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Brook Barn Equestrian

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United Kingdom
Sheffield
Brook Barn Equestrian

Small friendly training yard based in Sheffield. Our aim is to help and encourage riders of all level.
(18)

Championing good practice since 2004 enabling horse and human partnerships to flourish.

21/11/2024

Trying to wean Oscar off sedation ( which seems to have little effect on him ) I decided to practice some of the relaxation techniques I learned on Helen Thornton - Equine Sports & PEMF Musculoskeletal Therapy course on somatics. The results were fantastic, why didn't I think of doing this before ! No he's not doped up and this is the most chilled he's been since he came home.

Somatic work on horses involves using body-based techniques to release tension, improve physical function, and address emotional or behavioral issues. It focuses on recognizing and releasing stored trauma or stress in the horse's body through gentle touch, movement, and observation. Practitioners pay close attention to the horse's responses (like yawning, licking, or sighing), which indicate relaxation and release. This approach supports the horse's physical and emotional well-being, enhancing their performance and connection with humans.

19/11/2024

A little update on Archie and Steven.
Steven was finally able to ride out today after the operation on his hand a few months ago, giving his mental health a great boost.

I have been keeping Arch in steady work and he feeling stronger than he has for a while. I am strong believer that older horses benifit from regular work and like us lose muscle if they don't use it.
We are so lucky to have so many hills around us which help keep their fitness

18/11/2024

Gazza, the horse I had the pleasure of riding in the charity race, has returned to Brook Barn to retire from racing, as it is not his forte.

I am honored to continue his education for the next chapter of his life, and I am seeking an individual who might be interested in a loan or partial loan, even on a LWVTB whilst kept here. I want to play an active role in his retraining so full support will be given.

Having had him for pre-training, I have come to know him very well, and I am confident that it won't be long before he excels on the flat and be jump fences.

He is a charming and affectionate companion to ride, but he requires a confident handler on the ground.

Gazza is five years old and stands approximately 16 hands high.

Please feel free to contact me via private message for further details.

18/11/2024

Congratulations to Emily who completed her first dressage test this weekend.
I know how much this was out of your comfort zone, massive well done for controlling those nerves 👏👏👏

17/11/2024

Oscar's home and in recovery, box rest didn't go down well. Even with sedation he was more likely to self harm in the stable than in the school.
His bucks were so high he broke the panels above the kick boards !
He also has managed to remove the dressings on a daily basis, one week done and counting !
Still it's such a relief to have him 🤞we can start back in work in a few weeks.

11/11/2024

Not everything that looks perfect is perfect.
Not everything that looks happy is happy.
Not everything that looks okay is okay.
𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.
💜Be kind - always.💜
➡By Anita Soni

💜𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩
🌎Live webchat: https://ridersminds.org/
🇬🇧Live text support: 07480 488 103
🇬🇧Call the helpline: 0800 088 2073

07/11/2024

If you ve never seen a horse prepared for surgery this is quite an eye opener and why it never an easy decision. Not sure it was helpful to have this playing in the waiting room yesterday! However it does show what an amazing team they have at Newmarket.

Coming round from.the anaesthetic is the most unpredictable part as they can panick in their desire to get back on their feet.

06/11/2024

Sorry I've been a bit quiet lately but we've had a lot going on. After the excitement of race day ( I ll cover that in another post) It was time to focus on Oscar. I try and share an honest account of our journey as encouragement to others to keep going when things get tough.

Although Oscar has not been lame, I have recently sensed that he is not entirely comfortable. So I asked for a referral to Newmarket because of their excellent facilities and oerson recommendations.

After thorough investigations spanning over five hours, the only issue identified is a small bone chip in his hock. Which currently we cannot be sure is causing a problem.

Following extensive discussions, we have collectively decided to remove the bone chip to prevent potential future complications. It is always a challenging decision to administer general anesthesia to a horse due to the inherent risks involved. However, we must make choices based on what we believe is in the best interest of the horse. I am confident that he is receiving the highest level of care and that this decision was not made lightly by the consultant.

Feel a bit gutted to once again bring a young horse on slowly showing so much promise to encounter a problem before we've really started.

It's been a long day ( thank you Robert Coles for your endless support, 12 hrs later it feels odd to be coming home without Oz🤞I've made the right choice and he ll make a complete recovery.

03/11/2024

Strength training has made a massive difference to my fitness, I can highly recommend EmpowHer Equestrian

28/10/2024

Anyone involved with horses should take time to watch this. When we know better we can do better . Understanding horse behaviour is the key
for the good of the horse and the future of equestrianism.

26/10/2024

My thoughts on euthanasia by Becks Nairn

This is something I have had to get comfortable with and something I see regularly in my work. I take it very seriously and being with a horse in their final moments is sacred. This is a taboo subject within horse ownership and I get messages every day from owners struggling with the decision. Every week I see pages with free horses who are struggling with health concerns be passed on. A horse’s experience earthside depends on our knowledge, they rely on you to read the subtle cues of their discontent.

Every day I see owners mis interpretations of horse behaviour, the horses frustration replaced by the human interpretation as excitement.

I do not think being alive is the only important factor to a horse. When I make a statement like that the first thing I get from people is “I have (insert major health problem) and I don’t want to die” the differences for human suffering is vast but I’ll try to touch on it. We can communicate/consult with professionals in a huge array of modalities from pharmaceutical to spiritual healers. We have access to treatment from pharmaceutical and medicinal remedies. We can change our situations when we are unhappy, new house, new city, new friends, do the inner work to be your own best friend ect.

Horses rely on their owners to provide the basics of what they need, friends, forage and freedom. We begin to compromise these basics when we put our human expectations and belief systems on the horse.
Win a race, jump the highest, dance the best ect….
The rebuttal is always some human problem “my horse is too expensive to turn out”. The horse doesn’t care how much he’s worth, all he cares about are the basic three Fs. friends, forage and freedom. This is the compromise of ethics for the horse and what welfare in the future will look like to keep any horse sport alive. If a horse is always micro managed they don’t learn how to be safe in their environment, youngstock do dumb stuff, let them.

Get right with dying!

Dying is as normal as being born yet the ideas for both are very different. Do you remember what it was like before you were born? Dying is suspect will be the same as before you were born. I personally believe souls are on journeys over multiple earthside experiences. We are all faced with our mortality at some point and because our lifespans are considerably longer than a horses most owners will have to face this at some point. Horses that aren’t coping in my experience share some common behaviours.

When small problems are experienced by the horse as a huge problems. An example, something unexpected happens near by and most of the horses run away briefly but one horse appears to be unhinged by the experience. The unhinged horses emotional cup maybe constantly overflowing from discomfort. Their adrenal system is in constant dysfunction, cortisol levels are constantly high and they often have reoccurring stomach ulcers. Finding the real problems to why this behaviour occurs is well documented on my patreon page and little understood.

Horses with serious problems are often excluded from the herd or they seperate themselves. The polar opposite can also be true, they attach themselves to another horse. The key here is the change in behaviour. These problems can be hard to spot if they are paddocked alone.

Then there’s the obvious ones, standing for hours in a depressed lowered head posture, constantly changing resting legs, loosing weight, agression, glazed eyes and a dull coat. This is why there is ment to be an ecosystem of prey and predators, the predator does a kindness to the weak and the cycle of life continues…..humans have messed with that.

I hate seeing horses being given away because owners either don’t see these problems or can’t make the final call to assure their suffering doesn’t prolong. Euthanasia is a gift at the right time. Death is hard to talk about, it’s emotive, we attach pain and suffering with dying and cling to the hope they will slip away in their sleep peacefully…..that is not the reality for most horses or humans.

Address

Brook Barn, Redmires Road
Sheffield
S104LJ

Telephone

+447909528686

Website

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Videos

If you ve never seen a horse prepared for surgery this is quite an eye opener and why it never an easy decision. Not sure it was helpful to have this playing in the waiting room yesterday! However it does show what an amazing team they have at Newmarket. Coming round from.the anaesthetic is the most unpredictable part as they can panick in their desire to get back on their feet.

Izzy and Serrens partnership growing all the time.Serren can try and rush her fences and Izzy now managing to keep control enabling her to canter most of the course after mastering it in trot initially..

Last week I took Oscar for his first training session with Sarah Healy. It was really helpful as I had been struggling with Oscar's length of stride in related distances and had started to think a bit backwards approaching the fences, but I really didn't want to dampen his enthusiasm. Sarah helped me correct this by focusing on how quick I responded on landing depending on how he had jumped in. She placed a pole in the centre of a related distance to help me get even strides before and after. It didn't take long for Oscar to listen to me when asked to wait. I was especially pleased how he was phased by the bright fillers and even coped with the train speeding by at close proximity.

Still working hard to get ready for the race in November where I will be travelling at full speed over a mile. Last week, I went to Southwell early in the morning to ride one of my favorite horses. As you can see from the video, it is not for the faint of heart. On race day, there will be 11 other horses running with us and the potential risks are amplified. If you have a small business and want to sponsor me, I'll wear your name on my butt or thigh on race day! A big thank you to everyone who has sponsored me so far. If you haven't, please consider donating. It's for a great cause: #BHSChangingLifes. A charity that helps struggling young people transition back into useful roles in society using the powerful conection with horses Click the link below. https://www.justgiving.com/page/alison-garner-1716987376405?utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=page%2Falison-garner-1716987376405&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share

I believe much of a horses education happens outside the school. To keep a young horse fit and interested in what is going on around him, rough ground training is ideal. Here I am descending a steep rocky path, allowing Oscar to use his head and neck to aid his balance. It is important to descend steep banks vertically and allow the horse to slide if wet. If one tries to zig zag down, there is much more likely hood of incurring a nasty fall. If the initial training of forward and straight has been established properly, I find things like this are seldom a problem.