The Stable Manager

12/02/2025

I see so many people clearly struggling with horses with this never ending winter. Pulled shoes, foot abscesses, injuries or skin conditions, all amid rises in feed and bedding prices.

I am becoming quite frustrated at the lack of common sense.

Supplements - unless advised by a vet or better still a qualified nutritionist they are an expensive waste of time. Better to ensure a well balanced diet for your horse, forage based. If you need a supplement at least do the research and compare active ingredients, absorption, palability etc. Dr David Marlin's Animalweb has comparisons for many supplements.
The placebo effect is an actual thing so it may be making you feel better buying all these supplements, but if you're on a budget it's also unnecessarily emptying your bank account.

Farriery - Good farriers are not cheap, and they need to be treated like the gods they are. A barefoot trimmer is not a remedial farrier. If you present your horse's without training them, or wet and muddy it may be that your farrier will find another client. Likewise if you keep turning your horse out in a mud pit, to be chased by others you may find the professionals that have to replace the shoes, sort out the knackered feet, or deal with the abscesses constantly, may well get a bit tired of returning.

Vets - if your horse is lame, has hives, or mudfever or is struggling with abscesses or colic or any other winter ailments give your vet a call for goodness sake. The Internet is not the place. Getting proper vet advice early will save money in the long term.

This is how it is I'm afraid. Be sensible.

Pic of nearly 21yo still shod in front because he needs it, still in at night, not clipped and wears 3 rugs. And we're fast approaching the time when despite it looking there's grass in the field there's no nutrition in it so they'lll need hay outside too unless the weather improves. No supplements, ever!

27/01/2025

Focus on welfare. A few pointers.

+ Stop using a whip on your horse to generate impulsion or change direction or stride length. That's what your seat, and legs are for.

+ stop wearing spurs because your legs 'aren't strong enough'. If your legs aren't strong enough to stay in place and deliver a correct and effective leg aid then the risk is that your horse will be responding defensively to the spur. Spurs should be the goal and reward for being an expert!

+ Stop drilling your horse's for hours. 20mins in the arena is plenty. It ensures horses return to the arena looking to the next challenge and can enjoy their success with a shorter session.

+ Don't underestimate how their fitness to affects their performance, so build this, their foot finding ability and keep their interest by hacking.

07/01/2025

Tuesday thought

I don't use supplements apart from general vitamins and minerals, and occasionally milk thistle. Any other drugs I obtain from my vet, including sedation for clipping or whatever. If I suspect my horses are suffering from some ailment my first call port of call is the vet, so I know that any drugs they prescribe don't interact adversely, they are suitable (obviously) and effective.
I also ask my farrier at shoeing time about foot/horn quality. I ring the vet to find out what is the best worming program this year, and for my horses. So I feed the simplest, effective diet for my horses which are big warmbloods

What I DON'T do is spend a fortune on untested supplements or ridiculous treatments. Basically if it doesn't pass the 'science' test then I won't be using it so I won't be using salt therapy, vibrating platforms or small static magnets. And I definitely won't be asking Facebook.

I just don't have the time or money to waste and it really annoys me that some less than scrupulous companies and individuals take advantage.

05/01/2025

Apologies for the lack of update but whilst I have been receiving treatment things have been a little up and down. Whilst I haven't suffered, luckily, from any loss of cognitive function my speech is sometimes too slow for it to be immediately relevant in instructing anyone.

I have been following several things with interest. BS whip rule changes, for example. In fact the whip rules seem to me to be clear, easy to interpret and monitor and most importantly give us equestrians the opportunity to show to the rest of the social media world that we really are ready to put our horses welfare first, and notice when others see things differently to us.

I had heard several responses to these rule changes where people have dismissed them because 'I'm only going to compete unaffiliated'. This seems to be the nub of the issue. We all know that small local unaffiliated competitions offer opportunities for low key, beginner competitions but it's a brave person who calls out the overuse of a whips, the rider too big for the horse, or poor behaviour in the warm up, or anywhere on the showground, and these competitions are where these things are most common precisely because inexperienced (i hope) people forget the poor impression they give. We all need to develop a conscience and to self monitor.

So I have decided that for this year whilst I don't have real New Years resolutions I will be doing my best to uphold horse welfare, direct riders to the rules and help to improve our SLO and look after the horses. And I don't have time left so expect a direct approach!

No more than 3 contacts with a whip in the arena, no displays of anger or frustration. It will be interesting to see how the BD and BE rules change too, not to mention PC and RC.

28/08/2024

Excellent description.

I'm hoping there's one on use of the whip as well.

𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗙𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗗𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗗𝗔𝗬: 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁 🐴 Understanding rein contact is crucial for ensuring our horses' well-being. Rein contact refers to the pressure applied to the reins by the rider to maintain steady communication with the horse. It is essential for higher-level dressage and jumping, offering the rider a fine degree of control and serving as one of the first steps toward collection.

Contact should be light and elastic, moving with the horse and applying just enough pressure to prevent the reins from sagging.

At Pony Club, we emphasise pressure-release training, teaching our members why heavy contact or unrelenting pressure is detrimental to both the horse's welfare and training.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗨𝗻𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲
Heavy rein contact can be a sign that the horse is in a state of flight response, indicating that if you were to release the reins, the horse might try to run away. Constant heavy contact will make the horse less responsive to the stopping aids, and is bad for his welfare. Consequences include:

▪️ 𝗣𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗻: Prolonged pressure on the sensitive areas of the horse’s mouth can lead to bruising, sores, and chronic pain. Over time, this can cause the horse to become resistant or fearful of the bit, creating a negative association with being ridden.

▪️ 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀: Unrelenting pressure can lead to a range of behavioural problems, including head tossing, bit evasion, and bucking. These are often signs that the horse is trying to escape the discomfort and communicate its distress.

▪️ 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀: If the horse cannot find relief from the pressure, it may eventually give up trying to respond to the reins altogether, entering a state of learned helplessness. This condition results in a horse that appears unresponsive, but in reality, it has simply become disengaged due to consistent discomfort.

▪️ 𝗡𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Heavy rein contact restricts the natural movement of the horse’s head and neck, which are crucial for balance. This can lead to stiff, unnatural gaits, increased tension throughout the horse's body, and even long-term musculoskeletal issues.

Ultimately, these issues compromise the welfare of the horse, highlighting the importance of maintaining light, clear, and consistent rein aids to promote a positive, stress-free riding experience. By understanding the principles of rein contact and the consequences of unrelenting pressure, we can ensure our horses remain happy, healthy, and responsive partners.

16/08/2024

Like many others I have watched the Olympics equestrian events and enjoyed them. There really is nothing like watching the ultimate partnerships in the three phases of the eventing, or soaring those huge fences in the show jumping. Despite our team pulling an extraordinary Bronze medal out by dint of a combination of masterful leadership by Carl, brilliant and skilful performances by Lottie and Becky (as a debutante- wow) and nerves of steel, the dressage to me looks a bit more unappetising. There are several reasons for this - of course the recent fall from grace of GBs 'golden girl' CDJ in the whipping incident, along with other Danish scandals this year, and the apparent refusal of the FEI and dressage governing bodies to flex sensibly on several things.

Firstly to me, as a former elite level athlete although in another sport, the judging system is not transparent, and seems unduly based on the successful rider currently in the arena. So to outsiders it feels biased. How can the gold medal go to a rider who's horse swished his tail throughout the test indicating he wasn't enjoying the aid (instructions) delivered in that way? Not the only example but from a relative outsider to the inner circle of dressage this grates.

Why is it compulsory to use double bridles, and spurs, and to test the horses for such an extended time in movements such as piaffe and passage. Firstly I rarely see horses performing these movements in a more natural environment and if by necessity they 'have' to be trained using a whip then they should be removed. Interestingly these movements rarely appear in eventing dressage tests.
Double bridles are severe, of that there is no doubt. In the hands of a good sympathetic rider I am sure they help a nuanced performance but surely the rules can be tweaked to allow other options? Or even marks awarded for 'use of the tack' to reflect the difficulty. I suspect the use of snaffle bridles would also reduce the incidence of horses becoming overbent too. Something I find ridiculous, without considering the obvious physical pain caused to their mouths, restrictions to breathing and 'blue tongue' issues, because a horse with its head that bent over can barely see where it's going so I guess that's why it happens less in eventing and jumping because if the horse cant see the jump it can't jump it!
And as for spurs I often see riders as young as 9 or younger told to wear spurs, along with those who use them because 'my legs aren't good enough'. The standard must be set as tougher and more respectful for the horse because they deserve better. They can all feel a fly on them so it's our job to give them the aid as simply as possible with NO danger of harming them, or annoying them in the process. Riders have a duty to be better.

My other points are to do with transparency and rules (or rule breaking). Why are the dressage officials /FEI so loathe to name and shame? Just get on with it, and allow our great riders to set a terrific example and give our up and coming youngsters something to aspire to. Don't allow them to follow the example of those who might just have been given a bit of a warning. Name the miscreants and build better systems, and even better champions, who champion horse welfare!

My last point is associated with monitoring training and horse management. I see increasing numbers of horses that have had injections into every joint possible in order to allow them to do their 'job'. I'm sure some of this is because we now have the technology to do it but if a horse cannot do the job without them I feel strongly it's a welfare issue. It used to be that horses only had injections when they became older for their comfort. Injections nowadays are used to perpetuate them working at a level where they are no longer comfortable.
Many of the injected drugs are not detected as they they are encapsulated in the joint so they 'fly under the radar' of 'drugs in sport' rules. So the irony is that you can test for bute used as a one off dose and the horse is withdrawn from competition, but would not necessarily test positive for several injections.
What we need is a comprehensive system of horse welfare and management. Why don't we use a well designed app similar to any of the yard management apps that allows reporting of any treatment /farriery that might be required to any body involved in horse sport? (Could be FEI or british horse society/BD/BE/BS). If we accredited the usual vets/farriers/vet physios who routinely visit yards anyway they could submit the info. It's not that difficult, it just requires some co-ordination, some investment into the professionals on whom the burden of reporting would fall and the co-operation of all. If the bads practices are brought into the open that soon has to improve things.

End note: I haven't posted for ages because I'm undergoing treatment for an incurable brain tumour. Sadly for many I have not taken leave of all my senses but I am in the luxurious position of literally not having to deal with SM trolls. So if you're not civil, or pleasant, it's bye!

12/06/2024

It occurs to me that I haven't done much of an update on here but obviously since the diagnosis of a brain tumour I haven't done any coaching, not least because I can't drive. I'm incredibly lucky to have wonderful friends who help me 'do the horses' and get my daily fix, and keep physically as active as I can.

I couldn't recommend Horseworx - Rachel Thomas, freelance groom more highly, and she's an amazing support too.

The downside of being sidelined is I'm watching a load of facebookery. At its best it is helping me connect with friends all over the world, keeping me up to date with GB eventing and rowing Olympic squads for which I'm grateful. HOWEVER

It's also providing me with some gentle exercise in the form of reactions to, quite honestly, some of the dumbest posts. Partly because there are some horrendous trolls out there - the ones who witter on about horse cruelty without first considering the effect on actual humans. The humans have to be in good shape physical, emotional and financial, in order to best look after the animals so let's look after them first eh!

So let's not be promoting inconsequential purchases of 'fashionable' saddlecloths/tack or gadgets. Spend your time gaining knowledge. If your horse is underperforming or misbehaving consider one of two professionals - YOUR VET, or YOUR COACH/INSTRUCTOR in the first place. I recommend Jamie Wright Equestrian , or Shelley Moores.
And use your vet, build the relationship so you know what normal for your horse is and, on their recommendation go to physios, the back man, the dreaded supplements and so on. If you want to follow for some good advice South Coast Equine Vets/Natalie McGoldrick Equine .

For now know I'm missing coaching and teaching hugely, so go out there and do your best, no regrets, because you never know when it is going to be taken away from you.

23/05/2024

Time for an update.

I've had an incredibly busy last few months. Whilst I've been doing less riding coaching, probably due to the weather I've been doing a huge amount of Biology Tutoring, and home learning support. To support this I have completed a Counselling Skills course, and together with my extensive pastoral knowledge and passion for supporting learning difficulties and Neurodiversity to get back into learning I'm looking forward to the future..

However the last week has been challenging. After a bizarre episode of being unable to speak coherently, being admitted to hospital with a suspected stroke, it transpires that I have a tumour in my brain. So at the moment things are on hold.

I don't know what the treatment will be but I do know these guys and my amazing family and friends will play a huge part in it.

29/04/2024

Wow. Just wow.

'Kitchen school' triumph tonight. Bammo says he's never had such delicious fishcakes.

Overcame a few textural challenges too. They were yummy. In fact so yummy there are no photos.

Sorry....not sorry

10/04/2024

Survived! Weather, fresh horse.

He was a star 🌟

16/03/2024

A level Biology revision sessions available during the Easter Break.
Small group, or individual sessions focusing on effective learning of the material, clearing up common misunderstandings, and fine tuning exam technique.

2 hour sessions with papers set, and marked to assess progress. Various boards/specifications supported

Get in touch to reserve your space.

08/02/2024

If anybody would like a session during half term feel free to drop me a message. Happy to travel here, or Boomerang Stables . Whatever suits you, your horse and the weather

08/02/2024

After the HUGE success of last year and the introduction of more new venues this, we would love to gauge interest in taking what we do a little further afield…

Our champs will ALWAYS remain in the Cotswolds but we think it would be fun to have a few qualifiers elsewhere too! Depending on the interest in each area we could look at running individual leagues to ensure qualification remains accessible for everyone!

If you are a venue owner or run events somewhere special that you would like to see hold a Cotswold Cup qualifier (anywhere in the UK), we would love to hear from you.

Please email [email protected] to register your interest!

(And if you have a favourite venue/venues that you would like to see join in on the fun - please tag them below!)

15/01/2024

Just a reminder that this weekend I'm at Cullinghood from mid morning at the show jumping. If you'd like a lesson please book for Sunday or early Saturday or I'm happy to help if you're going to tackle the showjumping (obviously a discount as we'll be limited a bit but I can still help you warm up, with nappy horses or general nerves).
Do get in contact once you've survived the freeze!

13/01/2024

We are heading to Cullinghood Equestrian Centre on Saturday 20th January 2024 for some showjumping.
If you need a hand warming up, or some preparation beforehand do get in touch.
If you are planning on going please do message KH Events directly to ensure you get your entry.

04/01/2024

Horse-Events | Equestrian Organiser | National Unaffiliated Eventing Series | Horse-Events Online Boo

04/01/2024