Equine Relate

02/07/2024

We must remember that bits were introduced to control the horse for war. Many of todays equine sports such as eventing, dressage, show jumping and polo were introduced by the military to perfect and display that training.
WE ARE NOT RIDING OUR HORSES INTO WAR. We do not need to control them in the same way. We need to listen to them and train them with kindness and understanding. find out why in our blog post - https://progressiveequinepartnerships.com/a-brief-history-of-the-bit/

www.progressiveequinepartnerships.com

30/05/2024

“You can’t make a horse do something it doesn’t want to do.” 🤔

15/05/2024

Here’s a lovely example of how useful clicker training can be in teaching basic behaviours, even with babies. In fact it can be quicker and easier to train a foal this way due to them being so inquisitive and having no existing negative associations due to pressure based methods. If you’d like to start your foal this way, get in touch! 🐴

14/05/2024

My boy 🥰 13 years between these pics. How time flies. I’ve not posted for a while. We are still battling insulin resistance. It’s been a loooong 5 months of ups and downs. Just when I think he is back on track, he has one blade of grass or dry hay and boom 💥 we take a step backwards. It’s very frustrating. But, he is off all meds now and I am hoping to keep him that way. 🤞 I never went down the remedial shoeing route and I never will. He has had frequent trims from the brilliant Emma Carlton Daep Miaep whose advice and support has kept me sane! I’m looking for a source of Berberine and info about dosages in horses if anyone knows, please share. Grateful to have come this far. 🙏 🐴

22/04/2024

This is so sad 😢 but has a happy ending 🙌
Not every horse gets that. Problems caused by species inappropriate management are not always so obvious, but often the warning signs are ignored - box walking, weaving, crib biting, grumpiness, kicking the door, the list goes on. Problems can also extend outside of the stable such as anxiety, inability to remain calm when being led or ridden, unable to cope with stressful situations and being slow to recover from stress due to consistently high stress hormone levels (which also has a knock on effect on physical health too). Other health issues caused or exacerbated by stabling include poor circulation and lymphatic drainage, poor hoof health, respiratory issues and sore muscles. Horses need movement for physical and mental wellbeing.
🙏 aim for 24/7 turnout with friends 🐴🐴

10/04/2024

Having to start my business page from scratch 9 years after setting out is awful 😖. Sadly my personal and business page were hacked and subsequently disabled by Facebook. I have not been able to make contact with a human to get it sorted as both the hacking and the disabling of the account are two separate issues.

So I have come to terms with the fact I have lost every picture and video , every post and comment my lovely followers would have written , the lot .

I would very much be obliged if you ever liked our page to start with if you could like and share it again with anyone you think would like us or benefit. 🙏🏻❤️.

It takes an awful lot of time and effort to plug social media business pages so I will continue to give it my best effort 💪.

Thank you everyone 💓 it really means a lot xx

28/02/2024

This certainly struck a chord with me today! ❤️ Thank you The Willing Equine

Being a horse owner is hard.

Especially if you’re managing any kind of chronic condition - whether it’s physical or behavioral.

I understand deeply the mental & emotional challenge this can be.

I see you, showing up every day, doing the best you can.

You’re doing amazing. You’ve got this. 🤍

11/02/2024

Well, the past few months have not been very kind to the little Equine Relate herd. After Biscuit’s shenanigans resulting in two separate injuries and a hospital stay, four weeks ago Forest came down with acute laminitis. Seeing him unable to move was devastating and I felt very guilty for allowing it to happen. I took my eye off the ball - I now know I cannot do that anymore. It is more than likely he has EMS and will need micro managing from now on 😩. He is recovering slowly but surely and if we get a full recovery (I won’t count my chickens until he is able to come off the Bute) I will document our journey to wellness, including listing the 101 herbal and holistic remedies that we are using! Here’s hoping for a bit of pony luck 🍀 soon 🙏

04/01/2024

It’s all possible! Yes, it might take a bit more time, effort and thinking, but it will be worth it for you and the horse 🐴 Imagine doing a dressage test with a horse who actually wants to do it because there is something in it for them!! And I’m afraid it’s very different from kicking your way around the arena and giving a polo at the end! 🐴 Many people think they use positive reinforcement every time they give a treat and that there is no more to it than that. There is SOOO much more to it than that. Oh and one more thing…EVERY horse can be trained without aversives. 🐴 Highly recommend following The Willing Equine Oh and HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone! 😃

25/12/2023

Merry Christmas to you all! Wishing you and your horses a happy and healthy 2024. I had planned on a nice Christmas themed pic, but time got away from me so the best I can do is a pic of my boys happily munching their hay this morning which always makes me happy 😊 🎄 🎅

08/11/2023

Local track livery if anyone is looking 👀 Happy horses here 🐴

07/11/2023

Editing to add, this post was supposed to show the original by World Bitless Association highlighting that riding a horse without a bit in it’s mouth is still illegal under FEI rules. Discomfort is compulsory 😔

This is nothing new to me. I see pain and misery everywhere when I watch horses used for entertainment. That’s why I steer well clear of it. But there are always people who say “my horse loves to jump” and “that picture is just one moment in time”. So here’s a slo mo, showing the horse clearly in distress and yet another rider who thinks the horse is enjoying itself. If the most experienced horse riders don’t even understand or want to acknowledge horse behaviour and body language then what hope have they got?
I do not doubt that many competitive riders truly love their horses and many believe that their horse loves to perform in these risky competitions. Do they really believe that though? Because all the behavioural science is out there now if only they would acknowledge it. Do they just choose to ignore it because listening would end their own fun?

30/10/2023

For anyone with doggies…this is a really informative guide to helping them during the scary season. 🐶

25/10/2023

Never underestimate the damage that limiting friends, freedom and forage does to a horse - physically and mentally. If your yard owner is not committed to providing the best possible life for your horse then find somewhere else. Simple!

Today I visited a regular client for his trim. Over the summer he has been pretty patient and easy to work with. Today, he was anxious and snatchy and generally not easy to work with.

Why? Well, he has gone from 24/7 turn out to being restricted to only 6 hours per day turn out as yard "winter rules". So that's 18 hours in a stable. And we wonder why horses get stir crazy, shut down or behave erratically.

This horse is moving to a new yard where he will get full days turn out over winter. I do realise not everyone has the land and facilities to have horses out 24/7 all year round but we really must do better - 18 plus hours per day stabled for months at a time is not ok.

And to those who say their horse loves living in a stable... would they still be in there 18 hours later if you left the door open once the hay and feed are gone? I bet my bottom dollar not.

Horses are meant to move. All the time. When I camp at my yard in summer I can see my horses mooching about as a herd throughout the middle of the night. Or sleeping together as a herd.

Keeping horses should be simple, we need to stop thinking we know better than nature and create the right environments to let them live better.

At the moment, with the rain, my horses are soggy and muddy but they are happy and making their own choices.

Photo of our gang in a rare bit of sunshine this week.

16/10/2023

Worth reading, regardless of your chosen training methods. 🐴

An IAABC Foundation Publication

04/10/2023

Does your horse have somewhere to scratch those itches?

Imagine having an itch and not being able to scratch it - argh how annoying!!

If your paddock does not have any trees suitable for scratching upon, you can make your horse a scratching post quite easily. Just cement a post into the ground and use fencing nails to attach broom heads and grooming brushes - easy! Even the most novice diy-er (me) can do this!

Your horse really will thank you!

25/08/2023

Last year (or was it two years ago 🤔 time flies) I took Karolina Westland’s( ILLIS Animal Behaviour Courses )Advance Animal Training course which was fascinating and taught me loads. Now Karolina is offering a free masterclass for anyone (you don’t need to be a professional) on dealing with unwanted behaviours in animals. I’d highly recommend having a look 👀
Here’s the link

A framework to resolve challenging behaviour