Natural Horse Company

To bit or not to bit? That is the question.

You may have seen the recent video entitled "blue tongue world cup" which exposes the horror of Rollkur (hyperflexion). I warn you, it’s tough to watch. However, hopefully the outrage expressed from this will lead to changes in dressage competitions which are long overdue. If you want to take action I suggest subscribing to eponatv to reward these two women for their bravery in challenging the establishment. Also, there’s a petition to sign to ask the FEI to ban hyperflexion in competitions. Epona TV also have a good discussion on this in their editorial.

For myself, I’m completely at the other end of the scale although I have the usual goal of perfect horse/human connection; I’m just taking the slow route to get there. So in a couple of weeks I’ll be entering my second dressage test in my life. Walk/trot and I hope to beat those little nippers on lead rein!! But will I be able to? I want to enter in a bitless bridle…is this allowed? Do I have to do rising trot in the test? My sitting trot is better connected and I get better collection so isn’t that the prime goal? I’m even hoping I’ll be brave enough to ride in a Baretek pad as James Shaw has banned me from using stirrups this winter (nice man) but is that allowed? Rules, rules, rules.

I draw inspiration from  Marthe Kiley-Worthington doing dressage to music at a workshop I organised 8 years ago. No bridle, no saddle, and performing piaffe, passage and one-time tempi changes. Achieved by letting horses be horses and training them using positive reinforcement and immense respect. Pity you can’t bottle that and sell it.

Rachel

Feeding Healthy Forage

Feeding a forage diet to your horse improves bacteria in their gut, new research shows.

For those of you feeding Simple System forage feeds to your horse, you'll know how effective it is, how well your horse goes on it and that they look great. Horses are designed to eat forage so it makes sense that it improves behaviour, stamina, weight control (both ways), skin and coat and countless other things.

This latest research looks at how feeding cereals and sugars as well as forage can possibly upset the balance of the bacteria in the gut. To read the full report on The Horse click here.

For more info on feeding your horse a healthy forage diet visit www.simplesystem.co.uk or contact us for details. We distribute Simple System feeds in the North East of England so click here for delivery dates to your area.

More Shaw on Horse Hero!

James Shaw has just finished another tour of the UK teaching courses, lessons and filming for Horse Hero. After showing how Tai Chi can improve your dressage in his lesson with Hannah Biggs, his latest video shows how his Tai Chi groundwork can help you to prepare your body to improve the bend in your horse when riding. Fiona Price, the presenter on Horse Hero, is his subject! Click here to watch it.

If you're insprired to learn these techniques for yourself and your horse you can purchase James Shaw's books and DVDs through us. Please ring 01765 688698 to order.

Clicker Training day a success

Our Intro to Clicker Training day on Sunday went really well. India, Toby and Murphy demonstrated beautifully how to introduce clicker training to a young, unbacked horse, how to take it further on the ground and into the saddle and then progressing to collection and in-hand work.

Clicker Training Level One starts this Sunday. This course will teach you how to start clicker training your horse with theory and practical sessions and is taught by Hannah Dawson and Rachel Bedingfield. There are still places available so contact us now for more info!

Clicker Training Courses

 

Next introductory day this Sunday (11th Oct)!

   

Click HERE to watch our clicker training video online!

 

Clicker training is a fantastic way to train your horse and build up your relationship. It creates a happy, willing horse who is calm and safe and wants to be with you.

· Help behavioural problems such as:

  spooking

  loading

Bucking and bolting

aggression

  tacking up and mounting

· Teach dressage and collection

· Improve jumping

· Promote body awareness for  

  health and performance

· Create a safe horse

· Have fun and teach tricks

 

With clicker training, you can teach your horse ANYTHING!

  

Click HERE for more info and dates of introductory days and workshops 

Multiple Approach to Healing

A lower limb wound in horses can be hard to heal, so when Roisin came in with a nasty wire cut in her pastern, I decided to pull out all the stops to heal it. Here are my top tips...I'm doing them all and it's going really well.

1) Bless the 21st Century! Conventional vetting cleaned the wound and covered infection with anti-biotics and anti-tetanus jabs. The wound was too deep and flexing to stitch, so was left open and seeping.

2) Food is the best medicine, so it was on to high amounts of linseed, delivered in top quality forage feeds, to promote healing. Linseed is the best source of vegetable Omega oils, is high in Vitamin E and so promotes great cell structure and removes free radicals.

3) Having a resident Equine Touch practitioner is handy. Hannah has given her a couple of Body Balances to promote the elimination of toxins and the natural healing processes.

4) The vet predicts a lot of proud flesh (scarring) on the wound. I doubt it as I'm using Forever Living's Aloe Vera with Bee Propolis. This is the most amazing cream for wounds as it keeps the skin soft and seems to prevent scarring and proud flesh.

5) Once the anti-biotics had finished it was on to nutritional support for the immune system. Eclipse Recovery probiotic from Simple System and Astralagus herbal tincture, recommended by Lynda Sharp of Solway Holistics.

6) Roisin lives out in a herd so being stuck in is tough. We provide a companion at all times and she gets a run out into the yard to bask in sunshine (and promote Vitamin D). Now the wound is much dryer she gets to graze on the farm road where there's no mud.

7) To bandage or not to bandage, that is the question. I like to leave wounds open to the air if possible. This one is near the ground so will get dirty easily and I have tended to bandage it to let her out during the day and then leave it open at night and keep her in to keep it clean. Support for not bandaging came in a timely report from Horse Health last week. 

8) Finally, if your horse is going to injure herself, make sure she does it at the start of a healing workshop! She came in bloody on the first morning of a 4-day workshop we ran last month, so the 9 delegates and 3 tutors got a chance to practise what they preach. Grateful thanks to them all for their input and, in particular, to Mary Trost and Liam Shaw for their care for Roisin.  

James Shaw on Horse Hero!

 

Click here to see him work with Grand Prix dressage rider, Hannah Biggs

Here's what Horse Hero have to say about it:

This video has the power to transform your riding! American Tai Chi expert James Shaw offers insights that will trigger some 'light bulb' moments. Working with Grand Prix dressage rider Hannah Biggs and her stallion Weltzin, James explains the root causes of tension and a system for riding effortlessly. He shows Hannah how her breathing controls rhythm and timing and how she can use her seat bones as weight aids. James says "by lowering your centre of gravity, you set the horse up for collection". His main aim is to use the horse's force and shape it, not block it, or use leverage against it. Hannah and Weltzin change before our very eyes. Amazing!

Click here for info about James Shaw in the UK

Click here to visit James Shaw's website for more information and his international programme

Equine Touch is for horses, VHT is for humans.

I attended an advanced VHTcourse last weekend, which gave me another chance to learn from Jock Ruddock, founder of Equine Touch and VHT. Jock's interesting history includes a career as a wrestler where he discovered his talent for bodywork. He has since developed his Equine Touch and VHTmodalities, which he travels the world teaching with his veterinary wife, Ivana.

3 common riding problems that VHT can help are:

Lower back pain

Stiffness after riding

Arthritis

But what is VHT?

VHT stands for Vibromuscular Harmonisation Technique. A bit of a mouthful, but it makes sense if it's broken down. The VHT move consists of sending vibrations through muscles and other soft tissue, hence vibro-muscular. Harmonisation is about bringing the body into a balanced state where the innate healing processes can kick in. This combined brings about incredibly powerful results helping a whole host of problems.

Click here for a list of common ailments VHT has been known to help.

Hannah

Videos

Just having a computer glitch at the mo and the videos aren't showing up...trying not to get mad with the computer!!

1) Riding lesson with James Shaw

2) Hannah riding Toby bareback and bridleless in the snow

3) Our 37 year old pony Poppy looking great

Visit http://www.youtube.com/user/NaturalHorseCompany to see them.

James Shaw teaches Bettina Drummond

Sometimes you find someone who you know is the real deal. A teacher who has original material which will take you further than anyone else you've worked with.

One such person is James Shaw. We are about to start our third year of lessons with him and are very excited about the progress we will make this year. We invite you to join us on his UK workshops and find out for yourself how his unique approach can break your equestrian "glass ceiling" and take you to the next level.   

James works with riders at all levels...and we mean ALL levels. You can read a testimonial from Bettina Drummond, one of the world's top riders. Bettina was trained by Nuno Oliveira, the great Portuguese master, and has been working with James for just a short time. If she feels he can help her, then you know he can help you too.

CLICK HERE TO READ what Bettina has to say about working with James.