We have many animals here at our sanctuary, in addition to the horses. This little fella is a wild cat that we rescued called Ziggy.
Zig is a quirky little bloke, so seeing him standing in the dog bowl this morning was no surprise -but it did make us chuckle.
Kate and Casper
Kate is the newest horse to our Sanctuary, and she's been “Billy No Mates” for a while now, bless her.
So, it was great to see her having this little grooming session with Casper, which I wasn't fast enough to video in full, sadly.
I'm so pleased she is fitting in so well and making friends, as she is such a sweetheart ❤️🐴
ASKING FOR PERMISSION FROM YOUR HORSE WITH HAND GROOMING:
Did you know that by grooming your horse with your own hands, you can enhance your connection with them and build trust?
The video shows Kate, who is one of our newest residents to our sanctuary.
Kate did not like being groomed when we first got her, but after just a few short weeks of being with us, we’ve taught her that grooming can be a really beneficial thing, and now she absolutely loves it.
We are always very mindful to ask our horses for their permission to do things with them, and as you can see at the start of this video, I ask Kate by holding my hand out to ask her if she’d like me to carry on.
If she does not show any interest in my hand, then she’s saying no and I would stop and only after I get the green light from a horse by a touch or sniff to my hand, will I carry on?
This approach involves using non-invasive strokes and gentle rubs, and can be done in a peaceful environment with the horses input.
Safety should always be a top priority, so if your horse is particularly nervous or unpredictable, it's best to keep a safe distance and use a carrot stick to touch and groom them at first until the bond and trust has been developed before gradually moving to using your hands.
We have seen great results by incorporating this approach into our rehabilitation program for rescue horses, and we can highly recommend it.
Furthermore, it's a beautiful way to deepen your bond with your equine friend.
QUICK AND EASY WAYS TO IMPROVE HOOF HEALTH:
Moisture is the magic ingredient to having healthy and thriving hooves, as immersing hooves in water prevents them from becoming brittle and dry, to significantly reduce chipping and cracks.
A quick and easy way to ensure your horse's hooves have access to moisture is to stand them on a wet carpet. This cheap and simple solution works wonders, especially during the upcoming dry season here in New Zealand.
We recommend standing your horse on a wet carpet or rug as shown in the video for around 10-20 minutes a few times a week.
This will help to keep your horses hooves pliable and reduce the chances of cracks and chipping.
However, it's important not to overdo it as prolonged exposure to moisture can cause thrush and make the hoof too soft, so as with most things with horses, little and often is best.
We hope this easy tip will help improve hoofcare for your horse's hooves.
Happy Horsin ❤️🐴
Thanks to Lynley and Teo from Trot On Inn Picton for the video ❤️
NaturalHorseNZ
Our big tank of a Percheron, Cleo, has been hanging out with Kate and they are slowly making friends.
This little video shows the softness of Cleo, which has taken time for it to shine through her feisty personality, but could always been seen hiding under the surface.
What’s not to love about Cleo ❤️
The lovely Otto, who is one of our long term draft horse residents at our horse sanctuary.
The newest addition to our sanctuary, Kate the Clydesdale, is already making great progress as she becomes a part of our close-knit community of horses. Her gentle nature and warm presence have been warmly received by our other residents, who are slowly but surely welcoming her into the fold.
Kate Update: I just wanted to let you know that Kate has joined the bigger herd today, and things have been going well so far, which is great news!
If you're interested in supporting Kate's further care, we're offering a raffle where you have a chance to win $360 worth of hoof care and herbal remedies for just $5 per ticket.
Your participation can make a huge difference in Kate's life, and we would be immensely grateful for your support.
Here's the link to view the prize and purchase your tickets: https://www.naturalhorse.co.nz/product-page/holiday-raffle-to-win-360-horse-hamper.
Wishing everyone a Merry Xmas 🎄
Kate the Clydesdale meets our little herd of miniature horses and donkeys.
Meet Lady Kate, the Clydesdale.
Kate is our newest resident to our sanctuary, who arrived from her long journey down to us this evening around 6 o’clock and I’ve had the pleasure of hanging out with her since then.
She was a little pushy when she first arrived, which can be expected with meeting a stranger for a new horse, but within about 20 minutes she came around beautifully and started wanting to hang out with me for cuddles and scratches, so that was a fantastic start to the beginning of our relationship.
I’ve given her lots of space and haven’t fussed her much which she seemed to like as less is more for some horses, and she started to follow me around and got better with her ground manners over the next couple to hours, showing she is a smart girl who learns quickly.
We even had a little play with a game of chase which was nice too.
She met our herd of smaller horses over the fence tonight and was very good with our miniatures, though she was a little stunned and surprised when Emma, who is one of our donkeys, gave a great big bellowing eeyore, and ran back to me for some confidence, though after a few more eeyores she seem to take it all in her stride.
We also introduced her to Otto, for a supervised meet over the fence, who is one of our big draft horses and they got on very well and she seem to like him a lot, which was lovely to watch.
I could’ve stayed out there all night with her as she’s an old soul with an awesome personality that I’m already totally smitten with.
I really hope that we can help her get well again with that horrible swelling into her back leg.
She is paddocked next to the smaller herd for company for the night with a couple of big haynets and a bucket feed which she was eagerly tucking into.
I’m so pleased on how Kates journey went as we were worried about tk with the leg being so compromised but she travelled like a pro, which was thanks to Kushla from Gotcha Lookin Performance Horses Lookin Performanc
Percheron doing the Pōhutukawa Tree Dance. Cleo having a big scratch as she loses her summer coat.
Wet taught our injured chicken to play the piano to relieve boredom which she recovered from a broken leg.
Tiny Miniature Horse decides ducks our of the round pen 😊
Here are some hints, tips and ideas on how to build a round pen - thanks for looking 😊
And yes, I am from Yorkshire ❤️
How to use a hitch horsemanship line
Look at those pinned ears. This is Cleo telling the chickens she owns the farm - lol.
Miniatures Horses, Draft Horses and Donkeys - these are some of the special needs Horses that we care for at our Sanctuary.
Cleo, our big Percheron mare shown galloping to meet her favourite human.