WINTER EXERCISE 

The winter months really do throw up some difficulties with keeping our horses in exercise...rain, wind, snow, ice, frozen ground..and maybe all at the same time!

It's important to keep our horses moving as best we can, to stimulate their digestive system (see last weeks posts!), increase blood flow around the body, and maintain muscle tone and core strength. As well as deal with boredom if stabled!

This weeks Tips are to help you with feeding in the winter months, and some of the considerations to keep your horses digestive system functioning well.

Here in the UK winter really feels like it drags on, the ground is either wet or frozen, the grass loses it’s quality and quantity, and a lot of horses are stabled more so their feeding regimes change significantly.

We always need to consider how to maintain a natural management system for our horses, so that we are working with their...

We are right in the middle of winter here in the UK, and the weather really does throw up some difficulties for managing our horses and trying to keep them in work.

This weeks tips, the first of 2021, are all about ways to manage your horse when the weather and conditions are against you, to keep their systems functioning well.

Tip 1: Snow days…how best to deal with your horse?

There are SO many factors to consider when it’s been snowing - safety, enough food and water, and...

Happy New Year to you, and I hope that 2021 will be a better year than 2020 and all of the difficulties we face with the Covid pandemic. 

I wanted to write a quick article as a New Years post, just to pause for a moment with our horses, and consider what we might like to aim for in 2021 with them, and therefore to consider what changes we need to make to enable this to happen, or at least to be able to get closer to our goal.

The biggest piece of advice that I can give in achieving your...

Lunging can be a great way to exercise our horses, and especially in the winter months when the weather here in the UK is ‘tricky’ to say the least, lunging can be quick and effective for fitness, core strength, flexibility and maintaining muscle tone.

There are some instances where we can’t lunge our horses, but for those who can and would like more information, read on!

Tip 1: Keep your circle as large as possible

You can do this by walking a circle yourself, so that you...

This weeks Tips are all about the things you need to consider when training your horse to genuinely work over his back.

It’s a term we hear a LOT, you may have received ‘not working over the back’ as a comment from a dressage judge, or you just struggle to have your horse working in good posture / long and low, and are not sure why...

Tip 1: Posture

Let’s start with posture…good posture is so important for our horses - we sit on the lowest, weakest part of the...

Winter can be a really tricky time with our horses (in the UK anyway!) - short daylight hours, adverse weather conditions and restricted / reduced turnout can seriously disrupt everything from exercise regimes, rehabilitation, to feeding routines, digestive system health, and much more.

So when our horses have to be stabled more frequently and for longer each day, what can we do to help with boredom, stress, lack of exercise and energy levels?  And how can we adapt their exercise regimes...

Winter (in the UK anyway) is a difficult time with horses, but especially horses that have been diagnosed/treated for ‘Kissing Spine’. It’s crucial to continue your rehabilitation / strengthening work, but there are lots of factors in the way.

Tip 1: Work routine

One of the most crucial pieces of the jigsaw for a horse with ‘Kissing Spine’ is for them to be kept in regular exercise. And in particular during your initial rehabilitation.

You will undoubtedly have...

It’s that time of year again when horses seem to be ‘feeling their joints’, the weather (here in the UK anyway) is getting damp and cold, and this is when our horses can start to show more signs of joint pain.

I work with lots of ‘senior’ horses who have wear and tear based osteoarthritis, as well as younger horses with arthritic joints. The management of joint issues is the same - we need to look after and protect the degenerated/stiff joints, and in the winter...

Why should we be doing daily core strengthening work with our horses? Because we sit on the lowest, weakest part of their back, so this is the bit that needs to be strengthened for riding!

LET ME SHARE WITH YOU THE BENEFITS OF CORE ENGAGEMENT FOR YOUR HORSE!

Tip 1: Your horse will start working over his back

We have all heard this term, getting your horse to work over his back, and we probably know what that is or looks like, but WHY is it important and HOW do we do it? And what does it...