Top Tips - Riding on the Road

I ride out quite often (at least when Basil is well), which always involves riding on the road.  The amount of traffic on the roads mean that it is not always easy but there are definitely ways to make it safer!

• Get your horse used to traffic of all sizes and shapes before venturing out.  You can do this on and around your yard.  If you keep your horse at livery then it is likely they have tractors etcetera that move hay and other things around.  Use these opportunities to get your horse close.  Use an older more sensible horse as a calming influence!
• You can also use home to try to get your horse used to dogs, plastic bags, etcetera. 
• Ride in single file unless you have a young or inexperienced horse and need to place a more sensible horse between them and the traffic.  This does not work on really narrow lanes as you are filling the width of the road and traffic has no way to go around you.

 

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• Be considerate to other users - even if they are inconsiderate to you.  Improve the profile of horse riders don't ruin it! 
• Wear a hard hat which is properly secured.  Falling off on the road whilst not wearing a hat is very likely to leave you with a head injury (or dead). 
• Ride the same way as the traffic, so in the UK ride on the left.  Keep to the edge of the road to allow drivers to pass wide.  
• If a car is approaching you from behind slow to a walk - if you stay in trot they will have to go faster to overtake!

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•   Grass verges are a useful way to get off the road if it is a narrow lane.  BUT remember to look out for rubbish which is often lying there and can cause injuries. 
• Always be alert, don't slop along with one hand on the rein - always concentrate and ensure you are in control and ready should your horse jump. 
• NEVER listen to an MP3 player on the road - you absolutely MUST be able to hear traffic coming. 
• Wear hi-viz clothing.  One day last week, on the way home from work, I came across a group of 5 horses and riders on the road.  They were on a section of the road which has trees on both sides and so is relatively dark - it was not particularly sunny that day although it was still daylight.  I could hardly see them as they were wearing dark clothing, luckily the road is narrow so I was going fairly slowly and I caught a slight movement.  As a horse rider my first thought was that it may be a horse so I slowed down even more - it was!  In my opinion it is MAD to ride out without wearing something light or bright coloured, how do you expect a driver to see you in time to slow down. 

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• Tell someone where you are going and/or have a mobile phone with you.  Remember to put it on silent so that if it rings it doesn't make your horse jump.  Make sure you store it safely and securely so that it won't come out of your pocket.  There are some great MP3 or phone holders available for runners and many will attach around your leg too if you prefer! 
• Ensure you say thank you to drivers that do slow down and/or give you a wide berth.  Ideally lift your hand, smile and nod.  If you are not able to take your hand from the rein then a smile and exaggerated nod should do the job.  By thanking the  drivers you are helping to ensure they slow down for the next horse and rider they meet.  Remember, most people don't know about horses so we must encourage them ALL to slow down.

• Make sure you know the correct hand signals to use.  You will need to be able to indicate left, right and to ask drivers to slow down.  These are all detailed in the Highway Code.  
• If something does happen then report it.  The British Horse Society are trying to get a picture of the type of incidents that occur involving horses, this may help contribute to law changes in the UK in the future -  http://www.bhs.org.uk/safety-and-accidents/report-an-incident

Did you see last week's video 'How to .... load a horse into a trailer'  on my You Tube channel.   
Horse Life and Love.   Please check it out and SUBSCRIBE.

You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates on Chesney, Basil, Tommy and Daisy.

Until next time!

Jo

Travelling and Loading Horses

I have been saving this blog to co-ordinate it with a video loading the horses, to have a look at that click here.  However, before you even think about travelling your horse you must think about the  safety and suitability of the vehicle you wish to use.  If you are using a trailer then the towing vehicle must be serviced regularly and checked before use.  This also applies to a horse box which must be roadworthy.  However, in addition to the safety of the vehicle you must also consider the safety of the horse transport section.  I wrote a blog about Trailer Safety  back in March which will give you a good idea about the checks you should make before each journey and on a regular basis.  

In addition to this you must ensure that the box or trailer is high enough for your horse - this has always been a challenge with Chesney!  Rubber matting on the floor provides a good non slip surface BUT can hide problems with the floor.  It is also still a good idea to have some shavings or straw to keep the floor dry as rubber is slippery when wet.  The partitions should be solid and it is better if they prevent biting of neighbours. Good tie rings are essential both for haynets and for securing each horse and good ventilation is also a necessity!

If using a trailer be absolutely certain it is hitched properly before you load the horse, reversing is often a good way of checking this.  Ensure the electric cable is attached and the lights working and that the safety chain is attached correctly.  Also, put the partitions (and breach bars) in the correct place for the horse or pony that will be travelling.

Single horses travel better near the front of a lorry and on trailers should always be in the space towards the centre of the road.  This is due to the camber of the road (ie: roads generally dip away towards the kerb).  This is also true if travelling horses of different weights or sizes, the bigger or heavier horse should be travelled in the space towards the middle of the road.

Before you load.

Don't forget to load all your equipment on to the lorry or car before you load the horse.   As you don't want them to be on there longer than necessary.  What you need will depend on where you are going and what will be available there.  Remember to take some water and a bucket for the horse too as some will not drink water away from home as it tastes different to what they are used to!

Horses also often load more happily if the front ramp is down and the trailer appears more open and light (as in my video).

Getting your horse ready for travelling will depend on a number of things so have a look at my blog on Dressing your Horse for Travel  for ideas about that.

Ensure the partition and breaching bars are positioned correctly. 


Loading

Wear gloves as a minimum and a hat too if you don't know the horse or he may be difficult. 
The horse should also wear a bridle over the headcollar if you don't know him or he may be difficult.  This will give you more control.  Having it over the headcollar will allow you to secure the horse before removing the bridle, once in the lorry or trailer.

Lead from the side of the horse which will ensure you can safely get into the trailer or lorry too.  Make sure that the horse walks up the middle of the ramp, look forward and be positive, if the horse hesitates don't pull on the leadrope as he is likely to pull back!

Once in place you will ideally have an assistant who will position the partition (in a lorry) or attach the breach bar (in a trailer) they should always stand to the side to do this so they are not able to be kicked.  When lifting the ramp the assistant should again stand to the side and NOT behind and underneath the ramp.  I have heard terrible stories of horse's panicking and knocking the ramp back down as they exit - crushing someone underneath the ramp.

The horse should be tied up so he is not able to turn his head around or nip his neighbour!  You can then exit through the groom's door.


Unloading

Ideally the horse can be led down a front ramp in the trailer.  To do this, untie the horse and hold the horse in position (enter through the groom's door) whilst an assistant gently opens the ramp (standing to the side) and then moves the partition or lowers the breach bar.  Again, ensure the horse is walking down the centre of the ramp and you must not stand or walk in front of him.  

If you are unable to use a front ramp and must reverse the horse then it is useful to have taught him the 'back' command before on a level surface.  Don't rush the horse and give him time to think about where he is putting his feet.  An assistant is again useful here to help guide the horse's hindquarters.

 Loading Difficult Horses

Many horses are difficult because they have had a bad experience with a trailer or lorry, so always bear this in mind.

It is always a good idea to spend time getting a horse used to a trailer or horse box before they need to be transported.  Tommy spent time practising at the Blue Cross before his journey to us and Chesney learnt that the trailer is a lovely place (you get food and hay) when he was young.  I have had difficult horses in the past and Basil is not always easy and rarely has to travel anywhere.  So a practise before is always a good idea as you are likely to be less tense and time conscious!

Horses can be nervous of different parts of the travelling and loading process. Some don't walk in and out of the trailer (or lorry) well, some don't like having the ramp closed and some don't like the actual journey.  You can tackle each of these separately.  Basil is not very good at walking on to the trailer and also is not very good at the journey as he tends to kick out at the sides all the way!  Don't tackle all the parts of the process at once.  In my video all you will see is that we practised walking up the ramp and onto the trailer and then backing out.  We didn't go anywhere!

If you can, place the trailer or box close to a wall - to reduce the horse's  'escape' options.  It is always an advantage if you have a secure area which means the horse cannot get far if you do let go!  As you will see in my video with Basil there is no point in rushing a horse - give him time to think about things.  Ensuring that you and the horse do not get too stressed also means that the horse will not become panicked which is when accidents happen!  You want the trailer (or lorry) to be a 'positive' place, somewhere they associate with good things and not negative. 

If your horse is nervous to walk up the ramp, again lead him positively, when he stops allow this, give him time to think but don't walk back to him!  Keep the leadrope loose and he is likely to decide to move towards you - especially if you have treats or he can see a bucket with food in the trailer.  As he comes to you then move up the ramp and further into the trailer - you want him to decide to come on his own because it is a 'nice' place to be.

If you need your horse to turn to the side in a lorry you need to practise this in the stable beforehand.  Teach your horse to move over at your touch or command so that he understands when you ask the same thing in the lorry.

If your horse is nervous when you close the ramp ensure you do this gently.  He may be better if he has access to a small haynet.  You may wish to stay with your horse while your assistant shuts the ramp.  Ensure you are in a safe place and that he can't injure you and then pat, rub and praise him whilst the ramp is closed.  It may be a good idea to practise this, so just shut the ramp for a few seconds to start with and praise him.  You can then slowly lengthen the time that the ramp is closed.  You will then need to gradually stand further away so that eventually you are outside the groom's door when the ramp is closed.

If your horse is a nervous traveller.   Make the journeys short to begin with - maybe just 5 minutes.  Make sure you drive carefully and gently approach junctions, corners and proceed around roundabouts with extra care.  Think about your horse - he can't see that you will be turning left or stopping ahead so can't prepare.  He has to get his legs in the right place and his weight carefully balanced to remain upright when these things happen.

Just remember that this is all unnatural for your horse and that you must think about their safety and wellbeing at ALL times.

Have a look at this week's video 'How to .... load a horse into a trailer'.   
Horse Life and Love.  Please check it out and SUBSCRIBE.

You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates on Chesney, Basil, Tommy and Daisy.

Until next time!

Jo

Basil's X-Ray Day.

I thought I would do a quick update on Basil today, him and his lump!  After a few days of antibiotics it did reduce in size, it then stopped before shrinking a bit more.  However, the vet said that it was shrinking so slowly that we really needed to have an x-ray to see what was going on.

Giving Basil his antibiotics and painkillers has not been easy.  Some things eg: his Ventipulmin, he will eat in his food but he flatly refused to eat his food with these 2 additions!  So I have been putting the powders into a mug, adding a little water and bit by bit using a syringe to gently squirt it in his mouth.  Luckily he does not make a huge fuss, although, he has been trying to hold it in his mouth before spitting it out again!  Some of it ends up down my top and in my hair and one day he shot his head in the air and I squirted it on the ceiling.  However, overall I think he has had most of the powder.

So today the vet came with the x-ray machine.  I wasn't sure that they would use the mobile machine and thought I was going to have to take Basil there.  This was going to cause enormous stress to the horses and me.  Chesney (as you know) does not settle if Basil is taken away.  Even after an hour long hack out on Basil Chesney will be all hot and sweaty from running around whilst we are away.  Basil does not travel well and so would also be stressed, and I have no idea how long they would have to be apart. 

Anyway, with all this in mind the vet practice agreed to use the mobile x-ray machine.  So this morning they arrived with all the equipment.  Basil was an absolute star!  He has not been sedated since I have had him so I had no idea what he would be like or what effect it would have on him.  However, I need not have worried as he was so good and just had a little nap.  We all had to wear big  long 'coats' to protect us from the x-rays but I could stay with Basil and look after him.

He had to rest his nose on a special cushioned stand to make sure he kept his head still in the right place but I was so proud of him.  This picture is after we had done the x-rays and he was waking up a little from the sedative.

I just have to wait now while they look at the pictures on a bigger screen back at the practice before letting me know what they found.  The waiting is always the worst part - I will keep you up to date!

Did you see yesterday's video 'How to .... load a horse into a trailer'   on my You Tube channel? 

Horse Life and Love.  Please check it out and SUBSCRIBE.

You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates on Chesney, Basil, Tommy and Daisy.

Tommy Update

 
Two weeks ago I set the following as my 'aims' for Tommy :

1.       Be able to put my arm gently over his hindquarters.

2.       To pick up his feet more gently as he tends to snap them up really quickly.

3.       Be even calmer for his headcollar to be put on.

4.       Be able to catch him in the main part of the field when he is not wearing a headcollar.

5.       To have a saddle cloth on his back.

6.       To build his confidence more.

7.       To increase his experience eg: seeing footballs, new people etc.

8.       To give him lots of love and cuddles - which he loves

Yet again I am so proud of him and how well we have done.  He is definitely part of the family now and is totally in tune with the routine.  To be honest it feels like he has been here so much longer than 6 weeks.  He is starting to test the boundaries with Basil and Chesney more and Chesney has no hesitation in telling him he is too close- he chases him away.  Basil seems to be more chilled about it! 

Tommy is not wearing a headcollar in the field or stable now.  I have not managed to try catching him again in the main part of the field as he is always standing in line at the gate.  He likes coming in for a bit of fuss and hay!  I always put his headcollar on in the evening and he is getting more consistently calm about this.  I often try leading him about in the yard a bit and putting things on his back (see later in this blog).  He is really good at waiting for me to open the gate, leading through and turning around now which is brilliant.  He is better at having his headcollar taken off but still sometimes lifts his head up.  He is also really, really good at waiting until I have patted him and gone out of the field before he turns to walk away.

Tommy has quickly learnt 'walk on' and 'stand' in my voice and 'back' is a good one too.  He is a little unsure about the command to move over in the stable but is getting better.  Obviously this is an important one if he is standing too close to the wall!  Picking out his feet is still improving, he still picks his feet up a bit quickly but will happily let me pick them out each morning.  As with our  last update he no longer holds his legs all stiff and tense which he did when he first arrived!

He is pretty good with the weigh tape now and as he was so used to the numnah we have progressed to an old bath towel.  Initially he was a little nervous of the bigger size of this but by folding it and laying it against his shoulder before gently putting it over his withers and unfolding he has got used to it.  Tommy will also have the towel over his hindquarters and is confident to walk around the yard with it on.  Although he did frighten himself a little the day he trotted a bit and it moved more! 

 
I have been working on getting him used to me holding it in the air as you may need to do with a bigger rug.  At first he was a little more worried about this and put his head up and went a bit tense but with a bit of praise and a neck rub he quickly settled.  I now feel that he is getting used to it although he is better if you have been in the stable for a few minutes and worked up to it.  If I went into the stable lifted this huge towel in the air and tried to throw it over his shoulder he would still be terrified! 

I have also found a favourite place for a rub and/or scratch - which is a great new way of praising and reassuring him.  He absolutely loves having his chest and under his neck scratched.  Close up by his throat is the best place.  I can move around him freely without him being worried, although he is much more confident about this in the stable.  In the field I can get closer now than I used to before he walks away and we usually just try this when we go to move the fence a little.  The horse dental technician came to have a quick look at Basil at the weekend and went to say hello to Tommy.  He had a quick look at Tommy's teeth (no speculum) which was a bit of a surprise to Tommy but he took it well!  He has also had to put up with a drill when Basil had a new metal part put on the top of his door - which he also was fine with.  Although, he was not so keen when the electric screwdriver was making a big noise!

The farrier is due this week so that will be our next big challenge but I am hoping that with the improvements we have made with him lifting his feet that this will not be too much of a leap.  He will do Basil's shoes and Chesney's feet first so by the time it is Tommy's turn I hope it won't be too much of a shock. 

We are having regular grooming sessions and cuddles, I would like to be able to use some conditioning spray in his tail at some point but we are not there yet.  Tommy really enjoys being brushed and pampered (much like Chesney) and is no problem with legs, tummy or head.  He is getting much better at having his ears touched and brushed but I generally have to work up to it and not just grab his ear!  He is still a little unsure about me trying to get the shavings off when they are caught in the hair inside his ears though.

 
Next steps:

1.       To be good for the farrier.

2.       Continue with the practice so that he is calmer for his headcollar to be taken off.

3.       Be able to catch him in the main part of the field when he is not wearing a headcollar.

4.       To put a thin summer sheet on his back.

5.       To use conditioning spray in his tail.

6.       To continue to build his confidence more.

7.       To increase his experience eg: seeing footballs, new people etc.

8.       To give him lots of love and cuddles - which he loves

Did you see my little extra video with Tommy last week  on my You Tube channel.   

 Horse Life and Love.  Please check it out and SUBSCRIBE.

You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates on Chesney, Basil, Tommy and Daisy.

Until next time!

Jo