Dr Melanie Quick in Malmsbury, Victoria | Alternative & holistic health service

Dr Melanie Quick

Locality: Malmsbury, Victoria

Phone: +61 417 010 519

Address: PO Box 234 3446 Malmsbury, VIC, Australia

Website: http://www.theproblemhorse.com

Likes: 1705

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• Medical and health
• Alternative & holistic health service
• Veterinary surgeon
• Chiropractor

25.01.2022 Is fear slowing youre riding progress? Fear is difficult to master, and riding presses ones buttons a lot, but part of the secret to making progress is to recognise your role in things going wrong and asking every time you ride or perform a manoeuvre, how could I have ridden better, how could I have prepared for that better, how could I have helped the horse understand better?. This should be a constant monologue in ones head. Now Ive never ridden easy horses, in fact m...Continue reading

24.01.2022 Wouldnt this improve the human race if it was true! Because caring for humans begins with caring for the defenceless, ie animals!

24.01.2022 A wonderful 2nd ride for this young horse being started. The day before when I was there he had absolutely no idea what legs meant, and was anxious about having the rider on board, and couldnt walk more than 1-2 steps. By just asking for 1 percent for a few minutes, he jumped up to achieving this on the next ride. His owner has been diligently teaching him the John Chatterton Affiliative Horsemanship steps because hes a super talented warmblood who when I met him was so ...flighty he could leap tall buildings in a single bound, and literally flipped me on my face into a puddle of mud! So many young warmbloods are super dangerous due to the height they can get off the ground when they freak out, and due to having very hot temperaments, having the basic JC steps trained into them ensures you minimise your risks as much as possible. So many elite riders get injured by young warmbloods because the basic safety John Chatterton Affiliative Horsemanship training is missing. This video is also nicely demonstrating him responding to butterfly leg aids, and learning to back up, bend and round his frame every time he halts. He will be an exciting horse to see in the future, because already, second ride in he is so soft and responsive. JC can help you locally in QLD or via video for interstate customers. His book and DVDs are invaluable resources. http://johnchatterton.com.au Do yourself and your horse a favour and give him a ring 0409 265 939 PS. the rug makes sitting on a slippery horse bareback a little less icy, but still allows a quick bail out and pull and release if he is to do any unwanted behaviour.

24.01.2022 Folks, sadly all the snide, snippy and blatantly rude comments about cost of veterinary services add up and cause irreparable permanent harm to your vets. If you want to be an animal owner, you need to deliberately save money first for them, or have a pre-existing plan or strategy in place for when things go wrong, ie. already know what your budget is and how far youll go to save your animals. Just to remind you, we are not a highly paid profession, its on the bottom 5 of ...all jobs in the world (when you consider the mammoth number of hours worked), when I graduated I earned $6/hour and worked 100 hours a week. Ive spent the last 10 years living without running water and with a toilet that is barely able to flush and a garage that gave the Leaning Tower of Pisa a run for its money, and yet I still have to tolerate snide comments about money every day despite having way more qualifications and skills than your average vet. This career has caused so much harm to me I currently have to spend nearly $10K a year on my body just to keep some semblance of function in it, and lets not talk about the amount of money Ive spent on therapy to keep the Black Dog away! So, even if youre poor, stash away some money for your pets so the whole vet situation doesnt have to be traumatic at all. Despite my pissant lifelong income, Ive always forbidden myself from spending any money until I had a safety net to pay for any sickness in my animals. Make your decisions and plans about what youll do with the animals if they suddenly become sick or badly injured before it happens. Write it down, tell your friends and family in case youre away. That way hard decisions dont have to be made in highly stressful situations. Most of all, attempt to be grateful. All your vets are doing their best, and if you cant appreciate them, then at least bite your tongue. We will be grateful for that. Wishing good health to all humans and animals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOXfaAi8X7k

24.01.2022 Dancing is one of the healthiest sports for mind body and soul, proven to help with Parkinsons and Dementia as well!

23.01.2022 Dog Poisoned by the Diffuser Saturday night I got home late and my dog didnt recognize me. Being a nanny I thought I woke him up and he was having a night terr...or. Sunday, he was still acting weird. I realized that I had been running my new diffuser and decided to turn it off. Sunday afternoon, he was feeling better. Today at work, my dog sitter said that he wouldnt come out from under the bed. It was very odd as he is a happy dog. I came from work early and again, he was very confused about who I was. So I took him to emergency vet. It turns out that the tea tree oil I was using in the diffuser is toxic for dogs. Thankfully the test showed that his liver was ok but we werent out of the woods yet. He was given fluids under his skin to get the toxins out. The vet and the poison control are saying that they see these cases often now that the popularity of essential oil is growing. Please make sure that the essential oils you are burning are not toxic for your pets. Here is a list of essential oils not to use if you have a dog at home Anise (Pimpinella anisum) Birch (Betula) Bitter Almond (Prunus dulcis) Boldo (Peumus boldus) Calamus (Acorus calamus) Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora) Cassia (Cassia fistula) Chenopodium (Chenopodium album) Cloves (Syzygium aromaticum) Garlic (Allium sativum) Goosefoot (Chenopodium murale) Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) Hyssop (Hyssopus sp. with the exception of Decumbens) Juniper (Juniperus sp. with the exception of Juniper Berry) Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) Mustard (Brassica juncea) Oregano (Origanum vulgare) Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) Red or White Thyme Rue (Ruta graveolens) Santolina (Santolina chamaecyparissus) Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) Savory (Satureja) Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca alternifolia) Terebinth (Pistacia palaestina) Thuja (Thuja occidentalis) Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) Please share this story as it may save someones precious furry family member!

23.01.2022 Maybe not such a bird brain huh?! https://twitter.com/RexChapman/status/1283190223623663616

22.01.2022 Caring for your animals through corona virus: at the current moment I will still be providing veterinary services for your horses. As I have exceptional horse handling skills I can easily maintain safe social distances while working on your horse, and I can for the most part literally do everything needed to treat the horse by myself. I simply ask that you maintain 2-4 metres space away from me, and dont be offended if you see me constantly backing away out of your bubb...le! This whole social distancing practice has made me regress back 30 years into my giant space bubble phobic days as a youngster, its been like slipping on an old pair of gloves, which just shows how entrenched behaviours can be hidden in our brains I also have some pretty nifty wound management techniques which save a tonne of money, save on vet visits, and again, due to said horse handling skills, saves on trauma and difficulties with managing dressings. Wishing good health to all and practice your 4 square metres bubbles everywhere, and use plenty of running water when washing your hands after theyve had a 20 second soapy lather as running water also mechanically removes viruses.

22.01.2022 Safest floats ever for your horses, definitely 100% anti-scramble, so lovey to watch the horses sleeping in the back with their eyes shut while travelling even through bad traffic and bad weather because they feel so stable due to the unique design of this float. I cant express the magnitude of the relief you feel when towing your horses in this float through tough conditions knowing that the chances of them falling over is profoundly reduced due to the design!

21.01.2022 Happy laminitis pony video: congratulations to his parents who met me 5 weeks ago with a pony in horrendous pain and they were considering euthanising him. He was Obel grade 4, heart rate of 80b/min, could not walk or lift his feet, all 4 feet had severe laminitis. (note - normal heart rate is 32-36b/min, most average laminitis cases have a heart rate around 50-60b/min, the worst ones are at 75b/min) His heart rate went up to 120b/min but his Mum and Dad worked super hard ...and here he is today, he’s off Bute and trotting without a head collar chasing his bucket of food. Note how soft and elastic his trot is showing lovely suspension despite the hard surface underfoot. This pony had one of the most severe and rapid declines into major trouble that I’ve seen in a long while. He’d been locked off the grass and had box rest yet despite that was deteriorating quickly. Horses with 4 laminitic feet are much more challenging to rehabilitate, however he shows yet again my 4 week rule. I aim to have all my cases willing to trot n bounce n buck by the 4th week. Lucky for this pony he has parents who are willing to work hard and they called me early on in his illness. With such severe symptoms I would have been gravely concerned at his chances of survival had they chosen the traditional path for recovery. Just in case y'all think this is a fluke, in my world I expect horses to have a full recovery to return to work, or they don't survive. I don't have any interest in cases malingering for months and years and only becoming paddock sound. There are to be no bed sores, minimal drug use, and almost no abscessing permitted. Laminitis is a cruel cruel disease, and recovery is long and hard, but the horses must always be able to be comfortable as possible so they spent 95% of the time standing and pottering around, no matter the size or bodyweight of the horse. Thus far my statistics show if they achieve the buck n bounce milestone by the 4th week I have a 96% return to work likelihood. If they penetrate I have an 80% return to work likelihood. I’m so pleased he’s progressing nicely as he is a delightful little man with super nice parents too

20.01.2022 Further to yesterdays post on laminitis ... its also NOT OK to lock your horse up off the grass and only feed it 2 biscuits of hay a day. Horses must have 24/7 low sugar food to consume, meaning their hay cannot run out. See my previous posts about comments on hay. They also need to be fed minerals and salt every day. Horses and ponies SHOULD NOT BE STARVED when treating laminitis. You will give them stomach ulcers if you starve them. They can recover whilst having constant happy full bellies. You will give them stomach ulcers if you starve them.

20.01.2022 Every now and then something astonishing, completely unexpected but very beautiful happens ... They say youll never know when being a good person can impact someones life .. Heres a lovely story: I have a friend on the other side of the world, who knows nothing about horses but she is a genius writer, so I sent her this little video for inspiration and told her a couple little stories about John Chatterton John Chatterton Affiliative Horsemanship She wrote the most deligh...Continue reading

19.01.2022 Rain has stopped, here comes the sun hope youve got your horses locked up in their skinny paddocks, cos Ive been treating severe laminitis cases this year 3 months earlier than normal, and this week is gonna be the week that tips them all over the edge if yall arent organised! Just remember, laminitis need not be a career or life ending problem. I expect my cases, no matter how severe to need literally no pain relief and return to full work within 7-21 days on averag...e, with the worst cases returning to work within 30 days. 80% of my cases who suffer penetration return to work, 96% of my non penetrated cases return to work. These are the statistics for people who follow my instructions to the letter. Ive even had interstate clients whove battled for months with difficult cases turn their horses around within days of having a phone consult with me and getting their management problems sorted out. So it is achievable and often times very very rewarding. If you hear of friends who have horses struggling, I implore you to suggest they get me early, its far less traumatic for all involved, horse included, if I can sort them out quickly. Theres WAY MORE TO IT than just locking them up, and even finding a barefoot trimmer and putting boots on. If you hear of cases of horses living on bute for weeks, lying down most of the day, having multiple foot abscess, or being on so much nsaids they end up passing blood in their manure, THIS IS NOT OK, AND IT DOESNT HAVE TO BE THIS WAY. Sadly I regularly see horses whove been battling in terrible pain for 6-18months, and many of these just desperately need their management fine tuned and within days they dramatically improve. So spread the word folks, whilst it is hard work to fix them, it doesnt have to be a nightmare for the horse and you. Good luck.

19.01.2022 This looks good! And Aussie made

18.01.2022 Hauser - phew, Ive just fallen down a Hauser rabbit hole, his beautiful music has made me feel normal after the recent weeks of horror! I highly recommend it, amazing therapeutic power of music, jump on his Youtube channel and have a listen

18.01.2022 Tending to your horses (and small animals too) through Corona: vets just got approval to stay open, theyre now essential services, Ive contacted farriers, trimming and dental association to get them organised to lobby for them to stay open, will keep you informed Meanwhile, I listened to the webinar on how to prevent Corona last night, Ill forward what the professors said when I get off the road Take care, cheers Mel

17.01.2022 Perfect time while competitions arent on, to get in some extra training and dramatically improve your horses and therefore give your friends a surprise at your amazing progress when everything opens back up

17.01.2022 Aint this the truth!!

16.01.2022 I was trained to always ride in a neck strap particularly when jumping, people always wondered why I literally never fell off and why my horses always managed even with striding mistakes ... Its because with a neck strap YOU NEVER ACCIDENTALLY SMACK THEM IN THE MOUTH WITH YOUR BODY WEIGHT. Ive seen so many horses pulled down and flipped into somersaults from riders hanging off the bit when they lose balance at the novice and all the way to olympic level. Its an unforgiv...able sin to hit the horse in the mouth when hes coming into, going over or landing after a jump due to your own imbalances. Watching elite riders swing off their horses mouths due to not having a neck strap is the main reason why I cannot watch any elite level jumping/eventing, it infuriates and sickens me. Neck straps also save you when youre riding an unruly horse, by using it you dont need to un-necessarily rely on the reins for security, so therefore you ride more softly and dont freak the horse out so much, win win. So please everyone, do yourself and your horse a favour, put away your neck strap bias and put one on. Its literally a seat belt for horses.

15.01.2022 People often get worried about watching the John Chatterton Affiliative Horsemanship pull and releases because when the horse has not learnt to come forward off pressure the horses can have quite big reactions to them. These two horses both have had some mighty pull and releases to help them learn how to be trimmed politely and calmly and yet here they are looking very relaxed and sleepy. The black mare has had a lot of re-training from me for her trauma under saddle, sh...e at times was very dangerous and violent in her responses to learning new tasks and to the pull and release, however when she finished her treatment today she was taken back up to her yard and let go and I moved onto the big horse. She decided she’d rather be with me and came trotting back down and parked herself nearby on top of me and had a nap, at times resting her nose on my rump while I trimmed! The reason the horses don’t fear us when we pull and release is because we step back while doing it, this means they don’t realise you applied the uncomfortable consequence in response to their naughty behaviour. As a result the horse does not develop fear and resentment unlike other training methods such as ‘working’ them around, ‘sending them away’ or kicking them in the guts. If I arrive and walk into the arena while the black mare in the photo is being ridden, she rushes over to see me and puts her head on my chest, completely ignoring the rider, even if she hasn’t seen me for months. If you correct a horse while standing next to it, eg. jerk lead, punch, kick or wave a rope, then the horse blames you for the unpleasantness, and will submit due to feeling dominated, however resentment occurs and later on with a softer person they will express their annoyance at being dominated. This is why many horses will be obedient for a trainer but then come back home and walk all over or be aggressive with their softer owners. The fundamental difference with John Chatterton’s work is he ALWAYS STEPS BACK when the uncomfortable consequence (pull and release) is applied. Thus the horse never realises we did it and they blame themselves for the consequence to their naughty behaviour. We then give them a rub after and continue the work, so they think we’re nice people who NEVER trap them, and always leave when asked, hence why the method builds such beautiful trust and adoration from the horses

15.01.2022 Trimming made easier: Good tools make this job so much easier, buying cheap ones ends up leaving you finding the work unpleasant. Folks when trimming nice bevels onto feet the two brands of rasp which make life on your back and arms easier are the Heller Blackmaster and the Heller Red Tang. They both have finer teeth so they glide more easily especially on hard feet. My favourite is the Blackmaster because the coating on it stops it rusting. ... The Heller grip rasp handle puts the nicest balance on the rasp, so you can flick it around like Tom Cruise in Cocktail - ok, not important, but having balanced tools is much more comfortable For trimming bars I use a 28cm Toe knife which you tap gently with a hammer to do exquisitely accurate and controlled bar trimming even on the hardest feet. A light shoeing hammer is ideal to whack the Toe knife, or buy a small nicely balanced hammer from Bunnings. The Hoofjacks are the superior stands. GE clippers are currently still the best and well worth it. Although if budget is super tight the Mustad ones are ok but eventually you'll want some GE's. I usually use the 15in as they require less hand strength and muscle, take small bites and bite into the previous bite to make a smooth run around the foot. If the foot is like concrete get a friend to close the clippers for you making sure they're using their shoulders and body weight not their fingers and hands. If you've really got concrete feet, the Dymondback files do carve through the foot like butter, I usually use the medium blade, but be careful it's so easy to over-trim with these files, you have to have the softest hands to use it. Speaking of soft hands, if your file is chattering/grabbing, you're using too much muscle, or your brand of file has teeth that are too big and not cooperative for bevelling. They're designed for rasping flat walls like a farrier. And no I'm not sponsored, so I hope these companies enjoy the free plug! While we're thinking about trimming, are there any trimmers out there down Mornington Peninsula way who've done my course and are willing to be follow specific instructions for some of my clients?

15.01.2022 Laminitis rant: Traps for the unknowing I saw a horror case recently, a young TB whose been suffering for 3 years and his pedal bones are more than 50% completely destroyed, as in GONE So let’s debunk some myths: If your horse gets toxic induced laminitis, YES IT WILL BE SUPER SENSITIVE TO GRASS INDUCED LAMINITIS so you have to be ultra careful about the grass. Rehabbing horses on brick floored yards or conveyor belt lined tracks IS NOT OK, hard surfaces are excruciatin...Continue reading

14.01.2022 Wonderful work from John Chatterton Affiliative Horsemanship as always. What saddens me greatly about all this, is when other trainers and instructors hear about his work and his results, they slam up their brick wall and refuse to listen or investigate and continue on their path of mediocrity causing harm to the psyche of horses and harm to their owners. Ive always had the ambition to be the best, and so if I hear about others potentially knowing more than me I have a path...ological compulsion to go investigate to find out if thats true. I cant comprehend other riders and trainers not wanting to be the greatest at their jobs, why why why dont people want to at least look at new ideas??? Its so sad. So perhaps owners need to pressure the instructors more? Perhaps they should let them know that someone found a simple peaceful solution to their problem? I know its confronting but were not helping horses by staying quiet, arent we all here because we love horses?? Sorry, my frustrations oozed out today! Hope youre all having a lovely weekend.

13.01.2022 Solution to difficulties with riding/handling horses: I’ve been helping a few people re-start young or traumatised horses using John Chatterton Affiliative Horsemanship methods, and I’ve noticed something interesting, and when I ponder back through my 46 years of riding & competing, this theme has been there all along! To speak in traditional terms it’s all about contact. For those struggling with horses, it’s either due to too much or too little contact. Now this doesn’t...Continue reading

13.01.2022 April is such a lucky girl being started the JC way. Shes been learning the steps with her owner Tracy and JC. John long reined her today and April is learning in a calm and confident manner. All horses deserve to be started or trained in a non dominant manner..

13.01.2022 Congratulations to Timmy's mum for success in her harrowing journey to save Timmy. The dreaded impaction colic with unusual presentation threw him for a six, then followed up with a load of complications including the one which we knew would come, a flare up of laminitis, this time in all 4 feet, much harder to fix. Such a pity that had to happen as we had his feet near perfect . But hard work, and persistence and Timmy is back to his fabulous cheeky self. Thanks to my... big Loui for trying to die from the same issue earlier this year and forcing me to re-invent the wheel to save him (love how my horses think it's sporting awesome fun to make me think outside the box all the time), with some tweaking to that recipe we got Timmy back as well, minus a few grey hairs and nashed teeth on our part. Well done, great to see his face chirpy again

12.01.2022 This is the first ride for this little mare. I've been starting her using John Chatterton Affiliative Horsemanship methods. She knew her steering and stopping aids off the long reins but froze when I hopped on, which is quite normal. So I used the button on her shoulder with my foot to help her remember the rein back signal. She became nice and light on the rein back aids, but then she forgot her click signal and she's demonstrating nicely here how you just quietly ask fo...r the forward aid with a click and the softest leg squeeze and a swing with the donga and repeat the sequence until she takes 1 step. Most breakers jump on and then rush the horse forwards, and this frightens them. This mare will go forwards beautifully willingly when she is comfortable with me being on her back. It's very normal for young horses to be very slow in their early stages of training. As long as they offer 1% that's all you need. It saddens me when I see baby horses ridden in spurs because of their 'laziness'. They're being 'lazy' because they're scared and it causes them to freeze. As long as they listen to the aids it doesn't matter how slowly they go. Once they have their confidence they'll bowl along forwards very nicely. Rushing them at this stage is how dangerous spooky/bucky/bolty horses are created. And yes, that's me on for the first time riding bareback in an unattached saddle cloth to keep my pants clean. I'm not interested in being secure up there because if she does something silly I'm planning on jumping off and pulling and release to show her that silly behaviour will make the rider leave and then it will be uncomfortable. I also have my neck strap on for safety if she does take off out from under me. I break in all my horses bareback, and I feel much safer that way because it's much easier to quickly slide off and apply the pull and release. They tend not to explode anyway because they have the JC 10 steps preparation, and all the anti buck, bolt, spook, rear training before I even get on, and they're taught to steer, stop, rein back and go on the long reins before being ridden. This is why this mare, once she un-froze knew exactly what I was talking about and the aids were butterfly light from the very beginning.

12.01.2022 Just the best! : Francis Dumouchel

10.01.2022 These integrative medicine doctors are absolutely brilliant, Im gonna try and listen to this and then Ill forward any advice onwards, Ill also try and add the link to register ... https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx

10.01.2022 I can highly recommend Graham, hes practical, logical, thoughtful, creative, tidy, and can think his way out of a bind if it gets tricky. Hes also very easy going and even tempered, which makes it so much more pleasant!

09.01.2022 I see so many young horses with badly damaged necks from being hard tied to posts or trees by their breakers. This can set them up to develop club feet, or just leave them with a problem neck for the rest of their life. Im commonly having to fix their necks after theyve been to the breaker and the owner is given back a horse that pulls back, freaks out, and is generally difficult to handle. On some studs the breakers regularly kill a couple horses a year with them flipp...ing over backwards or lunging forwards and head butting the post and dying. Teaching horses to accept strange objects or even to be tied up is so easy, and can be done without ever risking their neck or sacro-ileac joints, or their life. I dont even own a hitching rail, my horses simply ground tie and wait for me for hours. If you want to learn how to have a horse like this then read John Chatterton Affiliative Horsemanship 10 steps book and purchase his DVDs. It could save you and your horse enormous grief and distress.

09.01.2022 Happy laminitis pony video: congratulations to his parents who met me 5 weeks ago with a pony in horrendous pain and they were considering euthanising him. He was Obel grade 4, heart rate of 80b/min, could not walk or lift his feet, all 4 feet had severe laminitis. (note - normal heart rate is 32-36b/min, most average laminitis cases have a heart rate around 50-60b/min, the worst ones are at 75b/min) His heart rate went up to 120b/min but his Mum and Dad worked super hard ...and here he is today, he’s off Bute and trotting without a head collar chasing his bucket of food. Note how soft and elastic his trot is showing lovely suspension despite the hard surface underfoot. This pony had one of the most severe and rapid declines into major trouble that I’ve seen in a long while. He’d been locked off the grass and had box rest yet despite that was deteriorating quickly. Horses with 4 laminitic feet are much more challenging to rehabilitate, however he shows yet again my 4 week rule. I aim to have all my cases willing to trot n bounce n buck by the 4th week. Lucky for this pony he has parents who are willing to work hard and they called me early on in his illness. With such severe symptoms I would have been gravely concerned at his chances of survival had they chosen the traditional path for recovery. Just in case y'all think this is a fluke, in my world I expect horses to have a full recovery to return to work, or they don't survive. I don't have any interest in cases malingering for months and years and only becoming paddock sound. There are to be no bed sores, minimal drug use, and almost no abscessing permitted. Laminitis is a cruel cruel disease, and recovery is long and hard, but the horses must always be able to be comfortable as possible so they spent 95% of the time standing and pottering around, no matter the size or bodyweight of the horse. Thus far my statistics show if they achieve the buck n bounce milestone by the 4th week I have a 96% return to work likelihood. If they penetrate I have an 80% return to work likelihood. I’m so pleased he’s progressing nicely as he is a delightful little man with super nice parents too

09.01.2022 Omg, I heard the most hilarious thing in the supermarket today .. in the toilet paper aisle which was empty a lady said its a f**kin virus not diarrhoea, what are people thinking?! classic Aussie humour

08.01.2022 Im up in Tawonga VIC on Friday June 12th if anyone along the way between Taradale and Tawonga wants my uniquely skilled hawk eyes n hands to go over their horse. Any problem with feet, legs, backs, brains, & general mysteries are right up my alley. Xrays also available. You can see my skill set here, if it sounds like something youd like to access for your horse send me a private message and well do some coordinating. Cheers Mel ... http://www.theproblemhorse.com/about-dr-quick/

07.01.2022 He figured out the solution faster than most people would!!

06.01.2022 One man truly achieves this John Chatterton Affiliative Horsemanship

06.01.2022 https://youtu.be/68q8ibqNiSM.

06.01.2022 Solution to difficulties with riding/handling horses: I’ve been helping a few people re-start young or traumatised horses using John Chatterton Affiliative Horsemanship methods, and I’ve noticed something interesting, and when I ponder back through my 46 years of riding & competing, this theme has been there all along! To speak in traditional terms it’s all about contact. For those struggling with horses, it’s either due to too much or too little contact. Now this doesn’t...Continue reading

05.01.2022 Handy tips to help your immune system: This knowledge comes from my Integrative Medicine doc who looks after my old worn out body ... poke your tongue out while looking in the mirror, if you have any cracks on it at all, vertical or horizontal, then youre vitamin B deficient, take a decent multi-vitamin B supplement 1-2x daily until you have no cracks at all (this can take a while depending on the size of the crack(s). Also have a decent sized dose of Vit C daily. If you... want to take Zinc to support your immune system then you must balance it with Copper at a different time of day. Frankly, I would have thought these supplements should have been what ran out off the shelves rather than toilet paper! Lack of sleep also suppresses the immune system (says me with yet another dose of bloody menopausal insomnia kicking in ) as does practicing anxiety, so do some mediation, deep breathing and standing up tall and straight to reduce your stress hormones. If youre wondering what I mean about practicing anxiety its this .. chatting about stressful potential future disasters (which have not yet happened to you) over and over with your friends is practising it, so instead, you should all notice this and have a little group meditation to boost your immune systems and reduce the likelihood of a future health problem. Clearly I need not to mention what putting toxic substances in ones body does to dramatically reduce ones immunity, but sadly those habits are way harder to deal with. Remember any more than 1 standard drink per week for women and 2 for men is considered toxic. For those of you like me who have problems being sugar addicts, sugar increases viral replication, and fasting reduces it. Also some believe blowing your nose in a handkerchief rather than tissue increases your exposure to the viral load. Good luck to all. Oh, and ps. take probiotics, healthy gut = healthy immune system, eat sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha

05.01.2022 I know I shouldnt laugh, but they do look super funny n cute , thank goodness its easily fixed with a little kiss of cortisone

04.01.2022 Divinity: Tonight Im falling down the Vittorio Grigolo rabbit hole, what an amazing voice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHYBa_iB0j4

04.01.2022 Laminitis: Sigh ... the grass is growing way more than usual this year, I see clients properties and lock up paddocks getting out of control compared to previous years, there are horses with laminitis posture literally everywhere I drive. So if you think your lock up paddock is no longer small enough, make some laneways about 3-4 metres wide to lock your horses in. Having them locked in a laneway means they continue to get plenty of exercise as you can put the hay down one... end and the water up the other. If you have a row of trees that's suppressing grass growth take advantage of that and put your laneway alongside so the horse has some shelter as well. Many people make their laneways too wide and too long, remember the point is to restrict grass consumption whilst encouraging exercise, if it's not tending to turn to dirt/mud you likely have too much length. Also remember, if they're locked up you need 24/7 access to low sugar grass hay (see previous posts about this). You can make a laneway all the way around the perimeter of your paddock (if the paddock is small enough), often it's called a paddock paradise system, but just remember, depending on the size of the paddock, it could still be too much grass. This is the code name for the electric treadin's I use: Treadin Tall 10mm x 1500mm Multi Lug EF38H Thunderbird, otherwise just google 1500mm electric multiwire tread in. I see shorter standard tread in's being used everywhere as that's the common size the farm supply shops sell, but bigger determined horses will jump out and smaller ones will go under, especially if they're wearing rugs! My horses have lived for 10 years in their laneway with these 1500mm tall treadin's with only a wire at the top and one in the middle. If you use star stakes as corner posts, please buy caps to go on top of them, they're super dangerous without a cap. You can also buy 2 inch rural poly pipe to completely cover your star stake to make them safe from collisions. Solar powered electric fence units work nicely for those with no access to power. If your laneway has turned to dirt/mud just remember, if your laneway is quite long and you live in the grass growing capital of Victoria, grazing grass along the fence lines can still cause problems, so you'll end up like me, mowing and whipper snipping the fence lines every 3 days . Gagh .. spent my entire life dreaming about having horses who didn't live on dirt, and now I live here, grass is my greatest nightmare ps. don't make the mistake of thinking getting laminitis has anything to do with fatness! Just lock them all up together, that way no one is sad and lonely.

03.01.2022 What a fabulous story of tenacity and courage, a good lesson for us to always remember there are those doing it way tougher, surviving, pressing forwards and he’s become a beautiful soft rider. So practice gratitude daily for the simple things that are going right in our world and remember there is great suffering out there but animals will always be kind to us so we must be kind to them because you never know when an animal will save your soul

03.01.2022 Laminitis rant: Traps for the unknowing I saw a horror case recently, a young TB whose been suffering for 3 years and his pedal bones are more than 50% completely destroyed, as in GONE So let’s debunk some myths: If your horse gets toxic induced laminitis, YES IT WILL BE SUPER SENSITIVE TO GRASS INDUCED LAMINITIS so you have to be ultra careful about the grass. Rehabbing horses on brick floored yards or conveyor belt lined tracks IS NOT OK, hard surfaces are excruciatin...Continue reading

02.01.2022 Handy, considering we all will be wearing masks!

02.01.2022 OMG, this is the funniest thing Ive seen in a long while, I laughed so hard the cat on my lap thought I was having a seizure https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53me-ICi_f8