Riverstown Farm Stables

20/11/2025

I know it’s only November.
Christmas is weeks away.
But my wish is already set.

One wish for Christmas: better welfare for every horse.

And it matters, because from 2026 to 2030 we’re supposed to see the biggest changes the horse world has ever promised.

The EU says new laws are coming, proper rules for how horses are kept, transported, identified and cared for. Shorter journeys. Better checks. Real traceability so horses can’t just disappear.

Welfare groups worldwide are pushing too.
Stopping long distance slaughter trips.
Calling out cruel breeding practices.
Fighting for working donkeys and horses who still carry impossible loads.
Trying to fix end of life care so no horse is left to suffer.

And then there’s the FEI.
They talk about welfare, they release plans, they hold meetings… but honestly, regards FEI, I don’t know what to think anymore. Some days it looks like change. Some days it looks like cover.

2025 proved it, some brilliant steps forward, and some decisions that made horse people shake their heads.

So 2026–2030 has to be different.
Not just politics and promises.
Not just glossy reports.

Real change.
Real horses.
Real welfare.

Because if the horses in our own yards don’t feel it, the old ones, the sore ones, the nervous ones, the thin ones, then the rest is just talk.

So yes, it’s November.
But the wish stands

Better welfare for every horse.
On paper, in law, and most importantly, in real life!!! 🥺

20/11/2025

So anyone looking to learn about track systems even if you don’t set one up but idea for more natural ways keep horses or just even ideas for your own horses or your livery, this will be a brilliant opportunity knowledge been shared by Abbotts View Livery: Barefoot and Back to Nature, I’ve signed up and can’t wait for it, and it’s free. 🥰

Back in July I had the pleasure of hosting a talk and tour all about Track Systems for World Horse Welfare Glenda Spooner Farm

It was a fantastic day, with lots of keen questions and learning, and I am now featuring on their webinar in just a few weeks time, so you can join in too!

⏱️Join us on Wednesday 3rd December at 7pm to learn all about Tracks!

Click the link to register:

https://worldhorsewelfare.zoom.us/webinar/register/2917629533101/WN_XCRGat4nT8eMjRsgXQ2AlQ

19/11/2025

𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐬, 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬

Some days I look around this industry and think, no wonder the horses get tired of us. Too many slipping through the gaps, too many people shouting about welfare while quietly stepping over the ones who need it most. And yet the truth never really changes…..we can’t fix the whole world… We all know we can’t save every horse. I’ve made peace with that or at least as much peace as anyone who genuinely cares ever can., but we can transform the world of the horse right in front of us.

Because my honest belief is this….changing the world for one horse is still enough.

I’ve seen what that looks like more times than I can count.
The mare who arrives with her guard sky high and eventually meets you halfway (Sunny was like this)
The old lad nobody wanted, finally sleeping deeply because the rug fits and the field is quiet.
The youngster who came in braced for trouble and leaves understanding that not every human rushes, grabs, or pushes.

None of it is dramatic. There’s no applause for turning up on cold mornings, or for the soft, consistent routines that slowly put a horse back together. Real welfare happens in the small decisions, the ordinary, unspectacular choices made when nobody’s looking…..

And if that’s all you ever do give one horse a steady rhythm, a soft landing, and a place where their whole body finally says I’m safe……then that’s meaningful. That counts. That’s enough.

Because for that horse, you haven’t just nudged their life in the right direction.
You’ve changed their whole world.

And when their road is nearly done, the door stays open. If the kindest thing is to let them go, then a warm, loving home for those last days is still a gift, far better than them having nothing at all.

❤️

18/11/2025

Missy has reduced her rug to tatters, honestly looks like it lost a fight with a lawnmower.

If anyone feels like sponsoring the next victim, be my guest.
And if there is such a thing as a genuinely rip proof rug, I’d love to hear about it before she turns the field into a nudist colony again. 🫣🤣

I just can’t help but laugh 🤭

17/11/2025

This!!!! I’m so glad to see the breeding world talking about this!

16/11/2025

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞?

When should beginners actually start doing no stirrup work?

Honestly, I’m not sure we talk about this enough.

Every November, people drop their irons like confetti and call it “progress”, but I keep circling back to the same image: a young or green rider bouncing around trying their very best… and a horse quietly absorbing every mistake because it’s polite enough not to complain.

So where is the line?

Is it when a rider can trot without steering through the reins?
When their upper body stops windmilling around every transition?
When they can sit a spook or a stumble without grabbing for the horse’s mouth?
Or is it only fair once they’ve built a genuinely independent seat, the kind that moves with the horse rather than at it?

Because here’s the uncomfortable bit we don’t like admitting,

No stirrup work isn’t just a rider challenge.
It’s a horse soundness issue, a back health issue, a welfare issue.

A beginner gripping with their knees, tipping forward, or thumping down on every stride doesn’t magically learn balance, the horse learns to tolerate imbalance. And that’s not fair training; that’s just quiet endurance on four legs.

Maybe the real question isn’t “When should beginners start?”
Maybe it’s,

Who benefits most the rider’s ego, or the horse’s comfort?
And who’s actually ready the rider, or the story they want to tell about being ‘brave’ in November?

What’s the moment, the actual skill level where taking the stirrups away becomes a tool for better riding… rather than something the horse has to go through?

I’m a big big advocate for no stirrup work but this question was put to me today and make me stop and think. 

16/11/2025

Please share. Another older horse missing, Navan, co Meath, Ireland

16/11/2025

What a partnership 🥺

14/11/2025

𝐀 𝐜𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐞𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐀𝐥𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭?

Some days I swear the horses are the only creatures in this whole sport who remember to pause. They stand there, blowing gently into the cold air, absolutely unbothered while the rest of us march around pretending we’re fine, clutching coffee like it’s a survival tool, and calling the whole circus “normal”.

So here’s your gentle interruption.

How are you doing……really?

Not the yard friendly “all good or it’s grand!” you toss out while hopping over a puddle and hoping no one notices your socks got soaked an hour ago. Not the version you give a show steward when you’re running late and trying to be polite. I mean the quiet bit. The bit you only hear when you finally stop rushing long enough to notice that you’re tired.
Or worried.
Or just fed up and can’t quite say why.

Horses never ask for the polished version of us.
They just want us to turn up wholeheartedly or half frazzled, it makes no odds to them. They don’t care if you’re slightly out of breath or if life feels heavier than usual. They simply meet whatever mood you walk in with, and somehow make it feel less sharp around the edges.

And the truth is, winter’s long.
The sport can feel longer.
Life, sometimes, feels longest of all. There’s no rosette for pretending you’re made of steel.

This is just a moment to breathe.

From one muddied boot human to another: are you actually alright?
Are you drinking water and not just tea?
Are you eating something vaguely resembling food rather than whatever you grabbed on the way out the door?
Sleeping at all?
Has something been bothering you that you’ve had no space to say out loud?

And if you need a chat, a vent, a laugh, or simply a place where you don’t need to perform being “fine”… you’re welcome. The metaphorical kettle’s on. There’s always room on the tack room bench, and there’s no expectation to fix everything today.

Pop a comment or dm I’m always around (even if we have ups and downs) whether you’re struggling, coping, thriving, or completely unsure which it is.
You’re human. That’s enough.
We’ll meet you exactly where you are.

It was just a very mehhhh day today and I blame the cold weather 🙃