Serenity Ridge Farm

10/07/2022

The 24 Behaviors of the Ridden Horse in Pain is a film that dares to challenge the way we look at "badly behaving" horses, and promotes the notion that lamen...

02/28/2021

The Equicore system has been a staple in our barn for years. We can’t imagine not using it in our training program!

Researchers confirmed using resistance band systems, balance pads, and dynamic mobilization can help improve spinal muscle characteristics and postural stability.

02/07/2021

Great tips....

*** TOP-TIPS FOR THE COMING SNOW ***

If the forecast is correct (IF!) then many of us are set for a fair amount of snow over the next few days from STORM DARCY. Here are some of my TOP-TIPS to keep your horses and ponies healthy!

EXERCISE - If still able to ride, allow longer to warm-up by spending twice as much time in walk and trot to avoid muscle strains. Avoid areas of uneven ground and areas which suddenly change from soft to hard as these are a high risk for injury.

FORAGE - Make sure your horses and ponies have plenty of forage (unless on restricted intake for weight management). This is how the horse keeps itself warm and healthy.

HARD-FEED - If your horse/pony is on hard-feed and cannot be turned out or ridden at all or their activity is much reduced, then reduce their hard-feed. Whilst we advise against sudden changes in diet, a reduction in hard-feed is an exception and will lower the risk of GI issues such as colic.

BRAN MASHES - There is no evidence that bran mashes reduce the risk of colic and may even increase the risk. Whilst it will feel nice to give your horse a warm bran-mash, this is not necessarily a good thing as the sudden introduction of a food your horse does not get every day will cause disturbance to the bacteria in the hindgut. If your horse gets a small bran-mash every day then that's different.

VENTILATION - Unless snow is coming into the stable, avoid closing up top-doors/windows, especially for horses and ponies with a history of respiratory problems such as equine asthma as this could trigger an exacerbation.

RUGS - Temperatures are set to dip but don't be tempted to over-rug as this could make your horse uncomfortable. Swapping to a slightly heavier-weight rug or adding a thin fleece underneath is probably all that is needed for many horses and ponies.

FEET - Snow can "ball-up" in horse's and pony's feet. This is usually worse for those who are shod. Snow and ice can become very hard and lead to tripping, bruising, soft tissue injury, joint injury, hoof cracks and lameness. This can usually be managed by putting vaseline on the frog and sole when the foot is dry (it won't stick if the foot is already wet), putting on hoof boots or by wrapping the feet with vet-wrap. Vaseline and vet-wrap are temporary measures and don't work well for all horses. A longer-term approach is to ask your farrier to put pads on but this is clearly hard to organise at short notice and may only be required for a few days. AVOID USING INDUSTRIAL GREASE/OIL (e.g. AXLE GREASE) - these products have chemicals in which are not kind to the skin/hoof and may lead to dermatitis (inflammation of the skin).

WATER - Many horses and ponies will reduce their water intake in cold weather. This can lead to an increased risk of impaction colic. You can take the chill off buckets when you are at the yard by boiling a kettle or taking a flack of hot water from home. For horses and ponies that have had a previous history of impaction colic, adding in a small amount of oil such as linseed (e.g. 1/2/ to 1 cup a day) or adding in some table salt (1/2 to 1 x 25ml scoop; 2.5 to 5 teaspoons) can help encourage drinking and ease the passage of food.

INCREASED STABLE TIME - If your horse or pony has to spend more time in the stable, consider having a radio to play some quiet and calming music. If your horse really gets stressed by being in then there are many stable toys now available and it may also be worth considering a stable mirror.

WHAT ARE YOUR TOP-TIPS?

12/22/2020

Anyone want to guess who “Shugar Buns the moody Buttnipper” is here at SRF? 🤣

11/20/2020

Spot and Boston taking their daily outdoor nap together 💙

11/11/2020

Thank you to our veterans for serving and protecting our country and our right to freedom. Words cannot fully express how grateful we are for your service. ❤️🤍💙

10/31/2020

Happy Halloween! Watch out for spooky plastic bags 👻

10/18/2020

Love to see one of our imports killing it with his new mom out in California!

10/03/2020

🤣

🤣🤣🤣 Good book!!

07/31/2020

She is beauty and she is grace! We are happy to welcome Majesty to the barn. She is proof that unicorns really do exist! 🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄

07/19/2020

Guilty 🤪💓

Crazy Cat Lady - Demented Dog Dame - Irrational Equine Empress. I resemble that.

07/18/2020

We would like to extend our CONGRATULATIONS to Hannah at HS Equestrian on the purchase of Viserion. We are so excited to see what the future holds for you two!

07/11/2020

So fresh so clean 💁🏻‍♀️

07/04/2020

We wish everyone a safe and happy 4th of July! Have a great day!

07/03/2020

🎀❤️

07/02/2020

🤣🤣 but true

Www.theplaidhorse.com

06/30/2020

Happy Gotcha Day baby Sq**rt! @ Serenity Ridge Farm

06/30/2020

Learn how to be a horsemen 💓

Don’t become a working student to learn how to ride. Don’t race the sun to rise every morning, only to end another 14-hour day under the moonlight, just for a lesson. Don’t add another blister to the palm of your hand, another hole to the...

06/24/2020

🤣🤣

06/17/2020

Move over The Real Slim Shady and make room for The Real Big Momma! Liebste is a new boarder at SRF and we couldn’t be any happier to have her here! With a laid back attitude she fits right in. She enjoys summer cookouts but please leave the watermelon at home and long summer nights around a campfire with s’mores of course!

06/16/2020

Love this! Take a moment and really feel your horse under you and how they feel before getting to work 💓

One of the most important exercises I do when I start and finish my work with a horse is to drop my stirrups! I even close my eyes and just try to feel the horse underneath me. This is a great way to begin your work in a relaxed manner—do some lateral work, make sure they are out in front of you and keep things relaxed!

06/16/2020

We are excited to welcome new boarder Boston to SRF! Boston enjoys sunbathing in his birthday suit and is quickly becoming known as the class clown 🤪 He has so many fine foods he enjoys... apple sauce, apples, carrots, granola bars, sun chips... Welcome Boston we are so happy you are here! 🐴☀️🌾

06/15/2020

DO YOU KNOW HOW TO TELL MILD COLIC FROM SEVERE COLIC?

Colic is not a disease, rather it is a symptom or behavior due to pain from the abdomen.

If you think your horse has colic, here is a list of things you should do to help your equine friend:
• Call your veterinarian.
• Remove all food from the horse.
• Water should be left with the horse unless there is excessive drinking.
• Keep the horse in an area where it can be watched.
• Allow the horse to rest or walk the animal if it is continually rolling or in danger of hurting itself.
• Continue observation to look for new symptoms.

Important information your veterinarian may ask for include specific signs of colic and severity; frequency of bowel movements; recent changes in housing, diet, exercise, etc.; medical history and current medical treatments; color and moistness of the gums; heart and respiratory rate; re**al temperature; capillary refill time (normal is 1-2 seconds) and amount of intestinal sounds (if any).

Things to avoid include administering any medications or procedures without first consulting with your veterinarian; passing a stomach tube into the horse's stomach; giving the horse any substance by mouth, particularly liquids; and giving intravenous injections.

The key to minimizing colic remains good management and early detection. For more information on colic and how you can prevent it, consult your horse doctor!

06/15/2020

This is the flag that stands for freedom, justice, & equality. It always has. When we don’t live up to those values, we should speak out. But we must not make the mistake of tearing down & disrespecting the very symbols that unify us, that stand for the best of America.

05/27/2020

Missing our home away from home! @ Serenity Ridge Farm

05/14/2020

If we could go ahead and bring back show season that would be great!

05/11/2020

GOING IN CIRCLES

When horses roamed the plains, they did exactly that: they roamed. They drifted along, grazing and mostly walking in straight lines. When horses worked for a living, they continued to walk those straight lines, pulling a plow from one end of the field to the other, pulling a milk wagon from one end of town to the other, or pushing cattle from one end of Texas to the other. As they transitioned from work animals to recreation vehicles, they generally continued walking, jogging, or cantering in reasonably straight lines, going from one end of a trail to the other.

Of course, not all work or recreation involved strict, straight line movement. They were asked to cut cattle, which often required them to work laterally, with sudden starts and stops and jolts and jerks. They were asked to perform military/dressage maneuvers, with significant lateral movement and transitions. They were asked to foxhunt, which required them to work over fences and around obstacles. They were asked to participate in sport, such as polo, which again required stops, starts, bursts of speed and lateral work. And, of course, they were asked to race, which required speed, but generally on straight line tracks or long ovals.

As they transitioned into show and competition arenas, however, they shifted away from straight line activity. We changed the game and asked them to become focused athletes and runway models. In doing so, we put them into smaller and smaller spaces and asked them to perform more and more patterned behaviors. Basically, we put them into patterned, repetitive movements—mostly in circles... little, tight circles. And they started to fall apart, experiencing more and more issues with joint problems, soft tissue injuries, and general lameness concerns.

We blamed their failures and breakdowns on bad breeding practices and poor genetics; we blamed their failures on bad farriers and inadequate veterinarians; we blamed their breakdowns on poor training and conditioning, poor horse keeping practices, bad nutritional practices, and any number of other things. And, while none of these should be disallowed, the fact remains that we changed the game and put them into those little, tiny circles and repetitive activities. So, let’s look at equine anatomy, and specifically, let’s look at that in relation to athletic maneuvers and activities.

First and foremost, the horse is designed to be heavy on the forehand. We fight against that concept, asking them to engage their hindquarters, to “collect,” and to give us impulsion. And they’re capable of doing so… but they’re not designed or “programmed” to sustain such activity for any length of time. When they do this in “natural” settings and situations, they’re playing, they’re being startled or frightened, or they’re showing off. None of these are sustained activities.

Likewise, when they do engage, they’re generally bolting forward, jumping sideways, or leaping upwards. And they're typically doing that with a burst of speed and energy, not in slow motion. Ultimately, their design is simply not conducive to circular work. Each joint, from the shoulder to the ground is designed for flexion and extension—for forward motion, not lateral motion. In fact, these joints are designed to minimize and restrict lateral or side-to-side movement.

05/03/2020

This is the first in a series of blogs sharing top tip videos and extracts from my book Pilates and Stretching for Horses. As we are all restricted in what we can do with our horses at the moment, these are exercises which you can do with your horse at home. First we will look at the basic principle...

05/01/2020

Nick went on a little field trip today with Jane!

Today, we met a herd of sheep 🤠