AHS Horsemanship in North Richmond, New South Wales, Australia | Horse trainer

AHS Horsemanship

Locality: North Richmond, New South Wales, Australia

Phone: +61 429 435 017

Address: Terrace Rd 2754 North Richmond, NSW, Australia

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• Sport & recreation
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• Horse riding school

25.01.2022 Amanda you would truly have to be the first person to say they have ever liked Whisper. I know she is a challenge but I know she tries so hard and she has it i...n her. Everyone is quick to be negative about her. Can’t thank you enough for everything you have done for her and I just can’t believe her transformation! It is just incredible!!! She is doing so well, far beyond anything I could have expected. I bet she is going to miss you and where she has been so much. I can’t even explain how happy that has made me.. she is getting so many opportunities that I could never give her.. can’t she just stay with you lol!!! Your truly gifted with horses and I really hope you can continue coming and giving lessons to Skye and Whisper here... Thankyou Alex it’s been an absolute pleasure! ‘Whisper’ TB here for training. See more

24.01.2022 Stunning evening after the rain!

24.01.2022 We welcomed 2 new little boys today. They were surrendered to Horse Rescue after their owner needed to move from his acreage due to ill health. It took a bit of... persuading to catch the wee boys, but with Amanda Wilson's expert help they eventually gave in. They will be assessed over the coming days and hopefully in time they will make very cute companions. To help with their upkeep please go to www.horserescueaustralia.org.au/how-you-can-help/. See more

23.01.2022 During the last week we’ve been hard at work on a new arena! I’m so happy with it! Lots more shade, perfectly level, and much further away from the road! Gonna be so much better Merry Christmas everybody and thanks for all your support during the crazy 2020!

23.01.2022 This lovely quarter horse mare has been here for training and is being offered to the right home. Photos in comments. ‘Bounty’ was a pleasure to work with, a lovely young horse who took everything in her stride. If you are interested please contact the number below 14.3 q 84369. By A shining sheriff (imp) stallion, mainly reining and cutting background. Born nov 2015. Bounty hasn’t grown as big as I had hoped and right now I need a more seasoned mature horse for my husband ...and myself, so why she is for sale. I think a confident teenage or small lady would be idea. She has had experience of cattle farms, paddock Ed with cattle, lead with gators, use to farm machines and big trucks etc. floats well, has had all vaccines, teeth feet done regularly since birth. Currently started on the Hendra shots. She ponies well Did have itch last year when agisted on river property. Sell price $6500 firm approved home only Thanking you. Katrina 0418164693 See more

22.01.2022 ‘Raven’ Friesian mare recently came in to start under saddle. Raven has been quite nervous in taking time to settle so this was a lovely moment for us to share

22.01.2022 Just picked up these little guys for Horse Rescue Australia. They were very wary, took a while to catch and desperately need their feet doing. In good hands now...

22.01.2022 From newborn to fully trained can take maybe 6-8 years, and by "fully trained" I don't mean higher levels of competition, so probably I mean "mostly trained to ...a more than basic level." So, say that we just grab 7 years as that time when we have brought along the horse to a well developed stage. Seven years, in days, is 7 times 365, which equals 2,555 days of development and training from birth to age seven. 2,555 is a lot of days, and we can then think----"How much of what this horse now knows and is trained to do was accomplished on any one of those 2,555 days?" Well, I guess one answer might be 1/2,555th of what he knows. The point being that on no given day is a horse going to make great leaps forward in its education. The truth is that the horse got to where he is today by hundreds and hundreds of tiny increments, stacked like playing cards, one upon another. But I can DESTROY a horse forever in ONE DAY. Literally. I have known of horses killed by having them flip over on tight side reins, horses run to death, horses spun in circles until their hocks broke down, horses flipped in rotational falls---- And I am not talking about true accidents here. What I am referring to is what can happen when a trainer loses his temper, or when a competitor gets too hungry, or when a rider gets too caught up in emotion to think about what the horse is feeling. And even if a temper tantrum in a training session, or pushing too hard in some competition does not cause permanent damage, it can set training back by days, weeks, or even months. So think this through---"On no given day can my horse make big progress, but on any given day, my horse can see big deterioration." And then, if you feel yourself slipping into the red zone, stop right away. Don't go there. Just don't. It is not going to get any better, not today it isn't, but it can get a whole lot worse. Hard to have emotional control sometimes? You bet. But having that regret afterwards is lots harder.

21.01.2022 *SOLD* Introducing our gorgeous litter of Australian Shepherd puppies! We have 6 black tri’s 3 boys 3 girls.Our beautiful Bessie & Bear (photos at the end) are the proud parents.

20.01.2022 WE WILL NEVER KNOW WHY THEY LET US RIDE THEM: Such a privilege the human takes for granted, asking another being to go against their natural instinct and way of... life. Could you do so? To allow with grace, the use of raw hides, to be strapped on their back and then carry it with confidence into a area of unknown. Could you do so? Allowing another to guide your feet and in return, completely submitting to their ideas. Could you do so? To ride is a privilege not a right, we will never know why they let us ride them. We can only be grateful they do...

19.01.2022 Jethro enjoying the view on his last day

19.01.2022 Same goes for when they come to me for training. Some take time to settle in and get to know and trust everything before good progress can be made.

19.01.2022 I wanted to say a huge thank you to Amanda from AHS Horsemanship for starting Argyle under saddle. Amanda asked questions and listened to what i wanted from the experience. During the process Amanda was gentle, but firm with Argyle, not allowing her to create naughty habits. I now have a beautiful horse under saddle I can ride whenever I have the time too, not just a paddock ornament! I highly recommend Amanda for starting and re-education. Thankyou Felicity!

19.01.2022 A few of the beautiful horses I have here with me at the moment. Amazing photography by Leonie Oakley featuring ‘Spanner’, ‘Zoom’ & ‘Leo’!

19.01.2022 This is Dusty’s last week and it’s very bitter sweet for me. We have gone through quite a journey together over these past few months and I am so happy with what we have achieved. Dusty was more of a long term project, with an array of issues. He was a bit of a troubled soul, extremely anxious, nervous, tense, couldn’t handle any kind of pressure and explosive when pushed. His head was held high, and paces were very rushy and panicky especially his canter in which he would shut down or explode. He is now so much more relaxed, balanced, happy and willing and has become such a pleasure to ride. I will miss Dusty! He’s is very special to me! Amanda Wilson

19.01.2022 The key to getting true collection isn’t in the horse’s head and neck, but rather from his withers on back. It’s about creating impulsion and then driving that ...energy from the horse’s back end to his front end. But, there’s no point in driving that energy forward if the horse doesn’t know how to give vertically to the bit, otherwise, that energy will just go up and over the bridle. That’s why we teach Vertical Flexion at the Standstill first before teaching a horse how to collect vertically at the walk, then the trot and then the canter. He has to understand the basics before you ask him to do more complicated maneuvers. When people haven’t taken the time to teach their horse how to be soft and give to the bit, that’s when you see false collection. False collection is when the rider is forcing the horse to tuck his head and neck in and his hindquarters are strung out behind him. It’s an ugly picture and only teaches the horse to be stiff and heavy and ignore the bit. - Clinton #ApplyTheMethod See more

18.01.2022 Quote of the Day - "If you are Persistent you will get it... If you are Consistent you will keep it."

18.01.2022 Let them be horses. Turn them out, let them run. Let them buck, let them leap, rather in the field than the arena, right?... Give them a herd, even a herd of two. Let them be with other horses, what’s a life without friends? Give them downtime, not just days off riding, but days to enjoy life. Happy horses are trainable horses. Take the rug off, let them feel the sun. Let them roll in the mud, a little dirt never hurt anyone. Escape the arena and explore, don’t stick to the well worn path. The most beautiful places are usually found by accident. Showing them how much you love them doesn’t have to come from buying expensive things. You can buy every rug, all the boots, the best tack, wash them, groom them, feed them, put them in the best yard, with the best facilities and wrap them up in cotton wool, but one day you’ll realise the best thing you could possibly do... ... is just let them be horses.

18.01.2022 What is the longest a horse can safely go without food? More and more I see horses and ponies stood for long periods of time with no hay or haylage. Usually un...der the guise of a weight control diet. So how long can a horse be without food before damage is done? And what damage is done? For those with a short attention span, I’ll give you the answer to begin with - 4 hours, maximum. Why? Horses are grazers. They are designed to eat constantly. They have no way of storing their acids and digestive enzymes, they’ve never needed to. They have no gall bladder to store bile and their stomachs release acid constantly, whether or not there is food in the stomach and intestines. A horses stomach only holds approximately 8-15 litres. Depending on the substance eaten, it takes on average 4-6 hours for the stomach to completely empty. After this, the acids and enzymes start to digest the inside of the horses stomach and then the intestines. This causes both gastric and intestinal ulceration. It has been estimated that 25-50% of foals and 60-90% of adult horses suffer from ulceration. But I won’t go into detail about this, there is a lot of information around about ulcers. So is that it? Are ulcers the only concern? No, having an empty stomach is a stress situation for a horse. The longer they are starved, the more they release stress hormones, cortisol predominantly. Cortisol blocks insulin and causes a constantly high blood glucose level. This stimulates the body to release even more insulin, and in turn this causes fat tissue to be deposited and leptin resistance. Over time this causes insulin resistance (Equine Metabolic Syndrome). All of these mechanisms are well known risk factors for laminitis and are caused by short term starvation (starting roughly 3-4 hours after the stomach empties). Starving a laminitic is literally the worst thing you can do. Over longer periods, this also starts to affect muscle and can cause weakness, and a lack of stamina so performance horses also need a constant supply of hay/haylage to function optimally. Let’s not forget horses are living, breathing and feeling animals. We talk about this stress reaction like it’s just internal but the horse is well aware of this stress. Door kicking, box walking, barging and many other stable vices and poor behaviour can be explained by a very stressed horse due to food deprivation (we all have that Hangry friend to explain this reaction). Next time you shout or hit a horse that dives for their net, remember their body is genuinely telling them they are going to starve to death. They know no different. But surely they spend the night asleep so they wouldn’t eat anyway? Not true. Horses only need 20mins REM sleep every 24 hours (jealous? I am!). They may spend a further hour or so dozing but up to 22-23 hours a day are spent eating. So if you leave your horse a net at 5pm and it’s gone by 8pm, then by 12am their stomach is empty. By 4am they are entering starvation mode. By their next feed at 8am, they are extremely stressed, physically and mentally. Now I know the cob owners are reading this mortified. I can almost hear you shouting at your screen if I feed my horse ad lib hay he won’t fit out the stable door in a week!! I will say that a horse with a constant supply of hay/haylage will eat far less then the same horse that is intermittently starved. They don’t eat in a frenzy, reducing the chance of colic from both ulcers and over eating. Cobs included. However I’m not suggesting you sit your cob in front of a bale of haylage and say have at it! There is a difference between ad lib and a constant supply. There is much we can do to reduce calorie intake and control weight whilst feeding a constant supply. The easiest is small holes nets. There are many. Trickle nets, greedy feeders, nibbleze, trawler nets etc. My personal favourite is the Shires Soft Mesh 1. They don’t cost the Earth, they are easy to fill and they don’t have knots so are much gentler to the teeth. Now often I suggest these types of nets to owners and the owner tells me Oh no, *** won’t eat out of those this is nonsense. If he was left it, he would. Remember, you can give a normal net and one of these for them to nibble at after. Better than leaving them with nothing at all. A few other tricks, hang the net from the ceiling/rafters, it’s harder to eat out of a net that swings. Soak the hay, a minimum of 4 hours to be effective. Mix with straw but be sure to introduce the straw slowly and make sure it’s top quality and a palatable type eg Barley or Oat, otherwise they won’t eat it. Don’t forget exercise. The best way to get weight off a horse is exercise. Enough exercise and they can eat what they want! And lay off the bucket feed and treats! Horses on a diet require a vit/min supplement in the form of a balancer but that’s it. The odd slice of carrot or suede won’t do any harm but no licks, treats, treacle, molasses, cereal based rubbish. Even if it says low sugar or the marvellously misleading No added sugar! Your horse would rather have a constant supply of hay, I promise. Written by Vikki Fowler BVetMed BAEDT MRCVS A few edits for the critics- Firstly, feeding a constant supply does not mean ad lib feeding. It means use some ingenuity and spread the recommended amount of daily forage so the horse is never stood with out food for more than 4 hours. I am not promoting obesity, quite the opposite, feeding like this reduces obesity and IR. This can be done whilst feeding your horse twice a day as most horse owners do. Just think outside the box for your own situation. Secondly I am in the UK and this post is UK specific, use some common sense when reading. Yes in warmer climates, soaking hay for 4 hours is dangerous and studies show 1 hour is plenty in hot weather but in the UK’s arctic climate, a minimum of 4 hours is required. Equally the UK feed exclusively grass hay. I can not comment on other types. Thirdly, yes every horse/pony and situation is different, but this is a law of nature and all horses have this anatomy and metabolism. How you achieve this constant supply is individual, the need for it is not. Fourthly, the use of hay nets in the UK is very very high. I’d estimate 95% of horses I see are fed this way and very very few have incisor wear or neck/back issues as a result. Yes, feeding from the ground is ideal, but a constant supply, I feel trumps this. Again with ingenuity both can be safely achieved. Finally, straw can be fed to horses safely, introduced very slowly, with fresh water always available, plus a palatable and digestible type of straw which will depend on your area. Again many horses in the UK are bedded on straw and most of them eat it. This is not a new concept to us.

17.01.2022 The Horse is Medicine It’s a proven fact that Horses offer a Healthy lifestyle to many. To communicate effectively with the Horse you have to delete your mi...nd of stress and worries of the day. I know for myself if I don’t ride for 3 days my blood pressure rises. It’s a form of meditation that takes place in connecting to your Equine partner. It takes a Rhythmic, awareness, and clear approach. We all know we can not burden or Horses with our life’s baggage. The Horse helps us slow down and appreciate the small things in life. May you all have a Healthy And Blessed Day. 5 Star Equine ProductsTotal Feeds, Inc.Lucerne Farms - Quality Forage Feed ProductsKiser Arena SpecialistsAmerican Hat CompanyOlsen Equine CJFTriangle C Ranch

17.01.2022 Bears first open paddock ride. It can be little tricky for the youngsters as the ground is a bit undulating and is on a slight hill. But good practice to advance their footing, balance, and half halt aids and of course to establish circles and control without the boundaries of an arena

16.01.2022 Very good info from Poseidon Equine. Anyone one of these signs may point to an unhealthy gut. Anyone have trouble picking up the right canter lead? Interestingly, As the hind gut is on the right side any pain there can cause a curve to the left side redistributing the weight and causing imbalance

16.01.2022 Late night, working with the horses, this is the lovely ‘Monty’. Nice and cool and no flies!

14.01.2022 Yay! AHS has reached over 2000 ‘followers’! Thankyou so much for your growing support over the 5 years of AHS Can’t believe it’s been that long, time has flown!

14.01.2022 Exactly the same thing happened to me this week with a horse that had come in for starting. His teeth were done not long before coming in but he was showing obvious signs of discomfort. Turns out the back teeth were extremely sharp and digging into his cheeks causing cuts and ulcerations. Only the front teeth had been done and not right up in the back. If something is not quite right listen to your horse and a second opinion is valuable.

13.01.2022 Horse resisting? Perhaps think Fatigue--- When we are sitting on top, unless we have lots of empathy, the ability and the willingness to consider what the hor...se down below might be feeling, it’s too easy to think that a tiring horse is being resistant on purpose. See this sketch of the horse and rider headed home after a long day of hunting? Do we think that this quietly walking horse started the day like that? No, he was probably up and snorting and eager. But because physical effort creates tiredness, lack of spring, loss of balance and lift, deterioration in athletic ability, this horse is probably just plodding along. So, we are schooling a horse, say, on the flat, and we feel the horse getting less obedient, less willing to perform what we feel to be simple tasks, circles, transitions, the building blocks of training, It’s easy to forget that THE MOMENT that we pick up the reins and establish contact, we are creating a push into a containment, and that asks the horse to step under itself and to add lifting to what, on a loose rein, would mainly involve pushing. Lifting is vastly more rigorous than pushing, and unless a horse is used to it, has the strength to engage and carry, fatigue soon results. If we feel that fatigue as I won’t, and get grinding, it’s only going to get worse. Then maybe we get frustrated, ask harder, and it all starts to go downhill. Now I am not saying that YOU do this, only that we so often see this downward spiral. If we could instead give the horse even six to eight more weeks of slowly building, think how we could avoid much of that slide from asking him to making him. The next time he seems to be saying no, try considering that maybe he’s saying I am tired. I would if I could, but I can’t. It can change how you train.

13.01.2022 The truth about working with horses You will work 14, 15, 16+ hour days. Not for a lavish lifestyle or 4 vacations a year, but to put diesel in your car a qui...ck dinner on the table with a cheap glass of wine. 365 days a year hail, rain, snow, Christmas, funerals, birthdays, hot and humid you are there, you are working. People will tell you your horses will never be nice enough and those people are the ones who want to see you fail, those are not your people. Your family will constantly ask why won’t you get a proper job, when in fact it is a proper job, we do more work than most, physically and mentally. Hey at least we’re not sat at home on our arse because we can’t be bothered to work sponging off hard earned tax payers. The majority but not all of the people in the same job as you won’t support you the moment you become a threat, even though you’re not a threat, as we are all in this for the same reasons, they will try to break you down and then convince those that you thought were friends too also. Non horsey people will constantly tell you that it’s so easy, and all we do is sit there , here’s ato those people . Horse shows are the loneliest places. You will see death and hardships and make no two minds on that, there will be a lot of hardships. You will want to give up, you will cry, you will scream you will then cry some more, then you’ll get yourself back up and carry on as if nothing happened. Why won’t people tell you this, because this job isn’t for the weak, the faint hearted fluffy people. This job will have your hands like sand paper, bags under your eyes, ripped jeans, bruises you have no idea how you got. But it will also tell you that it’s not the horses that are hard work, it is the people that you surround yourself with, so choose your people around you wisely, as there is always someone ready with a pitch fork in your back and happy to see you fall. But forgetting all that let me tell you there is no greater feeling of achievement and happiness when that quirky horse who people condemned, comes good. When you get that big sale, first sponsor, or the excitement of new horses arriving. Your first rosette on a horse everyone said was useless. When those few people believe in you and you start getting phone calls of people being sent to you on recommendations. When you finish a day and look back at the business you built and say I made this happen Your dreams are all coming true one by one. Why don’t people tell you this? Because there’s not a fancy enough word to describe that feeling and that’s exactly why we are here. So my advice is don’t break your back trying to keep everyone happy. Do what ever you feel is right whether people agree or not, always trust your gut, it is NEVER wrong. If you’ve had a bad ride, still pat your horse as you don’t know when your last ride will be with him. Screw what people think of you and your business, so much time is wasted over people worrying about other people opinions. Your horses are the only ones you need to answer to. And Remember you will never be criticised by someone doing more than you. You will only be criticised by someone doing less than you. Maturity is learning to walk away from people and situations that threaten your self respect and piece of mind.

13.01.2022 ‘This is Jewel’. Arab x riding pony. She needed a lot of handling and has come so far in a few weeks. It was difficult just getting a halter on her. Here are some snippets of some things we’ve worked on so far. Getting feet trimmed, floating, desensitising, rugging, hosing and spraying (in case of needing insecticide from itch) groundwork, backing and general training of the basics

12.01.2022 When I take a horse on the trail for the first time, I prefer to ride him out by myself so that it’s just the two of us. When you get two or more horses on the ...trail, they have a tendency to want to race one another and get reactive. And, when you do ride your horse outside the first time, you want to give him a job to do and do a lot of cantering. Your goal is to put some miles under his feet. You don’t want to be held up by other riders who only want to walk. The slower you let a horse’s feet go, the more he’ll start looking for things to spook at. You want to give your horse a job and get him moving his feet. Remember something, sticky feet will get you into trouble every single time. If you don’t feel comfortable riding out by yourself and would rather have someone ride with you, make sure it’s someone who is on a well-broke horse. They can ride their horse ahead of you, and your horse can follow. What you don’t want to do is take the horse out for his first time in a group of horses that are reactive and bad-behaved on the trail. Whatever attitude the other horses have is the same attitude your horse will develop. So if you’re not comfortable heading out by yourself, be sure you choose a partner with a quiet, safe and dependable horse that will act as a good role model for your horse. - Clinton #ApplyTheMethod

11.01.2022 So beautiful to read this! Thankyou Elle! It means the world to me Amanda Wilson

11.01.2022 A little more bridleless training with zoom This time with a couple of jumps thrown in Amanda Wilson

11.01.2022 Best hay to feed your horse? Short answer may be the hay you can actually can get hold of and the hay your horse will eat! In some parts of Australia, especiall...y with the drought, there may be little to no choice. However, putting that aside, since this question comes up a LOT including during my equine nutrition seminars, I'll try and answer this in more detail looking at the most common hays. Lucerne hay - in small amounts can be brilliant for boosting calcium and protein as lucerne is renowned for being high in these nutrients. Protein is quality, high in essential amino acids. The rest of the nutrient profile isn't as predictable so difficult to estimate. The reason why lucerne shouldn't be fed in bulk is due to the high calcium to phosphorus ratio. A high calcium intake isn't directly toxic but when not balanced with phosphorus, the excreted excess in urine can precipitate out as calcium carbonate. The sludge (calcium carbonate and mucus) can build up in the bladder, cause irritation by forming stones and could block urine flow. https://www.msdvetmanual.com//urolithiasis-in-large-animals Known to be common in geldings, probably because the urethra is more narrow. Dr Kellon VMD recommends the ratio of 1.2 to 2:1 for calcium to phosphorus for the whole intake. The high calcium in lucerne makes it ideal for horses on high oxalate pasture like Kikuyu, Setaria and so forth to provide much needed calcium. Lucerne does contain phytoestrogens or isoflavones but at low concentrations in the growth stages typically harvested. Another advantage is that lucerne is considered to help buffer gastric ulcers. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10895901 Note: -The high pectin level in lucerne coupled with high protein that produces a lot of gas is why many horses will show bloating and diarrhoea if lucerne is introduced too rapidly. The same thing can happen to varying degrees with any hay change. -High lucerne intake and especially if combined with alkaline drinking water has been linked to the potential for enteroliths. For example https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15188822 -For a number of insulin resistant/elevated insulin horses, lucerne is a risk factor for laminitis. It's generally low in sugar + starch but some horses react possibly to the amino acid profile, we don't know why. Or a horse can be intolerant of lucerne, which can happen with any feed ingredient. More information: https://balancedequine.com.au/nutrit/8-is-lucerne-evil.html Teff hay Generally I have found from the numerous Australian Teff hay tests that it's fairly reliable for safe levels of sugar + starch (if we are concerned with preventing insulin spiking in IR/elevated insulin horses, it's sugar (ESC) + starch we look at, not NSC), though I do have one test with over 15%, clearly not safe. Guideline is sugar + starch to be under 10%. For the rest of the nutrient profile, the calcium to phosphorus ratio is all over the place, sometimes calcium is higher, other times phosphorus is higher than calcium (what we call an inverted ratio). Nutrient levels have a wide range so one test can't be considered 'typical'. There are reports of Teff containing oxalate levels at levels to be concerned about yet I haven't found anyone with actual evidence. If you know of any, would love to see it. There is only one study and it was on Teff straw. Minerals and oxalate content of feed and water in relation with ruminant urolithiasis in Adea district, central Ethiopia https://www.revmedvet.com/2004/RMV155_272_277.pdf Teff hay has been fed for many years to horses around the world, especially in America and there have been no reports of oxalate issues. Oxalate metabolism is complex, incompletely understood and varies not only by type of plant but also different strains of the same plant: Oxalate accumulation in forage plants: some agronomic, climatic and genetic aspects https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org//d8c7a6bb8b7ed25e5dbdecf5 Worthwhile being aware that many plants contain oxalate but in a number of plants it's so low, we don't consider it to be an issue, for example, oaten hay and Rhodes grass hay. http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au///109982/pastures-for-horses.pdf Unfortunately the banned stimulant synethrine has been found in some Teff hay. "Although this does not imply that all Teff Grass Hay is affected as this is likely a seasonal and regional issue, EA recommends that members do not feed this hay to competition horses." https://www.equestrian.org.au//warning-regarding-detection Oaten hay (and wheaten, very similar) Renowned for being the 'candy' of hays, oaten often tests high in sugar + starch and is NOT recommended as a safe feed for IR/laminitis prone horses. I have found over the years that oaten hay tests can be highly variable and can be over 20% for sugar + starch. Sometimes sugar + starch can be low which is great but often the nutrient levels for the rest of the profile to be low/poor as well. This is not surprising when hay growers leave it as long as possible before harvesting, the more mature the hay, the lower the expected sugar + starch levels but then the same will apply for protein and other nutrients. Possible to have a great nutrient profile but only way to know is to test a sample in a lab, can't tell by looking at it as is the case for all hays. These hays especially can't be said to have a profile that is 'typical', broad variability in all the nutrient levels. For example calcium can be higher than phosphorus or the other way round. A disadvantage with high sugar oaten hay is that a horse will spend hours grazing on it which can lead to dental issues. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28707363 Rhodes grass hay Over the years this hay has been the most reliable with low sugar + starch levels. Of course not guaranteed but it would be my expectation. Calcium and phosphorus levels are variable, ratio can be inverted but usually calcium is higher. Wide variability with the rest of the nutrient profile, impossible to have 'typical' values. One potential issue with Rhodes is when growers leave it too late before harvesting. Fermentability of Rhodes grass declines rapidly as it matures - as do all grasses, but Rhodes grass is considered inadequate even for beef cattle if it contains more than 10 to 15% seed heads. Ryegrass hay Poor ole ryegrass has a poor reputation due to issues with annual ryegrass toxicosis and perennial ryegrass staggers. Annual ryegrass toxicosis is caused by a group of highly toxic compounds called corynetoxins. They are produced only when annual ryegrass is infected with a specific nematode (Anguina funesta), and when that nematode is infected by a bacteria (Rathayibacter toxicus), and when the bacteria is infected by a bacteriophage. Infection can be recognised as a yellow slime on annual ryegrass seed heads. Perennial rye grass staggers is caused by a fungus (endophyte) called Neotyphodium lolii. It is found in perennial, long rotation and a few hybrid ryegrasses. Understandably if you have ever had to deal with either ryegrass toxicosis or staggers, you are going to hate ryegrass and vow never to feed it but these issues do not apply to all varieties of ryegrass grown for hay. The more recent varieties are claimed to be safe for horses. Now I know there are certain people/websites saying that no ryegrass is safe but there are thousands of horses in Australia on ryegrass pastures and hay that show no issues at all. To be safe, if you can avoid it, perhaps do so. Another potential issue that has been identified is that ryegrass being a C3 grass is known to accumulate the storage carbohydrate fructan more than C4 plants (eg Rhodes). Is this a problem? A number of studies have shown that fructan does NOT cause insulin to rise but that sugar and starch (glucose units) do, which is why we look at sugar + starch, not NSC. For example: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22966077 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16677122 I've found that many ryegrass hays test low in sugar + starch and equally many are high, not safe for IR horses. For a horse owner desperate for low sugar + starch hay, it's possible that the much maligned ryegrass hay they have access to will be fine. I know of severe IR horses that are thriving on low sugar + starch ryegrass hay. In terms of the rest of the nutrient profile, very broad range of levels, calcium can be higher or lower than phosphorus. Again, there is no such thing as a 'typical' profile. Lab testing is the only and best way to find out. Grass hay/meadow hay Since grass or meadow hay can be any combination of these hays and any other species of grass harvested for hay, it's impossible to generalise. Anything is possible with the nutrient levels and mineral ratios. One thing we can rely on to an extent is that the older or more mature the grass was before harvesting, the lower the protein as protein is always highest in actively growing young shoots. The growth stage matters with protein. Same applies to potassium, fortunately high levels of potassium are rarely an issue in horses as they excrete the excess in electrolytes via the kidneys and urine, can be as fast as within an hour. Exception is the genetic condition Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis HYPP. So the best hay is often the one you can get hold of but if you have a choice, my pick would be a combination of Rhodes grass hay or a quality grass/meadow hay combined with a small amount of lucerne, mineral balanced by testing a representative sample in a lab. Only with data can it be mineral balanced. My horses though (and my budget) are very fortunate, they have plenty of green nutritious grass. Phew. B.Sc M.Ed

10.01.2022 Hello everyone, just want to say a huge Thankyou to all my clients for such amazing support. I have a huge lineup and am fully booked with training until approximately February at this stage and I’m doing my very best to get to everybody as soon as I can. Because of this I’ve had to limit my house calls and prioritise the horses so I’m really sorry I can’t get to everybody. Thankyou for your understanding and incredible support!

10.01.2022 One of the hardest concepts about training horses to get across to people is that horses do not think like we do. Your horse is a prey animal and you are a pred...ator, which means he sees the world in a completely different way than you do. One of the major differences between us is that prey animals have an ingrained flight or fight response and act first and think later, as opposed to predators, who think first and then act. You won’t experience any success with horses until you understand how horses perceive the world around them and learn how to communicate with them in a way that they understand. If you don’t understand why your horse does the things that he does, horsemanship is not only frustrating, it can turn dangerous. When you’re working with a 1,000-pound animal, that’s a bad combination. Clinton #ApplyTheMethod

10.01.2022 Enjoying a fantastic ride with ‘Dusty’. This horse’s confidence and willingness has come so far!

08.01.2022 The beautiful ’Dusty’ who has been here for a few months for long term training. Just captured this photo what a stunner

08.01.2022 Happy new year everyone! We now have a spot available for agistment. Full board only. Full care provided, feeding, rugging, farrier, worming etc. Safe fencing, lots of grass, shelters in every paddock. Pm for more info.

07.01.2022 Keeping a check on the ponies while travelling with my float camera. Such peace of mind and good to be able to watch how they handle travelling and drive/train accordingly

07.01.2022 ‘Jethro’ young miniature donkey here for training. Took me an hour and a half to get him on the float when I picked him up last week. Now walking straight on. Also had some tying up training, and hes first few baths this week. He’s such a cool little dude! Taking everything in his stride

06.01.2022 You learn something new every day Here are some fascinating and little known facts about horses they’re amazing animals!! Stallions/geldings have 4 ex...tra teeth than mares do. These are called canine teeth and are historically used for fighting. Arab horses have one less rib, lumbar vertebrae and tail bone than all other breeds. A horses Cerebrum (the part of the brain used for thinking and processing information) is the size of a walnut. Secretariat and Phar Lap, two of the best racehorses that ever lived, both had a heart that was twice the size of an average horses heart. Horses can only breath through their nose. A horses eye is the largest of all land mammals (yes, larger than an elephants!) If a horse is deficient in minerals they will start to eat dirt and even their own poo. Mounting a horse on the left side is just tradition. This is because soldiers would mount their horses on the left so that their swords, anchored over their left legs, wouldn’t harm the horses backs. Piaffe and passage were first used to keep horses fit when on boats going to war. A Horses oesophagus can only flip backwards, not forwards, that’s why they can’t vomit and why colic is so prevalent. Horses sleep for an average of only 2.5 - 3 hours in a 24 hour period. A horses resting respiratory rate can be as low as 8 breaths per minute. It is NOT possible for a horse to have a ‘heart attack’ as it is commonly thought. This is because heart attacks are caused by a build up of cholesterol and horses do not produce cholesterol. Instead, horses can suffer from ‘sudden death syndrome’. Horses can hear a human heartbeat from 4 feet away. When in a herd, they synchronise their heartbeats and if one horses heart goes up they know there is danger. This is why it is commonly said that horses can sense your fear. If you know any other interesting facts about horses then add them in the comments! and feel free to share

05.01.2022 Elle came out to see her baby Phoenix and everyone just had a little nap in the sun lol what a lovely moment

05.01.2022 A massive thank you Amanda, if it wasn’t for you Storm would not be in this position today and it wouldn’t have happened if it was not for your patience, excel...lent training and nursing Storm through his injuries. Especially all the advice/kind words you have given Samantha to get her here today. What ever Sam and Storm achieve going forward, is a credit to you especially your horsemanship skills and professionalism. Definitely will be recommending you and Will always be grateful to you. Thankyou to Samantha and Louise for your kind words. Truly means a lot! Its been such a pleasure working with Storm throughout this long journey! All the best for the future! See more

05.01.2022 Here we have ‘Sorrento’ starting under saddle having his second ride, 3yo Danish Warmblood

04.01.2022 "You’ll have some horses in trouble that have been that way for a long time. It’s too bad, but most of it is due to the human and what they’ve exposed the horse... to. At the end of a session working with them (the horse), you feel like you really got something accomplished; you feel real good about things. And you go out first thing in the morning, and the way he responds to you, you feel like you didn’t do a damn thing the day before, like you’re starting over from nothing, and it didn’t carry over. And you think, 'Why did I even do it yesterday?' But under those circumstances, if you’re not willing to go back every day and start over, you shouldn’t have started to begin with, because you might have to start over a lot of days in a row before it carries over from one day to the next, or one month to the next or one year to the next. But one day it will, if you’re willing to start over enough times from zero. One day it’ll surprise you, and it’ll start off maybe farther ahead than you left it the day before. And that’s quite a thing for both of you. But you have to be willing to wait that out. Having had a lot of experience at doing this, I could start over 500 days in a row, and it doesn’t bother me a bit. I’m going to be the same guy at the beginning of the day each day as what I was the day before. Not everybody has that in them. I often tell people, it doesn’t make any difference to me where I start my day, it makes a difference to me where I finish my day. Did I leave things a little better off than how I started? It doesn’t have to be perfect, but if it’s just a little better off than how I started, I got along just fine." - Buck Brannaman. Buck's quote is from an article 'Behind The Scenes With Buck Brannaman' by Kelly Sanchez - http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/interview-buck-brannaman Image of Buck is by Ted Wood - http://www.tedwoodphoto.com/

04.01.2022 Nothing like having the cutest little donkey happy to see you when you go to start the daily training session! What a cutie! ‘Jethro’ young miniature donkey here for training on the ground...

03.01.2022 Lovely night to be riding, ‘Echo’ here for starting under saddle...

03.01.2022 Doing some bridleless training with ‘Zoom’. I’ve worked with zoom on and off for a while now. So it’s great to have gotten to this point with him I just love riding bridleless!

02.01.2022 Elle has done it Woo hoo! I’m so proud of Elle and how hard she has been working to get to this point to ride bridleless and look amazing! Riding at liberty is not easy, not to mention getting the manoeuvres correct. It requires a solid foundation, and a very strong understanding and communication. Such an achievement for these two

02.01.2022 Here I have ‘Jethro’ a young miniature donkey who has come to me for handling and training on the ground! Awesome to have ‘Jethro’ here he’s so cute, I dont get donkeys often so to do something a little different now and then is refreshing

02.01.2022 Lovely having ‘Arrow’ back again! I had Arrow here as a yearling for handling, now again a year later as a 2yo for just a bit of starting prep. He’s come a long way. I love when they come back, watching them grow and mature and being a part of their journey

02.01.2022 Beautiful Friesian mare ‘Duchess’ and her 3rd ride today. Started out quite nervous, took a while to settle into things but now she’s coming along full steam ahead

01.01.2022 Whenever you desensitize a horse to an object, it’s important to do so in a big, open area where he has room to move his feet. As a prey animal, the horse has a... flight or fight response, which means he either runs from danger or fights it. A horse would always rather run from danger than fight it, but if his ability to run is taken away from him, he’ll do whatever it takes to survive the experience. When every horse is born, his mother tells him to run from danger. If he even hears, smells or thinks there’s danger, RUN! Act first and think later. Your job is to teach the horse to completely ignore what his mother taught him. Instead, you’re going to teach the horse that if he thinks he’s in danger, he needs to stand still and relax and the danger will go away. You’ll do that by using the Approach and Retreat Methodapproaching the horse with an object and then retreating (taking it away) when he stands still and relaxes. - Clinton #ApplyTheMethod See more

01.01.2022 ‘Ellie’ here for starting under saddle. Ellie has been a very nervy, forward, quick on her feet and extremely sensitive young mare. Under all that she’s very sweet and eager to please. She’s been taking everything in step by step and by allowing her time to process things she’s coming along super. Very proud of how far she’s come. Thanks for the beautiful photos Leonie Oakley.

01.01.2022 Out on the trail with ‘Bear’. This is his 4th trail ride and what a superstar he is! Riding outside the confines of an arena and hitting the trail can be so valuable to a horses state of mind. Sometimes when you close them in an arena and they’re forced to see the same four walls every day, it can de-motivate them. But when you get them outside from time to time and actually give them a place to go, it will motivate them and add a little spark to their step. Not only is ri...ding out in different places great training, but riding outside keeps things interesting for them and will prevent them getting bored or sour in their training. The worst thing you can do is drill on the same exercises in the same arena every single time.. Getting them to open up and go for a good long canter is great for their state of mind too. To have a balance of calm walk, trot, canter and a good gallop from time to time can really clear out their brain, learn to have a bit of fun together and enjoy a ride in a calm, controlled way

01.01.2022 When I take a horse on the trail for the first time, I prefer to ride him out by myself so that it’s just the two of us. When you get two or more horses on the ...trail, they have a tendency to want to race one another and get reactive. And, when you do ride your horse outside the first time, you want to give him a job to do and do a lot of cantering. Your goal is to put some miles under his feet. You don’t want to be held up by other riders who only want to walk. The slower you let a horse’s feet go, the more he’ll start looking for things to spook at. You want to give your horse a job and get him moving his feet. Remember something, sticky feet will get you into trouble every single time. If you don’t feel comfortable riding out by yourself and would rather have someone ride with you, make sure it’s someone who is on a well-broke horse. They can ride their horse ahead of you, and your horse can follow. What you don’t want to do is take the horse out for his first time in a group of horses that are reactive and bad-behaved on the trail. Whatever attitude the other horses have is the same attitude your horse will develop. So if you’re not comfortable heading out by yourself, be sure you choose a partner with a quiet, safe and dependable horse that will act as a good role model for your horse. - Clinton #ApplyTheMethod

01.01.2022 First trail trail out and about with ‘Echo’ this morning. Here for starting under saddle