Horse Weighbridge North East

15/08/2024

A day of getting back in business! 💪👏

My trusty van was returned today (hurrah!) and I received some key spare components for my scales. ⚖️

Operating in an unregulated sphere with a piece of precision equipment can mean standards of maintenance and servicing can fall by the wayside with some weighbridge providers. At HWNE, however, I'm super passionate about providing an accurate reading every single time - 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝.

I'm super nerdy about keeping my scales accurately calibrated and serviced. I'm really fortunate in that my wonderful father-in-law provides me with interim servicing and repairs (he's an engineer) in between its major services and I've recently invested in spare parts for my scales to allow me to do on the road repairs - giving peace of mind to me and my clients.

What is more - I've also just booked the scales in for their big annual service with MWS too - I told you I take this stuff pretty serious ! 📆

Looking forward to seeing all my clients tomorrow 😀

15/08/2024

A day of getting back in business! 💪👏

My trusty van was returned today (hurrah!) and I received some key spare components for my scales. ⚖️

Operating in an unregulated sphere with a piece of precision equipment can mean standards of maintenance and servicing can fall by the wayside with some weighbridge providers. At HWNE, however, I'm super passionate about providing an accurate reading every single time - 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝.

I'm super nerdy about keeping my scales accurately calibrated and serviced. I'm really fortunate in that my wonderful father-in-law provides me with interim servicing and repairs (he's an engineer) in between its major services and I've recently invested in spare parts for my scales to allow me to do on the road repairs - giving peace of mind to me and my clients.

What is more - I've also just booked the scales in for their big annual service with MWS too - I told you I take this stuff pretty serious ! 📆

Looking forward to seeing all my clients tomorrow 😀

13/08/2024

A day of two halves.

Today I weighed some wonderful new horses, did a muzzle fitting for a very handsome showjumper and reacquainted myself with Bertie the labrador cross. I then decided to get a garage to check the "new rumbling noise" on my van, which started on my way home from Guisborough last night.

Turns out my rear wheel had been fitted too tight and one of the fixings had shattered meaning my wheel could have come off mid drive 😵

So that's my trusty van off the road for a couple of days. Thankfully Molly and I are no worse for wear. 😖

Massive thanks to all my clients for being so understanding with the rescheduling. Looking forward to seeing you all soon, but feeling so thankful to be safe and sound 🙏

10/08/2024

Some clients are impossible to choose a favourite photo of 😆

A loss for this guy! 👏🥳

07/08/2024

𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟐

We learned in my earlier post that rider to horse ratios need to be carefully evaluated if we are to have happy and healthy horses who remain sound for a long time.

I referred to the 2020 study lead by Sue Dyson, which showed that all riders who sat in the 𝟭𝟱.𝟯%-𝟮𝟳.𝟱% of rider:horse bodyweight percentages induced temporary lameness on their horses - 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁.

In that study, the rider:horse body weight percentage 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 by an average of 𝟐.𝟏% when tack was added! 😮😮

When looking at rider:horse ratios, tack can actually tip some riders over the accepted percentiles. Of course we are really lucky in that there are a lot of lightweight tack options available, but these still need to be the right fit for 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿.

𝑺𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒂 𝒔𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒍𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉?
Saddles in particular can vary immensely in weight, and these all need to be considered when working out how rider size and horse biomechanics interact. Whilst an endurance saddle could weigh as little as 4kg, a dressage saddle will weigh more like 11kg and western saddles as much as 25kg! Your 500kg "back of the feed packet" horse could be carrying 2% of your 15%-20% ceiling ratio in their dressage saddle alone - 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗿𝗲. 😬

With shows like The Great Yorkshire putting rider:horse ratios at the forefront of people's minds, it has been really refreshing to have so many requests to weigh riders and their tack👍

If you have no idea what your combined weight is, jump aboard some scales with your saddle, bridle, girth, martingale, saddle pad, neck strap (yes, all of it!) and become aware of what your horse is 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒚 carrying. Mine are always there for clients to jump aboard - just like these guys did!

👇👇👇👇

05/08/2024

𝐀𝐧𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 = 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 🔥

It's really easy when trying to help your horse build fitness or lose weight to think 100mph is the way to do it. So often, I talk to my clients about taking their horses for a walk rather than drilling them on the lunge and there's a few reasons for this.

1️⃣ Very few people know how to lunge correctly and appropriately
2️⃣ Many overweight horses are in no position to be doing circuits (heightened chance of injury)
3️⃣ Walking with your horse gets you moving too which is far more fun!

I have had genuine weightloss results with horses who are only walked in hand. For those who have well behaved dogs and dog loving horses, you can do both at once and then it isn't so much of a time burden - 𝘄𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗻! 🐶🐴

You may have seen my earlier post about rider weight where I mentioned how I vary the work I do with my 12.2hh pony for a lot of reasons. We actually achieved some really good weightloss results just by having fun with our labrador friend, Molly, on foot.

Whilst riding is super fun, having a horse who is used to hacking in hand or in the long reins can be invaluable if you're ever met with a situation where you're unable to ride or your horse is unable to tolerate ridden work. Plus fitness is built by being consistent. By showing up and doing 𝗮𝗻𝘆 form of extra movement with your horse you are helping work towards your mutual goals.

Today I took my girls for a 30 minute long rein across the stubble fields and we had just as much fun as the day before when I was riding! 🏇🌾

Things needn't be fast, but with a few hills or some challenging terrain you can engage brain matter and muscles in an innovative kind of way! 💪

04/08/2024

𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

Something strange happened yesterday when I was riding my pony, Holly, on the road on the way home.

A cyclist said "𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒃𝒊𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒆" as she passed us on the road.

Holly is my 21 year old 12.2hh pony. I'm 31, 5ft 2 and I often ride her without a saddle which makes the overall picture look a little strange. Admittedly, there was a time I'd have given my right arm for Holly to be even a hand taller, but in the 13 years we've been together we've had countless amounts of fun and now I don't pay her height much mind.

For a long time I have accepted that by dancing on the upper percentiles of her weight carrying ability I need to be extra considerate and sympathetic about the type of work we do together. We largely hack, but we have previously done dressage and showing. We never jump, and we are picky about anything faster than a walk.🏇💨

The 2020 study by Sue Dyson truly focused my mind, and I lost almost a stone in weight and Holly also lost 50kg (7.8 stone). We became a lot healthier but our rider:weight ratio decreased.⬇️

Now I sit 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 under the elusive 20% rider:horse weight ratio with full tack, which is great. However, we all know that current studies suggest we'd be better off sitting at around 15% which isn't obtainable for me when my pony weighs just under 300kg.😵‍💫

The biggest misconception about horse weight carrying capability is that in having a heavier horse you gain more weight carrying ability.⚖️

This is largely 𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗘.

Yes, the basic maths would suggest a heavier horse weight = a bigger rider allowance but it is nonsensical to keep your horse overweight just because you feel better by having more underneath you or sitting "within" a percentage. Furthermore, there is nuance which means some horses carry weight more easily than others, and this nuance isn't solely down to breeding. Draught breeds are often considered weight carriers, but the majority of their strength comes from their ability to pull not carry so many have backs too short for a large saddle. Thoroughbreds are often considered only for light riders but fitness, musculature and their history (raced or unraced) can play a huge part in their weight carrying ability to the point where they can surprise you.

I will admit, I did feel less underhorsed when Holly was a heavier weight, but now she's lost almost my full bodyweight she feels more capable carrying me around which is great. The overall picture, however, is still a little strange with an adult riding a very small pony.

I appreciate this can be a hard subject to broach but I'm really keen on keeping the rider weight conversion going. I think it is a key piece of the welfare puzzle which we need to address.

If 7 out of 10 horses are overweight and 64% of UK adults are also overweight (Source: OLS) we could end up with a notable strain on our horses' muscles and joints before we've even stepped foot in an arena.

I do believe horses should be accessible to everyone but when we are asking a horse to take our weight under the saddle we need to be considerate of our overall weight as a combination. Find the right horse for YOU at your current weight so you have room to spare.

There was a time where my BMI was nearing 30 and I still rode my little 12.2hh in ignorance. But when the ignorance passed I realised I owe it to Holly to try to keep my weight stable or to stop riding her if this isn't a possibility (something I am perfectly comfortable doing and have done in the past). I am, however, at the extreme end of the scale with very little to play with as Holly is so diddy. With my other horse, I don't have as much of a worry as 15% of her healthy body weight is 20kg over my own body weight- but in being aware of the numbers I can remain focused on doing the best for my pony.

So remember everyone, calculating your horse to rider weight allowance can be uncomfortable , but it's a proven way to help the ridden soundness of your horse.

A photo of Holly and I following a hack:

04/08/2024

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻 vs 𝗡𝗼𝘄 ✨️

Shetland ponies are such deceptive little fellows. They're actually one of my favourite breeds to weigh because sometimes their before and after photos are pretty underwhelming to the untrained eye whilst the scales tell a very different story.

Would you believe there is 𝟱 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲 difference between these two photos? 😮

The key change which can be seen in these photos is the roundness of this guy's hind end particularly around the croup. We've also managed to eradicate the small crest which was forming on the neck 💪

Many shetlands are subject to minimal workload and often restricted movement which falsley accentuates their body condition. They lack developed muscle in areas many larger ponies have, but when in work they can have less striking extremes of body condition.

This guy has had a brush up with laminitis in the past and so his risk of laminitis increases hugely if his body condition moves above a 3/5, and the risk is thought to reduce when kept at a body condition of 2 or 2.5/5 which is where we sit now.👏

Ultimately, our aim is to keep him with very minimal weight fluctuations whilst steadily increasing his movement where possible. We keep a very good eye on his reaction to grass, particularly during big growth seasons and we set him up for a happy laminitis free life 🤞

There is 5 months between these two photos, with weightloss being achieved steadily over weighings every 6 weeks 📉

𝘿𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩? Send me a message or DM 👇👇

07939 982121 📞

03/08/2024

Tomorrow sees Endurance GB Northumberland & Tyneside Group host their biggest ride, The Zilco Hexham Ride with classes from 15km all the way up to 80km 🏇💨

This is both a competitive and non-competive (pleasure) event and I am so proud that Horse Weighbridge North East is sponsoring the two 40kms!

The reason I think everyone should give endurance riding a go is because it is arguably the most inclusive and welcoming activity in the mainstream horse world at the minute.

Here's some key things which make endurance/pleasure riding 𝗮𝘄𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲:

✅️You can ride in 𝗔𝗡𝗬 tack. Bitless, bitted, treeless, noseband, no noseband you name it's welcome!
✅️You can take part and be competitive on 𝗔𝗡𝗬 horse. This isn't just for Thoroughbreds and Arabs! I have clients who are competitive on their native ponies and even draught breeds. Any horse over 4 years old (or 5 for competitive) is welcome.
✅️You can wear 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥 you like. No rules about certain coloured gloves, or having to sweat it out in a thick tweed. Endurance folk are all about comfort!
✅️Your horse's welfare is a 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗬. In competitive rides, you horse's heart rate is assessed by a vet and a trot up is required. This keeps welfare as a top agenda piece. But if you're starting out at pleasure level, this isn't required which means you're able to gain fitness and train affectively before heading into competitive rides - a win win!
✅️You travel across some of the most 𝗕𝗘𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗜𝗙𝗨𝗟 landscapes with your horse, an experience like no other. 🌎

What is more is endurance riding needn't be for the super fit. If you're wanting to try something new but are worried about fitness, start with one of the smaller distance pleasure rides (from 10km/6miles). You can do a lot of walking if you wish as pleasure rides often stipulate a maximum time for completion (you're aiming for no slower than 8kph usually, but if you are thinking of doing a lot of walking let the organisers know and they'll give you an early start time).

The reason I'm so passionate about endurance riding is because I spent 3-4 years doing it on my cob thanks to the help of some very good friends! Having come from dressage and showing, I can honestly say my endurance days were some of the most fun and stress free times! We got up to 34km rides, clocking a respectable 12kph speeds before covid hit and we lost momentum.

I thought it would be fun to share some photos of our endurance days with you on the hope it encourages more people to consider endurance riding. It meant I could feed my cob far more food and her weight was the best it's ever been (which is very important of course !)

Good luck to tomorrow's entrants, I hope you all have a great time! 🏇💨

Feel free to share your pleasure ride photos here, I'd love to see them all! 👇👇

Endurance GB Northumberland & Tyneside Group
Zilco - Equestrian Products .

02/08/2024

Here's a little clip from a couple of weeks ago of long term client, Sox, getting to grips with his ThinLine Global Grazing Muzzle - you can see he was quite an instant pro!

The Thinline Grazing muzzle is one of two muzzles I stock and fit. A fitting consultation takes up to 45 minutes and includes a guided grazing/ training session. Grazing muzzles, much like bridles, require a slow and considered introduction. More often than not, we need to train our horses how to eat with their muzzle - a thing often overlooked.

Muzzles give many horses the freedom to graze with their friends and can be a lifeline to many ponies.

Want to learn more?
Send me a DM or book a provisional appointment 👇

www.horseweighbridgenortheast.com/book-online-1

01/08/2024

⚠️𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝑰𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑨𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕⚠️

As of today (1st of August 2024) there will be a change to my pricing due to my increasing running costs. This decision has been taken with great consideration and admittedly, I have been putting it off for as long as I can.

𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗿𝘆.

Running a fully insured, registered limited company comes with a lot of costs, and in the last 4 years I have invested continually in improving the service I provide my clients. Because what I do is my passion, raising my prices has been a scary thought but I hope that you will all support me in what is only a £5.00 per horse rise. (that's less than a bag of Stud Muffins!😆)

𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠
⚖️For yards of 3 or more horses, the price will be £𝟏𝟓.𝟎𝟎 per horse.
⬆️For yards with less than 3 horses the price will be £𝟐𝟎.𝟎𝟎 per horse.
🌱Muzzle fittings will be £𝟑𝟎.𝟎𝟎 per horse
🌍 There may be a mileage charge accrued in instances where bookings are taken outside of the planned route for that date or outside of region. I try and group my clients together based on location so this will be discussed on a case by case basis.
💳Payment via cash or card

This is what sets me apart from other similar services:
⭐Largest database of horse weights and body condition data in the UK.
⭐Fully insured through Hiscox and the Professional Insurance Agents.
⭐Member of Progressive Equine Partnerships and British Grassland Society
⭐A member of the ECIR Group - Equine Cushings and Insulin Resistance group.
⭐A graduate of three in depth nutrition courses.
⭐Independent and able to give unbiased, horse-centred nutrition advice.
⭐I am a fully qualified Level 4 Data Analyst, affiliated with the British Computer Society.
⭐Numerous professional collaborations with local veterinarians and other reputable service providers.
⭐Vast experience gained from working with top level competition horses (including world champion Banzai Du Loir).
⭐First hand experience building and constructing track systems and grass free turnout areas, supplemented by a visit to Gawsworth Track Livery in 2023.

I pride myself in providing a professional but welcoming service where I really get to know you and your horse. I like to really understand my clients, and work with them to achieve their goals. I have a particular interest in insulin dysregulated and PPID horses, but my main aim is to provide an accessible, judgement free service to all horses.

I am rolling out an electronic reporting system which should be ready by the end of the month and I am continually looking at other ways to improve my service - so watch this space!

Thank you for your understanding, I really value you all.🙏

01/08/2024

Many bargains to be had at Houghton Country including Topspec Lite Balancer, down to £18.20 from almost £30! There were (of course) a lot more fun bargains and I managed to get a pair of Ariat riding tights for only £25, reduced from £100!

(I'm yet to get a response to my request for full nutritional analysis of this product, but on face value it's coming in at only 6.5% starch. Possibly a good option for those looking to start an EMS friendly diet)

29/07/2024

That one horse who has "no grass left in the field and only gets a handful of chaff" 🤥🙈

(Of course, if movement is inadequate, this could result in obesity too)

29/07/2024

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝! 📆
Meet Cass, a lady who I have had the pleasure of weighing over the last year. 🤩
When her owner reached out to me in August 2023, Cass was in a paddock whilst her two other friends were out on a track around her. This was an appropriate solution at the time, but we really wanted to get her back out with her friends as soon as possible.
Since then, I have weighed Cass and her two buddies periodically over the space of a year. We have made adjustments to her forage delivery (Trickle Net), put her back out with her buddies and measured during notable seasonal milestones (start of winter, middle of winter, beginning of spring). With this we have watched her weight steadily decrease over time whilst her freedom and movement was increased! ✅
Yesterday, she stepped on the scales for what I would class as her "middle of summer" weigh in and we were elated to see she her weight had not changed all summer! 😮
🥳🥳𝐈𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝟓𝟎𝐤𝐠 (𝟕.𝟖 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞) 𝐚𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫! 🥳🥳
So as we look ahead to the winter we can analyse the losses she had last year (largely at the back end of the winter between January and April) and we can forecast what next year's end of winter weight could be. With this in mind, we will edge closer and closer to her target weight and we will have a happy and healthier Cass. 😊
When I am looking at horse weightloss, I am always aiming to have my clients in a better position then they were the year before. Weightloss is not always linear, and can be hindered by big grass growth rates, field rotations and injuries. But by seeing my clients regularly, I get a really granular insight into what management changes have and haven't worked for the betterment of the horse.
If you want to see Cass back in August 2023, check out the comments!👇👇
I have also put a photo of her enjoying a pleasure ride with her owner, clearly feeling the benefit of shifting some kilos! 🏇🏻💨
If you would like to make some progress with your horse's weight, please send me a PM or book a provisional appointment via my website:
🌐 https://www.horseweighbridgenortheast.com/book-online-1

25/07/2024

We take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude ✨️

17/07/2024

Another vintage pony this evening - 28 years old and doing brilliantly ! ✨️

13/07/2024

Age is just a number ! ✨️

This lady is 30 years old and still enjoys a varied workload. 🥰

12/07/2024

I love working alongside other committed professionals, and today I managed to join the wonderful team at Scott Mitchell Veterinary Care Equine Surgery in assessing the progress of a mutual client.

When your horse receives a holistic approach, the prognosis is often far more optimistic. ✅️

There is nothing worse for worried horse owners than having contradictory advice or conflicting care plans. Often this is unintentional, because service providers struggle to readily collaborate due to conflicting schedules.📆

As it makes my job far easier when I'm able to work in conjunction with vets, farriers, and other professionals - I will try to sync my appointments where possible. I get a real buzz when I get to collaborate with experts in their respective fields and it always results in happier horses and owners. ☺️

When professionals work collaboratively- magic happens ✨️

26/06/2024

𝑮𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒐'𝒔 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌! 👀👀

Yes today was my first day back at work since I took a break to get married and go on honeymoon! 💒🥂🌴

I feel incredibly well rested, so much so that the weighbridge felt a little heavier, and I decided to stay up quite late this evening to make a dint in my admin and diary organisation.

I still have a fair bit to work through so please bear with me. I am hoping to get some more done tomorrow too. Thank you for your patience, and I cannot wait to see you all!

Kelly

09/06/2024

Yesterday I married my best friend surrounded by all my favourite people, alongside my favourite animals at my favourite place in the world.

Lucky doesn't even come close to how I'm feeling right now 💕

07/06/2024

𝑶𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒆!

📆8th-25th June📆

As many of you may know, I'm getting married tomorrow! Eeeek!

And with that comes my announcement that I will be unable to reply to texts/messages/calls during this time. I appreciate I have a backlog since before this time, which I've been working really hard to get on top of. But we've planned our wedding / Tanfield Railway and it's quite a bespoke arrangement which has involved a lot of our time the last few weeks.

I want you to know that I'm so passionate about what I do that I'm itching to get you booked in, hear how your horses are doing and measure progress. But this is a really important time to switch off and regroup.

I cannot wait to come back with a bigger and better service. But do remember you can still do 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗩𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 booking on my website.

Provisional bookings are subject to change but do take priority over texts and messages. Head over to my website to learn more 👇

www.horseweighbridgenortheast.com

Anyway, wish me luck tomorrow 💐💍
Kelly x

30/05/2024

A useful article for those looking at purchasing an increasingly popular 3.5 tonne van and something I'm really passionate about making common knowledge.🤓🚚

The average unlaiden luton van weighs between 2290kg and 2500kg, leaving at best 1,210kg to play with. Now let's do some maths by adding the essentials:

⛽️ A full tank of diesel (90 litres) = 72kg
🙋‍♀️ One careful lady driver = 80kg
💧 A full 25L water canister = 25kg
🧱 One partition = 50kg (a guess)
🏇 Tack 1 saddle 1 bridle = around 7kg
🌾 One haynet = 8kg

968kg remaining 🧮

If we then add our precious cargo:

🐶 One hairy travel companion = 15kg
👫 One supportive friend = 80kg
🐴 One "show condition" 14.2hh coblet = 580kg

That leaves us with only 293kg left to play with 😬 that is the weight of my 12.2hh pony who definitely doesn't fancy joining you to the one day event.

If we consider that many 3.5tonne boxes are advertised as being capable of carrying "two 16.2hh horses", you need to seriously consider the weight of your horses when carrying two horses. At best, 3.5tonne boxes can carry two ponies or two racing thoroughbreds. But most healthy 16.2hh horses I weigh are between 540-620kg (depending on breed). Two of the lighter 16.2hh @ 540kg would leave only 130kg for our fuel, driver and tack (without water or haynets). In short, these boxes are very much only designed for one big horse and we should consider this very carefully when trying to dodge our HGV licence!

Yes the vehicle will cope with heavier, but you will risk invalidating your insurance and putting your horses at risk.

Owners have been warned not to risk human and equine safety, or a criminal conviction, by overloading horseboxes – as many are not aware of the importance of payload. Kevin Parker, of Kevin Parker Horseboxes, has for years been trying to get the message out to horse owners, but he told H&H: “Mos...

27/05/2024

This is Ozzy, back on scales ahead of an exciting couple of weeks at Aintree and Bramham 🏇💨

Sports horses benefit from regular weighings just as much as cobs and ponies. If anything, it is hugely important to keep a focus on their weight and body condition when we are asking them to clear big courses or perform complex movements.

Thankfully for Ozzy, his owner is very committed to his welfare and has big aims and ambitions both in regard to his weight and his career.

Good Luck Michelle and Ozzy it was lovely to see you guys again! 🍀

27/05/2024

We made it to Louth and made a very handsome friend 😍

Message me to find out more about my Southern adventures !

27/05/2024

5:30am at HWNE involved a flat tyre - it wasn't on the agenda but it's sorted now.

I'm off to Hull today, I don't expect this will delay proceedings (apart from for my first appointment who has been notified). Looking forward to seeing you all soon! 🚚💨⚖️

27/05/2024

Yesterday saw some fantastic results for my Burradon regulars 🫶

It's brilliant to start the day with such positive and committed owners - well done guys! 👏

25/05/2024

Hi Everyone 👋

Many of you will know that the countdown to my wedding is well and truly on, 2 weeks to go and 9 more working days!

This is just a friendly reminder to you all that I will be off work from the 3rd of June until the 24th of June and I'm taking bookings as far in advance as needed. 😊

Please drop me a message or place a provisional booking on my online booking system.

Thank you to everyone who has been patient with my message replies too - planning a wedding during grass growth season was not my smartest idea 🙏

19/05/2024

I did an oopsie!

I believe I have invited all of my followers to one of my livery yard support pages. If you received an invite from me, but do not keep your horse at Thrushwood Livery Yard in Redcar please ignore the invite or remove yourself from the group .

Thank you!

17/05/2024

In the last 24 hours I have had the pleasure of weighing not one but THREE Shires, one of which was an adorable baby (photo on the right 🥹) and the other two very different ages.

Weighing draught horses is one of my favourite things to do. People presume they should break my scales but all told when their body condition is healthy they can weigh a lot less than you think. It is the more stout draughts (Suffolks Percherons and Belgians) which weigh a hefty amount but Shires and Clydesdales are the lighter of the lot despite typically being taller. 🤓

Shire horses are such a superb horses with wonderful temperaments. If I wasn't vertically challenged I would have one in a heartbeat!🤩🤣

How lovely are these two ladies? 🤩 (Different owners)