Blog

Eventing star Mary King’s tribute to her Mum, Gillian Thomson, will have pulled at the heartstrings of every horse owner. Mrs Thomson, who died early in January, wasn’t just the epitome of a not-particularly-horsey parent who encouraged her daughter to chase her dreams. She was a shining light, and ...

Customer: My horse won’t lose weight, even though I have put him on a diet.

The vet has said it’s going to be bad for his health if he doesn’t lose a bit soon - please help!

What do you do about an overweight horse?  

 

Olivia: I’m sure that we can help you. Can you tell me a bit ab...

As a New Year ball/excuse for a really good party proved, many horsey people can turn themselves out as well as they turn out their horses. I’m used to seeing many of the guests with slicked-back hair and riding hats, and must admit that at first glance, I didn’t recognise a couple of people I know quite well.

We are now in the depth of winter, and lush summer paddocks have long disappeared. Instead, many horses are stabled for numerous hours of the day, and turned out on sparse winter paddocks. Your horse’s feeding regime may need to be altered to keep them healthy through these winter conditions, so here are four of the most basic, but also the most important things to consider.

The terrible fire in a multi-storey car part next to Liverpool International Horse Show’s venue has made international headlines. But for most of us, the most important part of the story is not the fire itself, but the fact that all the horses there were evacuated safely. It could have been so different, and proves that in times of crisis, horse people find courage.

Do you make New Year resolutions? Or does the very thought just make you feel guilty before you start? Let’s be realistic – most of us aren’t going to suddenly improve our dressage scores by 50% or find that we perform much better over 1.20m courses than we do over 80cm ones. If you do, please share the secret below. Immediately.

Over the colder months, looking after your horse’s hooves is particularly important, as they have to deal with a lot of adverse conditions - standing for longer in stables, hard frozen ground, and wet, muddy fields. These can all be detrimental to hoof health, leading to shoe loss, cracks, and other...

It’s said that a horse is worth whatever someone is prepared to pay. In the case of Marsha, the four-year-old Thoroughbred who last week became the highest price horse ever sold at auction in Europe, that was 6 million guineas. Say it slowly. That’s £6.3 million, nearly ten times more than the mare ...

In the winter, adverse weather conditions often mean that horses have to live in more, often stabled for the majority or even all of the day. A major challenge for horses that are stabled is to keep their respiratory system healthy.

 

 

Horses that spend a lot of time inside have greate...

There are times when we all need advice, and most people in the horse world are generous about giving it. Unfortunately, that sometimes causes more problems than it solves. The old carrots controversy is back in circulation, with some people worried that if they feed more than two carrots per feed, ...

What does your horse want for Christmas? No, I haven’t made a quick start on the sloe gin, it’s a serious question. As the shopping countdown starts, those in the know suggest that glitter quarter marker kits – including one that looks as if a Christmas fairy has landed on your horse’s backside – an...

When dressage and showing classes for ridden heavy horses were introduced, social media was awash with disparaging comments. One of the kindest labelled them as “gimmicks” – and one of the cruellest referred to “elephants in tutus”.

Critics have egg on their faces, as the classes are hugely popul...