Kettlecreek Ranch
RR1 T4J1r1 Ponoka, AB, Canada

Another busy weekend

WE NEED TO START NORMALISING NATURAL HORSE BEHAVIOUR!! HORSES NEED HORSES **********UPDATE***********... Wow, my post went viral overnight! Alot can happen when you're asleep apparently! I just wanted to update a few points: Anyone commenting on the small spaces and lack of grass, I suggest you look on my website to educate yourself on track systems. Alot of these horses would have no turn out if it wasn't for the track as they cannot tolerate grass. The ones that can have grass have access to it. Initial Introductions are always done in a BIG SPACE and they are not allowed on track until we are happy. For the fencing, it's NOT STOCK FENCING its HAMPTON HORSE SAFE NETTING designed to be horse safe! They cannot get caught in it, it's impossible as the holes are smaller than hooves, and if they roll near they bounce off it. I do not advocate horses meeting over electric or stock fencing. Hampton Steel Limited For the horses that look 'unhappy' these are pictures of a snapshot in time during introductions or play, when emotions run high and they are very expressionate. This does not indicate unhappyness. Have a look at my page and the THOUSANDS of happy horse pics. I selected these ones to support the post, and catch attention with the shock factor. Looks like it worked! Those who are saying their horse cannot have herd turnout for WHATEVER reason, of course there are the exceptions where it would be dangerous to do so and we would not recommend it, such as aggressive horses, riggy horses, horses with severe resource guarding behaviours, horses that where isolated from a young age and cannot communicate and sometimes horses just don't get on with a particular horse or herd. However, anything other than this, ask yourself why you are feeling the need to comment to defend yourself? Is it because you know deep down it isn't right? Yes we have to make the best out of what we have but is it really the best? Is it really fair that we have the power to make these decisions that can negatively effect our horses mentally and physically? I would never keep my horse on a yard where he could only touch other horses over the fence. It may be better than isolation, but it's still not good enough. And finally, the clue is in our name, our horses are BAREFOOT and we do not agree with shoes. Of course they can cause damage to each other with metal on their feet, shoes also cause alot of the damage to the horse who wears them - Yet another damaging human invention. Without my facilities lots of horses would not be able to have turn out. I have invested tones of money to create a hazard free safe environment and initial introductions are always done in a field with plenty of space. Always do more research into something before posting judgement " *****Amy over and out. Enjoy your Sunday! ******* ORIGINAL POST: So many times I have heard people say that they don't want to turn their horses out because they don't want them to get hurt or because they are too expensive. Have you ever thought what your horse thinks? He didn't choose to be owned by you and he doesn't know he's worth lots of money neither is it his fault if he is. As a living being, he deserves to have his needs met. Would you deprive a dog from playing with his ball because he could accidently rip out a dew claw or fall over and injure a leg? Not let your children play in the park with other kids because they could fall off the monkey bars? Not drive your car incase you crash it and injure/kill yourself or others? No you just choose to drive safely and take the risk to have freedom. Just as you should choose to safely introduce horses to others, and take the risk to improve their quality of life. Horses cannot talk. They communicate through body language instead. The same goes for communications with other horses. Just because your horse bites another horse does not make him evil or dangerous. Horses bite as a form of play aswell as a form of sorting out the order. The same goes for kicking, chasing and herding each other. It's all conversation. As long as a horse doesn't have severe resource guarding behaviours or wasn't isolated as a youngster and knows how to speak horse, then he will be able to communicate effectively with other equines. Horses will very rarely deliberately cause damage to each other and if you've ever seen a video of two wild stallions fighting, you'll know that if they wanted to cause each other damages, they blooming well would. Often kicks are warning kicks and bites are superficial and skin heals quickly. Even though by isolating your horse you may be keeping him from potential damage from other horses, the damage you are causing mentally is far far worse. This damage may come out physically in the form of stress behaviours like weaving, biting you, kicking doors etc. Or cause medical issues such as ulcers. Or simply your horse will shut down, giving us the impression that he fine when in reality he's not even there. But sure. Continue to convince yourself that you doing the right thing by keeping your horse alone because of that one horse you knew that got kicked and died. But would you do the same and stop driving because of that one person you know of who got killed in a RTA? Horses need horses. When horses meet horses, kicking, biting and chasing is inevitable. Without it, orders would not be sorted and relationships would not be built. That would be like sitting at a table of people and not talking or never having an argument or discussion. However, that does not mean that when horses meet new horses you should chuck them out together to 'sort it out'. There are many things you can do to ensure optimum safety and to minimise the risk of injury. If you need any help or advise with how to slowly and safely introduce a new horse to the herd, please contact Amy at AVL or visit our website for more info www.abbottsviewlivery.co.uk

Filly born April 9 out of chipped in chocolate mare and by patti. Nice big foal.

Our newest Chip filly fresh out of the oven. About an hour old in these picture.

Fresh bedding days are the best. Two grey stud colts and a dun stud colt and loves scratches.

A. Big. Weanling. Named. .... Frostys. Brother....

I know they turned 1 Jan 1st.... BUT HAPPY BIRTHDAY Lily and Flower.

Rabicano is a little-known term for a fairly common white marking in horses. The 1953 stallion Go Man Go, registered as a roan, was a sorrel with rabicano mark...ings. By Andrea Caudill Commonly called ticking, coon tail or skunk tail, and appearing as white flecking, rabicano (rah-bih-KAH-no) is commonly mistaken for a roan coloration, but it is a marking caused by a different gene. Rabicano is a specific set of white markings that usually affect the base of the tail, flank and belly of a horse. In its most minimal form, it will show only white frosting at the base of the tail, often called a coon or skunk tail because of the striped appearance. A medium expression will have the white tail base, plus white hairs interspersed over the horse’s flanks, creating a roan appearance. In its most extreme manifestation, a rabicano can appear almost like a true roan. It will carry the coon tail and have roaning on the body, concentrated on the flanks and under the elbows, and also have vertical strips of white on the barrel called rib barring. Take a walk with The American Quarter Horse Journal’s Richard Chamberlain as he provides a personalized view of some of the fastest horses in history in AQHA’s Quarter Paths report. Rabicano can be confused with another white pattern called sabino. Sabino is another gene that causes a roan effect over the flanks and body. The easiest way to tell the difference is to remember that rabicano always affects the base of the tail, while sabino does not. Sabino does, however, almost always involve facial white with a spot of white on the chin and white socks on the legs, in addition to the body roaning. It is possible for the horse to carry multiple genes, for example, to be both rabicano and sabino. Rabicano is not an official AQHA color, but a marking that can be noted on a horse’s registration certificate. Quick Color Facts Rabicano horses are not roans. A true roan horse’s white extends evenly over all parts of its body except for its head and legs, which remain solid. Rabicano markings, at their most extensive, can appear almost like a roan but always show a coon tail. If a horse has rabicano markings, it should be registered as its base color. The white markings should be noted in the marking section as roan hair or scattered white hair. The 1953 stallion Go Man Go, registered as a roan, was a sorrel with rabicano markings. Legendary western performance stallion Smart Chic Olena, born in 1985, is also a sorrel with rabicano markings.

Thank you Bonnie Rickwood on the purchase of Hanna. Hope you enjoy her and her handsome stud colt in Ontario

We love reading comment like this, Teri is a well known horsewomen in central Alberta. Thank you

Quote of the Day - "The successful warrior is the average person, with laser-like focus." ~ Artist ~ Clark Kelley Price

Cosy. Bonanza. At. 3

Merry Christmas from kettlecreek

Did you miss the SALE RESULTS we posted following the sale Here's a direct link from our website of FULL SALE RESULTS from our Diamonds in the Desert Premier Horse Sale by way of Fort Worth. Check 'em out https://www.premierhorsesales.com/2020-las-vegas/