Beechwood Sporthorses, LLC

04/26/2026

J’Adore & Landry had a great time at The Warrenton Hunt’s pairs race yesterday winning the large Open Flat division representing Rappahannock Hunt. Thanks, Kristy, for riding J and getting her over her first coops! I couldn’t be happier with these two young horses—their futures are bright!

Photo by Alice Porter

03/29/2026

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Gradually transition horses onto spring pastures.

While the image of your horse grazing out on a lush, green pasture is a beautiful one - it can also be dangerous. Come springtime, the sugar levels of pasture grass can spike rapidly. This quick change can shock a horse’s digestive system and increase the risk of colic.

Why the change? When grass photosynthesizes (produces energy from sunlight to grow), sugar is produced. Warmer temps and longer days are just the cues needed to bring grass out of its dormant state, and jumpstart photosynthesis, which means more sugar.

For the average, otherwise healthy horse, this sugar may cause digestive issues and increased risk of colic, for a variety of reasons:

- Eating more sugar than the body can use as energy
- Upsetting the natural balance of gut bacteria
- Disrupting the healthy pH levels in the hindgut

Generally speaking, pasture sugar levels are at their lowest before the sun rises in the early morning and highest after a full day of sun exposure. When managing grass intake, it’s best to turn horses out very early in the morning and pull them off grass by late morning.

03/27/2026

🐶🦊🏇🏼📯

The morning begins in a hush. A thin veil of mist hangs over the rolling fields of Virginia’s Piedmont as riders gather, their horses shifting beneath them in the cold

02/16/2026

This!

"There is a growing discomfort in the horse world around the idea of correcting horses, particularly with groundwork," Lindsey Smith writes. "Words like structure, discipline, and physical correction are increasingly treated as red flags. Yet permissiveness (and feeding unruly horses treats by the handful) is reframed as kindness.

I understand why owners want to fawn over their horses with treats and cuddling. Horses give us an extraordinary amount of trust. We ask them to carry us, respond to subtle cues, and stay mentally present even when they are uncertain or afraid. We love them and want to reward them for this incredible gift. But if we expect that level of generosity from them, then we owe them something in return—communication they can understand.

Good horsemanship is about learning how horses experience the world and responding accordingly. When we communicate clearly, fairly, and consistently by using body language, we reduce stress, increase trust, and make their lives more predictable and safe.

Horses do not experience the world the way humans do. Groundwork and correction, when done correctly, are not acts of dominance. They are acts of responsibility. Confusing human sentimentality with equine welfare can quietly become far more harmful than the corrections we are trying to avoid.

Correcting a horse through groundwork is not about dominance or punishment. It is about speaking to them in a language they actually understand—body language.

Fair correction is about timing, clarity, and release. When a correction is immediate, proportional, and followed by a clear release of pressure, the horse understands exactly what was asked.

Allowing a horse to walk all over you, bite you, or ignore personal space while offering treats and affection instead of structure, is not kindness. It is confusing. And confusion, especially for a prey animal, is deeply stressful. In some cases, it is genuinely dangerous for both the human and the horse.

Horses are not humans. They are not dogs or cats. Humans, dogs, and cats are predators. Horses are prey animals. They do not think like us. When we ask horses to give us so much—to carry us, trust us, and perform under pressure—it is our responsibility to learn how to communicate in a way that makes sense to them."

📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2026/02/16/structure-is-not-abuse-why-horses-need-clear-communication/
📸 courtesy of Lindsey Smith

02/08/2026

So important this time of year!

We add 3,000IUs of the CEP Vitamin E to every horse’s meal daily in the winter. It’s a much more cost effective concentrated form with 10,000IUs per included scoop (600,000IUs per bag).

https://completeequineperformance.com/product/cep-vitamin-e/

The CEP Hoof Rx also has 5,000IUs Vit E per scoop with added biotin & amino acids great for hoof/hair growth and muscle recovery depending on your particular horse’s needs.

https://completeequineperformance.com/product/cep-hoof-rx/

The Effects of Vitamin E on Fascia, Muscle, and Nerves - Why Deficiency Is More Common This Time of Year

Vitamin E is a critical antioxidant for the horse’s most sensitive systems. It supports muscle integrity, nervous system function, immune resilience, and recovery from work. When levels drop, the effects are often felt first in movement quality, coordination, and tissue comfort.
Because horses cannot synthesize vitamin E on their own, they rely almost entirely on fresh, green forage for intake. Seasonal changes—and certain management patterns—make deficiency far more common than many owners realize, particularly in Thoroughbreds.

Before looking at why deficiency increases this time of year, it helps to understand how low vitamin E affects the body.

Why Vitamin E Matters

Vitamin E plays a foundational role in:

Muscle health and recovery
Nervous system stability
Immune support
Performance and stamina
Protection against muscle soreness, cramping, and tying up

When vitamin E is insufficient, oxidative stress rises—placing strain on muscle fibers, fascia, and nerves.

Effects of Low Vitamin E on the Body

Effects on Muscle

Vitamin E deficiency can contribute to:

Increased muscle cell damage from oxidative stress
Slower repair of normal micro-tears
Reduced clearance of metabolic waste
Greater post-exercise soreness
Stiffness, cramping, or tying up (especially common in Thoroughbreds)
Difficulty developing or maintaining topline
Delayed recovery after routine work
Muscles fatigue faster, repair more slowly, and remain sore longer when vitamin E is low.

Effects on Fascia

Fascial tissue depends heavily on antioxidant support to maintain glide, hydration, and elasticity. Low vitamin E can lead to:
Reduced fascial glide
Thickened or “sticky” fascial layers
Increased whole-body stiffness
Compensatory tension patterns
Slower or incomplete response to bodywork
Decreased force transmission through myofascial lines

As fascial elasticity declines, many horses develop the tight, rigid feel owners often notice during winter months.

Effects on the Nervous System

Vitamin E is essential for nerve health—particularly long peripheral nerves serving the limbs, back, and hindquarters.

Deficiency may cause:
Increased nerve irritability
Muscle fasciculations (twitching)
Poor proprioception
Stumbling or uncoordinated movement
Hypersensitivity to pressure or touch
Vague neurologic signs that resemble weakness
Difficulty maintaining coordination under saddle

Even mild deficiency can make a horse feel shaky, twitchy, weak, or unbalanced.

To rest the rest of this valuable article , click here - https://koperequine.com/the-effects-of-vitamin-e-on-fascia-muscle-and-nerves/

02/07/2026

Dandy is looking for his next great adventure 🤗

Horses and Ponies for sale, Windsor Jubilee - Welsh Cross - Hunter - Pony For Sale, For Lease in VA, USA

01/25/2026

Proud breeder here!🤩

🌟🌟It was a winning week for Vienne Duman and Just Dandy Enterprises Windsor Jubilee in the Large green Pony Hunters. Their Championship at WEC Ocala has qualified them for Pony Finals 2026!🌟🌟

We are so proud of the hard work that Vienne, Tara and the rest of Dandy’s team have put in to accomplish this goal! 💙💚🤍

01/03/2026

“Too much protein causes OCDs.”
❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌
Actually.. that’s incorrect ..

Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is a relatively common developmental disease that affects cartilage and bone in the joints of horses. (5-25% of all horses according to the American College of Veterinary Surgeons) Cartilage in joints with OCD doesn’t form normally which causes the cartilage and bone underneath to become irregular in thickness and weak. This can cause the development of flaps that can either remain partially attached to the bone or break off and float around in the joint. OCD is caused by a combination of factors including: genetics, hormonal imbalances, trauma and exercise, rapid growth and large body size, diets high in calories from non-structural carbohydrates/starches/sugars, and diets with improper balances of trace minerals such as copper, zinc, and manganese. (And all trace minerals are not created equally but I’ll save that for another post…)

It’s very important during all stages of life, especially during critical growing periods that young horses receive those important nutrients that hay and pasture alone cannot provide.

01/01/2026

Highly recommend Unbeetable Feeds!

🎉 NEW YEAR, UNBEETABLE GIVEAWAY! 🎉

We’re kicking off the New Year by giving ONE lucky winner $500 in Unbeetable Feeds, redeemable at Chewy.com 🐴✨

Here’s how to enter 👇
1️⃣ Like this post
2️⃣ Comment what goals you want to accomplish with your horse is 2026
3️⃣ Share this post and tag us when you do

That’s it! You’re officially entered 🙌

🏆 Winner will be announced January 4th
Start the year strong, fuel your barn right, and let’s make 2026 an year.

12/14/2025

Our 2017 homebred AQHA gelding, BeenThereNDunnit, “Eli” (right) out hunting in New Mexico with Caza Ladron Hunt. This guy is so special as he is our late Splash’s only foal.🤎

Thank you for the update, Phyllis!!🦊