Kyra’s Livery Services

17/01/2025

17/01/2025

16/01/2025

16/01/2025

It’s all about physics… Your saddle (or saddle fitter) is not a miracle worker. If your horse is a barrel, and there is a bit of wonkiness somewhere (you or the horse) and your saddle slips to the side… your saddle isn’t necessarily to blame. Instead, get it checked and if it’s ok, work on making the horse less of a barrel shape… and straightening them (and yourself!) up so there is less unevenness.

If your horse has big wide ribs and an itty bitty shoulder… or a girth groove that’s inches in front of the girth line… maybe your saddle slips forward. That’s physics. Your girth will always pull into the narrowest place. Sometimes changing your girth or the girthing on the saddle can help.

If your horse has massive shoulders, and hoiks them up into the air when they jump… those massive shoulders can push the saddle back. That’s physics. Again sometimes girths and girthing can help. But saddles can’t defy the laws of physics.

If you or your horse is uneven then yes we can pad/flock/shim saddles to help. But… working on evening them up is much more beneficial.

Sometimes, in an attempt to hold a saddle still, to fight against the laws of physics (and often to keep the rider happy), we can end up clamping a saddle too much. Personally I would rather see a saddle shunt forward/to the side/backwards a little bit if the alternative is to clamp it too much the other way.

What do you think?

16/01/2025

Bitless dressage allowed and nosebands and double bridles optional in new Danish rules

Read more via link below

14/01/2025

Why so much, so young?

The horse industries, particularly racing, have operated the same way for centuries, pushing 2- and 3-year-olds hard. But that doesn’t mean other disciplines should follow the same path.

I take a conservative stance when it comes to a horse's age.

A yearling is still a baby—let them run and play in a field.

A 2-year-old is also a baby—still best left running in a field.

At 3, a horse is still a baby, though now big enough for some handling. Forget about "futurities" or "young horse programs." If you can’t resist doing something, put a saddle on, maybe work on long-lining, and get on occasionally to make sure they don’t buck you off. But then—send them back to the field.

If all you’re doing with a 3-year-old is the basics—shots, feet, teeth, leading, just like a yearling or 2-year-old—I don’t think you’re falling behind.

At 4, they are a young adolescent. Like most adolescents, they need a job, but not a demanding one. No speed, no tight spins, no pounding work. Focus on slow, steady physical development—lots of walking, building muscle, and gaining body mass. You're still in a foundational stage.

By 5, they’re either still a baby or starting to mature, depending on the horse. Train carefully, and above all, avoid injury and stress. Don’t rush them into some performance-driven "young horse" program unless they’re an early maturing type—and even then, be cautious. Definitely avoid this at 4.

By 6, they’re ready to start becoming a "normal" horse.

I know my timeline is unconventional. Many horses are worn out or injured by age 6, 7, or 8—some even younger. They're mentally exhausted and physically broken by trainers and riders who pushed them too hard, too soon.

But if you can be patient, allowing them to grow and strengthen, those same horses can still be in their prime into their late teens or even early 20s and retire at 30.

What’s the rush? Seriously.

Written by Tamarack Hill Farm

Farmleigh Storm Connemara Pony, a late maturing breed. Aged 6 year,

14/01/2025

🐴 Did You Know? 🐴 A horse's memory works differently from ours! While they can’t "think back" and recall events like we do, their recognition memory for places is outstanding. This skill comes from their ancient instincts—early horses knew their home territory inside out and would react quickly to anything unusual, as it could signal a predator nearby.

⚡ Their incredible speed and sharp reactions are key to their survival, which is why even a small change—like a shadow that wasn’t there yesterday—can catch their attention.

🎯 Try This Activity:
Test your horse's memory! Place something new in their environment, like an upturned bucket in the middle of their paddock, and watch how they respond. Are they curious, cautiously checking it out, or fearful, keeping their distance?

👉 Their reaction can reveal a lot about their personality and confidence levels. A curious horse may be more adaptable, while a fearful one might need more reassurance and training to build trust.

Share your experience in the comments! What does your horse do when something new appears in their world?

* This information is adapted from Pony Club Australia's C* Proficiency Certificate Manual.

14/01/2025

COPING WITH FREEZING WEATHER

Brrrr some really cold winter weather has arrived here in the UK ☃️❄️🐴

Some tips to help your horses stay happy and healthy:
❄️Feed plenty of forage, which helps keep them warm from the inside due to the fermentation process of digestion in the gut
❄️Add hot water to your horse's drinking water since many horses don't drink enough if the water is icy cold
❄️ Be sure to break ie on water of pasture-kept horses twice daily in freezing weather
❄️Add a handful of epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) to a soaked feed if there are any signs of dehydration e.g. slow skin pinch return/drier droppings than usual (epsom salts draw water into the gut and help avoid impactions)
❄️Consider high fibre mashes or forage pellets soaked down to increase moisture content of feed - but always make all dietary changes gradually
❄️If they can't be turned out when used to having grass available - even winter grass - feed soaked grass pellets or dampened grass chaff to slow the change in forage intake
❄️Try to get your horse moving any way you can if they have to be stabled full time and riding is limited since stabling does increase the risk of colic - turnout to arena/pen/hand-walking even if in boring circles in the arena!
❄️Immediately reduce concentrate feed for working horses whose exercise is reduced
❄️Horses cope better with dry cold weather than wet cold weather, but shelter and rugging will help those who have high energy requirements or drop weight easily
❄️Do monitor the individual horse as concerns rugging to ensure you're not over-rugging due to how cold it feels to you - they should not feel hot under a rug

Feel free to share and add your snowy horse pictures and your ❄️❄️coping strategies below in the comments

🐴🍏❄️

14/01/2025

The best supplements in existence might be offered.

The most expensive massage treatments, red light therapy, joint injections and more may be given.

The barn may be adorned with beautiful brick walls, wrought iron accents and gorgeous mahogany stall fronts.

But, a gilded cage is still a cage.

A horse without the freedom to practice natural behaviour still remains a prisoner…

no matter the luxuries offered in the absence of basic needs.

Horses are an animal that needs space. They need socialization with other horses.

Isolation and confinement are among some of the most damaging factors to welfare.

Modernizing horse care should include an honest look at how damaging excessive time spent stalled is to welfare — both physically and mentally.

08/01/2025

08/01/2025

08/01/2025

08/01/2025

We need to give greater consideration to how a change in environment affects our horses, and the time it takes for them to settle in to new surroundings and a new routine.

The home-range of horses in the wild is dictated by resources and seasons, with the structure of the herd one of stable social dynamics; I could write-on about the different parallels, but in domestication things are very different.

The difference here is the instability domestication creates for the horse, often combined with the frequency and expectation we have of them.

Horses in domestication are all too often moved from yard-to-yard whilst being expected to perform or respond at the same level that they may have been at during a time when they were more settled.

There are aspects of how we keep horses that we can’t negotiate and sometimes movement is necessary, but the frequency of these types of changes present mental challenges for our horses that may present as attachment anxieties, higher levels of stress and inconsistencies in a horses known world, from management to training.

For the horse that may have had a stable ‘home’ environment with a high majority of their needs met, I find that when visiting new places they have a tendency to be more confident and sure about these adventures having better self-regulation; if you think about how regulation works, this is pretty obvious!

However, that does not mean a horse in a settled environment moving to a new place is exempt from feeling unsettled, even a horse like this can and will need time to settle.

Remember, it is often a matter of months, not weeks, for a horse begin to settle in to the environment, and different aspects along the way will contribute to brining unsettled feelings to the surface during the process.

At the latter end of last year, due to unavoidable circumstances Badger moved to a new home after 5 years where he will hopefully stay for many moons to come.

It has been insightful to observe and feel how Badger, who has pretty good emotional balance and level of training under his belt, has responded to the change in environment.

From the time frame when behaviours and feelings begin to change, to how and what may improve or alter a threshold, to his cognitive capacity and his interaction with the environment as a whole.

I feel we are so accustomed to horses operating on such a low-level stress response that we don’t see the subtleties (folk often don’t see this in general!) and the changes that may come in response to often over-looked factors to a horse beginning to settle, because we don’t truly see the horse as the horse is!

I feel understanding and empathy from us is the foremost way we can help support horses whilst they settle in to new environments and new routines; we can create a routine to give our horses some structure in their daily lives, we can allow them time enough to take in the environment and we can gradually (key word!) introduce subtle changes and training exercises as time progress.

Above all, we work with what the horse has the capacity to give us on that day, no more.

Change is often inevitable, but consider the effects that change can have and what WE can do to support their transition; often times all we need to do is listen.

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08/01/2025

This post explains what we are up against. This morning, I received a phone call from someone requesting that I take down a picture of them included in a recent post about the abuse issues in several disciplines, and what needs to be changed to make disciplines more horse centered.

The image in question had no apparent copyright nor was it defamatory in any way and probably in the public domain.

An abbreviated synopsis of the conversation -

"Hello, is this Bob?" "Yes, how can I help you?"
"You posted a picture of me and I'd like you to take it down."
"What picture?"
Vague answer, caller refused to be specific, I searched for it.
"Yes that one."
"Why do you want it taken down? It's a nice picture."
"The post is negative."
"The post relates facts about the realities of abusive disciplines"
"I don't want to be involved."
"You are involved." the image confirms this
"I would like it taken down."
"Do you know that your discipline is the primary provider of ammunition for animal rights organizations?"
"I'm not political, I just want it removed."

As you might imagine, I tried to explain that people in abusive disciplines who remain silent support a discipline's abuse with their inaction. The caller spoke over me in a demanding tone and in an increasing volume as I explained further. I set the phone down and let the demands roll on. I then immediately altered the post's graphic, removing the image and posted a new graphic.

I often say here that people annoy me with their variety of comments, requests and demands. "Could you make a video of that for me?" is one of the most annoying. But this conversation required a cup of tea by the fireplace to get me past this rider's intense demand of having it both ways. The aggressive, selfish irresponsibility of the caller both angered me and sank my heart from the entitlement demonstrated in the conversation.

The shame motivating their demand was incredibly evident, and that, combined with their unwavering denial of the truth of the matter, painfully demonstrated what we are up against. People in abusive disciplines know they are involved in abuse but refuse to do anything about it. "They just want to ride".

If this results in feeding PETA sufficient ammunition to intimidate global equestrian governing bodies like the FEI at the Olympics and threatens access to horses for future generations, their response is, "not my problem". This person's doing nothing, and all the other riders like them in abusive disciplines has resulted in the global undermining of what they say, "they love". They don't want to be associated with the thing they want to be associated with. I need another cup of tea.

07/01/2025

07/01/2025

06/01/2025

The lack of information in this industry is astounding.
The plenty of misinformation, mistrust and ignorance is frightening.

When you get into horses, you have one job, first and foremost:

Get. Informed.

Before you ask for a discipline to learn, learn about the animal that will be under your care.

But what it makes even more complicated, is to choose the right information to follow.

One does need its own mind to think for that and the ability to ask questions - yes also the professionals!

Let’s have these conversations about horses.
Before another horse suffers from unidentified bone fractures, malformations, gut diseases and lameness throughout their while lifespan.

Finding bizarre evidence in autopsy reports of horses that clarify “cranky” “moody” “dramatic” - personality traits (aka behavior > communication) - because of immense pain and suffering is inexcusable.

They tell you, please listen.
And ethology is not even that complex to learn. It’s quite simple. We’re mammals, too you know.

And ones with big frontal lobes. Just lets get into it.

For them.