Scott O'Malley

25/12/2024

Merry Christmas everyone! 🎄🎁 We hope you've had a fantastic day surrounded by family and friends, filled with great food… we know we've definitely overindulged! 🐷🤭 Our thoughts are also with those experiencing a different Christmas this year due to changed circumstances or the loss of loved ones 💚❤️‍🩹 As we sign off on 2024 we wanted to take the opportunity to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who supported us this year 🙏💙 Whether you’ve entrusted your horse(s) into our care for handling or starting undersaddle, have come along for lessons/clinics, have followed us here on FB, or a combination of these - we appreciate you all! 🥰 We are now closed for a break and re-open on Monday, 13 Jan 2025 👋

24/12/2024

Hi everyone; further to our previous post, below is the last upload of photos for 2024! These are of the gorgeous big Erewhon Station gelding, Darcy, who is currently with us for Pre-start Handling 🐴❤ He's certainly grown a tad since he was with us for Initial Handling as a weanling!! 🌟

24/12/2024

Hi everyone; we've been a bit quiet on here as things have been rather hectic behind the scenes! Michaela is having a catch up on the last few photos before we sign off for the year... 🎅 Below are some of the two mares, Nova and Bonnie, who were both with us to be started undersaddle 📷☺️ Photos taken when being ridden by their owners during Handover Sessions last week 🐴🥰

07/12/2024

Hi everyone; we had a fabulous Ridden Clinic yesterday and have a fully-booked day of private lessons today!🐴😁 It’s all go with floats and horses coming/going today for the lessons but Koha (left) and new arrival Lilli (right) are snoozing right on through all the commotion 😴🥰 A big thank you to everyone who joined us yesterday, have come along this morning/are coming this afternoon 🙏

06/12/2024

Hi everyone; this is a reminder not to just turn up to our Facility without a prior booking ⚠️ For health and safety, security, as well as the fact that this is also our private residence (not to mention we have a cat and two small dogs who are not car savvy) we ask that you PLEASE respect our boundaries and make a booking if you wish to visit, drop anything off etc etc - we always try our best to accommodate any requests - but it’s important to us that we get just a few hours here and there where we can relax and enjoy our privacy ✅ On a more positive note… we’re looking forward to our Ridden Clinic which starts at 1pm this afternoon! 🐴 We’ll be in the covered arena at Mt Grey which will provide some welcome relief from the direct sun! ☀️

04/12/2024

Hi everyone; it’s shaping up to be another scorcher today!! ☀️ Van enjoyed a hose off after his ride - at just after 8am this morning… still didn’t quite manage to beat the heat though 🥵🥵

03/12/2024

Hi everyone; sheesh it's warm out there today!! ☀️🥵 Michaela braved the heat for 5 minutes this afternoon to snap a couple of quick photos of Gem, who is currently with us for Pre-start Handling, just before she was unsaddled and then enjoying a nice cool hose off! 💦 Due to demand we have managed to squeeze in one final Ridden Clinic before Christmas! 🎅 There is one rider space remaining (spectators are also welcome) ⚠️ The Clinic is being held this Saturday, 7 Dec (1-5pm) in the Mt Grey Downs Equestrian Covered Arena ($100 plus a $20 arena fee) 🐴 Email us or pop over to the bookings page of our website to book 😎

26/11/2024

Hi everyone; we couldn't resist sharing these photos that just popped up in our memories - 13 years ago to the day! Baby Van.... hard to believe he was once that small! 🥰🐴 Time sure does fly! Photos taken by our wonderful and talented friend, Cat Dalton of Digi-Artz 📷🙏 Such precious memories to have! ❤️

22/11/2024

Hi everyone; a few photos of Beeny and Rata - both have been with us being started undersaddle and both headed back home with their owners today 🐴🥰 We are holding our last two clinics for the year tomorrow... where has 2024 gone!? 🤯 The Ridden Clinic is fully-booked but there are a couple of spaces left on the Groundwork Clinic (2-4pm) for anyone keen to come along! ☺️ For further info/to book 🔗⬇️

20/11/2024

Hi everyone; it’s been a while since we’ve uploaded any video! 🤔 🎥 So here’s a few snippets of gorgeous big Beeny having a roll around at canter out in the big paddock this afternoon 💖🐴 Beeny has been with us being started undersaddle and she is due to head home at the end of this week 🏠 We also have a few photos of her and Rata (who has also been here for starting and is about to head home) to sort/upload soon! 📷

19/11/2024

Hi everyone; we wanted to share this fabulous and thought-provoking insight from Nicolett of Living Anatomy of the Horse. 💭 She’s also provided links to some excellent and credible resources to check out! 🤓📕 We are so lucky to be able to be able to benefit from Nicolett's expertise in caring for our own horses! 🍀🙌 Her approach of fostering collaboration between equine professionals to create a holistic, team-oriented model of care is so important in today’s world 🌎 💻📱 By bringing together the knowledge of various specialists, we can all become more informed, empowering us to advocate for our horses' health and function - in a meaningful and comprehensive way 🌟🐴

𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬, 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭…⁣
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24 years ago, I came to New Zealand for what was meant to be just a vacation, after working in the sport horse industry for years. I felt institutionalized by that world, but in New Zealand, I found a place where horses seemed to be living a dream, on pasture, in a way that wasn’t all about the sport, but about the relationship with their humans. I still believe that New Zealand is one of the best places in the world for a horse. Working here as an equine manual therapist and contributing to the education of owners have been the most fulfilling parts of my journey.⁣
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In my practice, horse owners come to me for many reasons—whether it’s for regular musculoskeletal maintenance, support with injuries, a vet’s recommendation or just an awareness that something isn’t quite right. Lately, I’ve noticed that sometimes this awareness has tipped over to anxiety, leaving some owners overwhelmed or unsure about what might be wrong with their horses and how to help them. In my practice, I hope to be a helpful resource, alongside vets, dental vets and other equine professionals to provide a team approach to support your horse’s wellbeing. ⁣
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Education is another key and I’m excited to be working on some new educational projects for 2025 to provide more opportunities for learning and support. I would love to know what you’re most interested in learning—whether it’s through clinics or workshops. Please feel free to PM me or leave a comment.⁣
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In the meantime, for those with curious minds seeking credible educational resources about horse anatomy, I highly recommend Equine 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬 by Ivana Ruddock, who is a veterinarian, anatomist and equine bodyworker based in New Zealand. Her resources, including dissection books and a Patreon site, provide fascinating, clear insights into the equine body.⁣
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If you are looking for information and respectful conversations about, for example, dealing with impingement of spinous processes (“kissing spines”), pelvic asymmetries, ECVM, pain pathways, scientific accuracy and why it matters, go to 𝐕𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐮𝐦 at vetcompendium.org (Dr. Kevin Haussler). Lots of free content, too - even just reading through the conversations on Veterinary Compendium Facebook gives you tons of information. This is also a platform where vets and non-vets come together and critically discuss the above issues and our scope of practice. ⁣
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By looking at the horse as a whole and working as a team with other professionals, I believe that we can keep more horses—sport or leisure, and regardless of their discipline—healthier and happier, while challenging ourselves to grow as horse people 🌸

18/11/2024

Hi everyone; it’s been a big morning for our youngster Carter!! 🐴 Now a bit lighter having been gelded… 🥜✂️ All is well thus far and he’s back up on his feet - the recovery now begins! ❤️‍🩹🧡 A big thank you to vet Matthew at Rangiora Vet Centre Equine for his expertise and care 🙏 We are incredibly lucky to have such a fabulous veterinary team so close for all our equines (and other animals!) medical needs! 🍀

11/11/2024

Hi everyone; we have been a bit quiet on here, but we have been kept busy behind the scenes with horses in for starting undersaddle 😎 We are looking forward to the long-weekend ahead - a ride out for a couple of our horses and some family time is on the agenda! ▶️ A couple of quick snaps of Rata and Beeny taken Friday and yesterday afternoon 🐴💙 More photos of these two to come over the next week or so - plus some of the newer arrivals too! 📷🥰

01/11/2024

Hi everyone; we’re back on deck after a busy week packed full of learning from Sue Edwards! 🇬🇧🤓 Scott rode a client horse, Boston, and Michaela rode Ollie on the Flatwork Clinic 🐴 Michaela and Ollie then did the Jumping Clinic and Scott had a private lesson on Van 🥰 Sue’s wealth of knowledge and experience is invaluable, and she is incredibly generous in sharing this! 🙌 She is fantastic at breaking things down into achievable components, creating an environment where everyone one feels supported and empowered to improve – regardless of their skill level ✅ We cannot recommend Sue’s teaching and clinics highly enough!! 🙏 We are aiming to get her back around this time next year so keep an eye on here and/or you’re welcome to email us and we’ll add you to a list to notify you of the details once finalised ✈️🗓️ A few video snippets of Van and Ollie plus a couple of photos from the week ❤️ We have a large backlog of emails to catch up on so please bear with us while we get caught up ✌️

25/10/2024

Hi everyone; Ollie and Boston are all settled down at Mt Grey for the night, ready to start Day 1 of Sue Edwards’ 3-day Flatwork Clinic tomorrow 🤩🐴 Ollie will also be doing the 2-day Jumping Clinic which follows ❤️ The forecast tomorrow is rain, rain and more rain 🌧️ Luckily we will be keeping dry in the wonderful Mount Grey Downs Equestrian covered arena!! ☂️🙌 How cool does it look all lit up tonight! 🌟

23/10/2024

Hi everyone; phew it’s warm out there today!! 🥵 We have been a bit quiet on here as Michaela has been helping with organising Sue Edwards’ Clinics and spent the weekend watching her first Flatwork Clinic 👀🐴 We will be replying to the backlog of emails over the next day or two before turning our ‘out of office’ on for a week while we attend Sue’s second Flatwork and Jumping Clinics 😎 Below is a photo of big Rata having his very first ride this afternoon ❤️🌟 He’s grown just a tad since he arrived from Erewhon Station as an unhandled weanling 🥰

15/10/2024

Hi everyone; we've just uploaded a couple of photos of Miss Beeny having her very first ride last week 💖 She’s a beautiful giant!! Scott needed a step ladder to get on!! 🤭🪜 Plus some photos of Mr H***y who is heading home this week 🐴❤️

09/10/2024

Hi everyone; we have photos of H***y who is currently with us being started undersaddle (and is nearing the end of his stay) to upload soon 📷 🐴 In the meantime, a couple of snaps of Flynn playing king of the castle this morning 👑 🏰 🤭