Ayton Stud Livery & Dog Field

30/11/2025

I’ve put this on my Bucket List Who else would love to do this . 🤗😍👌

🎉 New for 2026! 🎉 We're excited to offer our 'Wasdale Adventure' Riding Holiday on 8th -11th May 2026.
Based in Wasdale itself you'll be riding over tracks, paths, and bridleways on mountainous terrain, traversing streams, climbing up to tarns, paddling in Wastwater, all with breathtaking surrounding views. These beautiful big horses are very sure footed, they will look after you, and they will definitely surprise you with their mountain abilities!
Dates: Friday 8th May to Monday 11th May all days are inclusive Riding days!
Where? Based at The Strands Hotel and micro brewery in Nether Wasdale.
What's included? Beautiful, fit heavy horses, our Shire, Clydesdale, and Suffolk Punch horses, riding within Wasdale itself, with adventures into the hills and mountains surrounding you! Paddling in Wastwater, stunning views, great company, good food, competent and experienced guides, equipment for the ride with four days riding, and three days accommodation in an old Coaching Inn, with real cumbrian character.
This ride is set in one of the most spectacular valleys in Cumbria, in the heart of the Lake District National Park.
The horses will arrive in Wasdale on Thursday night, ready to meet our riders on Friday. We will set up base for four days.
As an added bonus The Strands Inn is holding a beer festival that weekend, after all it is also a microbrewery. Real Ales, wonderful ciders, the real deal! Interested?👏
We ha e never offered this before and are very excited to offer it!
Do you want to feel THIS exhilarated?
For more information, a booking form, and itinerary please email us on

[email protected]

The price: £2,650 everything included ❤️
(your evening meal and bar bill is, however, on you!!🤣)
Places are limited to five for this our first holiday here. We are crazy excited about it!
NB: We are a small Riding Centre, a farm and a small business. Your support either on this Ride or at the farm, vouchers etc is very much appreciated!!🙏💯❤️
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25/11/2025

22/11/2025

20/10/2025

Today's pole work design using just 3 poles.

Hope you enjoy it.

Like all of our designs you can set it out to suit the height and type of horse you have.

08/10/2025

Conformation is barely understood today. Some people think it is "confirmation", but it is "conformation" because it is about whether a horse CONFORMS to an ideal. Like all ideals, perfect conformation is impossible. Therefore, we use it to measure how close a horse comes to the ideal. Conformation is further complicated by personal opinions. For example, I like short backed horses. Why? Because they have more agility and the kinds of things I enjoy most with horses require a high degree of agility. But that's me.

One of the most important of the many conformation elements is the structure of the legs. The images shown here indicate common conformation flaws of the hind legs. The far right horse has straight legs. Horses with this type of leg cannot reach well under their belly with the result being uncomfortable jerky gaits. The straight leg limits hind reach and thus acceleration and speed, as well as the ability to stop well using the hind.

The next horse to the left is "camped out". This is the worst horse for agility sports providing no speed and not much stop. However, if you want a horse for riding in less demanding circumstances, the straight or the camped out legged horses might do if the horse has a good mind.

The next horse to the left stands under. This usually translates into lots of stop and not much top speed, but reasonable acceleration as a result of its ability to reach under the belly. This horse might, for example, make a functional arena polo horse but not an outdoor polo horse where top speed is essential.

The horse on the far left of the four horses is ideal. Such horses, with a nice combination of hind reach and extension, are the best all around. You cannot go wrong with these hind legs.

26/09/2025

FEEDING STRAW
As the quality of hay and haylage is improving, it can be a real struggle to manage overweight and native horses. The addition of straw to the diet of such horses is a useful tool, as it is high in fibre but low in calories. It slows down their eating, especially in horses who gorge, while also reducing the calories, aiding weight loss.

How to use straw as a feed:
✔ Feed good quality barley straw.
✔ Replace up to a quarter of the hay/haylage with straw for horses/ponies - introduce slowly over a few days-week.
✔ Monitor changes in droppings - straw can be linked to impaction colic, but this is usually seen with horses eating large amounts from bedding.
✔ Speak to your vet first if your horse has dental issues, which straw could exacerbate.
✔ Donkeys – The Donkey Sanctuary recommend that they are fed on 100% straw, and unless underweight do not require hay or haylage!

If you have any questions about feeding straw, or weight control of your horse, get in touch to speak to one of our equine vets. Also check out our ‘Oakhill Equine Vets Fat2Fit Club’ Facebook group!

👉https://www.facebook.com/groups/oakhillequinevetsfat2fitclub

25/09/2025

23/09/2025

Interesting article

I’m often asked how to correctly position the bit in the horses mouth, and granted, it’s a relevant question as all mouths and bits are different.

I often hear from riders they have been told that two wrinkles at the corners of the lips shows a good fit, but is it true?
Let’s break this down a little, based around fitting snaffle bits.

The wrinkle guide can be a good rule of thumb to ensure the bit isn’t sitting too low in the mouth. A bit sitting too low can be troublesome especially for male horses with their tushes (canine teeth) that are situated in the interdental space between the pre molars and the incisors (front teeth). If the mouthpiece sits too low it can interact with the tushes when the horse relaxes the mouth, and perhaps become hooked over the front of them, causing all sorts of problems. Also, a low bit will be very mobile in the mouth without rein support, so when the contact is slackened or dropped, the bit will fall in the mouth, which can encourage a busier mouth, as the horse will always be moving the bit around trying to stabilise it.

If the bit is positioned too high to achieve the two wrinkle rule it will appear from the side that the horses lips are stretched, (think looking like the Joker), you may also see a parting of the lips at the front of the mouth and the incisors (front teeth) may become exposed. Run your fingers around the lips, they should feel soft and pliable, not taut and stretched. A bit positioned too high may also give constant pressure on the pre molars, which can damage the teeth and feel quite uncomfortable for the horse.

You must also consider if your horse has large fleshy lips or small thin lips. Sometimes fleshier lips are more vulnerable to rubs if the bit is too high and the lip wrinkles are quite deep. Sweat, dirt and saliva can accumulate in the creases and irritate the skin with a constant rubbing movement and create sores. Thinner lips can also be problematic, especially if the lips are pulled too tight and stretched to achieve the two wrinkles. This can make them susceptible to splits and sores on the corners of the lips.

A better guide is to check how the cheek pieces support the bit. Always ensure the cheek piece buckles are on the same holes so the bit sits level in the mouth. The cheek pieces should support the bit with a slight feeling of tension and not go completely slack when the contact is taken up. You can easily check this from the ground by imitating your contact with the rein so you can see what happens to the bit and cheek pieces - if they go saggy, the bit is too low, if they feel very taut, the bit is too high.
Also, with the bridle on, have a look in your horses mouth. The bit should be level, not higher one side than the other.

However, an exception to the rule is the hanging cheek. It is designed to eliminate poll pressure when the contact is taken up, so the cheek pieces may bow a little as the rider picks up the rein and contact, basically the rider stabilises the bit in the mouth, rather than the bridle.

Correct bit fitting is never as simple as counting wrinkles (I wish it was). Every horse has a unique mouth shape, lip thickness and way of going, which means the bit must be adjusted with care. Taking the time to assess cheekpiece tension, the type of bit used, and the horse’s individual anatomy can help to prevent rubs, sores and unnecessary resistance. A well-fitted bit allows clearer communication, greater comfort, and ultimately a more harmonious partnership between horse and rider.

04/07/2025

🔥 𝗛𝗢𝗧 𝗪𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 & 𝗦𝗢𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗛𝗔𝗬 💧
If you're soaking your horse's hay in warmer weather, we'd recommend:
✅ Soaking it for a shorter time ⏱ than usual (1-3 hours)
✅ Refresh the water each time
✅ Keep it in a shady/cool place to reduce the risk of fermentation
✅ Be sure to rinse with fresh water, after soaking, to reduce any possible bacterial content

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