My 6:30am looked like this - ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง.๐ฑ๐
This day always brings about mixed emotions. ๐
Like many, I too would love to let my horses have unfettered access to all the joys of spring, however I vehemently believe that muzzles are ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐จ๐จ๐ฅ for conventionally kept equines afflicted by obesity and/or metabolic conditions. I believe grazing muzzles can actually ๐๐ง๐ก๐๐ง๐๐ welfare by allowing users to stay integrated in their herd, with the freedom to still forage.
In fact, I am so adamant that this is the case that I am thinking of hosting a webinar showcasing the use of grazing muzzles, ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐?
You may not know this but considered use of grazing muzzles has brought my 12.2hh's bloods to such a level where she is no longer considered as having EMS. ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง! ๐๐
๐ช๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐บ๐๐๐๐น๐ฒ๐ ? ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ ๐
Hi everyone!
I just wanted to say I'm a little behind on my replies at the minute but I'm working through things now - thank you for your patience ๐
Here is a very handsome, waggy boy who I met this morning, I thought sharing him would be appreciated ๐ถโค๏ธ
๐ฐ๐ฐ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐ป๐๐ถ๐น ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด! ๐ฑ๐ด
Spring is fast approaching and with that, I'd love to hear what your planning to keep your horse happy and healthy! ๐ช
Some owners might have a setup that allows them to seamlessly transition their horses out of winter, but the majority of owners have to do a bit of forward planning. ๐
Whilst weight gain is ๐ป๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐น over spring, snowballing can occur when your horse hasn't lost enough weight over the winter and when that happens we have to get innovative in our approach.
For many conventionally kept horses on grass, it is ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐น๐ to prevent huge gains in the spring, but thankfully there are lots of options at our disposal to help ๐ก๐คฉ
A few of the best options are....
๐ด๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ ๐๐๐๐น๐ฒ๐ allow horses the option to stay with their field mates whilst effectively limiting intake and increasing movement.
๐ค๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ can encourage movement and allow intake to be strictly monitored (especially when surfaced)
๐ฑ๐ฆ๐๐ถ๐ฝ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด can restrict intake and allow areas of the field to rest, with the option to use a chaser fence and decrease your area in line with grass growth.
At Horse Weighbridge North East we help you make the ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ choice for your horses. Please get in touch to see how we can help, or browse The Laminitis Toolbox for a list of products.
๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด?
Comment below ๐๐
๐๐ช๐ก๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ด๐ ๐๐ถ
It is thought that as many as 91% of horse owners also own a dog* - at Horse Weighbridge North East we love nothing more than meeting your pooches and getting them to pose for a photo.
Dogs are typically weighed in 0.1kg whilst horses measure in full kgs. My scales are specifically designed for horses so we only weigh dogs for a bit of fun (no charge).
Here are some of the cuties I weighed in 2024 ๐ฅน๐ถ
๐๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ด, ๐'๐ฑ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ต๐ผ๐๐ผ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐
*๐Source: AskAnimalWeb
๐๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ โจ๏ธ
I'm still on my little festive break but just wanted to say thank you for making 2024 such a wonderful year ๐
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I've travelled 1,000s of miles, weighed hundreds of ponies, fitted tonnes of grazing muzzles and I cannot wait to do it all again in 2025. ๐
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P.S. This reel took me ๐ต๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ to make and is still rubbish, aspect ratios having my life ๐
Think I'll stick with weighing horses ๐ดโ๏ธ
Anyone else ready to do this tomorrow morning ? ๐บ๐
๐ฅณ
๐ฅณ ๐๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐! ๐ฅณ
Huge savings on our entire range of forage and grazing aids, direct from our website. Stock is limited so grab a bargain now!
๐๐๐๐ป๐๐๐ผ๐๐๐ฝ๐๐๐พ๐๐๐ฟ
www.horseweighbridgenortheast.com/shop
๐ฐ๐'๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐! ๐ฅถ
And whilst winter weight loss is a focus for many at this time of year, we need to make sure we are aware of how to create weight loss ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐.
We have many tools at our disposal, so let me tell you why "shivering the weight off" is ๐ป๐ผ๐ the best option โ
๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ?
Shivering is a vital way of maintaining core body temperature, with one study suggesting that metabolic rate (the energy used in a period of time) increases by 70% in severely cold horses. This is probably the cause of shivering being deemed as a weight loss โtechniqueโ. ๐
Shivering involves involuntary, frequent muscle contractions and its purpose is to produce heat. ๐ฅ
Shivering occurs when the surrounding temperature drops ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ the bodyโs lower critical temperature (LCT). The LCT is not a fixed value for all horses, ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐น๐. One study group showed the LCT to be a mild 5ยฐC, whilst another study suggested that the LCT was a very chilly ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ ๐ญ๐ฑยฐ๐ ๐ง.
This is why it may be appropriate to rug your horse ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐น๐ to your neighbourโs horse. ๐ด ๐ฆ
Some of the key factors which dictate where your horse's lower critical temperature sits are:
๐ดAge
๐Body Condition
๐ฆBreed
๐ชPhysiological Status (are they in good health)
๐Acclimatisation
๐Coat Quality
๐ฑForage availability
Shivering is a ๐ป๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐น response to cold temperatures and can increase heat production by a factor of 5 in just a few seconds - a pretty nifty mechanism! ๐ก๏ธ
๐ฆ๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐'๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ด ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น?๐คท๐ปโโ๏ธ
Actively encouraging or facilitating shivering can put the
๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ'๐ ๐๐ต๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ช๐ก๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ด๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ... ๐ถโจ๏ธ
Weighing young, growing horses is something I ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ doing, but it requires a great deal of expertise and care.๐ค
I've worked really hard to further my knowledge particularly with respect to growth stages and healthy weight gains for babies. ๐ค
It is incredibly easy to have an obese baby, but equally, it is important to support a youngster through their growth spurts. I can help owners understand how to best support their horse during this changeable time. ๐
Depending on their age, horses can suddenly become quite wary of the scales and this needs to be handled in a sympathetic, horse centred way. One bad experience can shatter optimism quite quickly and with young horses I like to encourage them to explore in a pressure-free way. I actually take this approach with all horses.
Periodic height measurements provide another metric to expertly assess your baby's growth progress and when coupled with body condition scoring you can get a detailed understanding as to how your youngster is faring on their current management.
๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐?
HWNE is the top insured, professional weighbridge service. Get in touch ๐
๐07939 982121
๐ www.horseweighbridgenortheast.com
๐๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฅ๐ ๐จ๐ง? ๐ฑ
Grazing muzzles aren't just a springtime tool and many horses benefit from continued use as we head into the winter. Whilst the grass growth is certainly slowing, things like field rotations and increased stabling can mean some of us are leaving our grazing muzzles on a little longer than we anticipated.
The main thing to remember with grazing muzzles is that you are required to continually review your horse's ability to graze whilst wearing one. This should be a regular affair and it is usually one I choose to do when I'm poo picking or fixing my fencing. This is good practice all year round and allows us to better understand how our horses are faring in their muzzles.
If you need help with your grazing muzzle, please do not hesitate to reach out. I offer online consults as well as in person support for my clients.
๐07939 982121
Does this count as matchy matchy ?
Thinline Grazing Muzzles provide an innovative form of weight management as well as a bespoke fit that many other grazing muzzles do not offer. They are sold separate from the headcollar, but can be fitted to field safe headcollars as well as Thinline's specifically designed headcollar.
You can purchase yours direct from our website ๐
www.horseweighbridgenortheast.com/shop
๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ = ๐๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฅ
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.
1๏ธโฃ Very few people know how to lunge correctly and appropriately
2๏ธโฃ Many overweight horses are in no position to be doing circuits (heightened chance of injury)
3๏ธโฃ 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 - ๐๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐ป! ๐ถ๐ด
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 ๐ฎ๐ป๐ 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! ๐๐พ
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! ๐ช
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