family's yuletide.

It's nearly midnight, the carols are sung.
I remember a story told when I was young
How at midnight on each Christmas Eve
The barnyard creatures can speak to us with ease.

I am called to the barn. More hurry than whoa.
I can't really explain; I know I must go.
I slide open the door, and stand there and smile
Then slowly walk down the dimly lit aisle.

A nicker from Jet, a soft snort from Sasha,
Sweet, gentle Echo gives me a wink
Apollo rustles his bedding, Vegas comes into sight
Even Monkey gives a greeting as I walk through the night.

I think about parties bright lit and warm,
The ones we don't go to cause we have the barn
And vacations and holidays that we usually don't get
Cause we have the animals and chores to be met.

Walking all the way to the end of the aisle
I stop to stroke Angel and linger awhile
She snuffles my face, hot breath on my skin
And I look around at the others, my horses, my friends.

I could be at parties with laughter and mirth
But where I am right now is the best place on Earth.

21/12/2024

17/12/2024

Anyone lost for ideas for last minute Christmas gifts we can offer vouchers and / or our diary is open for the new year!

www.huntersgapequestrian.co.uk

04/12/2024

Sunrise brekkie for the guys at the gap this morning 😍😍 just look at the sky!!

www.huntersgapequestrian.co.uk

25/10/2024

Forget haunted houses and spooky ghosts—nothing sends shivers down a horse owner’s spine like the sight of a vet bill! 🧾👻

24/10/2024

Happening soon. 👀

25/09/2024

My ‘Just arrived’ theory

One of the big problems in the horse world, whether we want to admit it or not, is human ego. We easily get offended by something the horse does and treat them accordingly for the remainder of the session, the day, even the week.

Someone asked me recently how I managed not to get angry at a horse that kept trying to kick me, and it got me talking about my ‘just arrived’ theory:

You see, the horse doesn’t know why you’re being mean to him, 30 minutes after he tried to bite you. You’re only doing that for your own ego, sorry to say. My just arrived theory is very simple. Treat every interaction as though you just arrived at the yard/stable/arena/show.

If he tried to kick you, correct that behaviour by all means, but then draw a line and treat it like you just arrived.

If you had just arrived, you wouldn’t have a vendetta against the horse. You wouldn’t be mad at him or hold a grudge. If you keep acting as though you just arrived you would treat every interaction as a blank slate, not judging the horse on his previous attempt.

‘He tried to kick me, so the next time I asked him to back up, I got my stick and hit him on the chest’. That’s only going to antagonise the horse. There’s a time for more pressure, but often, aggressive intentions will be reciprocated. If you go in with the intention of bullying a horse, don’t expect the horse not to fight back. If you go in with gentleness, you might just find gentleness on the other side.

‘He was lazy last time, so I used more leg’ - but that will only dull him to the leg. When you ask a horse to do something, your first ask sets the base cue for that movement. If that first ask is heavy, the horse will be heavy. Don’t judge him just because he was a little sluggish on the last attempt. Treat him like it’s the first time you’ve put your leg on that day.

‘The last few times I rode, he’s been really strong, so I’ve put in the bigger bit’ - then he won’t have the opportunity to get light even if he wanted to.

- If you treat each bit of communication with your horse like it’s the first thing you’ve asked of them all day, you’ll find that you become incredibly consistent. And consistency is one of the most important things when training horses.

Next time you find yourself becoming frustrated. Take a breath. Disassociate yourself with whatever just happened and imagine you’ve just arrived… oh look! There’s your horse.

Have a great day!

Supported by:

Total Horsemanship Natural Equipment
Ariat Europe
Equestrian’s Choice
West House Trailers

16/09/2024

www.huntersgapequestrian.co.uk

16/09/2024

After admiring the sunset tonight and trying to take artistic pictures of the sunset and moon at the same time. We have realised today marks 7 years of living in our slice of paradise ❤️❤️

www.huntersgapequestrian.co.uk

15/09/2024

Big day for retirement livery Korino today! He is making the long journey to wales to live his days out as his mum has relocated to be closer to family ❤️ wishing them all the luck 🍀

08/09/2024

We have just had a very brave holiday maker who was doing ride and lead with her horses on the beach! And let the baby horse go solo!

Limited availability
www.huntersgapequestrian.co.uk