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Latest News February 21, 2017 Vet Visit Shaun had his annual flu jab yesterday and also a teeth check. He has a flu jab so that he can go and compete at British Dressage, although many other competition venues do expect people to comply with horses having an annual booster. It also means I can take him to clinics safe in the knowledge that he is less likely to pick up something that could be very delibiliating at best and fatal at worst, let alone the expense of nursing a sick horse. His teeth were checked 6 months ago but he still had some sharp bits that would make eating uncomfortable and also potentially cause problems with the bit. I have spent quite a bit of time getting him used to having his teeth and mouth handled. He will let you hold his tongue for a fair while and this means, when the gag is put on (to stop the vet being bitten), he does not panic. Horses that panic will often throw their heads around and it can be really dangerous. Most horses in this state will end up being sedated for the safety of all concerned. I prefer to prepare my horses as much as I can in advance in the knowledge that if they are really sick, they will at least try and stay on the same page as you, even if it is uncomfortable. There are lots of little isolations you can do with a horse to help prepare them for this type of eventuality, which I normally pepper into my teaching with clients.  Add new comment All fields are required. Name:* Email Address:* Comments* Please enter the phrase as it is shown in the box above.    No Comments February 19, 2017 A new arrival I ended up buying a horse this week. He was exactly what I was after and he's called Hugo. He's a very sweet natured 2 year old Connemara and I have set up a page of his own to document his progress, which can be found here . Add new comment All fields are required. Name:* Email Address:* Comments* Please enter the phrase as it is shown in the box above.    No Comments February 12, 2017 Taz:The Arrival The day Taz turned up was a couple of days after my old pony Pip had passed away. It was 15th May 2005. I recall him being led down the garden to the stables by his owner. His eyes were out on stalks and he didn't look anything like I remembered him! We popped him in his stable and I remember being asked if I had ever had anything this big. 'Er, no'. We agreed a two year loan on him with a view to me bringing him on and showing him over that timescale. I could see that his owners were clearly very fond of him and it must have been hard to let him go. However, I (naively) thought that bringing him on would be no problem as I had done it before and a tack room full of rosettes to show for it. How Taz would prove me wrong!! Add new comment All fields are required. Name:* Email Address:* Comments* Please enter the phrase as it is shown in the box above.    No Comments February 9, 2017 New dates for 2017 I have finally organised my diary for 2017. It's taken some sorting! I have planned two different options for you - either monthly workshops you can dip in and out of or a more detailed immersion course over 1-3 days. Check out the Events section of my website for more details as well as dates of other clinicians who I will be going to see this year. I hope to see you on one of my courses in the near future. Please do get in touch to find out more! Add new comment All fields are required. Name:* Email Address:* Comments* Please enter the phrase as it is shown in the box above.    No Comments February 4, 2017 Taz: The first meeting I had two ponies at the time that I first met Taz, although we had set a date to have one put to sleep, so we were looking for something to replace him. A mutual friend introduced us to his owner/ breeder. We went to see him. He was 6 years old and I remember him being really lazy in walk and trot. I also asked for some canter – he did about one circle and then bucked himself to a halt. Little did I know, that was a sign of things to come. We were also told that he lost his mother shortly after his birth, which must have been incredibly traumatic for him. However, there was something I liked about him and we agreed a two-year loan period. What did he teach me in this first meeting? Well, I didn’t know what I didn’t know… Add new comment All fields are required. Name:* Email Address:* Comments* Please enter the phrase as it is shown in the box above.    No Comments February 3, 2017 Sad News For those of you not on social media, this is just a quick message to say that I lost my horse Taz this week. He is really the reason that I do what I do so I will forever be grateful for the things he taught me. I am considering blogging about all the things I learned from him so watch this space. Thank you Taz for being such a wonderful horse xxx Add new comment All fields are required. Name:* Email Address:* Comments* Please enter the phrase as it is shown in the box above.    No Comments Archives October 2016 December 2016 January 2017 February 2017 March 2017 April 2017 May 2017 June 2017 July 2017 August 2017 October 2017 November 2017 December 2017 February 2018 March 2018 April 2018 June 2018 July 2018 August 2018 October 2018 November 2018 February 2019 July 2019