Well It's definitely been a while since I've written a proper blog post here, It feels weird typing like this again actually.

Strip Grazing is something I've always done with the horses as soon as I've had the opportunity to. When I first moved on the livery I'm at Legacy was in the fields with other horses, at this point we didn't have Cloudy so he wasn't there yet to go in with her. It was winter when we first arrived so she was hay throughout. During the winter her field buddy became lame and had to come in on box rest for a good amount of time. Therefore she gained a new friend as a field buddy.

They then stayed together throughout the summer, but as the grass was eaten I gained a problem that I feel most finer type horse owners would feel my pain with as the other horse became fat. Meaning all I could do was give Legacy hard feed, and no hay as the other horse was on a 'no extra feed/hay diet'. Unfortunately due to the lack of Grazing Legacy ended up getting worms. Thankfully she recovered well from this.

Before the diagnosis of her having worms she rapidly lost a lot of weight and went down to a bag of bones. I was actually scared to weigh her at her worst so I don't know how bad she went. To try and gain some some on her we tried bringing her into the stable for hay but she was stressing herself out more than it was helping. After this we tried her in the round pen as it was near some horses in the field. She settled in here and she would go in there from about 8/am until 2/pm just eating grass and hay. 

After a good worm and a visit of the vet to confirm it was worms for the weight loss, we kept her in the round pen and changed her hard feed to Baileys no. 4. That food is amazing and if anyone ever asks what I recommend for weight gain, I always say feed that and at the recommended amounts.

Not long after this my mum got Cloudy and he went down Into another field with some other geldings, until he was needed as a field buddy for Legacy. Since these two have been together we decided that we would strip graze to try and maintain an amount of grass for them for as long as possible throughout the summer and autumn. 

We try to keep the two horses out for as long as possible weather and grass providing. 

The way we done it the last couple of years is we've had them on the last section of grass by the end of August. When moving the fence we try to alternate between giving them more grass and some hay. This way we can get the grass to last us longer.

When we give them the last section, we let them eat it down for a week or so then cut it off again for it to rest and grow back until it stops and then they get it all again. It's typically not long after this that they come into the stables over night for winter. When this happens they move field. 

To try and keep them supplied with grass but also give the bits they've just eaten a rest and little time to grow back, we swap the fence in a diagonal line. When we move one size of the fence in to give them more grass we move the other side out to cover tee eaten grass. This seems to have worked for us in the past. This year its not ideal as we're not currently having any rain to get the grass growing again. 

Below I've added some links to some electric fencing starter kits like the one I bought. The Exact one I did get is the Hotline starter kit which I found great and very easy to set up considering I'd used any electric fencing before. The only problem I found was that there wasn't enough fence posts so I had to buy another set.
Both of these kits come with tape for the fencing, due to the amount of wind in my area the tape lasted a season, after this I changed to wire as it's more durable with the wind. The only problem I found with wire though is that as Cloudy jumps over the fence it does start to fray with use and moving the fence.

    

Horslyx Respiratory Lick Review

This review is a Cloudy based one. The reason I chose the respiratory lick is because Cloudy has been known to suffer with choke and will cough throughout the winter when in the stable depending on how dusty it is. So the reason behind choosing this is because it's designed to provide a unique approach to supporting the respiratory system. The ingredients such as menthol, eucalyptus and aniseed supports the airways and helps keep them clear of mucus which helps the horse breathe more easily. The minerals such as Vitamins C & E, selenium, chelated copper and zinc in the balancer package help maintain immunity which then helps support and aid a healthy lung function. 

The high oil content helps for healthy skin and coat while the Biotin, zinc and methionine helps with healthy hooves. 
The 2 main reasons to why I chose this one for Cloudy are:

• If your horse is prone to coughing or any respiratory compromise, Respiratory Horslyx Balancer can support the body’s natural defense mechanism.
• For horses that are stabled for long periods of time, Respiratory Horslyx Balancer can help maintain healthy breathing and lessen the chance of ill-health affecting performance levels.

After the first night of giving Cloudy the lick this is how I found his stable the next morning. Safe to say he'd had some fun fighting with the lick to get it out. Please excuse the mass amount of poo in this picture, this was on a bad night haha. After retrieving and trying to clean the lick the best I could, I paired up the licked with it's container again for him. The next night he'd managed to get it out of the pot again and hide it in a pile of hay, thankfully the third night he had it, it stayed in the pot. 
After all the fighting with it to get at it I'm sure he loved the lick. I was also told that he had brown patches on his nose from where he was getting in there to get at the lick.  

Now although Cloudy loves these licks, Legacy isn't that keen on them. I bought her one after the Nettex one's she used to have stopped being sold in my place of work so I thought I'd try her out with the original one. She has licks in her stable to try keep her occupied while she's in there for a long period of time. This is mainly because she gets stressy and starts to box walk and crib bites. When I first put down the Original tub she went over for a little smell, but wasn't majorly bothered with it. I thought she'd take a few days to try it out, but it ended up just staying in her stable gathering dust. In the end I had to throw it as it had gone to bad to give to Cloudy.  

These licks are great if you have a horse that's not needing any food and is on a good forage diet. These can supply all the vitamins & minerals needed for a balanced diet for them. They are weather-proof which is great for being used in the field as well as the stable. 
They come in 3 different sizes
- 650g which lasts 3-4 days
- 5Kg which lasts 20-25 days
& 15Kg which lasts 60-75 days 
The length of time they last depends on the size of your horse and how much they use it for. 
They also come in 4 different flavours Original, Respiratory, Garlic & Mint.

The average prices for them are:
 650g one is £3.50 - £4.50
5kg one is £14.00 - £16.00
& 15kg one is £28.99 - £34.00

The original is the cheapest one and then the flavoured or specialised ones are more expensive. 
You can also get a stable holder for the 5kg tub, and a ground holder for the 15kg tub.

Here are 2 sites I've found which sell a range of the Horslyx.
Naylors Equestrian & Countrywide Farmers

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Summer Rug Wishlist

Although Legacy has many rugs there are also a few I'd like to add into her summer wardrobe. So here's my summer rug wishlist.

First up is the Shires Performance Maxi Flow Waterproof Fly Rug

This rug has: 

- A 600D Shiretex waterproof top section

- A breathable top section

- Tough top section to help against any nicks which fly rugs are prone to.

- Lower section made from maxi-flow mesh

- A Neck cover which has the velcro closure

- & an adjustable belly flap for maximum coverage.

• Now Legacy isn't one to majorly summer with the general horse flys but the bot flys just love to chase her around the field. I feel I spend most of my time trying to skill them when I'm with her. I feel this rug would be great as it would help her with the summer sun against her skin, as she goes very dark in the summer she can struggle with the heat throughout the summer. This is great as the British summer weather is so unpredictable you wouldn't know if your going to need a fly rug one day and a light weight from the rain the next, so this doubles up as both and you won't spend most or your time wondering if you need to change the rug or not.  

Next on my list is the Weatherbeeta Kool Coat Combo

This rug has:

- A durable 230 Poly-cotton outer which allows the air to circulate around and keep the horse cool

- It's ideal to keep the sun from bleaching the coat of dark horses

- It keeps the horse clean and cool on the hot and sunny days, it's ideal for horses which absorb the heat

This one rug I know I won't get much use out of but it's also one I think would be vital to have in Legacy's summer wardrobe due to her coat getting darker in the summer. At times she even looks black. Although she does live by the sea and she is lucky to have a breeze to cool her down sometimes from the sea, she does get quite hot throughout the summer when the sun's out. I've chosen the combo neck over the standard with this as I feel she'd need her neck covered as she gets very hot there throughout the summer. I bet this rug wouldn't stay as white as it arrives long though as Legacy would typically go for a roll soon as she's let loose back in the field.

Finally on my list I would be happy with any of these 2, first up is the Shires Tempest 100g standard neck rug. 

 This rug has: 
- 100G quilted filling
-  600D ripstop

- Breathable ShireTex Outer

- Tapered Seams

- Blanket Set Breast Fastenings

- Adjustable Cross Surcingles & Fillet String

& A Tail Flap.

Now Legacy already has a 100g standard neck rug but I would like to have a new one and add it onto my wishlist as the one she already has doesn't fit her as well as this cut of rug does. 
This rug is ideal for the chiller spring/summer/autumn night's where a no fill offers no warmth and doesn't do the job. It has just enough fill to keep Legacy warm throughout those nights. 

The other rug which I would also be happy having under this category would be the Weatherbeeta Comfitec Plus Dynamic Standard Neck 

This rug has:

- 1200D ripstop Outer
- 100g Polyfill
- A Memory foam wither pad to fit to the horses shape and lift the rug off the withers to prevent rubbing.
- 2 Eazi-clips for fast and easy closing
- Large tail flap
- Reflective strips on tail flap and front flaps
- Leg straps
- Side gusset for easy movement. 

There isn't much difference between the 2 of these rugs in terms of what they are used for, okay they have different features and there is one more tougher than the other but I'm very lucky with Legacy and she does look after her rugs and I've never had to throw away a rug due to her wrecking it in the field. She's only had a few nicks here and there. The 2 horses have the medium detach a neck version of this same rug as a spare between the 2 of them, and it's a great fit for them both, lovely high neck for those who struggle to get that in rugs. It leaves them with plenty of room and freedom to run around and the memory foam wither pad is great on Cloudy who is always loosing a bit of this mane to rugs.

Find this rug on EquineSuperstore and get a free miracle brush, currently £66.99 reduced from £79.99, you also get free delivery on orders over £45.

  

My Aim by the End of Summer

Now that I'm back having lessons on Legacy every other week I think it's time that I give myself some goals to complete by the end of the summer.

The first big thing I'd like to do at the end of summer or possibly half way through and then again at the end to see if there's any improvement would be online dressage. I've seen that there's a few websites that offer this with a range of classes. I would love to enter Legacy into some of the ex racehorse classes I've seen. The classes that I would choose would only probably include walk and trot as we've still got quite a bit to work on with canter, but you never know there's still quite a bit of time until the end of summer. 

One of the best things about this is that I will be able to still compete with Legacy while not having to leave the yard. I find this is one of the hardest things for me to do at the moment, as Legacy won't travel on her own and Cloudy won't travel unless he's in a 7.5 ton horsebox and it's hard to find one of them around here to hire. Although my main aim with Legacy isn't to be out competing it would be nice to be able to do something small on her every once in awhile. 

Another aim I have to do by the end of the summer is to be back riding Cloudy, this is also another big one for me as I hate knowing that a fall has got the better of me with losing my confidence with him. I'm really hoping that with getting my confidence a lot better while on Legacy I will be able to transfer it over onto him and he won't feel any tension from me. I'm hoping that when I get back on him it will be like the fall never happened, okay I will be wary with him but I'm hoping that if he starts to play up with me that I will be able to sort him out and then he'll know that he'll get told off and made to work harder when he starts to play up and won't get away with it any more. Who know's I might start doing online dressage competitions on him too. 

I'm only setting myself 2 goals to achieve by the end of the summer because they are both pretty big ones. All my efforts will be put into achieving these and once these are done I will be able to set myself some more. 

Feeding for time of year & Behavior

This time of year can be tricky when it comes to feeding, as your horses will either be coming out of winter well or needing to be fed up. In recent years and this one for sure there isn't grass always readily available to put these horses onto to gain the needed weight, so that's where people start or continue feeding conditioning feed. That can be fine depending on the horses temperament, how much they are worked, if they are on any grass and how much condition they need.

The fresh spring grass that is coming through is full of sugar, there is less sugar in the grass at night but it's still there (tip if you have a laminitic prone horse that has to come in for some time, put them out at night). If you have a horse that can be easily fizzed up through sugar & starch you will be best putting them on a low starch feed. This can be a fibre based feed with mainly chaff, fibre cubes, or a complete fibre feed. Complete fibre feeds are good as they are typically aimed at laminitic horses meaning they will have low or hardly any sugar, but there are also condition fibre feeds out there such as Dengie Healthy tummy or Spillers conditioning fibre. These 2 I've heard have great results on ex racehorses & the Healthy tummy on ulcer prone horses. I've used both of these for Legacy but as a 'chaff' rather than a complete feed as with the size of her she would be going through the bags too fast.
Cubes are also lower in starch than mixes although they are created with the same high ingredients as the mixes. Cubes also cost less to make which means they cost less to buy off the shelf which is always a handy added bonus. When a feed has high starch the blood sugar levels are always changing which can cause the horse to become fizzy at times but when they are on a high fibre low starch feed the blood sugar levels are maintained, meaning you will have a happy horse.

Some horses can be really sensitive when it comes to feeding sugars & starch while others can have it all and still be laid back (these are rare to come across). 

Here are some ingredients in feeds which your horse may be/or react to:

- Molasses (Pure sugar)

- Barley

- Oats

- Beet (through either Sugar Beet or Speedi Beet) 

Allen & Pages Calm & Condition is good as it's molasses & Barley free but some horses can react to the barley replacer that they use. This is something to keep in mind if you ever use this product. If you are feeding a few of the above list and have a fizzy horse my best suggestion is to try and cut some of them out so you can pin point which one is causing any trouble for you.

Not all horses express their excess energy through being fizzy they can become bargy and boulchy to handle. This is where it's important to sort out their feed as they can learn this behavior if not corrected and if left before changing feed they may carry on like this after the feed has been changed. 

I had a scenario with Legacy the first winter I had her, she was in need of a little extra fat on her so she was on a good amount of conditioning mix and she was behaving as normal as she had since I'd had her and she'd been living out August- December. I then moved yards and be became stabled and had ad lib hay in the field & 2 haynets in the stable at night to get her filled up, along with her usual amount of feed but now in 2 meals instead of one ( can anyone see where this is going? haha) anyway the weight started to come on her and when I was riding her in the school she would like to blot off, and at this point she had not been re-mouthed and hated turned corners in any speed above walk. I just through she needed more schooling and it was the racer part of her that wanted to go in an open space in a straight line, I mean she would go from bolting off in a fast canter to dead stop in seconds she hated the corners so much. In the end it got to the day before new years eve last year and she took off, I tried to stop her and she was having none of it, she was up vertically in the air then down to buck and I think this repeated about 3 times before I flew off in the rear. This was my first fall off her and my first fall ever so atleast it was an eventful one. I had to go to A&E with a bad headache as I could still feel the rim of my hat on my head hours later, and I was completely fine and didn't even end up with a bruise. But I learnt the hard way about feeding too much starch  and feeding mixes to a sensitive horse. She's completely fine with sugars but I have to watch the starch. 

Have you had any experiences like this? Did you find this blog post handy? If you'd like more like this let me know.

Chart taken from the Allen & Page website. 

Horseware Ireland Turnout Guide App

It's now got to that time of year where the horses that are kept in for the winter have been turned out, and the worrying that your horse has the right rug on or if you should take the rug off has started, well it definitely has for me.
Last month I found the Horseware Ireland Turnout Guide App it's available for Android and Apple products.

This app is great because you can add in a picture of your horse, then add in their name, choose your location on the map, say the age of your horse, the breed of your horse, say how good they are with condition out of 3 options, if they are clipped or not and if it's a pony. 

After entering all of this your horse will be added, you can add more than one in. 

You then click on you horse and it tells you the weather for your area for the next 5 days and nights. The weather for it isn't 100% correct as its currently about 13C outside and full of sunshine but Legacy still has a lightweight on as there is a chilly wind where she is and she now has her full summer coat and after checking her over she wasn't warm enough for my liking without a coat. As I said this app might not be 100% correct but it gives you a good idea for what to put on your horse when you have no clue what the weather is going to do.

Some more great things about this app is that after you've uploaded a picture of your horse you can try different Rhino, Amigo & Rambo rugs on the picture to see how they fit. You can also tap on the rugs and see the different weights available in certain styles and the app will show you where you can buy them from.

Do you use this app? What do you think about it?

I thought this app was great and it needed to be shared.

 iTunes Link - Android Link - App Website