Horsemanship Summit - Part Two

And so yesterday I spent several more hours watching videos....Just so I can pass the knowledge on to you lot!!  Oh The things I have to do 😊.

Again I scribbled notes.  And now I will try and make sense of them in a quickish summary!!

First up - The Importance of Touch and massaging your horse. This may sound a little Kookie.  But we all use a back person, without question. And if you only have 10 minutes spare after poo-picking, use it to touch your horse!  It will strengthen your bond if you just spend time with your horse without demanding anything of it. Run your hands all over it.  This will teach you what lumps and bumps are normal for your horse. Then if there is a problem you will spot it.  Watch his eyes.  If he blinks excessively at a certain point this may be a hint of trouble. Try a little massage. If you are unsure of this, then just figure out where his 'Sweet Spot' is and give him a scratch.  Most horses enjoy having their withers scratched, but all have different favorite spots. Experiment. If the horse starts pulling faces, lifts his head, mouths or goes parrot-mouthed you have found that spot.  And they will love you for it! Charlie loves having his chest scratched. Dora likes her chin rubbed. Daisy loves a forehead rub, while Lu loves having her ears gently pulled. Lily loves a good scratch behind her ears....and Mini? She just loves being scratched all over.  She loves having her bum scratched with a poo-picking rake. Equally she loves her chest and belly being scratched. I frequently sit down in front of her and do just that. In return she grooms my hair and back. Another day she will want a good forehead rub. She lets you know what she wants!!

There are a few different Bodywork Techniques and they all have their merits. Many years ago when I ran the RDA we were lucky enough to have Linda Tellington-Jones come out to do a demo of her T-Touch technique. She used the RDA ponies and boy were they in for a treat. I have forgotten so much but one thing that I have used many times since was a technique that may or may not have been called Clouded Leopard.  It involves small circles along the neck, just below the mane on the Bladder Meridian Line.  It certainly relaxes the horse!!

So check out Tellington Touch on YouTube.

Another Bodywork Technique that I found fascinating from the Summit was learning about the Bladder Meridian Line.  This is a line that runs from just above the eye, over the poll, down the neck just below the mane, along the groove just below the spine, through the line on the quarters, and down the hind leg, following the grooves between tendons, right down to the coronet band. There are many videos on YouTube. Also check out the Masterson Technique which uses meridian lines and various simple exercises to release tension in your horse and help your bond. 

I then watched a couple of videos on tack fitting with increasing horror!!! 

First up.... saddle fit. I have used many different saddles on many different horses over the years, and think I am a reasonable judge of saddle fit.  But please please use a properly trained saddle fitter. The saddle is an important piece of equipment, and a saddle that is ok, is not perfect.  The saddle also has to fit the rider.  And must NOT place the rider or any pressure behind the 18th vertebrae as this is where the ribs end.

There was a story from an old Cowboy about "Local Tying Up". Long and short, we have all heard of Tying Up (Azoturia), or as it used to be called 'Monday Morning Sickness'. Happened when the horse was worked hard all week, had a day of rest in its stable on Sunday and come Monday Morning its muscles had seized up. Anyways this cowboy had ridden a young mare hard all day, rounding up the cattle, in a saddle that was an Ok fit, but not perfect.  When they got home the large muscle on her back had swelled and seized up.  She had "Local Tying Up". If she hadn't have had to work so hard she would have been ok. However, if her Saddle had been a perfect fit she would have been able to do that work without injury!!

When I had Paddy I finally saved up enough for a decent 2nd hand saddle. I had a saddle fitter out who had a brilliant reputation and had being doing the job for years and years.  He turned up with a van full of saddles, and proceeded to try them on Paddy.  We ended up with 8 possibles. I then had to lunge him. 4 were discarded. I then had to ride in the remaining 4. For a long time. Over an hour and a half! Walk, trot, canter, jump etc. 2 more were discarded.  The saddle fitter was happy. My choice. Then my field mate arrived. Having ascertained that Marie also rode and jumped Paddy sometimes he made her get up and ride over the jumps. He pronounced that only one saddle was good for us both.  It was £50 more than I had......But it was also the one I wanted. A 16in Ideal Working Hunter Saddle. Perfect for a wide, short-coupled Fell Pony with upright shoulders that I liked to jump.  The Saddle Fitter let me off the £50 so that we had the right saddle!!  If you have anything less of a service.....Don't bother!

And now onto Bits. For a long time now I have not used Snaffle Bits with a Nutcracker action, only french links or 'peanut' bits, but having watched this video on bitting I am now questioning the use of bits at all. We have already moved Dora and Mini onto simple Bitless Rope Bridles. And they have both responded really well.  But they are usually on lead-reins. Dare we go Bitless ? I think after watching this we will!!! 

The video showed a simple demo of a cloth rolled up as a tongue, with two fingers the bars.  Then a simple plain old harmless snaffle was laid on the 'tongue'. Oops. just from the weight of the bit the tongue was squashed flat.

Next up a ported straight bar. Ok maybe if your horse has an exceptionally narrow tongue. But they don't. The tongue was squished.  So you hurt your horses tongue just on a loose rein. Then you pull on the mouth.  The bars of the mouth get pinched, the nutcracker action of the good old plain mild snaffle,  then comes up and hits the roof of the mouth.  The horse opens its mouth, tries to put its tongue over the bit, sets it necks...anything to relieve that pressure. So what do you do?  You say the horse is strong. Its naughty. You need stronger brakes. You fit a Flash nose-band or Grakle. That stops it being able to relieve the pain. With no relief the horse may set its neck even more, it will start to panic. It runs off. Adrenalin takes over. The Horse just wants to get away from the pain, and bolts, or bucks.....or both. So what do you do next?  Get a stronger, nastier more painful bit.  How about a Pelham? Or anything with long shanks? Yeah lets put pressure on the Poll too. Force its head down. Or we could chose a thin bit, one with tongue plates, one that hurts the mouth more. 

I am ashamed to say I have used Dutch Gags (Poll Pressure), Pelhams, Rollers (I naively thought the horse couldn't pull coz it couldn't get a grip on the bit, more likely the gaps between the rollers were nipping its tongue), and even a Running Gag (Cheltenham Gag) years ago on my very strong mare.  The thing is, I owned her for 12 years. I knew the more you held her back, the stronger she would get. If anyone else rode her I would advise them to ride on the Buckle. If she got faster I would say "Don't pull, just relax". Why the hell did I not see the connection and ride her in a headcollar????????  My only excuse is  thats how it was then. We didn't know any better.

 But we did....If only we had looked back a hundred years or so. Apparently in the old days, when horses worked for a living, there were Bitsmiths. Skilled men who traveled the country fitting and making custom bits according to each horses mouth and tongue.  When the Horse was sold, the Bit went with him. I can't help feeling since horses have become animals for leisure only we have lost all skill as horse-keepers.  For thousands of years, man used horses for work and transport. One horse had to work all day, and last for many years. It had to pull all goods. It was a taxi. It carried the whole family, it hauled logs, carried other animals (killed for food). It went to War. It delivered Milk, Coal and the post. It pulled the plough and brought in the harvest. It pulled canal boats, and went down mines. And there were no vets, ex-rays, hard feed, rugs. Ordinary people were extraordinary Horsemen, just because they lived and worked with horses all day every day. The horses had long working lives, because they worked! They were muscled up, unafraid, didn't eat sugar and were treated with herbs when they were sick. Sorry I digress. Thats only my opinion...Not the opinion of The Horsemanship Summit.

And so back to the Summit. Bitless Bridles.  As I am interested in going Bitless, I gobbled this up...And had to change a long held belief that Hackamores are severe. English Hackamores have a long shank....so I always assumed this meant they were severe.  But they are milder than any bit.  Yes they put pressure on the poll, jaw and nose.....but not the tongue or bars of the mouth. As Daisy seems to hate a bit, as soon as she is declared fit to ride, I am going to try her in a Hackamore.  And I am now saving up for a leather Sidepull which is the mildest.  Dr Cook Bridles put pressure on the opposing cheek, so not all horses like them. And plain old rope Bosals came in last, purely because a thin piece of rope is more severe than something thicker...although putting a bit of sheepskin over the nose-piece negates that. 

That said, it is important to fit Bitless Bridles correctly.  The noseband MUST sit on the bony part of the horse nose.  If its too low it will sit on the cartilage...and cause pain!

I have to say Daisy has concerned me for a while. She came to us in a bobbly bit and a Grakle. She pulled, she was on the forehand, and would lunge into canter. I have never been a fan of Nosebands, so before long had removed it. I had realised she pulled against the bit, so ride her on the Buckle, pushing from behind. Over the years she has become a lot more balanced and 'under herself'. She stopped bucking (mostly) and tripped a lot less. Sometimes she tanks off. I normally just let her go.....Once she is in front of Lu, she stops. Only once has she outright took off in a gallop with me. We were out alone and I steered her into some trees, which stopped her. She did rear a bit, and canter on the spot, but soon calmed down.  Occasionally she has these moments out on a hack, but I know her so well, I just sit quietly and laugh.  But one day I tried to see her from a strange riders point of view. I figured she may scare them.  So I got her a Dutch Gag with a French Link.  Mild I thought, but with a bit of stopping power if needed.  And yet when ridden by other people who don't trust her enough to leave the reins loose, she still opens her mouth against the bit. Despite the bars of her mouth being hard (through years of pulling), this bit obviously puts too much pressure on her tongue. I will be trying her in a Hackamore!

And thats it for tonight!!

Here is a picture that, in Hindsight I am not very proud of.  It was taken in the early nineties and i am riding Skittles in a Riding Club Horse class, where we had to use a 'plain old snaffle'.  She is pulling, and I am hauling back. Look at her mouth! 😦

Listening To The Horse - Horsemanship Summit

Wow. Brain Spin!!!  I saw a post online the other day inviting people to The Horsemanship Summit.  Two days of videos worth over £1000 for free. They started streaming online today.  Trouble is, you only have 24 hours to watch the vids!!!!  It has some amazing horse trainers on it though, including Mark Raschid, Steve Halfpenny, Ellie Ross, Pat Parelli etc etc.  All trainers that ring a bell with me.  I have just binge watched about 3 hours.....hence the brain spin.  I have sat here nodding and agreeing with stuff.....But they put it so much better than I can. I also scribbled notes.  So here is a summary of what I have seen so far!!!!!

For starters I watched Steve Halfpenny (Lightness Training), experience a few days in Spain learning classical training.  It turns out it is sooo different in many ways.  Did you know they only ever ride one-handed?? Did you know Dressage just means Training? And that training was for war-horses?  Makes Dressage sound less boring huh??  Basically that one hand is used to fix the horses head....not for stopping or steering. It remains still, while the other hand is free to wield a sword or lance.  The steering and stopping is done entirely through shifts in the body-weight. If that hand that is holding the reins moves, the horses get tense.  So learn to ride your horse one-handed, using just your body for control.

Next up was a lovely Irish girl called Elaine Heney, who shows us how to calm an excitable pony.  The pony in question just wanted to go.  Instead of slowing it, or making it stand, she showed how we can use the horses energy, let it go, but control the direction by doing mini serpentines. I have used this sort of thing for a while.  Our Daisy particularly has a mouth of iron, and pulling against her will have no effect, except to make her pull back.  With Daisy I have always relaxed the reins, but put her on small circles.  It is very effective!

I next watched an hour long video on collection.. It all makes sense.  A collected horse puts its weight onto its hind quarters, engages its back muscles, lifts its back and steps under itself. This makes the horse more flexible, light and strong. We have all ridden horses that are on the forehand.  They lean against your hands and drag their back end along behind them.  This does not do the horse any good and will lessen its useful working life.  There was a lot of useful input from a lot of trainers and riders in this video.  Here are the key points.

1: Less is More....This refers to equipment and over-riding.  To become collected the horse needs freedom of movement.  If the Rider is tense for example the horse will be working against this tenseness, and become tense aswell. The rider needs to relax and allow the horse forward.  A lot of riders start by pulling their horses head in.  This does NOT work.  The neck may be bent, but the horse will be hollow and dragging its back end. Allow the horse forward.

Do Not use the reins for control, they are merely there as a form of communication.  Learn to control direction and speed with the seat and legs.

2/ Equipment.... Anything that shuts the horses mouth or applies too much fixed pressure is not helpful.  A flash for instance....So the horse constantly opens its mouth, tries to get its tongue over the bit?  Its showing pain or discomfort.  A Flash or grakle that holds the mouth shut is just treating the symptom, not the cause. Gadgets can also be confusing.  We all know about pressure and release right?  You want to halt, you apply pressure on the reins, the horse feels discomfort in its mouth and stops, you release the pressure as a reward. What if you are using very tight side-reins while lunging??  The horse constantly feels pressure on its mouth, so stops.  The side-reins are still applying pressure!!! How is that teaching the Horse anything??? The Horse is very sensitive. If it shows signs of discomfort, use less tack, Not More!

3/ Learn the Gaits.Yes that may sound simple.  But you need to be aware of the footfalls of each gait.  Learn the sequence and feel it.  You cannot influence a foot that is weight-bearing.  For example you are trotting.  The feet move in pairs diagonally. You need to be rising and sitting on the right diagonal to be in balance with your horse, otherwise when you ask for canter, you won't know which hind is ready to strike off into canter.

4/ The Horse Is an Athlete....So treat is as such.  Horses are designed to move.  In the Wild they move as they graze.  They cover at least 20 miles a day. This way they stay fit, agile and muscled up. Ready for action, should a predator appear. In our modern world the horse has become a leisure pet!  We almost treat them as humans.  Yes we may love them.  That love translates into treating them as pets....and it does them no good.  We tuck them up at night into an enclosed space, alone, heaped in rugs to keep them warm.  We ride them for an hour a day, thinking thats more than enough. It goes against all their wild instincts. Horses in the Wild move all the time. Graze, move, graze. For about 18 - 20 hours a day! Moving, 20 hours a day!!! This is what keeps them fit.  And Sane.  So if you can't give your horse 24/7 turnout, then at least work it every day, for several hours.  Otherwise the horse will have a shortened life and injury because its muscles are weak. Or it will become shut down and depressed. It will give up hope and meekly do as its told, while waiting to die. Some people like this, they think they have a well trained horse.  Really? If you truly love horses, its because you love their wild spirit, so let them be horses and meet them halfway as partners!

Finally I watched a video from Ellie Ross about Positive Reinforcement.  This is something I have been doing for a year and a half with Charlie, and more recently with Lil, Dora and Mini. Having tried several methods with Charlie, I found that Positive Reinforcement works well with him. I use a Clicker to signal a right response, so you may have heard of this method as Clicker Training. Works with Dogs, Dolphins and even Chickens!! Many animal trainers use this method. I have even seen a documentary about someone that Clicker trained a Polar Bear!! So I watched this video with interest and lots of nodding in agreement.  Even though I didn't learn anything as such, I noted down a lot of key points as again the Trainer can explain far better than I can!

1/ The difference between Negative Reinforcement and Positive Reinforcement.  We all know Negative Reinforcement.  You want the horse to move forward. You apply pressure with your legs.  The horse moves forward, you take the pressure off. Positive Reinforcement.. No pressure.  The horse does the right thing, ie moves forward. It gets a reward. It doesn't move forward. No reward.

2/ Food Manners.  This can be taught quickly. First associate a sound with a treat. As I said, I use a Clicker as its consistent. Click, treat. Click, Treat. Once the horse associates the Click with the treat, you can start on food manners. If the horse mugs, nips, jostles you for a treat stand firm.  As soon as it looks away, click and treat. It doesn't take long. That way you will never be mugged for treats!

3/ Scary Objects.  Take for example a puddle. Your horse may refuse to go through a puddle. So you push, kick, stop it leaving the 'scene of danger'.  You may be able to force the horse through the puddle, but it will forever associate the puddle with a bad experience.  What if you try a different way??

Let the horse turn away from the puddle. But bring it round again. Use baby steps.  If the horse looks at the puddle, reward it.  Stay calm, relaxed and do not use force. If it moves one foot forward, or drops its head, reward it. Continue in this manner and the horse will come to realize that the puddle is a good place to be.  It has no pressure to stay there, its free to leave, but if it stays it will get a reward. Now your Horse likes puddles!

Clicker Training can bring huge rewards in your relationship with your horse. Test it out.  Go to the paddock. Does your horse ignore you? Or move off? Or does it come to you, excited to be learning something new?

So thats a quick summary of today's Horsemanship Summary.  I will forward on as much as possible tomorrow.

In the meantime, here is today's photos of Clicker Training the Three Amigos.

As you can see, they haven't quite got the tricks yet, BUT loose in a 2 Acre Paddock with plenty of grass, all three of them are there with me, eager to figure out what they must do to get a sliver of carrot. And they are also figuring out that mugging me doesn't work.

Winter Grazing, Feral Charlie, and Top Barn 2020

First Published 7/11/19

Wow Where has this year gone??  It seems 5 minutes ago since we were barefoot and in shorts.  Now its Waterproof trousers and Winter woolies!! I have looked at the Wood Burner in the Tack Room at least twice recently with the thought of lighting it.

In a matter of weeks, the Ponies have devoured the 'Bowling Green' aka The Future Campsite side of the 4 Acre and have moved onto the rough side. The permanent Winter Grazing. Knee high in standing hay and weeds, which I like to call 'Herbage'.  The Biggies (Charlie, Lu and Daisy) have already bared it enough to stop playing "Spot The Poop".

They had their first Winter hay today. The Mini Herd still have a way to go, despite eating for England. They are all a little fat. Not a bad place to be this time of year.  They all have enough Winter coat and fat to get them through the cold season.  Living in this natural fashion, they will thrive in the Winter months without feeling cold or hungry. Not sure the maids will do do well!!

While Charlie was out on the Hill Field with Lu, he became a little feral again.
Having spent the Summer learning tricks, having me get on him, ride up the drive etc, its now time to work in the Round Pen again. Being part of a trick group, I set out to make a video about static targets (cones), and how the Pony will stand by the cone while he is groomed and tacked up. Charlie had other ideas. See YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVqsTnk2Q-w

So its seems we are back a few steps. Again!  Hey Ho...Watch this space.

The Top Barn Challenge is back!! Charlie and i had a blast last (this) year. The Idea is to accept the challenge to work with your Horse for a certain amount of hours each week in deepest darkest Winter for 12 weeks.  This is designed to motivate during the Dark months. It starts in January 2020. There are Mini Challenges to complete.  There are prizes....but the real prize is self challenge. This year I have entered with both Charlie and Lily (what was I thinking). My personal challenge is to be riding both of them by March.  Jo has entered with Lulu.
Again....Watch this space!!

We also have a challenge this Winter to set up BET. Blossoms Equine Therapy. We aim to provide Equine Therapy for children with Autism and other Learning Difficulties.  While not ready yet, we already have Ellen and Byron, who are helping us. They are both teenagers with High Functioning Autism and we are very grateful for their input.

Byron learning to Long Rein with Daisy

Independent Ponies and Self Tangling Fence Wire

First Published 15 Oct 2019


Despite 10ft of rain this month (this is ever since I told a friend ooop North that we were the driest County in Britain), we have at last finished the Summer Grazing. Lu and Charlie are particularly precious about curling their lips back too far to graze, so tend to leave lots of perfectly good grass behind. In Lu's case she starts to uproot fence posts.  She just wants to protect her perfectly white teeth, that go with her perfect blonde elite Haflinger model girl image. To compliment her Scarlett O'Hara self image, Charlie has become her Rhett Butler, and refuses to eat anything shorter than his mustache. So bending to their every wish we chucked them into the Hill Field.  Full of brand new green growth.
They immediately became fully independent!!  As long as the maids pick up the poo and refill the water, they have NO interest in human contact....and don't care how the Herd is fairing without them!!

Meanwhile we moved the Little Uns in with Daisy to finish off the leftovers.They were thrilled to have lots of space and grass.

But this was never going to last very long.  Daisy's pen has become flooded so she has spent the last couple of days out full time with the Minis and we have been feeding hay.  Time to set up the Winter Grazing in the 4 Acre. The Landlord said we could use the 'Bowling Green' first. This is one half of the 4 Acre, set aside for a future Campsite.

So yesterday I went out into the Wilderness with the tractor, lots of fence posts and a bundle of Self Tangling Wire.  You know the stuff? Looks like perfectly sane fence wire.  If you leave it on the ground, and carefully wind it up, it may behave.  However, we had hand wound it (despite knowing better).  We had also carefully wound up earlier string onto a Hose-reel. Ha! That would be good to use right?

So I put the posts in, and set off with the Hose-reel. Stop. Start. Tangle. Swear. I was getting there......And then, out of no-where I had 2 loose ends  WTF??
Pick one. It was 2in long.  Picked the other. Also 2in long!  No End in sight!!!
So it seems that the fence wire that will tangle itself into knots on its own, can also undo knots while neatly wound up!

Eventually i ran out of the properly wound up string that had made me slightly insane. So I moved on to using this...

Despite the spaghetti look, with a lot of shaking out, it kind of untangled, and I managed to build a three strand (necessary with a Shetland) fence from one end of the field to the other. Today Jo split the field in two, ready for the Outlaw Duo in the Hill Field to rejoin Civilization.  Meanwhile Daisy (who had figured it out), took her little Herd on a mad gallop about. Nothing lame about that one!

Surprisingly they moved fields without any drama and happily settled into munching.  Hopefully the weather is cool enough now, for Daisy to live full time with the Herd on old stalky grass.

Daisy's First Work, Pony Tricks and A Successful Partnership

First Published 6 Oct 2019


So with all the Yuck out of Daisy's hoof, we are now cleaning daily with Hydrogen Peroxide, then plugging the hole with cotton wool covered in good old fashioned Stockholm Tar.  At last we have a sound Daisy.  When turned out with Lu and Charlie, she is galloping up the field bucking with joy. On Friday we started her long journey to fitness, with a 10 minute pole session. Good job the 'poles' are plastic down pipes!! 

We have new friends joining us at the Weekends now. An old friend of mine (Shes NOT old. I have just known her a long time) has been coming up with her teenage daughter, who has very high functioning Autism. Way more intelligent than all of us put together, she has a very special relationship with the ponies already. She has been riding Lu who is NOT a riding school pony, but who has been calm and relaxed under her rider.  And as for Charlie...Wow!  Anyone who has followed the Blog will know he is very precious about his mustache. This lovely teenager has been able to stroke his muzzle and tache without a murmur!

The great thing about Autism is the Black and Whiteness of it all. Logic. A control over the intelligent part of the brain, without interference from the primeval illogical emotional side, that hinders us mere mortals. The ability to 'Be in the Moment'. Horses get this. They live in the moment. There lives are clear cut. They do not ponder the past, or worry about the future. They don't judge their human on what they look like, or stress about the fact that they should be at a certain level in dressage or whatever. The great thing about Autism is seeing it as it is, without the filter of social politeness. Thats why they get animals...and animals get them!

In between Vets, Doctors and some rather astonishing Autumn rain (haha), I have managed to do a little Trick Training with the Three Amigos (Dora, Lil and Mini).  Lil is very interested, Dora curious and Mini?  Well she is Mini!! She knows what I want and when ignored will trundle over, touch the target etc, get the treat and bugger off again.  Or sneak up when my attention is on another pony, and try to steal a treat from my bag! Check out the latest video on You Tube 
https://youtu.be/AmQqEMY1i6E

Daisy in Work

Excitement Over Foot Pus, And a New Dora

First Published 28 Sept 2019

You would not believe how excited people have been over Foot Pus. Yes Foot Pus!!  Pus from Daisy's foot to be precise. The Farrier came out on Wednesday. You may be thinking that the Farrier actually lives in our Barn, but I swear, he does actually see other horses in between ours! He proceeded to pare back Daisy's hoof. We all thought it would take more than one session. But No. He found the hole!!! 
Although not too far from the surface, it goes in a long way, and has a curve in it. As he cut back the sole, we all leaned in, and shouted with joy as a lot of foul smelling pus poured out. You would have thought we had found gold! Daisy gave a sigh of relief as if to say "At last you stupid humans".
Now we can see the problem, we have spent the last few days flushing the hole with Hydrogen Peroxide and poulticing.  Daisy was instantly sound.
As soon as the Yuck stops coming out we can plug the hole with cotton wool soaked in Stockholm Tar and we will be good. In the meantime, her front feet are good....but she looks like a scarecrow from lack of muscle. Once she is fixed we can begin lots of pole-work and long-reining to build her top line up so I can ride.

Meanwhile someone has stolen Dora and replaced her with an identical pony that is all too willing to work! It must have been her teeth!  The last 2 weekends she has been on walk-outs with Nancy, without napping,spooking or biting. She has been an angel!!!  Just goes to show... If the pony is misbehaving check out its not in pain!

Teeth And Feet, Tricks And Worries

First Published 28 Sept 2019

OMG What a week its been!!! Daisy having been as sound as a pound, suddenly became hopping lame on her Off-side Hind.  We sent a video to the Vet, who thought it might be an abscess.  We poulticed it. Nothing. Judging by the way she was limping we feared it may be a pulled Suspensory Ligament. Not good,
as she would be putting a strain on her other hind. As she has lost a lot of muscle, due to her confinement, due to rotated Pedal Bones, due to her EMS, we feared the ligaments in her other hind would give out.  We were very doom and gloom. Jo and I love Daisy to the moon and back. She had a hard life before Jo bought her, and she is the most grateful and loving pony.

The Vet came out Wednesday to do Teeth rasping.  Having examined Daisy, she feared we may be right in our fears ....however being a good Vet, recommended an X-ray to be sure, just in case it was a abscess.  Charlie, Daisy, Lu and Lily were duly rasped. All were well behaved. In fact I would go as far to say that Charlie actually enjoyed it. Lily was sedated,as it was her first time away from WHW and they always sedate.  Lil spent a couple of hours in La-La Land! Mini and Dora however needed another visit with the Electric Rasp.

So the Vet came back today. I was actually away at a Funeral, but I spoke to Jo asap.  X-rays showed that Daisy has in fact a deep abscess. Boy was I relieved to hear that.  Its deep, and its a long shot, but we may be able to sort it!
Meanwhile both Mini and Dora were sedated and electronically rasped. Mini had a tooth abscess (ouch, we have all had them), and Dora has really odd teeth.

Dora in particular can be a little Shit.  We have now had her back checked, her saddle checked, put her in a Bitless Bridle and had her teeth done.  These are always the first things to check if a pony is mis-behaving. Teeth, back, tack....and Ulcers. We are fairly certain she doesn't have Ulcers, as she lives out and has a diet of Forage only.  So now we are sure she is not in pain, if shes still a little Shit, then so be it, thats what she is.  I love Dora.  She is feisty. She is a Wild Child.  Horses should be allowed to have a personality!! 

Meanwhile I have been continuing with the Trick Training. Lily is really interested. Videos are on YouTube of our progress.  Charlie who has been doing it longer, has just learnt to remove my hat! Check it out.

Feet And Fences, Rda Open Day and Tricks

First published 3 Sept, 2019

Wow.....Summer has just flown by.  Our trees are groaning with Sloes, Elderberries, and the odd Plum! The Ponies are fast losing their Summer coats. The nights are showing a slight chill, and after a scorching August Bank Holiday (my phone showed 30c at 11am), the days have dropped to the low 20s. Bliss!
The flies have been driving Charlie insane so hopefully they will die soon. I have washed my Winter Jacket, and am already eyeing up wood for the Tack Room wood burner. I LOVE AUTUMN.

Although working on a Semi Track System in the 3 Acre, because of the massive summer growth, we have loads of grass, so we are also having to Semi Strip graze, moving the fences back a little each day....which I swear takes longer than putting hay out in the Winter. This year though we are not moving the fences along behind us, so the Buggers still have a walk to get water (and we don't have to join a million pieces of hose together)

On Monday the Farrier came.  Trims all round.  And Lulu's vertical crack has finally grown out so she is barefoot again.  The Farrier is pleased with Daisy, who is now spending a couple of hours out with Charlie and Lu each day, before returning to her Pen for her soaked hay.  Despite the fact her Pen is just dust, Charlie and Lu are obsessed with getting into it.  While the Farrier was trimming the Minis, Lu broke all the fences, so Jo was kept busy repairing it all, while I ran ponies and coffee for the Farrier.  Daisy is so sound now, she has had her padding removed, although her shoes are still on back-to-front to take pressure off her toes.  We are getting there!

On Sunday, Viv and I went to an Open Day at Woodbridge RDA. It was a great day out with displays and dog agility, bric-a-brac and food.  We had a lovely time catching up with old friends.  I was absolutely enchanted to bump into Amy, who I taught from about the age of 10 until 15.  She was my Star Rider in my Tuesday Evening Childrens Club, when I ran the Rda at Sutton. She used to ride my own pony Paddy and they had a special relationship.....even though he could be a bit sharp and wasn't exactly RDA material!!  I was delighted to find Amy is now a fully grown up grown up!  Now 25, she is a Teacher. 

Jo has had an exciting idea for the yard. At the moment its just an idea. A whisper....Lets face it...We are too old to keep taking on rescues and sorting them out. We are too old for starting youngsters.  We have enough ponies!!
But with this new idea in mind, I have decided to expand my Trick Training to the whole yard!! Charlie is doing really well with it.  For a pony with the attention span of a gnat, he is really interested in learning tricks, and can concentrate for a good 20 minutes.  So today, after a great session with him, we went all in with Lily, Dora and Mini.  It was chaos, but i think I will work them separately for a while until they get it.

There is a video on the East Suffolk Ponies facebook page, and tomorrow I will edit it for You Tube. I am planning a whole series of videos for You Tube, charting their progress (or Not).  Watch this space.

Amy aged 14 with Paddy

Pony Parties and The Back Man

First Posted 14 Aug 2019

Gosh its been a while.....I think the short (thankfully) Hot Spell got to me!! The Summer seems to be rushing by......Just noticed today that the ponies are starting to lose their summer coats.
So whats happened in the last month?

Well, Daisy seems sound and FULL of herself.  The Farrier came out and replaced her back-to-front shoes, with padding. He says she is getting there, but still no riding 😒.
Although we have moved the ponies to the 'Summer Paddock' (the 3 Acre), we sent Lu and Charlie in first to eat off a bare patch, so Daisy still has her own Pen, with soaked hay.
Thanks to a wet-ish summer, we still have loads of grass. A completely different picture to last year when we were "Burnt Grass Ranch".

We also had a 'Back Man' out to Dora. Although pinging round the fields, she doesn't look like a pony with back trouble, but she does have a penchant for biting children when she is tacked up.  She can be a bit of a madam so Jo bought her a bitless bridle and a new lightweight saddle.  The Back-man confirmed she has no issues, but gave her a thorough massage and a tweak.  She now has NO excuse to be a Biatch.

Somehow, our Other Lives seem to have got in the way this Summer, and what with the fencing, moving fields and day to day chores we seem to have been short of time to work the babies. Hopefully now they are all in one field, with the fencing done, we can start working them again.  With my dodgy lungs and dicky ticker, I need my riding muscles to be in good working order. I guess I will have to get them working.....by riding the babies. 

Meanwhile the little ponies (Dora and Mini) have been out doing Pony Parties at Snape Fun Day, and Benhall Flower Show. They even behaved themselves.

Scorchio......To Hose or Not????

First posted 24 July 19

Yup after having a fairly mild Summer, after a fairly mild Winter, we were hoping there would be no extreme temperatures this year!  But today the temperature hit 31c. Dare I say it?  ITS TOO HOT!  If I was off to lay on a beach somewhere 30c would be good, nay, expected.  But I,m not. I,m out bloody working in it!

Lesson learned last year....Stand under hose every 15 minutes. And wear very little clothing.  BHS peeps look away now. We are full on flip-flops and shorts, and in my case a bikini top, which means Jo has to watch my belly fat wobble away as I poo-pick. But at least its tanned belly fat! One good thing is that we are still in the Hill Field, which is....on a hill. Yes, the only hill in Suffolk, but at least we have a breeze. Daisy and the little ponies have a decent shade from the trees. But Lu and Charlie don't as their tree-line is so sheltered its like a sauna.  But at least they can get to the top of the hill for some air. Never the less, for the past few days we have brought them into the Barn during the hottest part of the day.

And so on to the Hosing Debate!  Every year when it gets hot, horsey people debate hosing their horses.  I don't understand what there is to debate.
But there is an old fashioned myth that hosing a hot horse, will cause it to get hotter!  I had even been told that a wet horse in sunlight will burn!!!!

Of course none of this is scientific....or even logical!!!  The other myth is that the water must be scraped off. Again Not Logical!  The only time we use scrapers is if we have bathed (the ponies) in Spring and its a bit cold. 

So think about it.  Its a hot day (like today). You jump into a pool or under a hose to cool off. For a while you feel cooler. Then the sun dries you off. And thats bare skin. Can you feel that water boiling up? Do you burn? Of course not. In the wild, horses get hot, cold, wet, muddy.  They survive. 

In Horse-racing, Polo and Endurance, horses get hosed down and walked around, then hosed some more!  Buckets of icy water are liberally poured over the horse. Ok that water may feel warm after a few minutes. Thats because the heat is passing from the horse to the water, and is doing its job cooling the horse.  The longer the water stays on the horse the cooler it stays.

Ours are not worked in this heat. They are not competition horses, so theres no need.  But they still love a good hose down.  As soon as we start filling the water bins with the hose, they will appear and ask for a shower. Particularly Lu, Charlie and Lil.  Sometimes it takes ages to fill the bins....They just won't go away.

Today I decided to bring Lu and Charlie into the round pen before turning them out for a good hose down. Even in the Barn, Charlie was starting to sweat,as was I.  We all had a thorough soaking.  I always put my finger over the hose end so the water comes out in a spray, like rain.  Dripping wet I went to get my phone for a video, and the Clicker and some treats because Charlie is still wary of coming too close. Up until last Summer, if I picked up the hose near him, he would rear up and leg it. Since last Summers heatwave he has realized its nice, but still stood at a distance.

Within minutes of clicker training, he was standing next to me and the hose while we both got drenched.  Cue Big Wet Hug. Sadly my phone had fell off its perch and switched itself off, having died of heatstroke.  The only video is this...

A Good Day Bed and A Marauding Shetland

Posted 5/7/19

Oh, and BTW......Daisy has started her homeopathic treatment and is off the Bute. She is out in a dirt pen about 16ft x 12ft with 2 soaked haynets, and comes into the Round Pen daily, for breakfast, and a mooch about picking the Hedgerow, as she needs a little greenery in her diet. She is looking sleek and fit!!!
And at the moment she is sound.  The Farrier is due Monday, so we await his verdict.  It would be great if I could start gently riding again, if only I knew 'Horse' for "Please don't jog everywhere".

So last Sunday, Mini turned into a marauding Viking type Shetland.  She has been so well behaved since she lost Sweet-Pea (her partner-in-crime), that we have been slack and only put up 2 strands of electric wire.
So on Sunday, Daisy was in the Round Pen.  Nancy decided to ride Dora, so I thought I would have a wander down the lane with them, and bring Charlie.
That left Mini and Lily in one paddock, and Lu in the other.  Its all the same field, just sectioned into paddocks.

Lu was a little vocal about Charlie leaving, but they all had new grass to munch as we had just moved the fences back.  So we set off.  Once Nancy was up, I casually wandered over to the mounting block with Charlie.  I had a bridle on him, but no saddle. He stopped, i hopped up-ish. He backed and span, leaving me hanging in mid-air (again). I landed on my feet, but wrenched my thigh in the process!!

Later I was telling my partner (Mark The Mechanic and Part-time Horse Whisperer) about this. "Did you tell him what you were going to do?", he asked.
Errrr....No. He has a theory. When I get on from the ground, Charlie knows what to expect, as I haul myself up.  When I get on from the mounting block, I just sort of appear on his back. By Jove I think he's right!! Mark asked me why I needed a mounting block. To save his back obvs!  "Your not exactly heavy (a compliment!!!), and you get up easily, so I don't see the problem", he commented.  But I can't jump up bareback from the ground. I'm too old!  I haven't been that agile for years and years!!!
"Why the hell would you want to ride a half blind, half broken pony bareback" he shot back.   Errrrrrr...coz its too hot for a saddle???

So I set off on foot.  Good job as it turned out.  As we rounded the corner we saw that Mini had ducked under the Electric Fence (it was on), and was merrily cavorting in grass taller than her.  Dora was good, Charlie like a cat on hot bricks.   When we got back we realized with some surprise that Mini had ducked another fence, and got in with Lu, who appeared to be trying to catch her.  Mini then ducked back out and galloped up the hill beside us, causing Dora to spook, and Charlie to puff up and prance.  I'm going to have to ask the Vets to write to him direct, and explain he IS NOT A STALLION.

Meanwhile Mini was having a ball. You know when dogs bounce through tall grass? Well that was Mini. I swear she was wagging her tail!!  So we have been forced to put in a third strand of wire.  Thats pissed on her strawberries! Never, ever trust a Shetland!!!

And so its been getting hotter and hotter.  Having cleaned the stables out on Wednesday, washing them out with Jeyes Fluid, and letting them dry, we decided to bring Charlie and Lu in during the hottest part of the day. Now you all know I hate stabling horses, but Charlie and Lu are at the bottom of the Hill Field and its very muggy down there.  

So we bedded down the day beds. Now people have different ideas about day beds.  BUT, its still the same stable.  Doesn't matter if its day or night. Remember horses only sleep in short bursts. They may well have a daytime snooze, or a longer sleep flat out during the day. 
We have rubber matting, but that doesn't mean no bedding!  Urine on rubber matting will become slippery, so the horse is unlikely to lay down and get the rest he needs.  Easily solved by a nice thick straw bed!  So please, if you bring your horse in at night, or just for an hour during the day, give him a nice thick bed. 

Lu and Charlie were more than happy to chill out in the barn today, cool and shady from the unrelenting sun. They had thick beds, hay and water. But they were ready to go out again by 4pm.

At first we hung up haynets.....but look at the angle Charlie is standing while eating.  Wouldn't take long to pull a neck or back muscle.

So we shook the hay out on the floor.....Much better for the pony!

Herbs, Homeopathy and Reiki For Horse

Updated: Jun 26

I need to write this down before the effect wears off.....So please excuse the rambling nature of this post!!!!

Actually, maybe I should start at the beginning. I have always been into Herbs for Horses (and humans too as it happens). Herbs are Natures medicine cabinet. Most chemical drugs (cures, tablets, remedies etc) are derived from herbs and plants. Maybe because the big Pharma companies would find it expensive to go out and pick the ingredients, they manufacture them synthetically. However, these chemical substitutes often have side effects, which need to be countered with another synthetic drug! Good for the business side of things in a Pharmaceutical Company. Not so good for the patient. In the Western World we are used to this. Doc/Vet says.....Use this drug, and this drug blah blah. We do just that because we know no different.

Oddly with our animals, we are more likely to try Herbal Remedies. Particularly with horses, so a huge business has sprung up. Most people feed some sort of herb to their horses. And why not? In the wild, a horse will self medicate. Most of our paddocks are lacking in variety of plants, and sometimes lacking in vital minerals, so its fine to feed herbal supplements. When I was a kid, I had my very own gypsy mare to ride whenever I liked. She was tethered on a disused playing field. Fairly plain grass. So the owner told me, whenever I was riding down a lane, to let her graze the verges so she could pick out what she needed. Sound advice.

At our Farm we have very ancient grassland, and are lucky in its diversity. There are many different grasses, wildflowers and "weeds". The ponies thrive on it, and show this in their shiny coats. And they pick their favourites (they are very good at eating what they need). Lu is partial to thistle heads, while Charlie loves Goosegrass, Dandelions and some very spiky plants. The little ponies left the clover in their field, so we swapped the fields round.....Charlie and Lu devoured the clover!

Still we have a vast range of herbs bought in for medicinal purposes. These can be expensive. So to cut costs, we have been doing a little harvesting of our own. Nettles!! Good for the blood, and for laminitics as it helps prevent sugar spikes. Nettles also contain an antihistamine which reduce inflammation. Even horses prefer the Nettles dried. These can be bought for around £7 per 500g. Hmmmmm.....Who doesn't have Nettles at this time a year?????

So get out there and cut them down. We have been harvesting, drying and storing Nettles, while we have a large supply, so we have enough for the Winter months.

Nettles and Mint drying in the sun


We also have a rampaging Mint plant so we have started drying that for the Winter as well.
Mint also costs around £7 per 500g. But believe me when I tell you growing a Mint plant is easy!! Mint is great for the digestion, and is an ideal stimulant for fussy feeders. We don't have fussy feeders, but Lu is prone to gas colic, so having Mint on tap to soothe her gut is perfect. My next mission is to try and grow Chamomile. At the moment we buy it, but it can't be that hard to grow??? Can It? After all, it grows wild in Britain. Chamomile is good for lowering blood sugar (laminitis), reducing inflammation, and calming.

Another plant we buy is Chasteberry. Not only does it calm hormones (stroppy mares, riggy geldings), it is also used in treatment for EMS and Cushings. While we do not grow Chasteberry (yet!!!), it is cheaper to buy it whole and grind it into a powder with a coffee grinder (TOP TIP ALERT).

And so onto Homeopathy and Reiki. Jo knows a lot about Homeopathy anyway and so we also have a basic supply. However, the Vets suggested putting Daisy onto a chemical drug to help with her EMS. Not only would it cost an arm and a leg, neither of us are comfortable with Pharma drugs. So we called out a Homeopathic Healer and Reiki lady. She actually does humans.....BUT....she also does animals and has owned horses. We happen to know a lady with a serious lung problem, who she has helped enormously. We will call her Amy and she came to see Daisy on Monday.

Now, anyone that knows me, will know that I am very sceptical of anyone waving a crystal, physics and faith healers. (Despite my belief in Herbs and Food for cures which is based in scientific knowledge). So what I am about to tell you has totally blown me away! Please have an open mind. I wouldn't have believed this......But now I do.

So Amy came over Monday to test Daisy with all the supplements we are giving her, with a view to finding a homeopathic alternative. I sat and watched to start with. First Jo had her Chakras balanced (yes that's what I thought too!!). Then each supplement was put in a jar. Jo had to hold the jar with her other arm out straight, thumb pointing down. Amy pushed on Jo's arm, Jo pushed back. Then Jo put the jar on Daisys neck and the process was repeated. When we came to the turmeric, Amy was able to push Jo's arm down. Jo confessed she hates Turmeric. I love it. So it was my turn. First Amy "balanced my Chakra", holding my pulse with one hand, and a Rose Quartz with the other. At this point my sceptical side was thinking "Yeah Right!!" My arm remained solid, so the Turmeric was held against Daisy, who stood quietly. Jo took over again. When we came to No-Metsin which is a very expensive equine concoction for EMS, Daisy tried to move away from the jar. Jos arm was weak. Daisy would have legged it if she could. I started to pay attention!! The next thing Daisy objected to was the Nettles. She actually flinched as if the Nettles had stung her!!

And so Amy made up a concoction of Homeopathic pills into a jar. Jo had a negative reaction to this jar, so the substitute stepped in. I was good with the jar so had to hold it against Daisys neck, while Amy did a little back, foot and thumb massage on me. Then we started the Reiki.....

Amy put her hands on Daisys withers and rump. I held the jar against Daisys neck. We would do this until Daisy moved away. Daisy relaxed, her eyes closed, her bottom lip and head drooped. I relaxed. I was almost in a trance at this point. I was aware that my breathing was very calm and quiet. At one point Daisy yawned a few times, then reached her nose round to my arm. We were all monged out!. I had become aware of the strangest sensation in my back. It felt like warm hands were resting on the back of my neck and the bottom of my spine. I kid you NOT!

Now here's the really weird part...... You may or may not know that I have a rare lung condition. The drugs that keep me alive also give me crappy side effects. Most afternoons I am done in and feeling like I have Flu for 3ish hours. I have crap sleeping patterns... the drugs make me dream at least 30% of my sleep and I pay for that in lack of Deep Sleep (yes I am a FitBit Nerd). Yesterday, after Amy had gone, I felt refreshed, clear, motivated, energetic. I went home and started working on my hobby/pocket money business ( https://www.sea-witch-crafts.com/ ). About 6pm I realised I had had no side effects!!

I fell asleep at around 11pm and slept solidly for 10 hours!! I slept through my alarms. I don't remember waking constantly to vivid dreams......I checked the Fitbit ( as every Fitbit Nerd would). My sleep had been amazing. Only 17% REM and lots of deep sleep. I awoke refreshed, full of energy and buzzing. I woke my partner with loud music and dancing. He couldn't believe the difference. I am normally comatose until I have had at least 3 coffees!!

So sorry about the ramble!!! I'm not sure if there is a moral to this story. Or a lesson to be learned? Maybe keep an open mind????