Cross Trees Livery

17/08/2024

Our retired horses Frilly, Cloud and Twist enjoying the sun ☀️

17/08/2024

Beautiful Bottom appreciation🤣 Gosh we love a nice round bottom! Shows our horses are healthy, have enough muscle and are in good condition 🌟 You wouldn’t believe this beauty has been retired with us for 3 years with little muscle wastage. Looking fab Miss Ori

17/08/2024

Handsome boy Fred waiting for his modelling shoot today. He had a session with Super Equine Artist and we can’t wait to see the gorgeous oil painting Madeleine will create! Owning horses creates lifelong memories and these are a wonderful memory keepsake 🩷

09/08/2024

💜

💜"Start a conversation on a yard, smile at someone you wouldn’t normally talk to, wear something purple, and for once let us all be united by the same passion"
-Victoria Wright.

💜Who is joining us for our first ever Riders Minds Day tomorrow (Friday 9th)?

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

01/08/2024

Another lovely message received today from one of our newest horse owners. DD has been with us just 3 weeks and already we have seen a dramatic improvement and she has settled like we’ve known her for years. She suffers with a few conditions, one is laminitis. I’m always amazed with the incredible talent of our farriers and vets . They have re-angled her hoof to near perfect, using a combination of X-rays and 30 years experience 🌟This has given DD the opportunity to spend time in the field with her friends along with bespoke care. We have a long road ahead, but we are all rooting for her.

30/07/2024

This effects so many older horses so one to be aware of 🌟

Eotrh

🦷Eotrh (Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Reabsorption and Hypercementosis) hence the abbreviation! Is a disease of the incisors and canines of older equines, generally the onset is over the age of 14. 🐴

ℹ The disease results in the roots of the tooth becoming diseased and either become reabsorbed becoming weak and painful or can develop a condition called Hypercementosis. Cementum normally sticks the tooth to the socket. In Hypercementosis, cementum is laid down more than it normally should. As a result the teeth can become infected as we can see pus draining from the roots.

🥕 This condition is painful. Horses affected often show signs of discomfort when biting with their incisors. A simple test is the carrot test, if your horse is showing any signs of not being able to bite a carrot this may be affected. 🥕

🩻 To diagnose the condition X-rays are taken. The best way to treat the condition is to remove the affected teeth. Although this can seem drastic in some cases, the horse is so much more comfortable afterwards and will be grazing within hours.

☎ If you have any concerns please contact us on 01202 823512
ℹ Did you know we run a WEEKLY dental clinic every Thursday.

30/07/2024

Tricky keeping Murdock company during his stable recovery. Late night checks are the best, it’s so quiet and peaceful🌟 we rotate stable companions so they all get maximum turnout time.

29/07/2024

Huge Congratulations to Christopher and his supergroom Maddie 🎉 Maddie owned Tequila who was with us for 2 years. We are thrilled for such a successful Olympics for them 🌟

🥈 Silver for Christopher Burton! 🥈

Burto’s back and he means BUSINESS! Over three days of intense Olympic Eventing competition, the Aussie delivered an outstanding performance to secure individual silver at Paris 2024! 🇦🇺

Congratulations to Chris Burton and Shadow Man, as well as groom Madelaine Taylor! 🎉

📸 ©️FEI/ Benjamin Clark

29/07/2024

Messages like this are the reason we do what we do! Our whole team are thrilled for Rosie and Dillan. 🎉 So many of our horse owners have been through such a rollercoaster of worry, stress and sadness prior to bringing their horse to us, every moment of success is the best!

27/07/2024

When the views are this beautiful 🩷 How lucky are we to be able to provide this for our incredible horses. &R

27/07/2024

This little beauty has just won Hickstead! Huge Congratulations Trendy and ! This is our favourite photo of Trendy, on R&R running wild and free in our fields he refused to be caught 😂 The only person who could catch him was Archie!! They have such a special connection 🩷 Jessica Burke and Express Trend have just won the Queen Elizabeth I| Cup at the Agria Royal International Horse Show in Hickstead! As the last rider in the jump-off, she secured the victory with a time of 37.80 seconds. Absolute Class Team 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

23/07/2024

It’s always so peaceful here… eat, snooze, sleep, repeat 😍All our horses are retired making a really relaxing environment for them

14/07/2024

Have you heard of the 5 Domains? 🐴 In 2020 World Horse Welfare developed the 5 Domains for horse welfare and we have been ensuring we follow their Domains for Welfare at all times. It’s reassuring to see the Mental Element a fundamental throughout the domains as we base most of our assessments on the mental wellbeing of our horses. How do we put this into practice for example? A horse with Cushings sometimes shows the symptoms as depressed, lethargic, dull eyes and generally looks sad 😞 so if we know that all the other Domains are provided, then we can narrow down to veterinary reasons and get the horse the best treatment. It’s been a game changer for our training plans for new team members by giving us tangible ways to communicate why ALL these factors are so important for horses overall wellbeing. We can physically see our horses relax into retired life knowing all their needs are fully covered.

The 5 Domains model of animal welfare identifies 5 key areas that influence an animal’s ability to survive and thrive in their environment. This includes health, environment, nutrition, behavioural interactions and mental state. This model considers how all these domains are linked and puts emphasis on the positive and negative experiences horses may have, as well as the influence these experiences have on our horses’ mental state.

For more information check out the 5 Domains advice page, which includes their guide on using the 5 Domains to assess your horse’s welfare 👉 https://bit.ly/3RghZTf

13/07/2024

Would your horse like to join us at Cross Trees? We have two spaces available from September. Your horse will receive full daily care combined with love. We know each one individually even down to their favourite scratching spot and favourite snack❤️ All our horses at Cross Trees are treated as individuals, coupled with our specialist experience of caring for injured and retired horses. Whether your horse has gastric ulcers, ligament damage, EMS, Cushings, arthritis, COPD… the list goes on, we have the knowledge and experience to care for them. If you have any questions drop us a message.

13/07/2024

We are thrilled with our new feeding pens. Keeps everyone safe when feeding in the field. The horses love them, feeding time is calm and relaxed, whilst ensuring all horses eat their own feed and can’t steal anyone else’s. Previously we used to head collar the horses, now they can just eat in peace ❤️🤩

10/07/2024

If you're based on the south coast and looking for livery... we have many yards spanning the area offering all types of livery packages facilities and services... 🔍

From part or full livery at Crabbick Farm to retirement or recuperation livery at Trees Livery , farm livery at Holme Farm , livery with an accredited coach at Champney Equestrian , stud services at Warmwell Racing Stables & Stud or even short term to head of for a little horsey holiday at Carters Barn Farm... we have them all.

https://www.liverylist.co.uk/yards/

05/07/2024

Good morning boys. Doing well on our special grass which is less than 10% sugar and starch 🌟 Field rest & rotation is essential as part of our land management programme ensuring it gives the horses the most from the land, eg good strong quality grass, no weeds and heaps of horse friendly nutrients. Keeping our worm burden low and constant healthy grazing for the horses

05/07/2024

Retired life suits so many horses when you give them the chance. Wash has high level Cushings, treated with daily managed medication and a strict feed and weight management regime. Ruby has super sensitive skin, so lotions on daily, she’s been a broodmare many times and needs nutritional help and support to ensure she absorbs all her nutrients. Blossom is aged 30 and has Cushings, her management plan is unmedicated because she reacts so badly to the medication, so part of her care plan is to monitor her temperature and keep her cool, manage coat & weight and she’s on a laminitis programme. Cosita… a purely simple retired horse. All of them happy together in a gorgeous 5 acre field with shelter, and gorgeous views. Who would have thought all these cases could live out 24/7 and be thriving… we did! Our care plans are special, let your horse be a horse and enjoy retired live with quality care 🌟

21/06/2024

Quick stop on the Weighbridge for Tangos weight check 👌🏻 Perfect 😍 Weight Management is an essential part of our care plans for our retired horses.

21/06/2024

We welcome Colin back to the herd for full retirement, after 5 years of adventures, it was incredible to watch his reintroduction to Maverick and Blackjack, like the old boys had never been apart ❤️ We missed you Colin, happy retirement 🤍

10/06/2024

🌺 We love it when the yard blooms 🌸🌺💐

08/06/2024

The weighbridge is out again in June. Would you like a session? Just PM to book. Group offers available 🌟

06/06/2024

Neala with our Poppies in memory of all our loved ones on D-Day.

04/06/2024

We love a good mash 🤣

🌟 Tuesday Topic - Mashed based feeds🌟

Anyone who knows me or has used my consultation services, knows I’m a huge fan of mashed based feeds! They are suitable for all and work really well as a base feed to add your additional products into.

Some of the many benefits of mashes;

⭐️ As they are soaked, they help to increase water intake especially so on the summer months or when away competing / at camps etc
⭐️Great source of highly digestible fibre
⭐️ They make an excellent base for mixing powders into
⭐️Can act as a partial (or sometimes full, depending on product) hay replacer
⭐️Great for horses with reduced dental function
⭐️Chaff can get stuck in diastema’s (pockets) between teeth, compact down and cause infection so chaff is best avoided if diastema’s have been identified

There are so many different mashes on the market; speedibeet, fibrebeet, pink mash, agrobs mash, fast fibre, recovery mashes, Alfa-beet to name a few, in fact there’s so many that it can make choosing the right one hard! Consider your horses energy requirements first; ie if they are in harder work or have a higher protein requirement then a mash containing alfalfa may be more suitable, generally unmolassed sugarbeet is a great option for those with lower energy requirements, requiring weight loss, laminitics/EMS etc.

Look at whether the mash contains added vitamins and minerals already; generally I recommend those without any vitamins or minerals included and then add a separate balancer or vitamin and mineral supplement and then you know the inclusions rates and ratios. If you feed a mash that is fully balanced with vitamins and minerals already, it needs to be fed at the manufacturer’s recommended feeding rate otherwise you will not be meeting your hoses daily requirements (this can often be 2-3kg Dry weight and most people under feed against these recommendations).

Remember feeding recommendations for mash feeds are always given as Dry Weight (ie before soaking).

This is a general post, there are some horses that just don’t like a mash, some that will get used to then eventually and some horses that will still need chaff based feed at times ie a horse that has/had gastric ulcers and are given chaff 30 minutes before exercise etc. Nutrition definitely isn’t a one size fits all but generally speaking, mashes are an extremely useful feedstuff! 🐴

04/06/2024

Cross Trees Livery… the most magical place on earth 💗🌟💕

01/06/2024

Huge thank you to all the farmers who are cutting, turning and baling hay this weekend! Three days of sunshine means three days of hard work for them so that all our horses have perfect hay for the winter!

01/06/2024

We have so much love for this book ❤️it resonated with me as a child and still makes me cry as an adult! 😭

Anna Sewell is celebrated as the author of "Black Beauty," a novel that transcends its literary value by profoundly influencing animal welfare. Published in 1877, the book’s depiction of a horse's life under various owners highlighted the cruelty faced by animals, effectively sparking a movement for their compassionate treatment. Anna Sewell was born in 1820 in Norfolk, England. Her life was marked by physical ailments, and by her teenage years, she was unable to walk without assistance. This reliance on horse-drawn carriages gave her a unique perspective on the relationship between humans and horses, which would later be vividly portrayed in her writing.

"Black Beauty" was written during the last years of Sewell's life. She aimed to raise awareness about the humane treatment of horses rather than purely entertain readers. The book was published just five months before her death, and it quickly became a bestseller. Sewell’s portrayal of the horse's perspective was revolutionary, offering readers an emotional connection to the plight of animals.

The novel is structured as an autobiography of a horse, Black Beauty, and narrates his experiences with various owners, highlighting both cruelty and kindness. Key themes include:

- The novel emphasizes that animals have feelings and deserve respectful treatment.
- It depicts the harsh realities of overworking and mistreating horses, especially those used in transportation.
- Sewell subtly but powerfully advocates for better conditions for working animals, promoting empathy and kindness.
- Impact on Animal Rights and Welfare

"Black Beauty" had a significant impact on public perception and the treatment of animals. The book influenced legislative reforms, including the introduction of laws to prevent cruelty to animals. In the UK, the novel contributed to the establishment of organizations like the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).

Sewell's work raised public consciousness about the mistreatment of horses and other animals, encouraging a more humane approach. The impact of "Black Beauty" extended beyond the UK, affecting animal welfare practices in the United States and other countries.

Campaigns were launched to improve the conditions for working horses, such as banning the use of the "bearing rein," a device that caused discomfort and injury. "Black Beauty" remains a powerful educational tool, teaching generations about empathy and the ethical treatment of animals.

The book has been adapted into numerous films, plays, and television series, continually bringing its message to new audiences. The themes of animal welfare and compassion in "Black Beauty" remain relevant today, as societies continue to strive for better treatment of animals.

Anna Sewell’s "Black Beauty" is more than a classic piece of literature; it is a seminal work in the history of animal welfare. By bringing the plight of horses to the forefront of public consciousness, Sewell not only advocated for the humane treatment of animals but also laid the groundwork for future animal rights movements.

👉 Please Follow Us on instagram.com/womeninworldhistory✨

31/05/2024

30/05/2024

❤️

YOU ARE DOING ENOUGH ALREADY 🐴🍏😘

This is a call out to all of you with special needs horses and ponies, who work really hard to keep them healthy and are at risk of always feeling like you should be doing more.

The thing is, your horse or pony is probably only still here because of your exceptional care and attention.

We can't always fix everything and sometimes we need to stop, breathe, and be ok with the reality of the situation.

I work with many owners in this boat (and I must admit I'm in there sometimes too), and sometimes there is nothing more to be done....

We need to remember to be as kind to ourselves as we are to our beloved horses and ponies.

(Photo of a super-cute gypsy cob foal which always makes me smile)

Please share if you know someone who needs to hear this...
🐴🍏🥰🐴