Gloucester Downs Equestrian Park
6670 267th Street V4W 3L8 Aldergrove, BC, Canada

People frequently use this growth chart to discuss riding ethicality under a certain age but today I’m going to use it for something different. Something I have... had the displeasure of seeing rampantly online, particularly on Tiktok, is videos depicting young horses pulling back violently whilst tied and having it framed as a learning experience for teaching horses how to learn to tie politely. The horses in such videos are hard tied, often in non-breakaway halters. This is incredibly dangerous and hard on their neck if they pull back hard, especially the younger they are. Such a method can cause lasting damage, whether you notice or not, and not just physically but also mentally. When horses have panic responses that cause them to fight violently in attempts of escape and then miraculously calm even when none of the pressure has been evaded, what you’re witnessing is a learned helplessness response. This isn’t training and you don’t need to risk neck injury or cause your horse mass amounts of anxiety to teach them to tie. It is such a stupidly unnecessary risk when you can teach them to tie without the idea of ever pulling back hard coming into their heads by instilling confidence into them. In which case, you can happily use breakaway ties for safety purposes because, after all, you have a flippin’ flight animal that could have a panic response and may run into a scenario where they absolutely should be able to flee if needed (ie: instances of actual danger, not just spookiness) Aside from hard tying for training purposes, even with well trained and experienced horses, you should always consider using breakaway ties or halters when you’re tying them up in the event of accidents. Horses can fall, pull, get a leg over or do a whole number of miraculous things to maim themselves when you least expect it and these are very real concerns when tying horses. I will never tie horses without breakaway halters or by tying to a piece of twine for the sole purpose of safety; I’ve seen way to many avoidable accidents to endorse it even without worrying object damage to young necks. Accidents are best avoided and tying horses safely is one of the easiest things you can do. If your horse ties as well as you think, using a breakaway tie should not matter because they won’t try to to break it. I’ve seen way too many silly justifications that serve only to put down people who practice tying safety precautions under the guise of them having more poorly trained horses and it’s an utterly illogical statement because horses who tie well should be able to be tied to a string without pulling back to leave. If they’ll run off when not hard tied, perhaps it is time to ask yourself why they want to get away from you so badly. Your horse is your partner and takes care of you, take care of them and remember that no matter how highly trained, they are a flight animal and always have the potential to have an innate flight response.

This following estimate is in US dollars and in a part of the country where they can get cheap hay, grain and labour. My quality local hay is $12/ bale not $8, my bedding sawdust is far more expensive, labour is more costly here, real estate is very expensive and I own the farm which would be a monthly minimum cost of $9600 (indoor, and two sizeable outdoor rings plus 1/2 mile race track and grass GrandPrix field), my utility bills are $ 1500/ month, ....factor some of this into the following article instead of her minimal figures. Charging less than $1000/mo likely isn’t making costs

So important that you do it carefully and right. The wrong person with a quick sharp temper, the person with bad hands, bad balance or a bad farrier can ruin the potential of so many horses. Unfortunately "you don't know what you don't know".... my quote of the year!

Trimming Clinic... Day 1 ... fun fun fun!!!! Day 2 ... more fun!! Thank u all for coming out...... Huge Thank You to Jay Jay Rogers for allowing us to use her beautiful facility!!

Watch the ankles and tendons in all three videos

There are several things in here that are far below present value, but the idea is right. The Breeder can get full board for stalls or spaces that are not occupied with their own broodmare. So cost of broodmare care is more like real board....$650-950/month and cost of a weaned foal is the same as a normal horse. So a 5 year old has cost 5 X 12 X board= at my barn $51,000 for 5 years + the cost of breeding the mare and foaling. We are losing money at less than $75,000

A good description of what can happen when the hoof is not balanced properly each time the horse is trimmed or shod Often the particular horse needs more freq...uent attention to the feet, 6-8 weeks can be far too long between visits for some horses It never hurts to do them more frequently Contracted heels are often caused, not genetic. See more

Holds true for most trainer - student relationships. :-)

Easy fitness training....

So many good helpful concepts.....

Merry Christmas !

Great read.....

Well worth the read. If you are a boarder and you don’t like how your horse is managed, ask if you want changes, listen to the answer and choose to move if you want something different. Realize almost all barns are not exactly what you want for you...but is it good for your horse? Run the numbers and realize how much time and money it would cost you to run your own place. Usually about 100 x more than what you pay in board.

FEI changes...... https://thehorse.com//fei-votes-for-changes-affecting-saf/

Vaust S daughter, located in Holland. Amazing competition mare...

So important to understand the horse’s feet!