From The Ashes - Canine & Equine Behaviourist

22/01/2025

Due to 🔴 weather warning, all lessons for Friday are cancelled due to safety.

Gale force southerly winds becoming westerly will bring severe, damaging and destructive gusts in excess of 130km/h.

17/01/2025

Why I focus on groundwork so much. I have seen amazing riders who couldn't handle horses on the ground. Who actively put themselves and their horses in danger. 80% of owning a horse is on the ground.

15/01/2025

⚠️Trigger warning ⚠️Let's talk mass histeria and the media

The story of Marshal & millie was something that broke my heart.

Marshall and millie were shot dead last year in the u.k, I want you to look carefully at what the media did in these articles. The named 3 very different breeds with the cane corso being the latest target.

Fear sells and the media knows this, but until people stop believing the medias misinformation it will never change. Xl bully's were the target last year now we're talking about cane corso's. The lies have to stop!

2 dogs suffered because of humans, were they humanly destroyed or given a chance to proven innocent, no. The owner was tasered and the dogs were shot in the street.

People cried and protested but what happens now. February starts the ban in this country. 1000s of innocent dogs not being dna tested or personality tested but rather being destroyed for "looking like" or having the "standards/characteristics of the breed".

The media is designed to envoke fear that's how they sell news. But when you compare 3 "news" articles and they can't get their own stories straight do we have the right to ban any breed??

R. I. P to all the dogs suffering because of human malice and ignorance. Change starts with the people reading this post, every single human can make a difference no matter how small, but guys we need to do and be better.

15/01/2025

Sharing this again as a reminder to all.

Let's have a chat....

After receiving a lovely hoof to the head during a session this week (I'm still here thanks to my inner voice advising a helmet) let's have a much needed talk.

When I leave a training plan or advice and it's not followed you not only put your animal at risk but also me. I advise the training based off of your animals needs.

But "I was too busy", "I was away for the weekend", "I had Christmas shopping", "it was too wet", "haven't had a chance" ... I've heard EVERY excuse. I was nearly unalived because someone decided leaving a young warmblood in a 10x10 stable with no turnout for 4days then asking me to work them was good enough.

I reserve the right to refuse to work with clients when they actively see nothing wrong with putting their animal and myself in danger. Yes it's winter, yes it's harder to get everything done and yes we're all cold, tired, and want to be cuddled up in front of the fire. But if you want results you need to put in the effort.

"my horse would do anything for you", "my dog loves you", "they'll do anything you ask", "you make it look easy"... Because the sad reality is I've created a trust bond with your animal better than you because I'm putting in the work with them.

So from now on any client repeatedly supplying excuses rather than results I won't be working with. Time to put in the effort to get the results.

14/01/2025

I love this from road to the horse. Animals know you better than you know yourself, you can't hide anything from them. Once again I train the human aspect of the team 😂

12/01/2025

So I am back logged this week, with few appointments available:

Monday 1pm - mallow /doneraile area - booked

Wednesday 4pm - millstreet/mallow

Thursday 2pm - mallow/doneraile

Friday 1pm - available 3pm - booked

Those with non regular appointments could you please message and confirm if we postponed from last weeks disastrous weather 🙈

11/01/2025

Someone once asked why I bought a 18yr old horse knowing he was older and potentially just vet bills, the answer is simple:

"because he has given so many years to humans, being ridden, competing and hunting - he deserves a home to love him unconditionally until the end".

We live in a world where we don't like something we press a button and it changes, the furniture, phone, car isn't "good enough" we dump it, shame we started doing that to the animals too.

Old horses or dogs aren't a burden their a wealth of knowledge and wisdom, they teach us yes love can hurt but it's worth it. They teach us patience and care, how to patiently heal.

How to be better
How to think better
Be kinder
Be more patient
Love unconditionally

It's easy to love something when it suits us

10/01/2025

For all my students that hear my regular/weekly shout of "lean back, stop leaning too far forward" "sit up or you'll exit through the front door" or my personal favourite "now can you see why I said your centre of balance was off, get back on and try again with leg here, bum here belly botton here and shoulders up and this time stay on!" 😂

09/01/2025

Well done to everyone, who is doing their part to help in this mayhem

08/01/2025

Prepping for - 9 tonight ❄️🥶 lads it's baltic

07/01/2025

Ensuring my horse stays hydrated during this cold snap is vital. I add extra hot water to his feed and a bucket of mi wadi and warm water (which he loves) to encourage him to drink.

07/01/2025

Day 3 of being snowed in and it's snowing again 🙈

07/01/2025

Are you choosing animal abuse?

I had one of my little ladies make a comment last week:

"Ash, you aren't afraid of anyone"

that was said after I yelled at someone I found mistreating an animal and I challenged them head on.

"Whatever YOU are not Changing, YOU are choosing/supporting."

Am I scared, sometimes.

But imagine how that animal who doesn't have a voice feels...
It can't beg for help...
It can't ask to be treated differently...
It tries to defend itself, only to be branded "dangerous", or "difficult"
To be then sold or destroyed.

If you want to complain about the way someone treats their animals but do nothing.... You are choosing it.

If you want to moan about a persons welfare of their animals but don't actively try to change it.... You choose it.

People give out about livery yards or riding schools... But they stay and/or support them.

Neighbours with chained up dogs... But don't report them.

You are an accomplice and complicite the moment YOU turn a blind eye.

There are multiple organisations ready to help

Ispca
Dogs trust
Cspca
Forgotten horse Ireland
Department of agriculture

If you unsure who to call feel free to contact me.

What you are not changing you are choosing. It's 2025, time to make a change, there is so much more information and education. The equine and Canine industries are moving forward so fast but so many are being left behind with archaic and barbaric methods...

Are you choosing to use your voice or remain ignorant and letting innocent animals suffer?

06/01/2025

Huge shout out to everyone who has livestock or horses in this weather who still go out there feed, care for, help their animals. When you have "outside" animals this weather hits different. ❤️ Our amazing farmer neighbours have been ploughing the rds and clearing trees to help the community

06/01/2025

06/01/2025

All appointments for today are cancelled unfortunately due to safety. Have a great day everyone, please contact me to rearrange 😊

05/01/2025

Hi everyone due to weather there is the potential of lessons being cancelled tomorrow weather depending. Please message me in the morning to confirm appointments enjoy the winter wonderland ❤️❄️

24/12/2024

I love this, I have never met a bad dog or a bad horse.Only an animal that couldn't understand or an animal that is the product of bad ownership.

Frustration in animals lead to so many problems, before you label an animal as difficult, dangerous or unpredictable maybe look at how you are communicating. I guarantee the human is at least part the problem if not all of it.