Stirrups Equestrian Services of Derbyshire

29/05/2026

Why are so many horses being “mis-sold”?

I’m not entirely convinced they are.

You go and try a horse, in its home environment, with people it knows, in a routine it understands. You like what you feel. Maybe you go back and try it again… same place, same setup. It all feels good, and you think this is the one.

Vetting passed and you bring your new horse home...and then everything changes.

New yard. New field. New stable. New people. New routine. New smells, sounds, expectations.

You give them a day. Maybe two. Sometimes not even that.
Then you get on. New tack, different bit, new arena, people watching.

But suddenly, you’re not sitting on the same horse you tried.
They feel different. Tense. Sharp. Spooky. Not quite what you remember.

So now you’re on edge. Watching for everything. Questioning every step, every reaction, every feeling.

And this is where it starts to unravel.

Because what we often forget, or maybe underestimate, is just how big that upheaval is for them.

We’ve taken them out of everything they know, everything that felt safe and predictable, and dropped them into something completely unfamiliar… then expected them to perform exactly the same, almost immediately.

When they don’t, it’s easy to assume something’s wrong.
That the seller wasn’t honest. That the horse isn’t as advertised.

And so the horse gets labelled ''not as described''. The lucky ones are sent back, the unlucky ones are sold on, some going on to boomerang from one place to the next.

But what if the problem isn’t that the horse was mis-sold…
What if it’s that we expect instant consistency from an animal going through complete change?

Horses don’t just arrive and slot neatly into our expectations. They need time to settle, to understand, to feel safe again. They need space to adjust before they can show you who they actually are.
If we don’t give them that, we’re not seeing the horse we bought, we’re seeing a horse trying to cope, and that’s a very different thing.

Maybe the question isn’t “why are so many horses being mis-sold?”
Maybe it’s… are we giving them a fair chance to be the horse we thought we were buying?

29/05/2026

A horse speaks… but not with words. It speaks through its body — quietly, honestly, without pretending. And if you learn to “listen,” you’ll understand far more than it seems.

🔹 Calm
Soft eyes, relaxed lips, ears gently to the side or forward. The neck is lowered, breathing steady. This horse feels safe and trusts you. This is where true connection between human and horse begins.

🔹 Alert
Ears sharply forward, eyes more focused, neck slightly tense. The horse is scanning the environment, trying to understand if there’s a threat. This isn’t fear — it’s awareness. Avoid sudden movements and give the horse time to assess.

🔹 Frightened
The whites of the eyes become visible, nostrils widen, breathing speeds up. Ears may flick rapidly or pin back. The body is ready to flee. In this moment, the horse isn’t being “difficult” — it’s trying to survive. Stay calm and remove the source of stress.

🔹 Aggressive
Pinned ears, tense face, open mouth, showing teeth. This is a clear warning: “don’t come closer.” Often this behavior comes from fear, pain, or poor handling. Ignoring these signals can be dangerous.

A horse never lies. It doesn’t pretend or act. Its emotions reflect everything happening around and within it. And it’s up to the human whether there will be calm… or tension.

Learn to observe closely — and you’ll see more than just an animal. You’ll see a soul. 🐎✨

24/05/2026

There were a lot of people that appreciated the post the other day about setting the saddle before tightening the girth, so I figured I would share a few tips about tightening the girth itself.

A few things I try to focus on:
• Tighten the girth equally from both sides of the horse
• Go SLOW - one hole at a time is appreciated by your horse
• Create movement throughout the process
• Don't over tighten - don't check at the elastic, check from the sternum area

I think it's best to allow the horse to move at least once before the final tighten, and then again after the final tighten and before mounting. This gives the skin, muscles, and soft tissue time to adjust to the pressure rather than being suddenly restricted all at once.

A few common “problems” and things to think about:

1. “Blowing up” or bloating:
Horses are not actually filling themselves with air just to make things difficult. More commonly, they are tightening their muscles and bracing in anticipation of pressure or discomfort. Slow the process down and add more movement. Often that alone changes a lot.

2. “Girthy” horses:

Sometimes girthiness is pain related. Gastric ulcers, back pain, or poor saddle fit are the most common reasons, so having the horse evaluated by a veterinarian, body worker, and saddle fitter is always the first step.

However, girthiness can also become a learned or habitual response based on anticipated discomfort with a history. In those cases, it helps to look closely at the girthing habits of everyone handling the horse. Are people rushing? Tightening all at once? Small changes in timing, pressure, movement, and even where you tighten the girth can help start changing the horse’s association with the process.

One thing I learned from a vaulting lesson I took years ago: you don’t vault onto a horse standing completely still. Why? Because landing force on relaxed muscles is harder on the horse’s back.

While girthing obviously isn’t the same level of impact, the same idea applies. Tightening the girth while the horse is walking calmly in a straight line allows the horse to engage and organize their muscles more naturally instead of bracing against sudden pressure.

Sometimes slowing down for 60 seconds creates a much more comfortable experience for the horse.

23/05/2026

23/05/2026

With a heatwave forecast for most of the UK, preventing our horses from overheating is a big concern and we need to adapt how we take care of them accordingly.

Horses normally cool themselves by sweating. Sweat evaporates from the skin surface, causing a cooling effect. However, sweating alone isn’t always enough to bring their body temperature down quickly, and temperatures can climb to dangerous levels, causing heat exhaustion.

Find out everything you need to know to keep your horse cool via link in comments.

26/04/2026

Add this in daily 🥕
Most people know the classic “carrot between the front legs” stretch, but did you know you’re not just stretching the topline, you’re actually encouraging your horse to lift through the thoracic sling and engage the deep postural muscles that support you as a rider?

🥕 When your horse reaches down between the front fetlocks, you’re asking for controlled flexion through the neck, withers, and back, but the amazing part is what is happening underneath. Muscles like the serratus ventralis and other deep stabilisers switch on, helping to elevate the ribcage and really improve posture over time. If this is done properly, it isn’t just a stretch, it’s a quiet strength exercise and a brilliant reset for how your horse carries themselves.

🐎 Take your time with it. The movement should be slow and deliberate, with no snatching at the carrot, and the horse standing square so they aren’t shifting away from the effort. Only ask for as much as they can comfortably offer without tension.

Picture: One of our lovely old students from the Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery at Melton Mowbray!

Don’t forget to keep on top of your Continuing Professional Development 🙌 We have made this a simple and enjoyable process https://woldsequinemassage.co.uk/monthly-cpd

21/04/2026

How many of you have witnessed the Madigan squeeze technique? Louise Krebs, of Krebsie's Belgians in Didsbury, AB, Canada, shares her experience: Our second foal born on March 25 was “off” right from his birth. We had to keep bottle feeding him and noticed he didn’t have the ability to “cup” his tongue when he tried to nurse and therefore could not latch onto the tit. Talked to our vet and decided to try the Madigan squeeze invented for dummy foals. We put this specific rope on him and applied 15 to 20 pounds pressure for 20 minutes. He very calmly laid down and stayed down for the full 20 minutes. We then took the rope off and didn’t touch him. He laid for another 40 minutes with full-body quivers. We thought we were going to lose him. Was pretty scary to watch. He then got to his feet, did a full body shake and walked over to the mare and bumped her bag and started nursing! We felt like we had just witnessed a miracle. This procedure re-enactes going through the birth canal and was amazing to see.

18/04/2026

A horse never forgets the person who hurt them — and science has confirmed what every horseperson has quietly known for centuries.

Researchers studying equine memory have found that horses retain detailed emotional memories of specific humans, recognizing individuals even after years of separation. Unlike many animals who respond purely to immediate context, a horse catalogs *how you made them feel* — and files it away permanently.

The darker side of this gift is well documented. Horses subjected to rough handling, fear-based training, or deliberate cruelty have been observed waiting — sometimes for months — before responding with avoidance, refusal, or sudden reactive behavior toward that specific handler. Not random. Not generalized. Targeted.

But the same memory that holds pain also holds warmth. Horses reunited with kind former owners after years apart show measurable physiological changes — lowered heart rate, relaxed musculature, the slow exhale that signal...

18/04/2026

So important to develop core strength, a big focus in my training sessions.