Heaven Sent Farm, LLC

10/07/2025

Worth a thought 🤷‍♀️

10/07/2025

He/she’s not lame he’s just…

✋🛑✋

Chances are…. Your horse is actually lame. You just haven’t identified it. Horses are incredibly stoic creatures (largely…. We’ve all met the yard wuss!) and will push through some discomfort to try and please us.

“He has clean X-rays” … that’s great! But there is a whole load of soft tissue there that is not visible on xray.

“He passed a vetting last week” … horses are walking liabilities with a mind of their own. They can be fine one minute, broken leg the next after an awkward step in the field. A vetting is valid literally until the vet leaves the yard. Then anything can happen!

“He’s been scanned as well as xrayed”… scanners and X-rays show us a good proportion of joints and tissues but horses are big animals and these machines cannot pe*****te deep into the tissues. I’ve had horses with clean X-rays and scans but the vets were still convinced it was a particular joint…. Surgery revealed they were indeed correct!!

Do not ignore your horse’s communications. Persistent face pulling, resistance under saddle, abnormal limb flight, refusing jumps, wooden in the contact, unable to bend/flex/shorten can all be signs that something is amiss. There is clearly a difference between a horse trying it on occasionally, taking advantage of a novice rider or being sharp/fresh and playing up, vs a horse in pain showing consistent, repeated behaviours.

But listen to what they are telling you! I’ve met very few horses who are genuinely and consistently “bad” or naughty. Most are trying to communicate something, we just haven’t figured out what it is yet!

10/07/2025

Unlike their physical health, the mental and emotional wellbeing of our horses is often overlooked. Thankfully, paddock paradise track systems are beneficial to our horses in a multitude of ways and fulfils their needs both mentally and physically.

How do track systems support our horses’ mental health?

➡️ Typically, horses on track systems are kept in herds, or at the very least with one other friend. Horses are social animals and in nature, instinctively travel in large herds to feel safety in numbers, form strong bonds with other herd members and remain alert for potential predators. Our domesticated horses also posses the same instincts and needs, which when met, lessens stress and anxiety and boosts their confidence.

➡️ Track systems provide domesticated horses with an environment that encourages movement throughout the day and night, in order to fulfil their various every day needs such as foraging. This is vital for not just their physical health, but additionally allows them to engage in natural behaviours: stimulating their minds, feeding their curiosity and helping to prevent the build-up of energy, stress, frustration and anxiety.

➡️ Track systems try to more closely mimic our horse’s natural foraging behaviours, allowing opportunities to browse hedges, trees and herbs, all whilst providing netted adlib hay to support their gut health. Stable forage is especially important for horses who struggle with resource guarding issues or those with a history of over-restriction affecting their mental health. Wild horses will graze little and often throughout a 24 hour period whilst on the move.

➡️ If using a track system as originally intended, horses live out 24/7 with suitable shelter and are not isolated for any length of time. Continual turnout and socialisation is vital for both their mental and physical health, which a track system aims to provide.

➡️ Track systems are essential in preventing, rehabilitating or managing various medical conditions such as Laminitis, EMS and more. Many sick horses experience low grade pain, which track systems help to reduce and minimise, positively impacting their mental health simultaneously.

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For all your paddock paradise track system and natural horse care content - www.happytrackinmagazine.com

10/07/2025

Ginger had a bird friend this morning 😆 🐦

10/07/2025

Yesterday, the Maryland Department of Agriculture confirmed the 21st case of strangles so far this year. This latest case is a 7-year-old Thoroughbred gelding used for pleasure riding at a private facility in Anne Arundel County. The horse had already been vaccinated and is now quarantined. No other...

10/06/2025

Your horse’s life doesn’t start when you arrive.

It’s easy to think of our time with them, the rides, lessons, and training sessions, as the center of their world. But for most horses, that’s only one small part of their day.

They live another 22 or 23 hours outside of that time. Those hours, filled with movement, rest, grazing, play, and social interaction, are what truly make a horse a horse.

If those needs aren’t met, no amount of training, enrichment toys, or careful handling can make up for it. Their welfare is built in those quiet hours, in the space between our visits.

When we start seeing horses as beings who exist beyond our schedule, we begin to make choices that support their full lives, not just the moments we share.

10/06/2025

STOP NORMALIZING WEAPONS IN HORSE TRAINING

Growing up, I was told:

The horse doesn’t canter: hit him
The horse refuses to jump: hit him
The horse isn’t moving fast: enough hit him

“Just hit him until he listens, it doesn’t hurt.”

I heard this from people I admired and respected. I was told a whip was a “tool,” not something that could cause pain. But science says otherwise.

Peer-reviewed studies say:

“There is no significant difference between humans and horses in either the concentration of nerve endings in the outer pain-detecting layer of skin or in the thickness of this layer.”

Humans and horses feel whip strikes in essentially the same way. If it hurts you, it hurts them.

It’s very easy to cross the line from communication to harm. When emotions run high and a whip is used to force compliance, even if it was only intended as a signal, it stops being a “training aid” and becomes a weapon.

Horses aren’t “naughty” or “defiant” for fun. There’s always a reason behind the behaviour: pain, fear, confusion, or lack of understanding. When we rely on force, we cover up the symptom instead of solving the cause.

And when they’re made in bright colours, fun patterns and shapes, and are marketed to kids, it hides the reality.

These can cause pain.
These can be misused.
These can harm.
Especially in the hands of beginners and kids.

Whips are often glamorized, turned into accessories instead of what they are: tools that can easily become weapons even when we have the best intentions. Striking a horse with bright colours and sparkly handles doesn’t make it any less of a welfare risk, especially when they’re marketed to children.

❗️I feel as though this post is not clear enough so I wanted to add a note:

When I say weapons don’t belong in horse training I am referring to HITTING and striking horses. Violence is not a training tool it’s just abuse.

Whips are now more often used as an “extension of arm” and are less used for hitting but the design, is designed for hitting and arguing otherwise is incorrect. Our rule books allow for 3 STRIKES per horse per round at shows of all levels which just shows that this tool is ASSUMED to be used for hitting.

If this tool is being used for whipping and striking it IS by definition a weapon. And thats where my issue is.

I am not asking for this tool to be removed, I am asking us to put thought into the tools we use and I, like 99% of the people on this thread, agree with shouldn’t be using it to hit horses.

If you are STILL upset at my post I urge you to take a look at my follow up post and I believe 99% of you will see we are actually on the same page.

Summary;

Hitting bad. Hitting hurts.

10/06/2025

10/05/2025

10/05/2025

A throwback, but still true! The only use we have for stud chains on our farm is to close gates! It's my personal believe that chains don't belong on horse faces🐴