Heaven Sent Farm, LLC

11/11/2024

𝑨𝒊𝒓𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝑶𝒃𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏
Did you know… that when a horse’s head is forced behind the vertical it obstructs the airway?

Unlike humans, who can breathe through both the mouth and nostrils, horses can only breathe though their nostrils. Under normal circumstances a horse will take air into the upper respiratory system, which includes the nostrils, nasal passage and larynx. From there the air travels down the trachea (windpipe) and into the lungs.

When the head is forced behind the vertical, the long, tube-like trachea can become kinked like a hose and obstruct the passage of air. Imagine trying to go for a run or lift weights without having the ability to take a deep breath. Not only would it feel terrible and make you miserable, it would also severely affect your performance and quite frankly, it would be cruel.

Let’s make an effort today.
Be kind to your horses, be gentle and encourage others to do the same.

11/10/2024

11/09/2024

Stop by Dover on Saturday Nov. 23rd to design your FREE saddle pad, plus meet me at the store where I'll be set up talking about HSF Equine Nutrition and answering questions about supplements, diet, etc.!

While you're at the store we can talk about all the feeding accessories and supplements Dover Saddlery has available!🐴

Join us on Saturday, November 23rd from 11am-3pm for Saddle Pad Decorating! This is a FREE event for ALL AGES!

11/09/2024

Get more from HSFEquineNutrition on Patreon

11/08/2024

Schedule a consultation for a nutrition check-in for your horse just in time to make sure their thanksgiving dinner (and beyond) is meeting all of their needs 🦃 🍽️ 🐴

11/08/2024

Empathy for the horse involves watching their behaviour.

Trying to notice how they perceive the environment.

What are they afraid of? What makes them uncomfortable? What stresses them out?

What allows them to thrive? What helps them feel safe? What makes them feel fulfilled.

And then, reflecting on how us humans contribute to that for better or for worse.

Empathy is reliant on placing us in the figurative “shoes” of another being and trying to understand how the world feels to them.

It is reliant on us taking ourselves out of our immediate world, trying to let go of our own biases and beliefs and instead, focus on how the other being may feel.

It is hard to do, because us humans get so caught up in our perception of the world that we often fail to recognize just how differently a flight animal sees and perceives things from we do.

We cling to our egotistical perspectives that operate with the assumption that other beings feel and experience the earth the same way that we do.

Letting go of all of that takes practice. It takes accountability. It takes perpetual curiosity.

Empathy is a muscle that needs to be exercised by removing yourself from your immediate body and truly trying to see and understand the perspectives of others on an intimate level.

It is necessary in moving forward in ethical training because it allows you to more readily imagine how certain decisions may impact the way your horse feels.

Without it, it’s very easy to throw harsh equipment on, use sharp punishments or leave horses in management that neglects needs without even realizing it.

Because, you’re operating from the perspective of what benefits you, what you see and what the horse is doing while you’re present.

You aren’t seeing the full picture but a very small fraction of it, like looking through the world’s foggiest mirror.

Empathy is realizing that the manner in which you view the horse isn’t necessarily the reality.

That our perception clouds everything and we need to make a consistent effort, forever, to try to prevent human ego from causing us to be blind to what the horse is actually telling us. What the horse is actually feeling.

And, with consistent practice of this, we learn to be better problem solvers for the horse.

Because, through the acts of empathizing and trying to better understand them, we are more able to discover solutions that work for them.

Take off the blinders that leave you immersed only in your own world and try to truly see the immense nature of what is really out there.

We are limited by our unique way of perceiving the world but we are also strengthened by our ability to empathize and learn about others.

11/07/2024

11/07/2024

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11/06/2024

RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOUR HORSE IS ACCIDENT-PRONE...🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️

If you own horses long enough, sooner or later you are likely to confront a medical emergency. There are several behavioral traits that make horses especially accident-prone: one is their instinctive flight-or-fight response; another is their need to establish the pecking order within a herd; and a third is their natural curiosity. Such behaviors account for many of the cuts, bruises, and abrasions that horses suffer. In fact, lacerations are probably the most common emergency that horse owners must contend with.

Do you know what to do if your horse is cut or bleeding? The initial steps you take to treat a wound can prevent further damage and speed healing, and maintaining your presence of mind could save your horse's life. Here are some general guidelines to keep in mind in case of emergency; how you will ultimately proceed will depend on your horse's individual circumstances, and on the advice you receive from your veterinarian.

11/06/2024

11/06/2024

🐴 Sheath Cleaning 🧼

This can be a surprisingly hot topic!
The debate to clean or not, when and how?

I have seen lots of people saying "Better to just leave them alone, it's natural"

I want to show you why it's important to check your gelding's sheath at least once a year minimum.
(Stallions and mares also have places that need cleaning, but this is specifically for our gelding owners!)

Below if you scroll through the first few horse photos, you'll see what's known as a "bean", or secretions that form a stone-like piece in the geldings p***s that can block the urethra, causing discomfort, trouble urinating and even infection. They can range in size and hardness, and always need to be removed. Not every gelding will form them, and some form them frequently.

In the case of these photos, some of them were indeed causing noticeable discomfort and/or urine blockage. I was able to remove them myself and the horses were then seen urinating comfortably and acting normally.
Info is on the photos 📸

No one likes doing it, but with proper handling, positive reinforcement and the right tools, sheath cleaning can and should be quick and easy!🐴

-Lots of treats, even grain or a hanging hay net for the horse
-Gloves
-Gentle soap if needed(Excalibur, Winky Wash & Udder Stuff, even gentle baby soap, etc.)
-WARM water. Hot can be painful, as can cold water and cold can cause spasming.
-Someone to hold the horse and assist you, especially for horses who dislike being cleaned
-Sedation can be necessary for some horses, which can be handled by your vet

11/05/2024

It’s finally been done.
As most of you would have heard, the FEI have introduced a noseband taper measuring device for Equestrian competition from January 2025 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

However reading some of the posts and comments on social media have concerned me. Did think top level riders would be happy? No.
However those with their horses comfort as priority have nothing to worry about.
I’d have thought that ANY way we can improve welfare of our horses would be welcomed by those who love their horses.
It would seem not.

Some of the ‘concerns’ I have read are outlined below. Along with my opinion on them! (Sorry not sorry)

- “High level dressage horses are too hot and excitable to be able to safely measure”.
*If a horse can be taught 15x one time changes, surely they can be trained to stand still for 30 seconds. Perhaps if they can’t stand still, they are not in a mentally sound state for competition?

-“The noseband stabilises the bit”
*No, it doesn’t. And if it does, you’re bit isn’t correctly or properly fitted if you need a noseband to ‘stabilise’ it.

-“Keyboard warriors are ruining our sport”
* Riders who ignore welfare and the science behind it, are ruining OUR sport. It doesn’t just belong to the ones at the top.
Dressage in particular is in the spotlight, like it or not. We will loose our social licence to operate if there is no move toward improving the welfare of competition horses. That will be income and career ending for many.

-“our scores will be effected by having these checks”
* Gear check happens after the test.

-“Horses will put the tongue over the bit”
*99% of the time this happens is when a horse is in so much discomfort from the bit on the tongue, they flip it over the bit. Easy solution- use and train your horses with less constant rein pressure and train softer responses.

“The noseband would have to be so loose there’s no point having one”
*The noseband can be quite firm and still allow the gauge to pass. This gauge is actually smaller than the ISES gauge that was originally designed after studies proved the negative effects of tight nosebands!

And more thoughts
- I’m just a low level adult amateur rider, so I have no skin in the game financially.
I understand many riders do. But it CANNOT come at the expense of welfare.
- Other countries have brought this in a long time ago, so it was always on the cards, riders could have started training softer responses a long time ago to negate the need for a tight noseband.
-Don’t come at me with ‘you don’t ride at FEI level so you don’t know.’ What I DO KNOW is the wounds I see in horses mouths from tight nosebands digging into cheek tissue. REGULARLY.
- I’m certainly no master with the double bridle, but the horses I have ridden in one…. Whoa… it’s a beautiful thing. Soft, responsive, so much more finesse can be achieved. Not for control. No need for the mouth to open when trained and ridden correctly.

I wasn’t going to put my 2c in on this- but I have too many cents to keep to myself.

What are your thoughts?

11/04/2024

The horse's hoof continues to blow my mind, no matter how many hoof transformations I see or what I learn.

If you'd class yourself as a fellow hoof nerd too, then good news - each issue of Happy Trackin' features a segment called 'Healing Hooves', showing the process of hooves healing when introduced to life on track.

So, let's see your horse's feet! This is my girl Dancer's foot. She's not worn shoes and never will 💙

Subscribe - www.happytrackinmagazine.com

11/04/2024

I love the season change, I don't mind the colder weather and that it gets dark earlier.

I also love feeding horses in winter! Reach out if you'd like to schedule a consultation to make sure your horse's diet is ready for this time of year!

Plus reach out to get tips on caring for your horse through temperature changes, fall to winter grass changes, field & grazing management tips, info on track systems and more!

11/01/2024

Every year on November 1st, riders around the world drop their stirrups and commit to the challenge of No-Stirrup November. The intention behind this initiative is to improve the seat and leg. But is committing to sore inner thighs for an entire month really worth the hype?

Riding without stirrups is a valuable tool for enhancing your seat, as long as it’s done correctly. However, just as with any physical training, you can’t jump from zero to a hundred overnight and the quality of the exercise is far more important than the quantity for your own body’s sake, but also for your horse’s!

The problem is that when pushing yourself to ride without stirrups beyond your ability, you will end up gripping with your thighs in an attempt to maintain balance. This will lead to tightness in your hips and rigidity in your lower back, making it impossible to achieve a supple seat. Not only does this have a detrimental effect on your own back health, but it affects your horse too...

Remember, a pliable seat is crucial for allowing your horse's back to oscillate and if you’re stiff through your pelvis, hips, and thighs, it will interfere with your horse's movement and overall comfort.
A sudden and drastic shift in your seat like this will result in tension in your horse’s body in an effort to compensate for your instability in the saddle.

So, rather than pulling the stirrups off of your saddle for the entire month of November, consider gradually increasing your tolerance for riding without stirrups throughout the year. Focus on strengthening your body and core, and work on your proprioception out of the saddle if you're looking to develop a better seat.

You can enhance your seat without risking your horse's comfort and health.

So let's rethink No-Stirrup November - Don’t be a pain in your horse's back!

11/01/2024

A beautiful rainbow 🌈 on the farm this morning ❤️

10/31/2024

“What happens when you run out of treats?”

I’ll answer that in a bit, but to make the playing field level, I have some questions for those who use motivators other than food rewards in training:

What happens if your halter or bridle breaks?

What happens if you forget your saddle?

What happens if a rein breaks?

What happens if you don’t have a bit to use?

What happens if your horse ever gets loose?

What happens if you forget your whip or your spurs?

Could you ride, lead and handle your horse without any of your equipment?

I’m guessing, in all of these cases, you’ll say you won’t forget equipment that you need for training and you’ll adequately prepare yourself to ensure you have what you need to train.

R+ trainers do the same.

That aside — when you run out of food rewards — you usually have some close by that you can grab, because like any other trainer, you come prepared with what you use to train.

However, let’s say you don’t have anymore.

At that point, you have well established behaviours with a history of reinforcement and the horse will perform them based on that history.

Reinforcement, even when you DO have treats, becomes more intermittent as the horse learns the behaviour.

Plus, in order to get the reward in the first place, the horse already has to have performed the behaviour.

So, when you run out of treats, it simply feels to the horse like intermittent reinforcement.

They do the behaviour, you move on and make sure you intermittently reinforce them in the future to maintain the behaviour.

People view it as acceptable to attempt to poke holes in the efficacy of positive reinforcement using the question at the top of this page.

But, when the same logic is thrown back at them, they don’t like it.

Is it not a weakness to rely so heavily on equipment that if it were to fail, you have no control over your horse?

Is it not a weakness to rely so heavily on aversives like a whip or a spur that if you forget them, your ability to train is significantly impacted?

Why is it that there is only a perceived weakness in the use of food but no acknowledgement over what other types of trainers need to train?

Everyone requires some type of training equipment.

How would you fare if YOUR training equipment was taken away?

Ever since I’ve switched to primarily doing rewards based training with my horses, I’ve managed to create a relationship where if my equipment did fail, I know I can still catch and move my horses at liberty.

Use of “treats” has not been a weakness, but an immense strength, because I can do WAY more with my horses with less equipment.

My advice is this: if you’re going to attempt to criticize something, learn about it first so you’re coming from an informed place.

If those criticizing rewards based training had done that, they wouldn’t need to ask “what happens when you run out of treats” because they’d already know what intermittent reinforcement is.