Horsey Review: The Pure Feed Company

When you think of a Clydesdale crossed with a Cob, you don't tend to think of that horse being a 'poor doer'. However I have always struggled to get weight on her and get her into decent condition. We've gone through periods where she's looked absolutely awful weight wise and no matter what feeds I tried I never managed to build her up.

I had been keeping her out all year round for the last few years with ad-lib hay but I'd never really had anywhere with decent grazing. When I went to places such as Your Horse Live and Horse of the Year Show and spoke to the various feed companies they always told me to feed more hay which is difficult when you have a herd of horses all living out eating the same bales. I moved to a yard about 6 months ago that required me to keep her in overnight throughout winter which gave her time to eat her fill of hay.

The yard provided it's own high quality haylage and hay, this, mixed with decent grazing really helped put weight on and she was looking better than she'd looked in a very long time.

A couple of months ago, I noticed Cleo's feet had started developing a series of superficial cracks on the surface, I spoke to Sadie (my horse feed guru) who suggested a diet change in order to help repair her feet. One feed she suggested to me was Pure Fibre Balance. A balancer and chaff mix, as well as linseed and salt. I went to my local Countrywide store who are a stockist for Pure feeds and, despite them attempting to persuade me to buy TopSpec instead, I picked up the Fibre Balance and Pure's own Linseed.

A few weeks into feeding this and her condition had improved immensely. She was shiny and muscular and felt much nicer to ride, a lot more forwards and eager to work- it was like the Cleo I'd fallen in love with all those years ago!

She's currently getting one round scoop of the Fibre Balance a day with one cup of linseed, as well as being out on grass 24/7 but coming in for a few hours a week and having top quality hay. 

I am definitely sticking with Pure feeds for the foreseeable future! They're gorgeous quality (that awful picture does it no justice whatsoever) and Cleo LOVES it!

The Pure Feed Company: https://www.facebook.com/ThePureFeedCompany/?fref=ts

Countrywide: https://www.countrywidefarmers.co.uk

Horsey Review: Amidale Ears

Ears, Fly Veils, Fly Hats, Ear Bonnets... whatever you call them!

Amidale offer a reasonably priced but high quality selection of ears available in various different colours and styles. I have a large amount of ear nets, including makes such as Horse Wear, HKM, Le Mieux, Eskadron and Tottie, but the Amidale ones (of which I have about 4 or 5 now) are easily my favourite. Their full sized ears fit my Clydesdale X perfectly (who is in a full sized bridle), the stretchy material used on the actual ears fits nicely to my mare's ears, rather than making her look like a donkey with floppy ear syndrome.

I have the plain ones with no crystals or beads, in Navy, Grey, Yellow, Royal Blue, Green and Orange, which are usually around £4 each on Ebay.

Bonus! The royal blue ears matched my Le Mieux Benneton Blue set almost perfectly!

Amidale Industries: http://www.amidalesports.co.uk

I purchased mine from this company on Ebay- Nazdale Traders: http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/nazdale-sports?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2754

Hat Hair? Don't Care!

   
The British Horse Society has released a social media campaign, called #HatHairDon'tCare in order to highlight the importance of wearing a helmet when riding your horse. BHS: Hat Hair? Don't Care!

I have owned my horse for 6 years and trust her with my life, we don't do anything too dangerous and have, so far, never had any serious accidents. However, I will not ride her without a helmet. No matter how much you trust your horse, they are an animal, they are unpredictable. They can also stumble and trip (or even fall over in Sadie's case!) or be in an accident involving another person/horse/vehicle.

I have to admit that I've got on my horse before with no helmet for the odd photo, once I was sitting bareback out side my field on her for a photography project, now she is one of the safest and sanest horses you could find but for some reason a particular cyclist spooked her and we ended up cantering down the lane. I was lucky that I managed to sit it and eventually get her under control but I could have easily slid off and caused myself some serious damage.

As someone who is very anxious about the way they look, and has self confidence issues, I understand that people want to avoid things that make them look 'bad'. But honestly, a bit of a sweaty head is better than being dead! I'm also guilty of not wearing a helmet when handling a horse on the ground, unless I'm expecting something to go wrong (i.e. when I was lunging my youngster and he was being a complete tool!), I also don't wear a body protector, often handle my horse in inappropriate footwear and rarely wear gloves- safety equipment seems to be more of a second thought that anything else.

#HatHairDontCare

At the end of the day, it's your choice whether you decide to wear a helmet or not when riding your horse. When you're making that decision just think about the people who you may be influencing, or who may have to pick up the pieces (literally and metaphorically) if something goes wrong!