Dorset Tack Room

24/02/2022

The difference a trim can make..
Picture 1 - Pidge the day she arrived, very toed out/splay footed.
Picture 2 - Today after a trim, showing correct alignment.

-out

26/11/2021

Use code XMAS15 at the checkout to get the discount. Shop now at: http://wix.to/zArDTY7

18/11/2021

Piper is doing so well, I've literally been spending a few minutes a day on our sessions and I'm so impressed with her progress!
I've just uploaded a new video showing a few of our sessions over the past week 😊

18/11/2021

IT’S NOT HIM, IT’S YOU

Why your farrier won’t return your phone calls and what he really wants to tell you but never will

** Written by the wife of senior farrier **

I see it ALL the time, people posting on social media, looking for a new farrier because the last one has “disappeared.” I quietly think to myself, “And you wonder why you got ghosted.” Here is a list of ISO farrier ad faux pas that will definitely keep him from responding to your ad or calling you back:

🤦‍♀️ Looking for a reasonably priced farrier:

A good farrier ain’t cheap and a cheap farrier ain’t good. If you mention anything about price or reasonability, etc. you’re off his list. Maybe not for a young kid that’s starving, but even if he does get your business now, he’ll quickly figure out what a bad idea shoeing one for cheap is and you’ll fall to the bottom of his priority list for someone who’s willing to pay what he’s worth.

🤦‍♀️ I need a patient farrier, Trigger is sensitive and scared of men:

Your farrier’s job isn’t to train your wild brumby. He spends his days bent over, holding up 1000 lb. animals. His body hurts, and the last thing he has time for is to put up with your spoiled donkey. Please work with your horse to pick up all 4 feet and stand quietly before scheduling an appointment.

🤦‍♀️ I need someone ASAP:

Dude, a good farrier is booked weeks in advance, has a schedule of good clients and works his schedule around the locations he’s traveling to…not to mention he’s most likely a family man and has to juggle his kids’ activities as well. So, trimming Trigger tomorrow morning may not be at the top of his priority list, and you might to have to be OK with that.

🤦‍♀️ I need a corrective shoer:

One of the things my husband told me when we first started dating was, “I don’t believe in corrective shoeing, I believe in shoeing correctly.” All horses are different and need to be shod accordingly. A good farrier has enough education to handle all situations and should have veterinary recommendations for the works he’s done.

🤦‍♀️ I keep Trigger on a 12 week schedule:

A farrier is not a magician. A good one can keep your horse sound with REGULAR shoeing. Calling him when feet are grossly overgrown, or you FINALLY lose a shoe is not acceptable. This causes lameness issues and creates so many other unnecessary problems. Keep him on a regular 5-6 week schedule, for the love of God! I tell my husband all the time that he should keep his clients on a schedule and call them when they’re due, but I can’t teach an old dog new tricks. You might find that rare unicorn that does that, but it’s unlikely. Best to just put a reminder to call him in a few weeks to schedule on your calendar.

A few more pieces of advice that seem like no brainers, but you’d be surprised what people don’t understand:

👍 Don’t make him hunt you down for payment. Have cash or card waiting when he shows up.

👍 Put your damn dogs away. The last thing he needs is Trigger kicking at Fido as he’s trying to steal a piece of freshly cut frog out from under him.

👍 Make sure he has a place to work in the shade, free of obstacles and dangerous objects for Trigger to get hung up on.

👍 Things come up and schedules change, but please don’t make that a regular thing. He has a schedule to keep and your last-minute cancelation really messes up his day.

👍 Don’t give Trigger a bath or mud his legs right before your appointment. There’s nothing worse than shoeing a wet/muddy/liniment-soaked horse.

👍 It’s OK to ask questions and have convos about your farrier’s plan, but you’ve hired him because he is a professional and you trust him. You wouldn’t tell your mechanic how to fix your car would you? If you don’t trust his ability, find someone you do trust!

👍 A little appreciation goes a long way. Most guys don’t get a lot of credit for the work they do but they are one of the most important people your horse knows. A simple ‘thanks for all you do to keep Trigger happy’ means more than you know.

👍 Last but not least, as interesting as it is to you and me, he doesn’t give one single care to how Trigger is bred, what he ate last night, or his favorite color. I know, doesn’t make sense to me either, but he doesn’t and nothing you can say or do will change that.

03/11/2021

02/11/2021

🤣

02/11/2021

It was all about the ride and lead this morning 💕

29/10/2021

29/10/2021

These two 😌

26/10/2021

Rags is one of the new horses I've been going to.
She enjoys going out but seems very anxious, my job is to eventually get her to calm down and relax. At the moment she jogs everywhere, doesn't like waiting for more than one car and also does not like having to turn back on herself when a car has nowhere to pull in.
She will also get a bit stuck sometimes and take a few minutes to go forwards.
I do love a challenge!

23/10/2021

Robyn at 2 months and 5 months 😍

21/10/2021

What a busy day!
I had April and Bess, then Digby and Piper in the morning. In the afternoon Murphy and Puff, back to Bess and April to feed and poo pick, then off to check and feed Robyn and the mares!
Lots of poo picking in between and toddler club as well 😴

Digby did well today, I'm currently putting today's trailer training efforts on YouTube 😍
Im also doing a short video of where I'm at with Piper as I realised Piper posts are lacking!

21/10/2021

Yesterday we did a bit of successful loose jumping with Digby, I've made a little video and put it on YouTube 😊
I'm not sure who ran more, him or me 😅 but he definitely enjoyed himself!

We need to work on loading as he got a bit sticky yesterday, the wind and rain was horrendous, it was also his first time leaving Piper (his new shetty friend 🐴), so there was a lot going on. He also slipped on the ramp at one point and scared himself 🙇‍♀️

Downclose Stables has a wonderful indoor school which provides the best safe environment for this kind of early stage confidence building.

18/10/2021

Digby is booked in for a spot of loose jumping on Wednesday!
He's never shown much interest when faced with a pole or small jump, I honestly don't think he knows what to do with his legs 🤣 I'm hoping with some coloured poles and new surroundings he'll find some hidden springs and have a good time! 🐸🦌🦅
This is all part of our 'just having fun' stage 😁

17/10/2021

Introducing the new member of the family, Piper!
She's cute as a button 🥰
She hasn't been handled much, hard to catch etc, I'm looking forward to spending lots of time with her 💕

Digby is over the moon with his new friend!

16/10/2021

When I said I want to have fun with Digby... this is EXACTLY what I meant 😍
Look at that sass 🤪

I've just uploaded a video onto my YouTube channel, it's just a few pictures and clips from our trip to the New forset yesterday 😊

15/10/2021

What a super fantastic day out that was!
We took Digby to the New Forset!
He was our pack pony for the day and carried our picnic 🥰
He was so good to load and travel. We saw so many ponies and he hardly took any notice 😇
I'll put together a little video and upload it tomorrow 😃
Massive thanks to my partner Sam at Dorset Smallholding for all that you do 😘

13/10/2021

I've started working with this beautiful mare, called dolly 💜
She has been a happy hacker but has recently lost her confidence, she's started shooting forwards, spooking and is generally not acting herself!
For our first session we did groundwork, she was very distracted so I worked on getting her attention on me. She did so well 💗

12/10/2021

My girl, you have NO BUSINESS being this cute 😭😍

12/10/2021

I gave Digby his first ever trim today, he really surprised me with his great behaviour 🌟👍
I tidied them up, ready for our little day trip on Thursday 😍
As you can see in the first pic they are uneven and unbalanced, also a bit long! I'm sure he feels much better now 😌

12/10/2021

The greeting I get from Robyn every morning is just the BEST ❤😌

12/10/2021

Grooming the beautiful April this morning while listening to a nearby hunt 💕

06/10/2021

After doing my client horses I took Digby out for a short walk.
He's had a week off as I needed some time to rethink our routine, he's still very nervous with certain things that he really should be ok with by now.
Every horse is different and I won't be rushing him, but I feel I definitely need to think outside of the box when it comes to training Digby.
He really reminds me of Furgus, a rescue cob who was my absolute world. Fergus was mistreated from day one, until he was three years old, he would become overwhelmed by certain things and would take off. Just like Digby does.
My new plan is to forget backing him for the time being and just have fun with him, I'll be recording our outings and uploading them to my YouTube 😊

06/10/2021

Today was my weekly session with Murphy and Puff, we ventured out much further today and met lots of traffic.
At one point we were going up a lane around a sharp corner, I could hear a vehicle coming down the lane, I tried to get around the corner in hopes the driver would see us sooner. Once he saw us he braked, skidding on the loose gravel right in front of us, both horses stood there perfectly. I turned them around and waited in the next pull-in until the driver passed us.

05/10/2021

The good thing about having a massive foal is that you have a ready-made headrest 🥰🥰🤣
Robyn at 4 months 😍

05/10/2021

Saphira definitely appreciated having her rug on for last night's crazy weather!
🌧🌪☔🌬🌫☂️

04/10/2021

I took this nice and early this morning while poo picking 💕
Robyn followed Theo and I all the way around the field, she is such a sweet filly 🌸❤

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29/09/2021

Today I took Murphy and Puff out a bit further. Once Puff realised the puddles didn't have sharks in them, he went really nicely 😇
Murphy was also a lot happier this week to 'babysit' ☺

29/09/2021

We said goodbye to Cracker this morning ❤
He came to me for trailer training six days ago. He has gone home being able to load, travel and unload in a calm, manageable way.
His owner is over the moon, when we arrived with Cracker she came out to meet us and asked "is my horse in there!?", possibly the best reaction ever!
No more rearing, head banging or pawing the ground, just a happy confident horse 💕