Robins Nest Horsemanship Centre

31/10/2025

Vocal aids and no nosebands: British Riding Clubs introduce new rules to promote horse welfare.

Riders are now permitted to use their voices during tests, provided they are discreet do not distract others, and nosebands are no longer compulsory for competitors.

Many have praised the change and really welcomed it. Read the full story via the link in comments.

23/07/2022

07/01/2021

You can't rush something that needs time to grow.

It breaks my heart that part of the equestrian industry revolves around flipping horses and getting to that big venue before the horse is ready.

I'm not impressed like I once was, with the 4 year olds that have been to BYEH. Nor am I impressed with the 6 year old training at advanced/medium. After a 15 year love story with this sport, I know enough to wonder where those horses will be at the age of 10 nevermind 15. Will they still be with the riders that pushed them too soon? Will they be injected with steroids just so they can finish the season?

Whilst I understand pushing too soon isn't signing an invisible death warrant for all youngsters, it does inevitably end in an early uncomfortable retirement. Yet this is something that is widely accepted and ignored.

I have big ambitions for Orion, the kind that make people giggle because I cry on hacks sometimes. Despite those plans, Orion's ambitions include snoozing and a bigger hay net. He doesn't care about championships, he cares that I am kind to him.

He's rising 6, he is still growing. I repeat, he is still growing. Cantering a 20m circle is the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest or doing a three point turn in a cruise ship. It's hard work, it's hard for his joints and muscles that aren't developed fully, despite him looking like a small bungalow.

I honestly believe the social media generation are fueling this issue. Brand sponsorships always want to know your achievements and the next big goal. It constantly feels like a box ticking exercise when in reality your dealing with an animals life.

It seemingly feels like people aren't impressed unless you have a ball gown made out of sashes you won the previous season. That brands sift through thousands of application videos and overlook those doing things properly because they aren't jumping 1m45 ba****ck, backwards whilst reading a dressage test with a parrot on their head.

I won't rush Orion's education or make false promises about unachievable short term goals to secure the backing of any brand. If that is what you're looking for, you need to reroute the Sat-nav.

One day this horse will walk on the holy grounds of Badminton (grassroots 🤞) but until that day he will hack on the buckle end, wear his duck rug and wobble around the arena until he tells me he's ready. If he's never ready, he will be loved regardless.

A horse will give you the world if you give them your heart...and a little bit of time.

💙🧡💙

26/11/2020

Woooohooooo!!!! 🥳🎉

FEI OUTLAW WHISKER TRIMMING

The FEI have outlawed trimming the whiskers of competition horses in a ruling that will begin in July 2021.

Horses are not allowed to compete in any FEI competitions internationally if "the horse’s sensory hairs have been clipped and/or shaven or in any other way removed unless individual sensory hairs have been removed by a veterinarian to prevent pain or discomfort for the horse.” However trimming for veterinary reasons is exempt from this ruling.

The horse's whiskers, or vibrissae, are so sensitive to vibration and changes in air current they can instantly inform the horse about his environment – for example helping him avoid injury by detecting nearby objects, differentiating between different textures, judging wind direction and identifying food. The horse has a blind spot beneath his muzzle and so his whiskers are a vital aid to his vision.

From the horse’s point of view, removing these whiskers reduces his spatial awareness and leaves him partially handicapped.

We in the UK are still very backward in many aspects of horse welfare and it’s time for us to catch up, we should have made this ruling long ago... I have to say I didn't think we'd see this coming from the FEI first, it is amazing news!

20/02/2020

!!!!!

30/01/2020

Boy and girl having shelter cuddles ❤

06/11/2019

Did you worry about your horse's weight last summer? Now is the time to start planning for next year! Make it easier for you and your horse next year by getting ahead of the game and using the winter to help your horse lose some weight. Remember that it's healthy to be able to see the outline of a horse's ribs in spring (and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!). You can use our handy weight management guide to help you plan - remember to think about how you can split weight management into four steps: increasing exercise, decreasing supplementary feed, reducing grazing, and increasing metabolic output. Winter is already helping you reduce grazing and increase metabolism, so make the most of it while you can!

You can download our weight management guide here:https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/media/livacuk/equine/documents/Equine,Weight,Management.pdf

You can view more information on weight management on our website here: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/equine/common-conditions/weight/

09/09/2019

Stole this from a friend ❤️

The good ones take time.

Watch quietly from the sidelines as those who try to shortcut with bridles, bits and gadgets become unstuck at the first sign of a challenge.

Get used to sitting with your head in your hands having to take deep breaths or halting in the middle of the arena to stare at the ceiling for fear that frustration will take the reins and undo everything you’ve worked on.

Allow him to question, allow him to protest. You have to be in this together, it has to be a partnership not a dictatorship so he has to know that he has a say and that you are listening. Mutual understanding and respect should be the foundations on which you build.

Be prepared to taste your arena surface.

Don’t allow others to convince you a “more experienced” jumper would suit you better or “he might never come right”. Trust your gut. You saw something in him, so work you ass off to prove it.

Don’t succumb to the pressure to “teach him whose boss”. When the clock is ticking, and the stride just isn’t there you have to trust each other, that isn’t going to come from force.

Give this horse your heart, I’m not saying he won’t break it because he will, but when the day comes that he accepts you into his, he really will go to the ends of the earth for you. But until then, have tissues and a playlist of sad songs at the ready.

And just when you think you can’t take one more ride, when you feel like you’ve given every part of yourself to this and you can’t physically, mentally or emotionally manage anymore. Keep going. Nobody said this was going to be easy...but it might just be worth it, because the most valuable thing you can give a horse is time...
..and the good ones take time.