Danby Equestrian

02/11/2024

29/10/2024

Many of you have met Sara Shirvani our apprentice. This week Sara is away for the practical elements of her Society of Master Saddlers Qualified Saddle Fitter course. Sara will be benefiting from lots of lectures, hands on practice and knowledge and I am very jealous that she also gets a new thermal mug!

All set up at to welcome our attendees on the practical days of the qualified saddle fitting course. We're looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow 😀

19/10/2024

𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗙𝗘𝗜 𝗠𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗢𝗢𝗟 𝗧𝗢 𝗗𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗡𝗢𝗦𝗘𝗕𝗔𝗡𝗗

With a rollout plan, as of January 2025 the FEI will be using a new measuring tool to determine the tightness of the noseband. This new tool offers a “pass” indicating sufficient laxity or “fail” indicating the noseband is too tight.

This is a positive step forward as the tool will be used on the front (nasal bone) and not on the side as is currently done by the FEI. The tool has been designed to be more practical and horse friendly compared to existing tools.

Video: https://youtu.be/rJNYzf1W5lU

The tool will be available to purchase from the FEI therefore encouraging all riders, trainers and coaches to use it to check noseband fit.

12/10/2024

Support local farmers. Buy local or at least British. So much better for the environment.

28/09/2024

**𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗛 𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗗 𝗜𝗡 𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗡𝗘 𝗩𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗥𝗬 𝗝𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗡𝗔𝗟**

𝗡𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲’𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘁

MacKechnie-Guire, R*, Williams, J.M., Nixon, J., Fisher, M., Fisher, D., Walker, V., Murray, R., Clayton, H.M

𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 (read without a subscription):
https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/evj.14420

For the past four years, we have investigated the pressures beneath different nosebands when adjusted from 2.0 to 0.0 finger tightness (0.0 finger adjustment so that the noseband was touching but not compressing the skin).

Poor noseband adjustment could create high pressures that may risk pain or tissue damage. This study is a step forward in providing quantitative data relating to pressures associated with noseband type and fit when adjusted to various tightness’s.

𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀:

🐴No significant difference between noseband pressures when the noseband was adjusted from 2.0 to 1.5 finger tightness.

🐴Noseband pressures were highest on the mandible vs. the lateral aspect of the nasal bones.

🐴No differences were found in noseband pressures between the cavesson, flash or Swedish (crank) noseband types at 2.0 to 0.5 finger tightness.

🐴The Drop noseband had the lowest absolute nasal pressures (mandible pressures not measured) and significantly lower values than the other nosebands. We need to be mindful of the position of the traditional drop. More work needed.

🐴Noseband pressures were lower when ridden in trot, compared with when chewing a treat.

🐴Noseband pressures were cyclical (rise and fall) and not continuous – changing during the stride and the chewing cycle of the horse.

As always, this is a team effort. Thank you to our research assistants, riders, owners and horses.. Thank you to our funders, World Horse Welfare, British Equestrian, Canadian Sport Horse Association, The Worshipful Company of Saddlers and Hartpury University.

NB image taken from pilot testing and was not included in the main study. All noseband types are described in detail in the manuscript.

21/09/2024

We absolutely agree with this. Do the right thing by your horse.

As we enter the fall, and soon winter, hay production slows.

The unwanted horse ads start to appear.

“Beautiful pasture ornament available, very sweet and kind. Cannot be ridden. But only 6 years old so lots of life left!”

Or

“Retired senior horse. Very arthritic so only pasture sound. We love her but can’t justify keeping a horse we can’t ride. We also can’t keep weight on her and she costs too much to feed!”

There are not enough homes out there for horses that have health issues and are “less desirable” due to not being rideable.

Not saying it’s fair but it’s the reality.

If a person doesn’t love a horse enough to keep them through their retirement, expecting a stranger to do so does not make sense.

In fluke cases, sure you may find the unicorn retirement home that has no bad motives and actually intends to keep the horse until they pass.

But, the fact of the matter is that these types of horses are most valuable when sold to auction, usually for meat.

And if the person who lamed them or owned them into their senior years doesn’t care enough to take care of them for life, a stranger with no attachment to the horse isn’t particularly likely to.

Are there some incredibly generous and kind strangers who do this? Yes.

Are there enough of them to keep up with the “demand” of all of these unwanted horses? No.

Rather than rolling the dice and hoping that these unwanted horses will find a soft landing when they’re given away for free or cheap, consider what kindnesses are within your power to offer them.

1. You could keep them, because an unrideable horse generally costs the same as one who is ridden.

2. If you’re unwilling to do so because of their health issues and lack of “usefulness”, you could give them a humane ending with euthanasia.

Horses don’t fear death like people do. They live in the present moment. They don’t spend time worrying about their mortality or if there’s life after death.

So, if that present moment is a miserable existence, that is what their life is. Miserable. That is their reality.

If all they know in the moment is suffering, that’s what their life is comprised of.

Passing off the unwanted horse to be someone else’s issue in lieu of giving them a humane ending may feel more noble because it extends longevity of life, but it doesn’t factor in quality.

A horse being passed off from home to home, always a second class citizen due to being unrideable, isn’t a kindness.

It is humans continuously evading accountability for the care of the horse and instead passing the horse off to be someone else’s problem.

It is the humans feeling morally superior for doing so because they think keeping the horse alive is a kindness.

Even if the life is no life to live.

Or even if it is condemning the horse to be taken to the auction and sold to a kill buyer.

Love your horses enough to love them through their lack of rideability or at least give them a humane end if it’s between that and rolling the dice and throwing them into a market that is already flooded with unwanted horses.

Horses should hold value whether they’re rideable or not but currently, that’s largely not the case.

Rather than ignoring that fact, people need to be honest with themselves about what they’re actually doing.

What their choices put their horses at risk of.

Let your elderly horse pass in the home they’ve known for so long instead of throwing them out into a new environment as soon as they can no longer be ridden.

Give your lesson horses the gift of retirement after they’ve kept your business afloat instead of pawning them off when they are no longer useful.

Or give them the gift of a good death instead of just making them someone else’s problem.

If you do not love the horse that you’ve spent years bonding with enough to keep them through their “less desirable” stages of life, why would a stranger be more likely to do that for you?

Winter is coming. Don’t throw your damaged horses to the “wolves.”

Part of owning horses is caring about them enough to give them a good end.

If you feel like a bad person for euthanizing them because you know retiring them would be the kinder option, that’s likely a sign that you should buck up and keep them into retirement.

The answer is not playing Russian roulette with your horse’s quality of life.

Stop pawning old and lame horses off onto other people.

There is not the amount of kind and caring homes available that people are making it out to be.

20/09/2024

Need some help with your trousers?? 👖 Or perhaps thinking of Christmas pressies? 🎅🏼 DISCOUNT CODE BELOW!

👖We produce top quality bespoke leather belts. Entirely hand made and hand stitched with finest bridle leather. 🪡🧵These belts can last a lifetime and can be made entirely to your specifications.

👖Choice of leather colours and brass or stainless steel hand forged buckles in many designs.

👖We can also do plaited belts, carved or brogue, or really any design at all.

👖Happy to work with you to design your unique idea or perhaps use a treasured buckle you already have.

👖The example in these photos is 1 1/4” wide with a stainless steel buckle and stainless steel hand engraved name plate, made to client specifications. This belt is £85 no name plate or £125 with personalised nameplate. Other designs prices will vary but this price is a guide.

👖Please enquire by contacting us via messenger and orders confirmed before 31/10 will receive a 10% discount by quoting on first enquiry the discount code “Santa’s trousers”

12/09/2024

💬 "My friend told me to just use a cheap saddle to back my young horse as he'll change shape so much there is no point getting one fitted"

⁉️ I think we've all heard this right? Hopefully less nowadays we know how important a correctly fitting saddle is and never more than on a young untouched back.

✨ Di Fisher will explain the important of a well fitting saddle on a young horse, even if they are just being lightly backed then turned away, during our October conference.

💻 You can join the "Better Beginnings for a Better Life" conference online at https://bit.ly/BHFAutumnConference

12/09/2024

This will be a great webinar, it's in the Events section of the exclusive Club members' area of the website NOW to register. If you are not already a member of the Fit 4 Welfare Club, go to our website and click the Fit 4 Welfare page where you can join, then you can attend our webinars and have exclusive access to our resources.

Tomorrow evening at 7pm, Dr Kathryn Nankervis Associate Professor at Hartpury University will be talking to Catherine Baker, Vice President and Chair of the Research Committee about all things research from demystifying the jargon and protocols to our latest collaborative research projects.

Register your place now and come armed with questions and ideas of projects you would like to see researched in the future.

02/09/2024

Hello ,

We have planned trips to Orkney & Shetland during October and have availability for; saddle checks, fitting new saddles, bridle fitting and side saddle fitting.

Please get in touch with us via PM if you would like to be seen and have not already booked in or have any queries.

Market Stance, Orkney: 14th and 15th October

Shetland: 16th and 17th October

06/08/2024

Research has clearly demonstrated that peak girth pressure is behind the elbow. The patented design of the Prolite Girth is specifically shaped to avoid this high pressure zone, providing clearance in the area you might see girth galls. In addition a floating cushioned leading edge guides the muscle bulk under the girth, rather than blocking it. This has been rigorously tested under strict scientific conditions and is proven to relieve girth pressure.

05/08/2024

Just finished, restoration of beautiful vintage cartridge box. Unfortunately no before photo, but it looks fabulous now for sure! 😍

04/08/2024

Fabulous cavalry cross belt for Scottish and Northern Irish Yeomanry, hand stitched from bridle butt.

03/08/2024

31/07/2024

Looking for the size of your Prolite Girth?
On a long girth you’ll find it stamped at the end of one of the nearside leather girth straps.
On a short girth, the size is on a label tucked inside the billet keeper.
If it’s a narrow gauge it will also be stamped with NG. If just the numbers are there, the girth is a standard gauge.

29/07/2024

It's GOLD for Team GB 🥇🥳

Ros Canter Eventing and Lordships Graffalo, Tom McEwen and JL Dublin, and Laura Collett Eventing and London 52 complete on 91.3 to secure Team GB their first gold medal of Paris 2024 🤩

This also marks a record-breaking fifth eventing team gold for Great Britain and a defence of the title that Laura and Tom helped to secure in Tokyo 💪

25/07/2024

🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

18/07/2024

Handmade, beautiful hand stitched belt, made to measure and to client specifications. 😍

18/07/2024

Cheap bridles! By cheap I mean less than £150. Check your cheek pieces! These are on my bench to be shortened and they are not even the same length by about 1 hole. Bridle was bought as complete bridle. This is a very common with off the peg bridles.

15/07/2024

15/07/2024

Think about what is going on with your horse.

08/07/2024

Hello , SPECIAL OFFER!!!
We are running a special offer on fitting check ups for horses with saddles we have seen before at our arena just outside Culbokie for £40 inc VAT (usual price £65). This will include use of arena, assessments and adjustments to saddles such as flocking top ups and headplate changes. Extras such as new headplates, new girthstraps etc not included.
This offer will run from the 30th July till the 2nd August, and includes flocking adjustments. Please book asap to avoid disappointment.
We have a 40m by 25m sand school and ample parking.
We can also see new horses or horses needing new saddles during the same time, so please get in touch asap if you need anything. Don't forget we do bridle fitting too, and we are also saddlers so we can make and repair any of your leather items.