Equine Harmony with Rachel

05/05/2024

Yoggie’s first ridden hack out, along with his buddy Pie coming in-hand.

Wonderful horses! They managed to contain their worries about some sheep moving in the field adjacent to them and they walked out well.

We encountered:
Cars, cyclists, a heard of sheep running around, a man chasing two rogue sheep (they were giving him the run around), man shouting (at said rogue sheep)…
That was enough for one day!

Well done boys! Hopefully the next ride won’t be as eventful!!!

05/05/2024

This is one of the most important things I’ve seen in a while! ❤️

A farrier should understand a horse doesn’t mean to be “awkward” or “lean on purpose”. They can be uncomfortable and this needs patience! They need to be able to balance and reposition themselves.

I wish more farriers had this approach. ❤️

This topic rolls around my head all the time. The more horses I get under, the more I understand equine behavior and their body, the more I am convinced I don’t need to be stronger. Hear me out.

I am 5’6” and 125 lbs. I am a strong and fit person, with limits. Like most people, we all have limits to what our bodies can handle. Working with a 1000 lbs animal, has understandable limits. I have heard more than once, that the horse just needs “a strong man” to get under them and not have it be awful. That a man can “just hang on”. Just because that man can bear down and hold on, doesn’t mean it was any better for the horse than me being slung around. It just makes the human at the end of the lead feel better not seeing me slung around or struggle.

But here is the thing I know. Besides a handful of horses, very very few intentionally want to make it hard to hold a leg up. If they are struggling to stand well for the farrier, it almost always comes down to a few things. The following is said assuming that the farrier is truly a horse person and knows how to help your horse have a positive experience and adjust their approach when necessary.

1. Pain or fear of pain or altered sensation or awareness
2. A reduction in stability and appropriate loading patterns
3. Lack of understanding
4. Lack of emotional agility

As I primarily work with performance horses, I most commonly see 1 and 2. Yet, no performance problems are noted and an obvious head nodding lameness isn’t always present.

It’s tough because I know about how the body and nervous system works and equine behavior more than most farriers, more than a lot of horse people. I understand gait patterns and muscle development. I can feel your horse’s body every time I pick up a hoof. I have picked up 100s of 1000s of hooves (no joke, I did the math, it’s well over 150,000 hooves). Every single one of them is attached to a leg, attached to a horse. I have felt the bodies of so so many horses in every stage of life, from pasture puffs to Olympic level dressage horses and in many different compensation patterns, with all sorts of aches and pains from arthritis and other diseases. I know what a healthy body has the potential to feel like when I pick up a leg. I know what is possible for hoof care when the body is functioning well. I also know the possibilities of what a body will feel like that is struggling with nerve compression in the shoulders, hock arthritis, kissing spine, DSLD, Etc.

If a horse can’t relax, shift its weight, engage it’s core, lift a leg and keep it there, there is work to do to help the horse. Inherently, horses want to stay vertical and eyes level with the horizon to protect their spine, it is imperative to their survival. If they aren’t doing this, there is work to do to help the horse.

I know it can be an uncomfortable topic, especially when nothing seems wrong otherwise with the horse. It’s easier to blame the other human than take a look at the horse in front of us and truly listen.

I can also acknowledge that my approach isn’t right for every horse. I am not saying every visit with every horse needs to be perfect. But I know horses. I know what they feel like and I understand what they are telling us. If I don’t know, I will be the first to say it. I know the potential that exists in every interaction when we listen.

I don’t need to be stronger. I don’t need to hang on. I don’t need to be a man. We need to listen to what the horse is telling us. They don’t tend to be disingenuous with what they are saying. I will always seek to find a way to make hoof care easier and more relaxing for the horse and if I can’t find a way, we really need to look deeper at the horse and see what answers we can find.

Can we stop misinterpreting their behavior and take a deeper look?
Can we stop trying to out muscle and strong arm?
Can we collaborate more for the horse?
Can we start to recognize the subtle changes?
Can we get softer and listen?

23/04/2024

Yogs was a bit heightened at the beginning, so he needed to be let loose in the arena. I questioned how far I was going to get today! Luckily, we had our moment of connection so training could begin.

The first few times I mounted, I did have my trusty helper with me to hold the lead rope (just in case). After 5 goes, it was time to do it alone.

My trusty helper then became the photographer! 😍 thank you!

Amazing progress.

23/04/2024

A mounting session, followed by a relaxing, wind-down long rein out.

This sweet chap has a few mounting issues which needs addressing before any ridden work can commence. You can’t miss these little steps to positively reinforce new thoughts.

Even tacking up, I put the saddle on from the off-side - every little helps break the negative thought process.

His association with mounting from the near side was negative, so he didn’t want to stand next to any of the blocks. We didn’t work from the left side at all.

With the help of lots of blocks in the arena, stepping up and down, walking next to them, away from them, Yogs soon realised everything was ok. ❤️

01/04/2024

Yoggy is a very forward going, power pushing, quick thinking horse.
He feels he has to power on ahead. Here he is walking past the ‘scary’ corner in a relaxed walk.

Aim: to relax in trot - without powering on, while lovering his head and lifting his back.

Soon we will go out for a long rein out - getting him out the arena will do him the world of good. 🥰

Today, he enjoyed the variety of polework and breaks to process everything 😍

31/03/2024

The importance of poles!
Look at Yoggy’s core lifting when he lifts his hind feet higher. ❤️
In time, this will develop more of his topline. ❤️

31/03/2024

Recently started working with this chap! He’s a very sweet boy, who likes to learn and be kept busy.
More updates to follow on him, I’m sure ❤️

08/10/2023

Busy teaching a 15month Dartmoor Hill Pony that life isn’t bad!
Never seen a hose or had a bath.
Never been on the yard to meet other horses. ❤️

09/03/2023

Wow!
Third time hoof picking the Baby Wildling. Thought I’d play with a few farriery tools, to get her used to them. Before I knew it, I’d scraped out her flaking soles, then trimmed and rasped her hooves! All four feet are a much better shape. Such a good girl!
A good first experience is vital! ❤️

We also had a practice going in the trailer and shutting the ramps. This went very well! Both girls in together.

Only thing to watch out for - Millie’s head while the pony is walked out, as she put her jaws around Baby’s neck 🤣 Not a bite, but a bit of annoyance displayed 🤣🤦‍♀️🤷‍♀️

01/03/2023

The Baby Wildling explored the trailer with no pressure! Im still completely shocked that she went in! She even went in to see me, without being asked. She also stops and walks one step at a time to come out the front! ❤️

01/03/2023

Wow!
I’ve had this pony since the end of October. She was completely wild! If I’d have known how wild and scared of humans she was, I probably wouldn’t have bought her as a companion 🥺❤️‍🩹.

I knew she’d been kept in a barn for two weeks, with 3-4 other foals.
However… it soon became apparent that when she had come off Dartmoor, she was grabbed at to be caught and this just reinforced her fear of humans. She was also treated like a calf to get into my trailer - one pulling the front end and another pulling her around by her tail (I was horrified and stood there looking at this foal’s spine curve in the most unnatural way😔😣). I knew at that point this girl was going to take time to trust people!

Fast forward…
4 months later… the Baby Wildling has become inquisitive and loves taking treats! Everything has been in her own time and her choice!

I’ve only lead her about 5 times and today we achieved something we’ve never done before!

I was able to comb her mane without her worrying about one hair being pulled. I groomed her whole body and removed lots of moulting hair. Then… I hoof picked all four feet!

This girl is a super fast learner and is realising that the strange things that humans do brings her treats! 🤣❤️

Ignore my baby voice! 🤣🤦‍♀️🤷‍♀️

13/09/2022

🗝 Getting used to the sounds of the ramp 🗝

Walking over the ramp can help your horse understand the noises associated with the trailer.

🗝 Always have some pieces of wood available, that are different thicknesses. Use them to level up the ramp on uneven ground! 🗝

30/08/2022

Always remember to close all the ramps and doors in stages e.g, ensure they’re happy with each step, before putting them together in one loading movement.

Move slower than you think you need to, as the perspective in the trailer is very different. When the horse becomes more confident with the movement, you can begin to move it quicker! They need to get used to the movement and the sounds. Repeat this over and over, until the horse pays no attention to it happening. 🗝

30/08/2022

Long-reining the wonderful Murphy! This was his second time and he didn’t put a hoof wrong.

We haven’t ventured out of the barn before, so it was great he was confident to walk out and lead the way, with Zach in tow!

We met a few vehicles and he walked past them confidently, without any worries.

This was just using the rope halter as Murphy needs a different bit. I’m looking forward to doing more preparation with him! ❤️

22/08/2022

I’ve had three sessions with little T and he is gaining a lot more confidence with me handling his feet.

The first session, he was continuously holding his breath, then quickly blowing out when he moved away from me. This showed the release he got from being away from my close presence 💔

By the third session, I could see that any poll pressure causes T to panic, which results in T wanting to rear. I was so pleased with this session, as I was able to trim his front feet properly and rasp them. The back feet were also trimmed, but he needs more time spent with having his legs stretched etc, for me to be able to rasp them.

Will be interesting to see what happens in our next session. ❤️

16/08/2022

16-08-22

The lovely Murphy!
The weather was a little unpredictable, so our plans changed. From trailer loading practice to long reining in the barn!

Murphy was amazing and learnt his left and right turns. Next time, we will try the bridle and bit! ❤️

14/08/2022

A warm and shady 1.5 hour hack this morning, for 5 year old Millie.
She’s developing her confidence, while hacking alone.

It’s very important to allow your horses to use their natural instinct, with life or death responses!

The straw bales in the photo are new and Millie had to keep looking at them to ensure they weren’t going to kill her. With encouragement and praise, Millie continued on the lane without a problem. Another positive day for this young horse! ❤️

Millie is wearing Steve Young horsemanship’s bit strap - which helps prevent the bit being pulled through her mouth. A wonderful piece of kit!

10/08/2022

Martha was great today!
She’s getting better with her feet each time I see her. We had a play with the trailer, which proved no problem for her! 🥰

08/08/2022

What a lovely morning with Murph!

A relaxed walk out with his field companion, enabled Murph to develop his confidence in a variety of situations.

Deer 🦌 , backing around gates and difficult terrain all added to the challenge of this walk.

Next session, more trailer practice and bridling. ❤️👍

06/08/2022

An amazing day 🗝!
Steve Young horsemanship

I’m looking forward to applying/testing some of the basic principles on my young Millie. It was fascinating to see how all the horses reacted and behaved to the different questions!

Thank goodness for my mum’s sun hat 👒! It was very sunny and bright in the sand arena. ☀️🕶

06/08/2022

A day watching the wonderful Steve Young horsemanship.

Looking forward to learning more new tools 🗝 to help other horses!

31/07/2022

A lovely new boy to work with! 😍

Meet Murphy - a stunning 3 year old Connemara, who came over from Ireland last year.

His owner has done a fantastic job with getting him used to yard life and developing his confidence.

Thank you for contacting me to do some groundwork and trailer training with your boy, so he has a good positive start!

Murphy tries so hard and wants to please. Unfortunately, this poor chap can be very nervous, bracing himself for something bad to happen - especially to his left hind area or his ears.

It’s great to see him build trust and know I’m not going to hurt him in just one session! I look forward to seeing him again very soon!

26/07/2022

The wonderful Lilly is starting to relax in the trailer, when she’s alone!

It is vital for owners to do their homework for continuity and to give their horse the time they need to understand the questions being asked. ❤️

Progress has been slow, but we are definitely getting somewhere. ❤️

Next session is in 3 weeks, allowing for homework to be completed! ❤️

19/07/2022

Nothing wrong with letting your horse stop and look, as long as it’s not a panic response. Here’s Millie seeing cows - she’s figuring out listening to me and focusing on what I’m asking her to do. The cattle were not int he equation. ❤️

Rather than Millie stopping and being worried, I asked her to stop and gave her a treat. Then I asked her to walk on and repeated the process. The young cattle were higher in their field, in the shade of the tree, but sunlight shining on them. As soon as Millie realised what they were, she was happy to walk past and had no worries when they moved. ❤️

17/07/2022

Fantastic advice! ❤️

Given the beautiful weather 🌞 we are having in the UK at the moment, I just wanted to try and help owners keep their horses safe. There is so much scaremongering and false information out there. Keep your animals cool in this hot weather ☀️ don’t assume they will keep themselves cool.

- Do offer horses water 💦 straight after exercise, half a bucket at a time with a few minutes in between for them to catch their breath. Cold is fine but not ice cold when they are very thirsty.

- Have water available constantly, and change the water regularly to keep it fresh and encourage the horse to drink. You can put ice cubes 🧊 in the bucket providing the horse is not very thirsty and likely to gulp it down in one.

- If your horse stubbornly refuses to drink 🍹, try adding a large handful of their favourite mash or beet to a bucket of cold water to tempt them. Some like the taste of Apple 🍎 cordial too! Remember to always leave a bucket of plain water too, in case they don’t approve.

- Horses can lose a lot of electrolytes through sweat 🥵, replace these in the feed and always have a salt lick on offer 👅 . Don’t put salt in the horses daily water. It is good to offer an electrolyte solution immediately after exercise to rehydrate the horse (many recipes are available online) but once it has been finished, provide fresh water again.

- Cold hose 🚿 a hot horse constantly, scrape or don’t, it doesn’t matter, just keep the cold water pouring over them constantly until they are cool to touch 🥶 and leave them to drip dry

- When you turn your horse out, soak them in water 🚿 first, and their fly rug. It will keep them cooler for longer. It is absolutely safe to turn out a soaking wet horse. Consider how you stay cool on holiday.

- In large fields, make sure there is more than one water 💦 point and they are spread out. They won’t walk 20 acres unless they’re desperate, by then it could be too late and could have heat stroke 🥵. Dominant horses 🐴 can chase the lower pecking order horses away from water too.

- keep the flies 🪰 off them. Horses 🐎 will run themselves into a frenzy 😵‍💫 due to the horse flies that are everywhere at the moment. Guaranteed heat stroke 🥵 use light coloured fly rugs, fly masks, fly sprays or bring them in away from the flies. Whatever works for your situation.

- horses with pink skin are likely to get sun 🌞 burn, especially around the nose 👃 and eyes 👀. Applying sun screen factor 50 can help but usually rubs or washes off in the water 💧 trough after a few hours. UV protection fly masks are available with nose nets and can provide physical protection. Coloureds and double dilutes can also get sun burn on their backs and rumps, a fly sheet with UV protection can stop this.

- If they have plenty of natural shade 🌳 in the field, leave them out, if not, bring them in. Be sensible, is your stable cooler or the field cooler? Stand where for horse is for half an hour and see how you feel.

- If you can’t stand in their stable for half an hour ⏰ without sweating, they shouldn’t have to. Find a cooler stable for them.

- Keep your beds spotlessly clean. Heat and urine can cause lung damage due to the ammonia, plus urine and droppings 💩 attract flies 🪰 . Studies have shown that if you can smell 👃 the urine, it is already at a dangerous level ⚠️.

- If you want to ride, make it very early or very late 🌙 when it is cooler. Or go for a leisurely walk hack in a shaded area 🌲. If your horse/pony has breathing difficulties anyway (eg hay fever or RAO) do not ride them until the weather cools down.

- It is tempting to go to the beach 🏝 or on fast farm rides 🪵 when the sun is out, but remember only do fast work either very early or very late when the temperature is cooler.

- Take extra caution if you like to bandage 🩹 or boot 🥾 your horse for rides or the field. Studies have shown that fleece bandages cause enough heat to damage tendons even in cool weather, let alone a heat wave. Consider the breathable mesh boots available rather than neoprene or fleece.

- Be sensible if travelling your horse 🚛, A moving horsebox is usually a cool horsebox. But can you guarantee you will not get stuck in traffic? Or break down? You could get into big trouble very quickly. 😳

Enjoy our rare and beautiful weather! Look after yourselves too 🌞🌞🧊🧊

23/06/2022

It’s amazing what a little bit of patience and time can achieve. From a horse who wouldn’t let anyone touch her legs, to allowing me use nippers and a rasp!

Martha is a wonderful pony!

Can’t believe our progress. ❤️
Nigel Ward

14/06/2022

Miss Martha!

Amazing progress!!! I lifted her front feet today and was able to hold them there! I’ve been able to nip off some hoof which has already made a difference, helping her not trip over!

I haven’t doubted Martha’s ability to be ridden. The photos show how willing she is! Look at this beautiful girl! ❤️

14/06/2022

We’ve been trying a few different things with Miss Lilly - cotton wool in her ears to help block sounds and an extra padded poll guard just in case she rears too high.

Progress is slow, but we are moving forward. Lilly reloaded 100% without any hesitation.

It’s like she settles then realises she’s let her guard down, then panicks. She will get there. ❤️