De Poedertoren
Last Sunday was spent at open day at de Poedertoren in Herselt, Belgium where they specialize in free roaming, and unshod, bitless riding. Emiel Voest gave his demonstration of Freestyle training – not completely unlike what I try to accomplish. Jossy Reinvoet gave his demonstration around his recent conversion to the Equestrian High School. And […]
A Degenerate Hoof
Before I get into any detail in this entry, I must make it clear that there are different viewpoints in all equine disciplines. It is by no means my intention to disqualify the activities of my riding school nor the actions of the farrier operating there; any comments I make are personal opinions and observations […]
Hay and the Draughthorse – continued
The “experiment” with Laika continues. She is exclusively on a diet of hay and anything that her pasture can offer. Even apples and carrots have been banned from her feed – both contain reasonable quantities of sugars and this is one of the major components we are trying to avoid. The results are very favourable. […]
The Half-shod Horse
I paid a visit to a riding school yesterday evening and was shocked at the state of the hoofs of the horses there. The horses themselves are in fairly good condition, but those hoofs 🙁 All the horses had recently been reshod but, as is the case with many riding-school horses, in most cases only […]
Hay and the Draughthorse…
Laika has been fed a variety of things since her arrival at the farm: maize, feed pellets, bread/breadcrumbs, apples, carrots, hay etc. Her general performance and stamina have always been somewhat unpredictable – the one moment full of energy and the next like a snail. She could trot a fair distance but always needed encouragement […]