Only Tools and Horses

12/12/2023

Thought it was high time I finished off another thing. Meet Diva

28/12/2022

27/04/2022

Decided to offer TWO of my beautiful hand-carved rocking horses in a raffle! Give it a go and please share this post too. Thank you and GOOD LUCK!

If this makes the full money then donations will be given to Candy’s hound rescue international and The Gambia horse & donkey trust.

https://raffall.com/300643/enter-raffle-to-win-hand-carved-rocking-horse-hosted-by-tom-bowyer?affiliateUrl=e472d8e2fc0550821924418cc84c33949277751f5813dd279bdd4dc0d8528988

The successful winner will receive a large, hand-carved, beautiful, solid-wood rocking horse named Chico! He is modelled on my old horse, a bay Andalusian, and is on a safety stand. Chico was the first horse I carved and comes with a cast brass plaque bearing the serial number 001. Chico measures (L...

28/02/2022

Lovely little renovation job just finished. Very happy customers and a very relieved me! Massive thanks to for such beautiful leather work.

24/10/2021

This oak tree stump is now destined for a life as a display stand for a large sculpture.

20/10/2021

Solid oak charcuterie board 1000mm x 350mm x 40mm perfect for the Christmas table

29/09/2021

Just received my order of 10 work polo shirts from Shroppy T-Shirts. Couldn’t be happier. The quality and service is spot on. Many thanks Vicky McKenna X

17/09/2021

09/09/2021

Finally got this monster completed and delivered today. A 5ft x 4ft oak and resin coffee table. There were blood, sweat, tears and more than a few choice words along the way but the customer is over the moon and I’m extremely happy and relieved!

11/08/2021

Seeing as the customer took delivery of this, this afternoon, I can now share it on here. This is a countertop bathroom sink that I made out of an ash burr. The cracks in the bowl have been filled and then painted gold to resemble the Japanese art of Kintsukuroi - where precious metals are used to mend shattered pottery, the understanding being that it is more beautiful for having been broken.

21/06/2021

We live in a world of instant gratification. If a website takes more than 2 seconds to load a picture, we think the WiFi is down. So I'm not surprised that this desire to have everything right away can shift to hooves.

When our horses are lame with a hoof related issue, many owners want something that will fix them right away. A pain med, an injection, a new shoeing package, a new farrier, a new vet. Anything that will take away the pain and allow them to continue life as usual, right?

But how often do we stop to think about the state their feet are in, and how long it took to get that way? Months, years? Maybe we can do something to allow them to become comfortable instantly, but are we getting to the root issue and addressing the health of the hoof itself? Are we allowing the hoof the time it needs to become healthy, the horse the time it needs to relearn proper biomechanics and proprioception, and the internal structures the time they need to strengthen?

Think about it this way. If you want to gain muscle and get stronger, do you expect one day at the gym will let you compete in a competition tomorrow? No! You can spend months working up slowly and strengthening different areas of your body, adjusting to aches and pains and noticing improvement as your muscles learn to handle more difficult tasks. The internal structures of the hoof take time to strengthen, too!

It can take 9 months to grow a healthy hoof capsule and internal structures, double that if the soft tissue has been damaged, and a myriad of factors influence this. Good mineral balancing, good diet, good movement, good environment, and good hoofcare, to name a few. We want the hoof to heal from the inside, out. Does this often delay our gratification and mean we have to patiently wait and watch for changes? Yes. Does this often mean the horse might need time off, or a change in diet, or a change in environment in order to get better results? Yes. But in turn, does this mean we often end up with a sounder horse that has strong feet for the long haul? Yes.

Distortion and pathology doesn't happen overnight, and 99% of the time can't be fixed overnight. If you're looking for the "quick fix," I encourage you to consider if that's the healthiest option, and the steps you might need to take to strengthen your horse's feet for long term soundness.

18/06/2021

A nest of two oak tables and a small oak/resin coffee table delivered this afternoon.

08/05/2021

I’ve seen amazing results using self selection for horses who are laminitic/metabolic/cushings. Here’s some info for you:
Metabolic self selection

You could try offering concentrated liquorice root powder, both dry and in water. Also cinnamon essential oil may help either by inhalation, licked off your hand or a few drops in a separate water bucket. I would offer barley grass constantly ( it needs to be green to be effective - brown will have oxidised).

Barley grass (organic)
Hordeum spp

Animals have selected barley grass for: Aids purging (with coconut oil) - Cushing’s related laminitis - Enzyme health - rich in nutrients - Magnesium - Pigmentation problems and anaemia

How to use
Equine and other herbivores: Slightly wet a shallow bowl or a scoop (large enough for a horse’s muzzle). This just needs to be done once, as the horse’s saliva then takes over. Add a handful of barley grass at a time so the powder doesn’t blow up into the nostrils and startle the horse. Some horses prefer the barley grass dry, others with water (lessening its intensity), while another horse may want to alternate between wet and dry Allow horses to take as much as they need. If a horse selects more than 150g offer peppermint, German chamomile and fennel during the selection process in case they are needed to aid digestion If you’re working with a herd, offering barley grass in a watery solution in several buckets to aviod fighting is probably the best option

Liquorice root powder (super concentrated power)
Glycyrrhiza glabra
Autoimmune diseases -Coughs - Cushing’s disease -Incontinence -Liver and eye problems -Mental stimulation- Peptic ulcers - Spayed / neutered animals - Viruses – hepatitis

How to use
Equines and other herbivores: Oral - offer dry and / or with water. The amount of water added will depend on the individual. Dry is more frequently selected. It does not need to be dampened like barley grass, as it won’t blow into the nostrils

Caution: If liquorice root is not needed it can cause the body to excrete more potassium and retain sodium, leading to water retention and elevated blood pressure, so as with all self-selection principles, do not put in an animals feed

Cinnamon
Cinnamomum zeylanicum
Animals with the following conditions have selected Cinnamon:

Metabolic disorders - diabetes - pancreatitis
Cardiovascular disease
Certain cancers

Fennel sweet (organic)
Foeniculum vulgare
Animals with the following conditions have selected Fennel -

* Digestive (colic);
* Female hormones (balancing);
* Lactation problems
*
Our fennel oil is steam distilled in the UK from the crushed harvested seeds. Bitter fennel is more potent so extra caution needs to be maintained when using it, due to its fenchone content.

Peppermint (organic)
Mentha Piperita
Animals with the following conditions have selected peppermint -
* Strains
* Boredom and lack of concentration
* Burns
* Colitis - IBS, Impacted colic
* Digestive - stimulant
* Heat (excessive)
* Itchiness
* Mental stimulant and lethargy
* Nerve damage
* Respiratory

Peppermint is a hybrid mint; it is a cross between watermint and spearmint and is indigenous to Europe, but is now cultivated throughout the world. Occasionally, peppermint is found wild with its parent species. It is an incredibly versatile herb offering a wide wide range of healing properties.

Chamomile German
Matricaria recutita
Animals with the following conditions have selected German Chamomile -
Antihistamine - skin and respiratory problems
Anxiety and tension
Colitis, laminitis, dermatitis,
Inflamed tissues,
Insect bites

03/05/2021

Really pleased with how this resin-river, oak dining table came out recently.

05/03/2021

New toy to play with today!

03/12/2020

Latest project. Three tables made out of ash from a customer’s tree.

12/11/2020

It’s been a long time coming but my new website is now up and running. Have a look. All feedback gratefully received. http://onlytoolsandhorses.co.uk/

Hand made Rocking Horses... Built for you... To be loved by you.

18/10/2020

One of the most challenging loading jobs I’ve ever done. I didn’t have panels to help channel the horse in and spent two hours working and thinking what to try next before finally getting the break we were hoping for. This is him this morning after a good night’s sleep. Straight in with partitions, happy to stand in for a while and then out again with no anxiety whatsoever. What a superstar ❤️ Jo Woodcock

16/06/2020

Bug hotel done! (Apart from 14 bricks with holes in them, which will go at the bottom, but you get the idea)

12/06/2020

Made a drawer to store pieces of material in. The oak came from a mantle piece from her parent’s house. Danielle VictoriaSharon Carter

10/06/2020

Took some time to sharpen all of my chisels today and started building a bug hotel for the garden. Just not getting enough time in the workshop at the moment!

04/05/2020

Little project for home. Quite satisfying!

29/04/2020

I know it’s sad but I can’t tell you how excited this delivery makes me! Look at the shiny!

22/04/2020

Little project for some little clients!