The Lad’s Pad

17/11/2024

Loafing area ready for dusting off and compacting then it’s ready to use 🥳

16/11/2024

Our beautiful new livery who arrived today , Magic 🥰❤️

14/11/2024

Loafing area nearly there !

11/11/2024

Loafing area well underway ☺️👍

11/11/2024

100 meters of crushed concrete track, laid !! Now for the loafing area ☺️👍

11/11/2024

A thank you from a livery for a firework night protection squad lol we have the best liveries ❤️🥰

10/11/2024

We will remember them…….

09/11/2024

Bambi is all settled into the pampered big boy lifestyle 🥰 we miss him so much but just know he will thrive where he is !! ❤️

06/11/2024

Working hard laying the track and watching these gorgeous boys ❤️

05/11/2024

Oh Bambi what a journey we have all been on with you since you’ve been here. The sweetest, most genuine young chap there’s ever been, you and your mum will be so missed. But we know you are going to absolutely thrive in your next chapter of big boy life. ❤️❤️❤️

04/11/2024

Today we had the joy of finding an old lost friend from many years ago when she came to view the yard for her new young c**t. Wonderful to rekindle a friendship and even more wonderful to fill our vacancy with her mini cob c**t 🥰

02/11/2024

We have a local fireworks show fairly nearby this evening, so as is our usual protocol we will be patrolling the yard and herds during the event to monitor all the lads here and removing rugs for safety.

30/10/2024

Our full grass livery is based around a track system, made up largely of grass, horse friendly foliage and trees, and various herbs, as well as a hardcore track which leads to a large hardcore loafing area where they are fed ad lib , late cut (lower in sugar) hay. There are scratching posts, toys, tree trunks and logs scattered around the track for enrichment and comfort. This and full daily care is all included in the price of £245 pcm. Feed is given for free but is to be supplied for by owners and this winter we are trialling nose bag feeders (easier for herd feeding) but if any horse objects to this they can simply be brought out for their feed.
We do also have a 30foot surfaced round pen and stables, all free to use when needed. We offer extra services such as professional holding , training and ad lib services for if they are stabled or need anything extra doing for them.
We have twice yearly visits from the nutritional support team at Allen&Page where each horse is weighed on their weigh bridge and has a fully tailored feed plan put together for them (optional), a strict worming and worm egg count programme and yearly parasite control.

For smaller foals and youngstock under 13hh we have a traditional field kept grass livery (no track) on richer, higher calorie grass with 24/7 access in winter to the surfaced round pen for somewhere comfy to lay and stand out of the mud. They love to chew on the horse friendly branches and logs we provide and play with the range of toys.

One space in either herd currently available for the right horse/owner combination.

26/10/2024

Well said. We may have mud, and puddles , and it takes a lot of work, but our horses have friends forage and freedom, out 24/7 and never locked away.
Even last year when we had serious mud troubles, the horses were never bothered about it, it was more a human problem ! Hopefully this year our track will help with the mud but either way, mud or no mud, these horses will never be restricted from living a free life in the fields.

😱 The dreaded… “Restricted turnout” 😱

🤔 I get it, I do. Honestly…

I get the mud…
I get the damage…
I get the cost of repair…

💪🏻 But there has to be a better way? For our horses sake….

😇 Ive been working with and developing a particular horse all summer. She’s come on leaps and bounds and has really taken to her training like a duck to water. She had become the most attentive, sweet, calm young horse…

😳 BUT, today, she was distracted, tense, reactive, spooky, tight and ABSOLUTELY wired!

❓So what changed?

🤦🏻‍♀️ Well, her turnout has been restricted to Approx 3/4hours per day!

😩 That’s 20+hours a day spent locked in solitary confinement, sorry I mean her warm, comfy stable.

🤔 Now, let’s put it another way…

😔 In this day and age, if people went to a zoo and saw row upon row of caged animals and were told that those animals were only allowed access to their outdoor spaces for 3/4 hours per day there would be uproar!

❓So why is this such normal practise in the horse world?

❓Why, in this day and age and with our love of horses, aren’t we doing things differently.

🥰 There are better alternatives but they are unfortunately few and far between. Our job as horse advocates and consumers is to push for changes. And if possible, to avoid or demand better from these yards who excessively restrict turnout and drive our horses mad.

🤪 Apologies for the Wednesday rant! Hx

(Photo from google images)

25/10/2024

Human choice Vs horse choice