Blog

The current heat wave is a godsend for most of us, but for your horses, excessively warm weather can be detrimental, leading to dehydration and even heat stroke if not managed well. By following a few simple rules while the weather is hot, you can significantly reduce the risk of your horse suffe...

Schooling your horse is only the start, writes CAROLYN HENDERSON. Unless you have an endless supply of horsey helpers, you must also train your nearest and dearest. That way, you get the help you need, avoid arguments about the time and/or money you devote to your horse and keep everyone happy. I...

Traditionally, it’s bad luck to change a horse’s name. If you really can’t stand it, you can always give him a stable name.

Turnout time also provides numerous nutritional and health benefits, as Nutritionist, Olivia Colton MSc from Feedmark explains; “a constant supply of forage, such as turnout on a grassy paddock, is more suited to their digestive systems, being trickle feeders.

If you have a nice mare, it’s tempting to imagine what her offspring would be like even if imagination is as far as it can go

When non-horsey people see pictures of the Queen out riding, or Prince Philip driving his team of ponies, they have one of three reactions, writes CAROLYN HENDERSON.

• How do they manage it? After all, Her Majesty is 91 and HRH is 96 in June.
• Surely it’s too dangerous at their age – shouldn’t ...

There are two things that riders should think twice about saying, writes CAROLYN HENDERSON.

One is “My horse is being naughty” and the other is “My horse always goes like that.” You may disagree, and you may phrase the first observation in stronger terms. But before you’re tempted to think that y...

How much is a horse worth? Yes, this is a trick question – and there are several answers, writes CAROLYN HENDERSON.

The nicest is the one you hear from an owner whose horse is part of the family and regarded as priceless. These owners tend to be women, and they often have a T-shirt that proclaims...

Buying a horse for yourself is difficult enough, writes CAROLYN HENDERSON. But when a friend asks you to help them find the ideal partner for their child, the challenge level shoots off the scale.

After negotiations between mother and 12-year-old daughter, we struck a compromise. It was a bit lik...

Even those who don’t know one end of a horse from another have probably heard that showjumping stars Nick Skelton and Big Star are retiring, writes CAROLYN HENDERSON.

The announcement flooded across websites and social media and made mainstream TV. That’s important, just as it was when our dressa...

There was plenty to set racing fans’ hearts fluttering at the 2017 Cheltenham Festival, writes CAROLYN HENDERSON. But for me, the most emotional moment wasn’t seeing Sizing John power home to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Instead, it was the sight of eight wonderful ex-racehorses being paraded by the...

Riders who choose not to compete are often looked on as inferior to those who do, writes CAROLYN HENDERSON. Even worse, they often look on themselves as second class citizens of the horse world.

We’ve all heard it: “I’m just a happy hacker.” Maybe you even say it, with the accepted tone of self-d...