HORSE STOLEN TODAY.....Can you help.....

I have just read this on another site, so thought I would share. Please help spread the word. Candice Quayle PLEASE HELP!!!! My gorgeous boy, a 17.2hh palamino apaloosa ISH has been stolen from the Horley area about an hr and a half ago! He was taken with a skewbald ISH yearling by two men in a red and silver trailer 2008 reg in a black pick up. He is microchipped and on medication. Im guessing he was taken because he is an ex proffesional grade A showjumper and the yearling having an amazing pedigree! They were picked out of 12 others so we believe they knew what they were looking for! Please if you have any info let me know asap! Please look at my album to see pics of him if u think u may know something! I am really worried so anything in the slightest i will pass it onto the police! Thanks

My home made supplement….ingredients revealed!

So what did I put in my home made supplement and why did I choose what I did??

Well I had some very good advice from a friend and he has got me totally hooked on making my own natural supplements to help me horses.  It's Supplements 4 Horses first home made supplement.
So firstly we had Rosehips.  These are an anit-oxidant, also know as a ‘blood tonic’ and are very good at helping the body cleanse itself of toxins, whilst supporting the kidneys, liver and circulatory systems.  They are also important nutritionally or healthy hooves, bones, skin and coat.
They contain a very rich source of vitamins A, C and K, and thiamine, riboflavins and niacin, natural Iron and biotin.  These help to support the immune system and are good for horses recovering from injury or illness.


 
Then we had Nettles. These are rich in nitrogen, calcium, silica, iron, phosphates and vitamins B, C and K.   They are usually used as a diuretic and blood cleanser, ridding the body of uric acid.  It is for this reason that they help reduce painful inflammation (seen in osteo-arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis in humans).



Next I used Burdock.   This can be used for a variety of compliants including digestive disorders, itchy skin conditions, respiratory conditions, coughs, constipation, ringworm.  It has antiseptic and siuretic properties and is a very effective blood cleanser and helps reduce swellings and excess fluid.




I then added Mint.   Mint has a lot of uses and is an aid to the digestive system.  It helps flatulence, diarrhea and colic. perspiration and can help respiratory conditions.  It is a anti inflammatory, calmative,  stimulant, tonic, antiseptic.  It can be used as an appetizer to encourage fussy eaters.


I blended them all separately and mixed them together before test driving it on my horses.  All four of the ones I tried it on cleaned up their bowls including Millie who thinks I am trying to poison her since she started on her cushings medicine!!!!


I have a couple of other herbs that I feed but that will be coming shortly in my next blog…….I hope this has been helpful and please watch this space……………..

Horse Search on....can you help us???

OK .... as much help needed as possible to find this lovely lady a new horse / friend. 

This is a general description of what she is looking for but we are open to other possibilities too.

 

The type of horse/pony I need would be :-

 

SIZE - 14:2 to 15:2

TYPE - Connemara/Connemara cross - Welsh Cob/ Welsh cross - Irish Draught cross - New Forest cross (however, I don't want to restrict your search, but it is the characteristics  and build of these breed that I favour most))

AGE - 9 upwards

PRICE  - up to £3000.

 

The horse needs to be 100% in traffic - especially with large agricultural vehicles. No vices.  Good temperament, good to handle, shoe, clip, catch (out in company or alone) and will travel.  Hacks out alone or in company.  A good all rounder/Riding Club type who has a snaffle mouth, good paces is well schooled with good manners (in and out of the stable and the field). In a nutshell, I need a horse that is forward-going, fun, yet sensible, a genuine horse that (essentially) will look after me! It would be nice if it could jump, it would also be nice if it was attractive to look at, although I am a firm believer in the old addage, 'handsome is as handsome does!  I am not fussed about gender or colour. 

 

I need a horse that is reliable, one that I can quite literally get on and ride away, I don't want to be wasting my precious riding years 'ironing out problems'.  I also need a horse that I will be able to 'sell on'  relatively easily when the time comes.

 

I have been riding since a child, and have owned numerous horses and ponies over many years.  In my time I have been a keen member of the Pony/Riding Club, attended Pony Club Camps/ hunted, ghumkhanas/showing, etc.  Have both Pony Club and Riding Club tests to my credit (lower grades!). I am not, now, competitive as I have reached the age where Riding Club activities, hacking-out and flat (school )work is all I want to do. I do still have my riding confidence.

 

In return, the horse will be kept at (DIY)  livery,  3/4 miles from my home, it will be well looked after (by me), have everything it needs, including time, it will be much loved! 

 

I would think that the areas of search would be Cumbria/Lancashire/Cheshire/Northumbria/Yorkshire

 

I am 65 years of age, retired, but fit and healthy, apart from back problems (due to 'wear and tear'). However, my back problems are not a problem when riding, just when hulking great bundles of feed and hay around, hence my decision to use a livery service.  Although, as I said, I am presently fit and healthy, obviously at my age, you have to be realistic, you never know what's 'round the corner'.  I should mention that I was diagnosed with 'significant Osteoporosis'  three years ago, so this needs to  be factored into the choice of horse.  I will just add, that I am not in the habit of falling off.

Today's blog is dedicated to Alex.......

Well Alex.....Millie is showing you what you are coming home to!!!

All this mud just for you!!  She looked very proud of herself indeed tonight when I brought her in.  I nearly turned her out with out a rug this morning as it was quite mild....imagine that!
Peter is out walking Charlie at the moment as Chris is not coming tonight. 
I haven't done much with the ponies this week.....jumped Tilly on Sunday at Myerscough and survived to tell the tale and then hacked her again on Tuesday early n the morning.  Good job we hacked on Saturday or I think we may have doing humpy bumpy at Myerscough as it was all a bit exciting to begin with! 
Haven't ridden the dressage pony this week although I am intending to get up early in the morning and if the weather is ok take her for a hack before I go teaching.
Had a monster of a day on Thursday with teaching and massaging!  Had to get a ready meal from M&S on the way home, have a bath and collapse in bed...your dad went to pick a guitar up from Skipton so he wasn't even here to pour my wine either!!!!!

I have volunteered our services for Ros's show at Barton in April.  I have said we will do anything at all. :). If anyone would like a schedule please follow the above link. 

I made my homemade supplement this week out of all that stuff in the side room.....nettles, rosehips, burdock, hops and mint...maybe supplements 4 horses should have it's own supplement range!!!  I tried it out on them all tonight and they have all cleaned their plates including Millie so it must have been good!

Not sure if I'll see you tomorrow so hope you have a good week and Millie is looking forward to a good brush and another raz in the school!!!!!

Tilly jumps in public!!!

Today saw Tilly's first public outing for over a year and a half.  She was very cool about it all just like an old pro until we got into the collecting arena....luckily there were only three of us to begin with so it gave me chance to have a good trot round and calm her down a little!  Everything was just a bit exciting but she pulled her head in and we had a lovely walk to canter (not asked for) but with no humping I though I'd take what as on offer and carried on!  She work nicely on the flat and I let the others know before jumping the cross pole for the first time...just in cast I got humped off....but she was a star!  We jumped the warm up fences a couple of times and then went into the main arena to do the clear round.  I had chosen Myerscough for our first jumping outing as the surface is lovely and the fences were small so if she took a flyer then she hopefully wouldn't put too much strain on her legs.  She bobbed round twice, a little speedy at times, but all things considered she was fantastic......It was soooo good to be jumping again.  So everything crossed that she stays sound and we can go xc schooling on the 29th. :))
A big well done to Sarah and Sharna, next to us in the above pic who also got a clear round, possibly quicker than Tilly!!

Another Frillie, a bucking Millie and Tilly jumps again!

Well all my plans for riding Mez went out of the window last week and the only time I managed to ride her was on Wednesday when we went for a family hack round the block.  I had intended to school her on Thursday and Friday but the weather was against us and time ran out.......This meant that the last time I rode her was the dressage two weeks ago!!!
Saturday morning arrived and I had hosed her off and cleaned her up on Friday evening so we were nice and clean...or so I thought!!  However as Peter was setting off for work he popped back in to say that 'dressage pony' was in the field!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  She was covered in mud....the tap was frozen so I couldn't hose her off...and there was no way I was turning up at British Dressage with legs covered in mud. I dragged her back in and she promptly fell asleep as she had obviously had a hard night!!!  She had trashed all the breakfast haynets, pooped everywhere and had a jolly old time....I bet Tilly was going mad!!! So I rang Peter and had a bit of a paddy, did my mucking out and by 9am the tap at the top of the garden had defrosted so I had to move the hosepipe and tie her to a plank of wood and hose her in the garden......Very non BHS!!!!
We trundled down the hill to Myerscough and our first test was P19 which was good.  Bless her she cantered two strides early on the right rein as I must have sat ready to ask her and she nearly jogged in the medium walk when I gave her a boot to wake her up!  But we managed to scrape 65% and a third place.  We then did the N39 which I have never done before and had not even practised....I can't remember the last time we did 10m circles and the like!!!!  So a quick run through some movements in the working in and a little chat about our canter/ trot/ canter transitions and they called our names!   It did ride a lot better than I thought and she went well all things considered and we got a respectful 65.86% so gained 3 more dressage points.



After returning home on Saturday, Alex and I had a late lunch and then rode Tilly and Millie.  We popped round to the school so that Alex could have a canter and remember what it was all about!  I had not ridden Tilly for a week and she was on one but Millie topped the day with a lovely flat out bucking session down the school with Alex....I just kept shouting 'sit up, sit up' and Millie headed for the gate which is where Tilly was.  Fantastic riding by Alex I do have to say!!!! 
On Sunday we took Tilly upto Helens and did some jumping in her school, we put a course of three small jumps up and apart from a little breakage (one pole) Tilly was a star.  She took a flyer at a couple but then I asked her to wait for me and as you can see in the video above she obliged!  There is some clear round jumping at Myerscough on Sunday that we may go to....need to check with Peter first and then we are hopefully heading to Somerford on 29th for some xc schooling....fingers crossed she can cope with the increase in her work.  It is so exciting!!!

Best made plans....warming up and surprise dinners!!

So the ice stopped play today!  Peter was telling me off last night for being organised, although I am a little OCD when it comes to it, but I needn't have bothered as all my plans went out of the window this morning!!!
I got up as normal at 6.30am and mucked our six out before heading off down the hill, toast in transit, to my first job of the day......got through Nateby and then the freezing rain began and it was freezing in drops on the windscreen as I drove.  I turned onto the single track road that has dykes on both sides and had a little slide in the car so continued at 10mph until I got to the yard.  I then had to grit the yard to get the horses to the field before mucking out and sorting everything out.
I headed off round the corner to job number two but the car skidded twice as I parked up and I was virtually unable to stand up as the road was sheer ice!  I dropped some Formula 4 Feet off and had a quick cup of tea before making my way home.  I have to admit I was a bit nervous and went REALLY slowly but the car was sliding all over the place and I just wanted to cry and let Peter save me!  However I pulled myself together and stopped being a girl but just as I got to the end of the first road and thought the worst was over with I came across a coach in the dyke!!  The road was closed so I couldn't get home and there was another coach and five cars in the dyke further up too!!  The police and the ambulance were already there so I decided to leave the car and walk, with the boyz, to the other side of the crash and hopefully then get Peter to pick me up.  Either that or sit in the car for hours freezing my t***s off!!!  NO thankyou. 
Walking up the road....was easier said than done.....and a few times I nearly ended up on my bum but eventually we made it past the scene of the accident to the other side where there was another road block.  As luck would have it one of my old liveries was there in the car being turned round by the police so she very kindly gave me a lift the rest of the way to Peter's garage.  The boyz then had a right old treat much to Peter's horror as they had to get in his car so he could bring me home!!!!  The first and last time I would think!!!!!!!!!
So we have been to pick my car up this afternoon and snook past the road closed signs only to get stuck while Fylde Motor Company dragged both coaches out of the dykes but eventually I got home and sorted!!!  Blimey......all those good plans just gone to waste!

So tomorrow I am going to have to try and get done what I should have done today around the jobs I already have planned.......what are the chances of Mez being ridden.....it's dressage on Saturday.......uuummmm well I did hack her on Wednesday.....
Anyway the boyz had a good walk and they are now thawing out infront of the fire............and I am going to make Peter a 'homemade surprise' for tea!!!  That is not a euphemism!!!!!

Massage, fog, no jumping and wine :)))

Today has been a very busy day that started with mucking out at 6.30am followed by a morning down in foggy Pilling with the two gorgeous and cheeky ponies above!  I then dashed home to clean myself up and go to Ribby Hall Equestrian Centre to massage three horses.  Ribby Hall was taken over in November and the new owners have been busy buying some lovely new horses and improving the yard.  Please take a look at their webpage for further details of the lessons, hacks and competitions that they offer.

I then came home through the thick dark fog which magically disappeared when I came into Dolphinholme.  I bedded down and brought the ponies in before taking the boyz up the track for a walk which is where I took theses pictures.

You can see the fog in the valley and it was like we were on top of the world....what a lovely evening.
On the down side today Norman from Osbaldeston rang to say that Richard Barton is not teaching there tomorrow so no jumping for me and Tilly :(((  Although he has probably saved my life as I have not ridden her since we went to the beach!!!!!
So off to light the fire and get a nice glass of wine. :))

www.supplements4horses.co.uk 3 days left to use the discount code FB0212

A Spectacular Performance from Barry........

Well here it is a picture to shock the nation.................Kirkby is having his feet done by Barry and neither of them are under sedation!!!!  The last time he had his feet done was in June before we moved and we had him heavily sedated thanks to Joe (our lovely vet) who sent me a paste to give him.  It was fantastic and really made him stoned!  We also used it on him when we moved house and had to travel him.  His feet actually did not need doing really but as Barry was here and had already done Maisey he thought he'd be brave and give it a go.  Peter held him and I got his little garlic lick....we find that being a man he finds it hard to multi task so if I need to do anything untoward to him then Peter force feeds him his garlic lick and he can't then think about what I am upto!!!!  I was so proud of him and also of Barry!!!!!!!!!!
This week we have taken Tilly to the beach again,

This time I schooled her for 15 minutes first in trot and canter and she was very good...no humping when I asked for canter (and I hadn't ridden her for two days) and then I set off in right canter down the beach with Stan for company.  We did about three minutes of canter, not full speed but just at her relaxed speed before stopping for a breather.  We then picked up right canter again and I set off away from home and did a big loop to head for home.  This is where I let her go and blimey I had forgotten how fast it was!!!  Stan's poor little legs were a blur as he tried to keep up with us.....we spotted Peter and Jack on the horizon and headed for them.  She was fab and really enjoyed herself and I was not half as worn out as last time when I kept hold of her.  We cantered about 4- 5 minutes back up the beach until we got to Peter and she knows to come back to trot then.  This is the first time I have let her go since she has been back in work so fingers crossed she stands up to it.......all ok so far though!  I do have to say that my back suffered for a couple of days after .... all down the right side.....next time I will get her to swap legs half way!!!
We are waiting to see if Richard Barton is coming to Osbaldeston next week so we can go and have a lesson and pop some small jumps.....I am so excited...if she is ok with this then we plan to have a little jaunt to Somerford park in the next few weeks......

www.supplements4horses.co.uk has an offer on this week.....using the code FB0212 you will receive 5% per order but this offer is only running until the 8th February so don't delay got on it today!!!

We beat the odds.....and got two frillies!!!!!

Well the dressage came round a little too soon really and as Saturday approached I thought maybe I had better ride my little brown pony before we went!!  So I popped round to the school on Friday morning and let her have a buck and a fart on the lunge before sitting on her for ten minutes and just doing some transitions and a little canter and trot.  We then pottered home.  On our way home I met a lorry and Mez tried to tell me that she was scared....I thought maybe meeting all that traffic on our 'nightmare hack', which had been the last time I rode her, had frightened her more than I thought!  Anyway I told her to pull herself together and she decided it was ok after all!!   Just being a diva!!!!
So Friday night I plaited up and sewed them in as I needed to set off at 9am and had the others to sort out first and also had a friend and too many bottles of wine over for tea!!!
Saturday dawned and off we set to Myerscough....eventually.....as the horsebox was froze up and we couldn't get in it!!!!  So out came the kettle and we defrosted the ramp and the grooms door....not a brill start but off we trundled down the hill.   I did worry that she might be frozen in again when we got there but it was ok.
The P15 was first and we went off to warm up.  She felt like a dressage horse.....I know this sounds odd but if you imagine those lovely powerful horses....well she felt like that...all boingy underneath me.....not quite sure where that came from but it was very good!!!!!  I was pleased with the test and there was not much that we could have done much better given that the last schooling she had was the last dressage competition!!!!  Next came the Novice and as I turned right off the centre line she felt really tired....I really had to use my legs but she soon perked up again thank goodness.  It was a long test with two lots of canter and my medium trot was not brill (lack of practice...) but she felt as good as I could expect!  My halt was a little dodgy and this is one the areas I need to work on.  So we bobbed her away and went to find the scores.......my little brown pony had pulled it out of the bag with a 2nd in the prelim and 69.13% beaten by one mark and 6th in the Novice with 64.23%.  So the 3rd highest score we have had in the prelim and 3 points in the Novice and prize money of £10 to put towards her haylage!!!  Needless to say I haven't ridden her since!!!!  The next dressage is next Saturday so I will try to ride her before Friday this week!!!!