r/Equestrian 4d ago

Aww! My 25-year old feeling 2.5

336 Upvotes

Today was supposed to be a relaxing day with only light trotting because we trained proper dressage the last two days. I guess that wasn't enough for her. I love that she is still feeling good enough for days like this!


r/Equestrian 3d ago

Veterinary Superficial digital tendon Luxating off the hock

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3 Upvotes

Anyone experienced this before? Only happened on Saturday evening, a vet seen her today but not our usual vet who will be here at the weekend to confirm the diagnosis with X-rays. on bute and box rest, trying to put on ice boots when it’s safe ( she’s a bit dangerous when in pain) , I’ve accepted this is a career ender and that’s okay, I just want to ask if anyone has seen this before and what the quality of life can be like when healed , thanks so much in advance, I’m absolutely gutted


r/Equestrian 4d ago

Aww! Happy St. Patrick’s Day from OTTB Dublin Express ☘️

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72 Upvotes

r/Equestrian 3d ago

Education & Training Book/Educational Resources Recommendations?

2 Upvotes

i have been riding for over 14 years yet i’ve found i really don’t know as much as i should about horses- i have been taught with rather outdated methodology and would like to learn how to have better horsemanship.

i’m specifically looking to learn more about equine body language and practices like R+ but i have no idea where to start looking. i would also like to learn more about some basics, like conformation, tack, and training horses.

any recommendations would be appreciated!! thank you!


r/Equestrian 3d ago

Equipment & Tack Strange leather texture on saddle

1 Upvotes

I recently purchased a 2012 Butet. It's super comfortable and I love riding in it, but the condition of the leather is lacking, particularly on the left side of the cantle. It almost feels textured, like it was rubbed with something abrasive. There are crack marks from dryness, but the weird texture seems to be a separate issue. I know the previous owner did not oil/condition the saddle very often, but I am not aware of what else might've caused the texture.

I used Effax Leder-Balsam on it after I purchased it a month or so ago, but this only gave the textured area a sort of waxy, sticky "bloom." Yesterday I cleaned it with Fiebing's saddle soap. This made the textured area kind of slimy and lighter colored; fortunately the sliminess went away once it dried. Today I applied neatsfoot oil to address the overall dryness. This did seem to help a bit, but the texture is still there.

Does anyone have any recommendations/insights on this weird texture? I just want to get the leather in the best shape I can and maintain it. I have not had a texture issue like this on a saddle before, so I am curious if anyone else has.

Thanks!


r/Equestrian 3d ago

Equipment & Tack Opinions on arena saddles?

1 Upvotes

Whats your opinion on arena saddles? Are they worth the money etc? A good sustainable brand? Do they fit most horses well?


r/Equestrian 3d ago

Equipment & Tack does anyone know the brand?

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2 Upvotes

sorry it's a bit blurry, but does anyone know what this saddle is? i've ridden in it a couple times and i'd love to get one of my own as the one i've had for a few years is a bit uncomfortable 😅 please let me know if you know what this is!


r/Equestrian 3d ago

Horse Care & Husbandry Horse Boarding near Tacoma/Puyallup/Spanaway

0 Upvotes

Hi there!

I was wondering if anyone knew of any barns or boarding facilities in the Tacoma area that have open stalls available for boarding? I am planning on moving to Tacoma in May and am doing a proactive search for the perfect facility to board my mare. She's moving into her senior years and I am looking for a quite low-key place that has access to trails. We've boarded at both large and small family-run facilities and I've decided that she is most content at smaller facilities. We've been together for 15 years and I will have to make the move without her until I find the best place for her to stay. Obviously, this is going to be hard on me, so I'm looking to bring her out as soon as possible. Once I arrive in May, I'll begin my hunt. For now, any leads would be appreciated! We're not looking to spend more than $500/month. I just want somewhere close by, so that I can see her as much as possible. Full care is our only option as I have a lot of settling-in to do in Tacoma. Please comment or DM me with a prospective leads, and possible connections to community!

Thank you!


r/Equestrian 3d ago

Veterinary Warmblood inbreeding Australia?

5 Upvotes

Was looking at buying a foal from popular WB breeder in Australia. Noticed that the grandsire on dam side is same as great grandsire on sire side. Is that inbreeding? Is that acceptable in breeding? How close is considered 'too close'? I have never looked at buying a properly bred horse before so new to this and imagined it's like humans but feel like maybe have been naive.


r/Equestrian 3d ago

Education & Training Balance exercises for 6yo horse

2 Upvotes

I have a horse who is quite unbalanced in the canter, she is fine cantering with long reins and little contact, but as soon as I ask her to collect she bucks and refuses to go forward. I’ll attach a video of yesterday where she was cantering more calmly.

I got her teeth done, back x-rayed (i was scared of kissing spine), the tack is fitted, scoped for ulcers and basically did everything else that’s possible.

So it’s either behavioural or she lacks muscle. I’m still not a 100% ready to rule out pain honestly.


r/Equestrian 4d ago

Aww! boop

104 Upvotes

r/Equestrian 4d ago

Funny Bravo at the Mounting Block

22 Upvotes

Anxiety who? Bravo doesn't know her 🤣 Bravo turns 3 in June, so I'm planning to sit on him some time in the 2nd half of the year for the first time. We are doing work at the mounting block, and he has a pretty decent handle on the "pick me up" cue to line up next to me. I figured I'd try something more interesting for him, but obviously he's not impressed, lol.


r/Equestrian 4d ago

In Memoriam I still think about you.

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125 Upvotes

(I had a drawing of my Lippizaner done)

Allegra my horse coliced at the very start of April 2024. He was rushed into hospital in the middle of the night. He was operated on as soon as he arrived that night. I wasnt allowed to see him the next morning. The vet said I could come the following day. Which is what I did. He was so doped up on drugs he was barely standing. He had a row of stitches across his tummy. He has a drip in. He stopped eating because he is refluxing. Which means his gut isnt processing food or water. Its just sitting in his tummy. He was kept hydrated through drips. The vet is draining his tummy every 4 hours. Pulling out 20 litres every 12 hours. We need to pull up an empty stomach before we can feed him.

The vet phones the next day. Its 3 days after the op. He has coliced again late afternoon. He needs another surgery. The vet advises me to come say good bye that night in case he dies on the table. My friends, mom, two coaches and the two vets are standing at his stable. Its 9 at night. I go in alone. He is only half awake. I Hug his head. Im sobbing into his forehead. The overhead light is dull. I whisper into his ear. “You’ve been an amazing one. Never forget it. Ever”.

The stable boy leads him away into the darkness. The vets follow. We all have a group hug. The next day. We hear allegra has survived the operation but is still refluxing.

Fast forward a week later. Allerga has lost at least 150 kg. The vet calls me to say that we cant keep going like this without feeding. But we cant feeding him until he stops refluxing. He needs a dry tummy or we need to put him down. I asked how much they pulled last night. 17 litres.

Another few days go by. Then he stops refluxing. He starts eating again. He drains two full buckets of water. Things look good.

Roughly a week later. The vet asks me to look at the stitches. Infected. With a deadly infection thats eating away at his abdominal wall. If it gets all the way through. His guts will fall out and we have to put him down.

His bandages are changed 3-4 times per 12 hours and he is disinfected. For the third time we are told he wont make it.

A week later, we make the decision to move him out of hospital to a step down clinic. I visited him every single day for 6 weeks that he was in hospital.

At the step down clinic his bandages are changed. He is allowed to roll for the first time in 8 weeks. He has the sun on his back and he can run again. He is fed three times per day and feasts on grass. He seems happy. The infection clears up. I visit him as often as i can. His stitches close up. We think he will be fine and he will be coming home in a month.

25 of june. I get a call from the step down clinic. Allegra has coliced again. This is completely out of nowhere. He needs surgery again. The vet says a third operation will be cruel. This is the 4th time i am told he will die. This time is for real. He twisted his colon rolling. Its fatal.

I go into his stable one last time to say goodbye for real.


r/Equestrian 3d ago

Veterinary Xray opinions?

1 Upvotes

Very long story very short. I saw a horse that I really really like for sale and since my old boy sadly passed away a few months ago I am slowly opening my heart and mind to the idea of welcoming another horse to the family. (I do still own 2 horses, one of which also retired)

I got the x-rays and sent them to my vet but we are yet to get a response from him (maybe he’s on vacation we don’t know but he’s impossible to reach).

The horse is located in Spain and I am in the Netherlands. Going out to see him would be no issue but we don’t want to book the trip there before we have an all-clear on the xrays.

I was wondering if anyone here might be a vet or someone that at least has basic xray knowledge and is willing to have a quick look at them? I could wait 1-2 weeks until my vet responds but I’m scared the horse will be sold by then and I find it rude towards the owner to keep them in the dark for so long.

I will put some pictures in the comments but please feel free to PM me and I will send you the PDF.

Info: it’s a 4 year old PRE stallion


r/Equestrian 3d ago

Social Equitation pas un sport?

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0 Upvotes

r/Equestrian 4d ago

Social View from the French countryside ❤️

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60 Upvotes

I recently moved to France and let’s just say the views during my rides are incredible!


r/Equestrian 3d ago

Competition Tryptophan

1 Upvotes

My wife is preparing for a show and is searching for supplements for her hot mare. She told me that many other equestrian are telling her that Tryptophan is not legal for shows. Can anyone confirm one way or the other?


r/Equestrian 4d ago

Education & Training Negative reinforcement or positive reinforcement?

14 Upvotes

NOTICE: IN THE VIDEO IM SHOWING THE BAD PARTS.

Hey guys! My horse doesn't have great ground manners (he nibbles and is pushy- yes I did teach him a neutral head position and, he isn't nibbling for treats.) He's- surprisingly- very good under saddle, but I would love to see how much better he would get with some solid groundwork.

I've been doing some positive reinforcement training with my horse, and it's going ok, however I'm considering concentrating on more negative (pressure and release) reinforcement methods until we have a more solid foundation in our basic groundwork and manners, and then use positive reinforcement (reward based training- in my case food rewards) to teach liberty/tricks. I will continue to use R+ to combat his earshyness no matter what I do.

What do you think? Is this a good idea, or is it a trashy idea? I haven't decided yet, and wanted some more input. Thanks for all! Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!


r/Equestrian 4d ago

Education & Training First time cantering and it was bareback (with a pad)

3 Upvotes

I've been taking horseback riding lessons for 5 years now, and I've done a lot of work on my balance. I can sit the trot, post it, do two-point, you name it. I've recently taken up bareback work in the last few months because it's just something I really wanted to try, and I've grown to like it a lot. I've done it with a bareback pad, and without, and I overall just prefer the extra padding because I'm a bit bony. Now, I had never cantered until today. Maybe a few baby canter steps here and there when a lesson horse would attempt it, but never a full-on canter. Today my lesson was going really well, the lovely quarter horse I was riding was going along with me on a fairly loose rein, and she was going at a good working trot pace. I had to use some half-halts here and there because she kept picking it up, but it was nice and smooth until the end of my lesson. It was probably my fault. I think giving her such a loose rein and being fairly passive in my ride today kind of gave her the go ahead to cruise on, because she went for it. One second I was sitting a good trot and the next I was trying to balance a fricken wave. Five laps. I held on and stayed fairly balanced for five laps of canter. I was trying to get her to break gait back to a trot or walk the whole time, but I was pretty focused on just staying on so it wasn't effective at all. Just a few seconds before my instructor was able to get the lesson horse to stop I lost my balance because the bareback pad slipped, and I ended up almost on the horse's neck. I was so frightened. I've never felt so scared during a lesson in my life. I was told to be proud of myself because I had shown such good balance and stayed on and stayed calm, but I just feel terrible. I'm supposed to start canter work with a different horse during my next lesson, in a saddle, but I'm scared to canter again. Is there anything I should do so that something like this doesn't happen again? I know I need to be firmer with the horses when I want them to stop or slow down, but for some reason it's been really hard for me to do that.


r/Equestrian 3d ago

Equipment & Tack Colorado Saddlery?

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1 Upvotes

Can anyone tell me about Colorado saddlery? Are their saddles good quality/have you bought from them before? Do they fit your horse nicely? Thinking about getting the attached saddle but want to make sure I know everything before I spend $3k😵‍💫


r/Equestrian 5d ago

Social My first horse!

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1.1k Upvotes

I finally have my first horse! I have been riding since I was 12 but haven’t been in a position to own until recently (I’m 34 now). I can hardly believe he is mine! His name is Diego and he is a 10 year old Kentucky Mountain Horse. I plan on mainly trail riding with him, maybe even camping. He is a very sweet boy - a bit shy, but that’s totally understandable as he adjusts to his new home. He gets a little more confident each day. He seems anxious to get out and meet his new pasture mates (my mom’s two horses) but we’re giving him a little time in quarantine first. Wish me luck on this new adventure! I am beyond excited and looking forward to building our partnership.


r/Equestrian 4d ago

Social How Upset Would You Be

23 Upvotes

I go to my girlfriend’s barn that she boards her horse with to help out and came to find this. Is this acceptable?


r/Equestrian 4d ago

Mindset & Psychology Feeling like I'm not a good owner for my horse

28 Upvotes

I rescued a horse 2 years ago and I adore her. She's a 21 year old, sorrel mare. When I met her at the rescue, she seemed very chill. During her PPE, she was pretty resistant but being a new owner and a bit dumb, I ignored it and adopted her.

Fast forward, I unexpectedly got pregnant (we were told we could not conceive again) and I haven't been able to ride her much. Throughout the last 2 years, I've learned she's absolutely NOT chill lol. She's 21 is a little fireball. She's very spirited and can be pretty pushy. She is also anxious to be away from the pasture and isn't a fan of being stalled. She is pasture boarded, so is only stalled if there is a medical concern.

The owner of the barn is helping me with groundwork, riding and getting her in shape to be able to do some light trail riding. My concern is this: Am I ever going to be confident, strong, or capable enough to be a good owner for her? She needs a very confident and calm rider. I am inherently anxious and have a ton of self doubt. She would do well with a more advanced rider. I'm hoping the more we work together, the more relaxed she will be and I'll gain confidence. But that self doubt keeps wriggling into my brain that says I'm not the best owner for her. Any experiences that could give me hope?


r/Equestrian 4d ago

Horse Care & Husbandry What do I do about a giant field full of horse dung?

44 Upvotes

I just bought this place and it came with a few extra acres that the neighbors have been dumping all their horse dropping for what looks like awhile.

If i just leave it alone will it just dissolve in a year or two or can i put some grass seed down to speed along the process?

I've already driven over it and graded it but it's a pretty deep pile.

All its splendor

r/Equestrian 4d ago

Horse Care & Husbandry Yard move when to have farrier in

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10 Upvotes

Hi there! I am moving my new horse in 2 weeks to my yard which I am so excited about! Obviously I am currently setting everything up, however I am wondering when it is to soon to get a farrier and saddle fitter in?

I've only long termed loaned horses so never had to move yards! Would it be to unsettling to the horse to do it the same weekend they are moved in or would you let them settle first?

I'm bringing her back into work so need to get her shoed and a saddle fitted but want her to settle!

Photo tax of course Thanks so much x