Thanks Coprice - so Useful

There's a lot to be said about supply and demand, the way it works and what it encourages people to do. Take, for instance, Rice Bran. Wonderful product that has a great use in the horse industry for a quiet means of putting condition onto even the most hyperactive of horses. So many people use it, and mostly it has been used as the last resort for getting weight onto a horse whose lucerne tolerance is through the floor. Difficult to find an alternative "safe" feed for these types of horses!
What has this got to do with supply and demand I hear you ask???

The makers of Rice bran in Australia (Coprice) decided not to let everyone know that they were out of stock, and had no ETA on the product untill no one had more than a pallet left in their sheds, and most stores/suppliers didn't even have that! Back orders waiting up to 6 weeks before the fax comes through to say....
"Oh sorry, we F'd up a little bit, and rather than tell you we'd just yank your chain for a couple of months."
To add insult to injury Coprice didn't even think to add a little amendum to mention what might be a good alternative while they try to source the rice bran elsewhere. Their products are rice based, and I assume they have a nutritionist on their staff who would know which product would at least be a starting point.

Sadly no. I am sure they are just worried about getting sued, sad world that it is.
Had people been forewarned, I'm sure there would have been a run on the product, leading to them being out of stock for an extended period of time. People would have also known to ration their product, and start to gradually change over to a new feed, instead of having the bomb dropped on them when they were out! These are HORSES, with shitty digestive systems, it takes time to change their diets!!!!
It's just my opinion, but it could have been managed a whole lot better.

PS: STILL no ETA on the Rice Bran, apparently it's going to have to be shipped in from overseas.

Your name is not a Tattoo on that stable.

Sometimes in boarding stables horses have to be moved around in the stable block. Whether this is for some new horses coming in, an old one leaving, or a pair that just aren't getting on it's all just part of stable life. The horses settle down very rapidly, as nothing much has changed in their routine. Unfortunately the same can't be said of the owners....
This is the bit I don't really get, why do owners go into conniptions anytime something changes? Where I kept my girl she was always the one who got shifted about, or turned out into the paddock for the night if we needed extra space, or one of the other yards was being mended. It never seemed to bother her, and it definately didn't bother me. So why do people go into melt-down about a minor move? Realistically it is at the owner of the boarding stable's discretion as to where any of the horse's go on their property, and they can shift them all around at a moments notice.

If you're one of these people who freak out at the change, I'd love to hear why.

Insanity..... Maybe there's going to be carnage

So after a LONG time in insano land, where I seem to live at the moment, I'm back again. Well I'm back if anyone noticed me gone.

It's been a pretty taxing winter here, and the horses have been put through the usual stress of their owners trying to work out what rugs to put on their particular horse, what's in fashion at the closest horselands, what their friend is putting on their horse. I could honestly pin them all to a wall and give them a lecture about it!

Not all horses are the same by any measures! Just because Jo bloggs from the next stable, who happens to be your buddy and thinks they're god with everything to do with horses ( that's my job isn't it...*smirk*), rugs her horse when it's clipped in 4 woollens and a big doona does not mean your horse needs it, well does any horse need that..... hello no sub zero tempurates here~!
When it comes to rugging it's all about the individual. One may be naturally hot, another one bitterly feels the cold, their access to shelter from rain and protection from the wind. Are they in a barn with lots of other horses, or a singular stable with only themselves? All these things have to be taken into account, but the biggest one is the individual.

*How to tell you're over-rugging your horse 101:
It's not rocket science. When your horse sweats, surprise, it's over rugged!
Kidding.
The first signs that a horse is over-rugged to the point of being uncomfortable rather than just pouring out sweat will be small. Excess water drinking, erratic behaviour whilst rugging and unusual stable habits - like staying out in the piss-pouring rain all night when they used to stay inside.
Out of these the erratic behaviour is my number one teller. It starts with ears back or removing themselves from the rug as you try to put it on, and finishes with kicking, biting and running away panic-striken. If left unchecked it will become a habit. If the symptom ( over-rugging) is treated quickly, then the behaviour reduces and tends to go away very rapidly.

Just remember a few things. Horses don't have the same ambient tempurature as we do, it's far below ours! Coat growth is not dominated by the temp, it's the LIGHT ( well the periods of darkness) that indicates the seasons, so rugging the crap out of your horse won't stop any coat growth, it might just keep it flat and bleach out the colour.

No one likes to rug an angry horse.

The Clip

We’ve got our clean horse, next is to prepare the clippers and the area we’re going to use. Having a broom handy is a must to remove the mountains of hair from underfoot as either you or your horse can slip.
Clippers are marvellous things, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to wield them, but it takes a little fore-thought and finesse to do a good job. The blades need to be sharp and put onto the clipper head very straight and with just enough tension in the screws to allow them to move freely from side to side without slipping. Too loose and they will slip diagonally or fly off during the clip – neither is a fun experience. Each type of clipper is different, and it’s a case of instruction, instructions, instructions.
Once the process has started make sure to check how hot your blades are getting. If you can’t touch them then chances are they are going to be hot to your horse as well. There are plenty of coolant sprays on the market, but by far the best thing I’ve used is kerosene. It’s available in a reduced smell variety and if you put it in a shallow dish you can run your blades in the kerosene which will both cool and clean them (make sure not to put them in too deep or it may damage the engine), follow up with a little clipper oil on the sides and top and you’re ready to continue.
There are plenty of little areas that can cause someone who is starting out on clipping a lot of problems. Flanks, elbows and the chest area are probably the worst among them. Just remember that skin is supple and should be able to be manoeuvred into a position to make, even if this means asking the horse to stand in a certain way, or to get someone to stretch out a leg, while using your hands to flatten any wrinkly bits out. If in doubt don’t clip to the skin, just go gently over the area, better there be too much hair than a little less skin and a lot more blood!
Heads can also be a big issue. The vibration of the clippers can be annoying to some horses, even frightening to other; they’re big, noisy and foreign. Try to use smaller clippers for horses who are worried, if they continue to be worried by these then maybe it’s time to twitch them, or possibly sedation may have to be used. There is a time when the use of a twitch is passed; once the horse has reached a point of fear there is not a lot that the twitch will do. It’s better to know your horse has a problem with getting a certain area clipped and be prepared so the job is easy and safe. I do believe it is a better experience for the horse to have a minimal amount of discomfort and have a happy endorphin rush as a response, than to be pulled and pushed around while someone swings around their head trying to clip them – safety for all involved should take priority. A quick and easy way to make a twitch is to grab an old snaffle bit and a bit of baling twine, make a hand sized loop out of the bailing twine and attach it to the ring of the snaffle. Once the baling twine twitch is on your horse then you can simply clip the other ring of the bit onto your halter using your lead ropes clip, this way it stays safely attached, and leaves both your hands free! Make sure not to leave them on for long, 5 or so minutes is about all the time you should need to quickly zip through these problem areas, any longer than that and maybe it’s time to think sedation rather than twitch.
Once it’s all over, hose any hair off your horse; give it an Alpha Keri Oil rinse and rug! Then run into the shower for yourself, there’s nothing as itchy as clipped horse hair stuck into your clothes.

Before you Clip

It’s that time of year again when our happy ponies become woolly mammoths. If you compete or only are able to ride late at night or early morning then you have very little option but to clip your horse. A clipped horse will dry quickly, will be able to be kept clean more easily and will reduce the chance of fungal infections of the skin. All in all it is a lot easier to keep a clipped horse than it is to look after your woolly mammoth!
Before clipping your horse there are a few essential things to do. The first is washing your horse, and I mean WASHING it, so it is clean to the skin. No easy task when you’re looking at 2 inches of fur that essentially is semi-waterproof! I like to use a curry comb to really scrub the shampoo through, and as I try to remove all the suds I’ve found a sweat scrapper very useful as I have the hose running, it really gets rid of it all. The next thing to do is a bit of a trade secret – Alpha Keri Oil. Once you’ve washed your horse you’ve also stripped all the natural oils from the coat and skin, it needs to be replaced. The oil will also protect the skin and hair from being heated up or singed should the blades run too hot. I use about 100ml to 10L of water (yes that’s WAY more than the instructions say, but it’s a horse, not a human) and sponge it through the coat. There’s no need to wash it off. Using Alpha Keri Oil straight after clipping and once a week as a rinse while the horse is clipped will also help keep the coat smooth and shiny, and the skin nourished.
If you do these two things before clipping it will make the job quick and easy for whoever the poor sod is who is doing it! Both your horse and the clipper will be happier for it.

Fatty Fatty Boom Bah

Today I was having a giggle at one of my borders who requested some extra hay in the paddock for her horse. Why do you ask? She seems top think there isn't much grass, which there is a good deal of grass, and he's losing weight. The not much grass thing I can cope with, maybe she's blind but I can understand, it's the weight bit that gotmy goat.
This horse is huge! Obese in a sort of fatal looking way, everyone that sees him thinks he should go join the Biggest Losers, who used to be down the road. So when she tells me she's worried he's lost a bit of weight, the look I give her must make me look like I am Barbie. To top it all off the horse has been on and off lame for about 4 months, she tells me she's going to call the vet now. **rolls eyes**. Is it just me or do you maybe think that a little bit of weight-loss could actually help his lameness issue?? Must just be me, she thinks I am insane!

I can never understand why people, who seem to be so obsessed with being slender and muscular, think it's ok that your horse rates a 9 or a 10 on a body score.... that is OBESE people! The extra strain on joints and muscles is there, as well as higher risk of heart problems, feet issues and a stadium full of other health issues. They are really not that much different to us. I watch some of the horses compete these days and I am amazed at how over weight they are, and still managing to get around the course. It's like watching a day at Fat camp - I'm just waiting for one to drop at any moment.
Think of it like this, do you think it's ok to do an hour of dressage training with an extra rider strapped to your horse? That's pretty much how overweight a lot of these horses are - an extra person, problem is the extra person never gets off.

I'm not saying go starve your horse, but keep it in a healthy state of being, not too fat and not underweight either. Muscular and fit with a nice cover of fat is what we should all be aiming for, it will keep our four legged friends healthy and with us for longer.

Chew Chew Chew

One of the most annoying things that horses do when they are stabled or yarded is to chew wood. Not all of them do it, and some do it more chronically than others! Most of the time it just looks ugly and is something that they do out of boredom, but sometimes it can also be an indication of deficiencies in diet ( most likely copper), stomach troubles or teeth problems. If you've ruled out these things, then maybe it's time to put something to stop your horse chewing on the fence, and give him some toys to amuse him, a little extra work wouldn't go astray either!

Recently I have come across two of the worse fence-chewers I have ever had the (dis)pleasure of looking after. We gave them CaCoLiv ( OralX company makes this) to ensure there is no copper deficiency and had teeth and general health checked. Now we have 2 healthy horses eating through nearly a rail a day, (Needless to say the rails are pine - this never happens with hardwood!!!) out comes the crib-stop pastes.
There are three shelf-ready products available to me to use for this purpose:

1. Crib Paste - worked for a day while it stayed thick and creamy ( and ugly), the rain got to it and it turned the rails fluro green! This seemed to work ok on the inside rails, but it melted on hot days and needed to be reapplied constantly.
2. Crib Stop - stayed on in the rain, and all over the horses! It's bright red so my boss didn't like it very much. They didn't even flinch at chewing straight through it, and I discovered I am allergic to it. Yay for me :(
3. Red Hot Liquid - This has soap and herbs in it, and I can tell you it made those rails smell so good it didn't surprise me the next day to find the rails had been eaten twice as much as the day before. I even tried to up the anti with this one and put some detol in it as well, slowed them a little but not much.

Nothing left to try! I know sunlight soap works a treat to stop them, but can only be used inside as it washes off. What next???

A customer at the shop was talking to me about detering possums off her fenceline, and told me vaseline and curry powder works amazingly. The possum treads in it, tries to clean it off it's feet and gets a mouthful of burning goo instead! I LOVED it!!!

Since I'm a cheapskate, and vaso costs to much in the amounts I had to use to paint the fences in it, I looked through the store and found some out of date "Farrier's Choice" hoof grease. Lemon scented and a greeny tan colour, it had just the right consistency I was after - GOOOO!
Found some Massala powder at home, powerful stuff, I can smell it from 20 meters away I'm sure, mixed the 2 together and presto. Cheap anti crib paste that matches the fence colour, stays on in the wet and actually stops the little bastards from not only eating the fence but actually putting their face near it.

Thanks Possum lady!


I'd just like to give anyone putting up fences a word of warming. Rounded rails are easy to chew, they are really not suitable for horse fences, they're also a real bitch to attatch electric fence insulators to, so it's a double bogey! Use hardwood. Treated pine may be cheaper in the beginning, but let me assure you it will cost more in the end. The nice soft pine can be munched through so fast you'll think your horse owns a chainsaw. Fences should be made of striaght, flat hardwood. Not only will it look better for longer, be safer and be easier to secure things onto it, hardwood is also more difficult for white ants to attack, and staves off rot better. Try painting with a paint that has a tar base, Kentucky Fence black is a fantastic product, as it will repel water and has a very acidic taste ( yeah yeah I accidently ate some) which your horse will not enjoy!