Equine Head to Tail by Billie Morris

07/12/2025

I see that there are even more horses, young stock and foals for sale. It is nearly Christmas after all. But what happens after Christmas? I often think that not only are horses and ponies being bred indiscriminately but as a fad.

There are the studs advertising their stallions, that’s well and good as they have to make their money somewhere. Apart from taking in mares for foaling.
But are they all top class sires? Now there is a question to ask before sending your mare off to be covered. And possibly the most brutal of questions, is Your mare actually good enough to breed from? I never bred from my mare as, and this is the most important reason ….

I couldn’t afford to breed from her.
I knew that once I saw any foal that she produced I was keeping it for life. I’m like that, a bit soft.
I really didn’t want another drama queen, which Smartie was. I wanted a nice quieter type. Although if I’m honest, it would have bored me to tears.
I questioned myself, was she actually good enough to breed from?

With the best will in the world, no one actually knows what is going to happen in our lives. If the worst had happened after Smartie had produced a foal and I couldn’t keep both, there was absolutely no way she was going. So would that foal/youngster go to a good home? Would it be passed from pillar to post through no fault of it’s own? All these questions went round in my head. So no, she wasn’t bred from. I think that even if I had the money, I wouldn’t have found her a husband, for all those very reasons above. Do I regret not breeding from her? The answer is a big fat no.

23/11/2025

Older horses are not disposible. It's our duty to take care of them as they grow older.

19/11/2025

16/11/2025

Fascinating ❤️

13/11/2025

Not particularly horsey but, I’m interested in what the animal charity bosses earn.

Aside from all that, surely if charity bosses took a pay cut, the ones who are exceedingly well paid and payed that back into the charity they front, the charities would be able to spend their money more wisely. 🤔

Just a thought.🧐💬

11/11/2025

It has been a tough time recently for our equine friends. First the non-stop fireworks which have caused no end of trauma and in some cases resulting in a number of injuries and deaths.

And no, I am not being dramatic.

And now we have this stormy weather. The rain has been at times torrential, driven by strong winds. It makes me think of the horses and ponies who have no shelter. When I say no shelter, I mean no trees to get under or hedges which are tall enough to provide some protection. Even if a horse is rugged, he still needs some sort of shelter. Field shelters are great when facing the right way and not at the bottom of a hill. But who can guarantee the wind and rain will blow the right way?

So our poor horses are not only at the mercy of over feeding, under feeding, over rugging, under rugging, lack of basic horsemanship but the elements as well.

Well done us!

Photo of the dreaded electric tape that tends to fall down in a breeze.

06/11/2025

This lot are often a waste of time, other charities have to step in and do their job for them, but, they just might have the clout to change the law regarding fireworks. Something needs to be done.

Did fireworks affect your pets last night? You're not alone 😔

A massive 66% of animals are negatively impacted by private firework displays. In 2024 alone, we received 1,084 heartbreaking stories from people whose animals experienced fear during this stressful season.

Your voice matters, and sharing your experience helps us push for real change. If your animals have been affected, please complete our short survey: https://bit.ly/3YIqpam

06/11/2025

Bit of a rant…..

Well last night was a lovely night for firework lovers in my area. I have absolutely no problem with firework displays provided that the local population are warned in advance. People are entitled to enjoy themselves.

But four and a half hours of the damn things??

Come on play fair. 9.35pm was the time it finally stopped.

Is it any wonder animals are so frightened? Not to mention children getting eniugh sleep for school the next day.

But in this world of self entitlement, who cares?

The sooner they make quieter fireworks the better.

Rant over.

04/11/2025

Horses are like people. They are all different. Some like to be in, either in a stable or a field shelter or barn. Some like to be out all the time. Do what suits your horse. He’s the one who has to live in whatever arrangement you have.

My mare loved her stable, she enjoyed going out but she was never a 24/7 out in the field type. There were times that I wished she would have been happy to stay out, but it wasn’t to be.

During her last summer, she decided that she wanted to stay out overnight. In all the 30 years I owned that mare, she had never wanted to stay out overnight. So she stayed out at night for a few weeks until she decided that normal service could resume back to being stabled at night.

I do think that as horses get older, they feel the cold more, they don’t tolerate hot weather and flies as well as they did when they were younger. They also don’t do quite as well in wet weather. In short, they are like us, they become more sensitive to the elements as they age.

Elderly and sensitive horses need extra care, I don’t care what other people think. What seems to be missing in the horse world these days, is basic common sense and the ability to stand up for what your horse needs.

02/11/2025

Are these relentless (at the moment) fireworks scaring your horses?

There are a few things you can do to help reduce the noise.

1) cotton wool packed in the ears.

2) ear plugs.

3) inserts for the ears of your fly bonnet.

4) acoustic fly hood.

5) titanium mask.

My mare was never really bothered by loud bangs, unfortunately my lurcher has made up for that. But as she is now quite deaf, the dog that is, I see that as a blessing.

I live in a rural area and yet every single night during the last two weeks, the sound of fireworks just goes on and on. I really feel for everyone and their animals affected by this noise.

Hope this helps. 🤞🤞