Latest News
2nd July '08
Congratulations to Angela D, who succeeded in cantering brilliantly on Red, yesterday. It was a joy to watch, both horse and rider looking very happy and in harmony.
Flyer's recent cough was due to Laryngitis, which seems to have cleared very well now.
Claude has had more vet's attention to his foot. There seems to be a track of dirt going up the hoof wall. Nick cut a whole at the bottom and we're back to daily poultices, but not much puss appearing. Fortunately at least the ground is dry enough for him to still go out.
I have become aware again, how many students here never have the opportunity to see correct riding, making their learning therefore more difficult. if there is enough interest, I'd be very happy to run a few seminars, to rectify this.
Cuddles hoof wraps have been a great success and despite showing small signs of wear, are still firm against the hoof. She definitely seems to have benefitted from their use.
Happy riding in this lovely weather.
19th June '08
Apologies that I haven't written anything for a while, but just so much to do this time of year. Apologies also to all those students who have had to miss sessions due to horses being out of work. most of their problems are now resolved, so we should hopefully manage without further cancellations.
Congratulations to Dave J, who managed to trot Cuddles well, off the lead, in only his second lesson tonight.
We have a new addition to the team, Jay. Some of you will already know him, since he has been coming every spring for a few months for the last few years, but the school now owns him. He is currently out of work, but should be in action hopefully from September.
Jane's Finkle is here hor the week and is showing impressive progress, so well done to both of them!
Claude is still recovering from an awkward foot abcess, but should be back in action soon. Cuddles has had some casting stripts fitted to her front feet today, to give the wall and sole of her hooves more support. If this works, it should become a useful addition to helping her flat feet to cope over the seasons.
Giles, who has been doing a fantastic job barefoot trimming the horses unfortunately is leaving the area very soon. We wish him all the best and hope he, Trish and the horses will settle in well in their new home!We are lucky that Lesly has agreed to take the herd over, despite it being a very long drive for her.
20th May '08
Some more achievements to record: congratulations to Hannah for having two lots of canter on Claude now. This is a particular achievement, since Hannah hadn't cantered here before, is only 12 years old and Claude is a 17.1HH TB gelding.
Jay and Red have recently had a check up from a spinal therapist, with very good results. They have both been far more supple and free in their movement. The others will all get done eventually too, but since horses need to rest for a while and restart work gently, this has to be staggered, to allow me to still have horses to teach on. We used Jackie chapman, who provided a very good, thorough, yet sympathetic service.
On my travels I recently came across a lovely horse, which had started to buck and nap. On assessing her, I also found that she was unable to comfortably lift one front foot, being very reluctant and even rearing when attempting to do so. She had a lovely temperament, so there had to be another reason and sure enough, as we assessed her physically, she was found to be in considerable pain all over her back. It always surprises me that people so often presume a horse is just being awkward, when in fact many resistances are their only way of saying something is wrong. I mentioned her temperament, but stronlgy belive this applies to any horse. How many 'bad tempered' horses are infact just in continual pain?
Bear that in mind the next time a horse even just shakes his head when being tacked up! When was the last time the saddle and/or his back was checked?
Happy riding in this gorgeous weather.
29/4/08
Spring is finally making an appearance and the grass is coming through despite the rain. All the horses have come well through the winter and are starting to put on a little weight. Fortunately their 'silly season' of not wanting to be caught hasn't started yet...but I have a feeling it is currently being planned!!
IMPORTANT: The A696 is currently closed from the Kirkharle road end. It is however open to local traffic, so please ignore the signs, driving past the cones, when coming here for training.
Congratulations to Caroline H successfully cantering for the first time again today after a long break from cantering and Lorna D for successfully riding Cuddles around the block. Well done to you both.
Jay and Beaver are still here and will continue to do so for probably another month.
We are currently not accepting any other liveries, until Craig arrives in the summer, to keep some space for his horses coming in for starting and schooling.
Happy riding!
3/4/08
I can't believe how time has flown and am sorry you have all had to wait this long for an update! Needless to say with the winter weather we've had, the horses moved back into winter accomodation and feeding regime! still, the sun is finally out and they are all looking very well. Claude has started some serious canter work and is showing some lovely balanced work on the left rein. the right rein is still a bit tricky and often on the wrong lead, but we are definitely getting there.
I've had a large amount of enquiries of owners with horses who buck in the arena and other forms of expression of back pain! I think it is essential in the first instance to have the horse seen by a qualified equine physio. Many horses have deep tissue spasms, which owners are often completely unaware of. Just because the horse hacks happily, does not mean it isn't sore...it just means it is coping through compensatory methods, when allowed to move in more freedom laterally. Even if the physio can't find a problem, the next port of call is a qualified saddle fitter, not just a Master Saddler. They are NOT the same thing! Some horses are very intolerant of any types of back discomfort, and may object even to a well fiting saddle on a back that isn't sore. I think that is becasue the tree in the saddle catches them laterally as they bend, usually due to either them or the saddle not being symmetrical. Anyway, once the physio and saddler hurdle have been overcome, then is the time to contact me and arrange some training! Those horses that can't cope with normal saddles, may benefit from treeless saddles, of which we have a few here to look at and maybe try. Once the right saddle has been found, then work still needs to be done, to rebuild the horse's confidence, that it is not going to hurt again!
Happy riding!
10/3/08
All the horses have recently moved into the summer field and are really enjoying the grass. However with the amount of rain we've had, that decision might have to be reversed, since the field is already looking slightly poached. most of them need to loose a little weight, since going into spring overweight is a concern, with laminitis being that much more likely in that case.
Aother quick note on worming: I didn't mention Tapeworms! Tapeworms very rarely show up in faecal counts and in my experience have only done so once. this does not mean the horses have no tapeworm burden. there is a bloodtest for tapeworm, but my vet adviced against it and recommended just to dose against it. So I do that usually about once every other year. It is difficult to know the risk of a tape worm burden, but i suspect its more prevalent in horse soyr pasture. Despite having two horses here with tapeworm that showed in the faecal test over the last 9 years, i have never seen any evidence of any of the other horses catching them.
Claude had been very upset by the hunt meeting here, but fortunately, after three days of not eating and being very nervous, he has now returned to his old, chilled self. People often mistake their horse's excitement with hunts to be the fact they enjoy it and want to join in. I think they want to join in, since a group of horses moving at speed must indicate to them a grave danger, everyone apart from them knows about, and is seeking to escape from! A happy horse in my mind is still a very relaxed horse.
19/2/08
Congratulations, both Lorna D and Catherine C survive their first canter recently. Well done to both!
In the stable yard, all horses have had a faecal sample sent to the lab to be checked for levels of worm burden. this is an excellent way to check how well worming procedures are doing at keeping the burden down. The horse carrying the most weight was found to have the heaviest burden, which was a surprise. Three out of seven horses were completely clean and the four with worms varied greatly. this result makes it much easier for me to plan an effective worming programme, without dumping too much chemical waste on the fields in the form of overzealous worming. Claude is the only horse who never showed any worms when tested, since arriving here over two years ago. Again that is surprising, since he is by far the thinnest horse.
3/2/08
Jack came back last weekend, to a lovely welcome from all the other horses!
Claude's abcess seems to have drained well. He is in light work and able to go out again. So lets hope it will all finally sort soon.
Some thoughts on catching horses: With a lead horse in the group, if catching becomes difficult, sometimes it is only a matter of respecting that horse's personal space and approaching more slowly. Since we as humans often get it wrong, if the horse steps away from us as we approach, stepping away in the equal and opposite direction often helps to make them feel that you are aware of their space and a little more polite yourself. I find this works really well with horses who do not appear at all scared, but are choosing to move away (often slowly), whenever we approach.
This week has seen quite a few inicidents of sore backs, due to badly fitting saddles, with horses coming in from the outside. You can easily check horses by firmly pushing in, anywhere under the saddle. If there is any reaction at all, particularly shaking of the skin or even dipping, there will be sorenss. A horse that is totally comfortable in his back will show no reaction at all. Remeber a saddle fit is not only a matter of size of the tree, but also weight bearing surface along the whole of the panel. An uneven or intermittent weight bearing surface will lead to sore spots and discomfort in the horse's back. It is important to only use trained saddle fitters when buying saddles. Most Master Saddlers are NOT trained to fit saddles, only to make them. The fitting of a saddle is a separate qualification.
25/1/08
All the horses have been enjoying a week or so off work, due to the snow earlier in the week and the excessive wind today. It has done everyone good, but now we could all do with a bit of work.
Red has been working really well, before this little break and seems keen to get going again. Claude is still lame, but it has been a heel abcess, which is draining slowly but surely. His lameness has been so slight, making is difficult to get to the bottom of. Both him and Cuddles have spend the last few days in, to help keep his poultice on and they've enjoyed wandering around the yard at their own leisure. It is interesting how much difference is makes, allowing them to wander amongst the stables, in not making them as uptight as horses kept in usually become. It is always such a strong reminder how much we stress horses by locking them into little boxes for hours on end, even if they don't appear that stressed at the time.
We might soon have Jack back, from his babysitting duties, which will be great. Jay and beaver will also arrive shortly for their usual spring visit and jay's behavioural MOT. Several pupils are in the process of buying or possibly loaning horses, so there might be a few new additions in the next few weks.
Thanks very much to Graham and Angela for helping with yard jobs today, instead of riding. It was really appreciated, especially their help with the muck trailer.
The excellent news of the week is that Red will probably be staying until al least next winter!
9/1/08
Happy New Year to everyone. I thought we'd have a Little Harle New Years Honours list, so here goes:
Red's biggest fan: Graham D
Claude's biggest fan: Angela D
Most improved canter: Lynn R
Most competition successes: Zoe D
Youngest rider: Hannah...and coping very well with Cuddles!
Most improved overall: Lorna
Most interesting horses to work with: Patti A's pair of driving warmbloods
Most loyal lesson pupils at the stables: This is a joint award between Fran S and Debra and Michael W
The kids most favourite clients: the girls with the nice Golf ha ha...you know who you are!
Best Christmas present: That would be telling!!
Some of you might have noticed all the discussions about Rollkur and Hyperflexion in the equestrian press recently. The traninig here follows absolutely classical training principles, which is how we see such big improvements in the muscle developments of the horses. However this training takes time, which is why only riders prepared to keep at it, will get the full benefit. Other considerations of course are saddle fit and possibly the state of the horse's feet? Claude has definitely improved markedly since the arrival of his treeless saddle, just as all of them have improved with being barefoot.
19/12/07
I wish all of you, two and four legged, a very happy Christmas and a great New Year.
The yard is quieting down now for the christmas break, with Craig's last schooling horse leaving on sunday. It has been great to see Craig working with the horses here and I'm very much looking forward to him starting and schooling horses here again from next summer. Craig has been working in NZ and Australia over the last two years, riding for Steve Halfpenny, as well as training with Ray Hunt in the States.
Claude's new Trekker treeless saddle has arrived and he seems to be very happy working in it! It is fascinating to see how much looser he is able to work over his back without the restriction of a tree in the saddle. We've all worked, this last week, particularly, on strengthening the horse's back muscles behind the saddle. These are necessary for horses to be able to move over their feet in an elastic frame and therefore closely affect the length of stride achieved. Educating the horse to lengthen the stride is not enough, it also needs to build up the stength necessary to do so, which takes a lot of time. Quick fixes are of no help here.
Happy Holidays!
12/12/07
Welcome back to Craig, who is back for a short visit, training horses here. He's got two in at the moment and is working his magic on them! Love the pink flags!!
Thought of the week: Exact positioning of the rider's hand will have an effect on the position of the horse's neck. This is very important when considering how to help the horse in carrying his shoulders and hips correctly and therefore to allow the rider's leg aid to travel through his body and arrive in his mouth. Hands that are too close to the neck and front of the saddle, block the neck and can cause the horse to jacknife in his shoulders. In order for the horse to strengthen its topline correctly, he has to be able to stay straight in his neck and allow the leg aid to travel through. this is very hard for him initially, so many breaks are needed.
Happy riding!
3/12/07
Started this week with an interesting session, teaching a team of driving Warmblood crosses to load into their sparkly new lorry. The first one was very easy and accepted it all well, once we had sorted out the general terms and conditions, of how life is now! The second horse was very concerned about it all and basically very scared of standing either on the ramp with all four feet or in the lorry. He went in fairly quickly, but then was too scared to try again. I ran out of time and had to leave, but his owner successfully completed the job later on that day, after the basic terms and conditions had also become established for him too.
Claude is continuing to impress by amazing improvements in his schooling and size of his topline muscles. His trot work is now so well established, that he works in a fantastic frame, even with fairly novice riders. his canter however has become less confident and rather strong. I think that is because he is now coming out of a good quality trot into it and hasn't quite got the strength to cope with his own engagement in canter. Might need more work on the lunge to help him sort that out, without the weight of the rider.
Thought of the week: what does a truly happy horse look like? Relaxed and quiet on the whole, but also taking a healthy interest in his surroundings. A young horse that is busy learning how to interact socially in the herd will most probably be very happy, even if loosing a bit of weight with the effort to fit in. Emotional wellbeing has to come first, especially in our culture of overweight horses. I often feel that we humanise horses and as a result of that pamper them too much, causing emotional harm, through not allowing enough exposure to expression of social interaction.
