Curland Equestrian Centre

‼️Lost Property‼️

We have a very lonely silver stainless steel drink flask found abandoned in the outdoor arena. Not microchipped and no collar or tag, so we're unable to reunite with its owner.

If you are suffering sleepless nights fretting about the whereabouts of your beloved bottle, please get in touch 😊

Don’t forget to sign up for our next client evening!

I'm delighted to say that we're almost ready for you, so here's a quick look at where we're up to with this year's WH course! There are more wings and poles to go out, making up a couple more jumps, and some doublechecking for riding lines, and then we'll be good to go :D

The course will be available for hire from Monday 8th July 2024, at a standard cost of just £15 per horse/rider, per hour.

However, as it's our tenth summer here this year, if anyone fancies being an early bird, we will be taking the first ten bookings for just £10 per horse/rider, per hour 😜

❗ 𝙁𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙧 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙫𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙡𝙮 ❗

Our livery residents are a mix of ages and activity levels, and their health and happiness are our primary concern. We have a wealth of knowledge and many years of experience caring for horses on both a routine and nursing basis, and have excellent working relationships with some really great professionals giving specialist support.

We have lovely facilities, including indoor and outdoor schools, BS and WH jumps, superb hacking, and plenty of securely fenced turn out. We offer a quiet, adults only yard, allowing you to relax and peacefully enjoy time with your horse without cliques, favouritism or oneupmanship.

We understand that finding the right horse and human fit is essential, which is why yard viewing is so important, giving you the chance to see for yourself if we are right for you and vice versa. So, if you are looking for somewhere new, where you can feel safe in the knowledge that your horse is in great hands, and that you will also enjoy pleasant company, why not get in touch and let us know what you're looking for? If we think we can help, we will gladly show you round and have you meet other owners to hear what it's like to be part of Curland EC :)

Magnificently well written

Love your horse, not what they can do.

My horse had to retire this year.
It was unexpected and it changed everything.

But for him, nothing changed.

He still goes out in the field, still gets a nice big fluffy bed, cosy rugs and a carrot every night. He still gets remedial shoes, gets his teeth done and regularly sees a physio.

Nothing changed for him, because he’s not a machine and the level of care he gets is not dependant on what he can do. I loved riding him, but that was a privilege, not a right and certainly not a way for him to “earn” good care.

He’s not a car that can be scrapped or sold on because he can’t do what I want to do anymore.

When you take the reins of a horse, you make a commitment.

A commitment to ensure their happiness and welfare always come first; whether they are jumping big tracks, competing at Grand Prix level, hacking or grazing in a field. Level of competition or ability should not dictate the level of care.

Horses are fragile. They break. They get injured. Soemtimes they have to retire. It doesn’t mean they are any less worthy of your care, attention or money.

Stop giving away, “loaning” or selling your broken down horses because they can’t do what you want them to do and if that means you have to change your plans or put them on pause, then so be it.

Love your horse, not what they can do.

Wishing you all a wonderful New Year's Eve! We look forward to seeing you in 2024 😃

🎄🎅🎄🎅🎄🎅🎄🎅🎄🎅🎄🎅🎄

Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to all our lovely owners and clients! We hope you're all having an enjoyable day

🎄🎅🎄🎅🎄🎅🎄🎅🎄🎅🎄🎅🎄

𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗖

We’re looking for yard help for evening stables on Fridays and Saturdays from 4.30pm to 6.30pm. There is also the potential for additional morning hours by negotiation on other days.

Applicants must already have experience of working with horses, and be accustomed to completing all the usual yard tasks to a consistently high standard swiftly and thoroughly. Reliability, good timekeeping and preparedness to work outdoors (sometimes in poor weather) are vital. The ability to timeplan and use initiative when faced with a busy schedule are essential, as is being able to work responsibly and tidily without constant supervision or reminders.

We have lovely horses, very pleasant owners and amenable colleagues, with an easy yard layout and decent facilities. We provide a high level of care to all our full and part liveries, with close attention given to the horses’ health and happiness, so a keen eye for detail is very important, as is confidence handling horses of all types and sizes. Applicants should also be comfortable talking to owners and visiting professionals about the horses in our care.

We are in Curland (TA3 5SD), halfway between Taunton and Ilminster. Applicants will need to have their own vehicle as we are not on a bus route.

If interested, please PM us with full details of your experience and advise your availability for interview.

Thank you :)

It was great to welcome so many people to Summerleaze Equine Vets’ client evening here last night, talking about health care for older horses. Antonia Milner, Antonia Evans and Stuart Altoft covered a wide variety of topics between them, and there was loads of advice available on treatments old and new.

Their next clients’ evening is on Equine First Aid at Drakes Farm, Ilton on the 27th September 2023, 7pm for 7.30pm

This has proved to be a very popular event, but it's not too late to sign up! See you tonight 🤩

Upcoming client evening!
On geriatric health at Curland Equestrian on the 30th August!
Please RSVP to [email protected]

We're delighted to be hosting a Summerleaze Vets client evening on Geriatric Health Care on Wednesday 30th August 2023, in the indoor school.

If you're interested in attending, please contact them direct on [email protected]

Upcoming client evening!
On geriatric health at Curland Equestrian on the 30th August!
Please RSVP to [email protected]

Please get involved if you can! We have the most amazing network of riding, and every bit of information helps :)

MICRO VOLUNTEERING REQUEST

We are looking for riders in the Taunton Deane area to support with updating the BHS 'Map My Hack' to demonstrate where horse riders are hacking in the area.

Knowing everywhere that is ridden will help the BHS and bridleway associations preserve where you ride and enable us to show the demand for safe traffic-free routes for riders.

There is currently very little recorded in the Taunton Deane Area but we know riders are out there! For example, not a single hack is registered in the Blackdown Hills.

The volunteering involves:

Registering on the website
Recording your route using a GPS app on your phone
Uploading it the Map My Hack site following registration

If you would like to get involved in this work, please follow the Map My Hack link or contact the inbox for support.

Remember to send us some pictures of you on your hacks so we can share with the group. :)

https://www.bhsaccess.org.uk/dobbin/Ridingmap.php?map=southwest/Hacks/Routemap

"A happy horse is never wasted" - such an important message!

As, what felt like, the rest of Scotland loaded up their horses to head out to the next event of the season, I quietly packed up my little lorry, loaded my horse up, and set off in the opposite direction to everyone else.

Within an hour we had sand beneath his hooves and a sea breeze whipping through his mane. We ambled along the sand, watching the waves crash. We watched as tourists and locals went about their day. I picked up my reins and went for a trot, painting patterns in the sand with his hoof prints.

As I turned to head back down the beach, he softened on the rein, lifted himself, lengthened his stride and produced the most beautiful, big, straight trot.

‘A perfect centre line’ I thought to myself, grinning away.

Could I do a perfect centre line when we were Eventing? No chance. But here, on this huge beach, with no pressure, no stress, no white boards, tack checks or tests to remember, we were nailing it and above all… we were enjoying it.

I have the utmost respect for anyone who competes; in any discipline, at any level. It takes courage and guts to go out there on a living, breathing animal and put yourself under pressure to perform, even if you don’t do it all that seriously.

But please remember to enjoy it. Don’t stress over qualifiers, clear rounds, tests and faults.

Remember that life is too short to spend time doing anything that doesn’t bring you joy, or happiness, or a buzz.

Remember that horses are not machines and they, like us, have bad days. Pat them, thank them and move on.

Remember that no matter what that final score says, no matter how many poles come down or time penalties rack up, you’re out there doing it, be proud of yourself.

Don’t compare or pressure yourself into doing anything you don’t truly want to do or don’t honestly enjoy doing, even if you think it’s what you “should” be doing - a happy horse is never wasted.

Life is just too short and these animals are too precious to not enjoy the time we spend with them. So, wherever you are in your journey, be it beach rides or Badminton, don’t forget to smile and remember to enjoy it.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐇𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠…

I’ve never seen a more misunderstood animal more than 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐇𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞…

I’ve been trying to tell you that I am in pain, but you don’t seem to listen.

I show you that I’m in pain by not being willing to work but you just call me 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 or 𝐥𝐚𝐳𝐲. Instead of helping me, you just 𝐤𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫.

I show you that I’m in pain by rearing when you try to ride me, but you enjoy showing people you can sit to a rear. Instead of getting off and listening, you just say “𝐇𝐞’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬, 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐭!”

I show you that I’m in pain by throwing my head in the air, but you just say it’s one of 𝐦𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬. Instead of helping me, you just buy 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 so that I can no longer 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐢𝐫.

I show you that I’m in pain by bolting, but you just get scared and decide I’m not the one for you. You sell me and I still remain as 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐇𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.

It’s our responsibility as animal owners to do right by them, horses can’t speak, they communicate through their actions. So we need to listen!

9/10 times “negative behaviour” is caused my pain, the rest is learnt behaviour. Either way I always check for pain first.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐇𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, deserves the world. The amount of tolerance, loyalty, patience and trust the hurting horse has, is something I can only dream of having.

Written by - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐑𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫

Artist - Ruby Campbell

We are looking for volunteers to conduct right of way checks and to be our eyes and ears on the ground.

We are a small committee of equine enthusiasts who are passionate about preserving the off road riding routes, but we're stretched and need more support.

Spring is nearly here (honestly....) and no doubt you'll want to clean the mud off your equine partner and get back out on the bridleways in your local area.

So if you're riding the routes anyway, or you like to take the dog for a walk then why not conduct some checks for us.

We're also looking for people who would actively get involved in helping at our fundraising events, and engage with local Rights of Way Officers / Rangers, or Forestry Commissions.

Public funds are stretched and whilst we can contribute towards the upkeep of these tracks, we need to be constantly engaged with the officials to keep our agenda at the forefront of their minds.

So if you're in the areas on this map and want to give us some of your precious time then please get in contact.

We can only maintain and preserve our riding routes with help.

I was going to write a post about our weighbridge being available for CEC friends to have a Spring weigh-in, but as I browsed for image inspiration, I found this. I thought it was too lovely not to share, but sadly cannot find a definitive author to credit.......

“How much weight can a horse carry?

In my experience, a horse can carry an infinite amount.

They can carry the weight of broken hearts, broken homes, and broken bodies. Countless tears sometimes comb their tangled manes.

Moments when parents and friends cannot be there to help and hold a person, horses embrace and empower. They carry physical, mental, and emotional handicaps. They carry hopes and dreams; and they will carry the stress from your day when you can't carry it anymore.

They carry graduations, they carry new careers, they carry moves away from everything familiar, they carry marriages, they carry divorces, they carry funerals, they carry babies before they are born, and sometimes they carry the mothers who cannot carry their own baby.

They carry mistakes, they carry joy, they carry the good and they carry the bad. They carry drugs and addictions, but they also carry the celebrations.

They will carry you to success when all you have felt is failure. They will carry you, never knowing the weight of your burdens and triumphs.

If you let them, they will carry you through life, and life is hard, life is heavy. But a horse will make you feel weightless under it all.”

And if you want to use the weighbridge, just PM us 😉

Send a message to learn more

𝙍𝘼𝙍𝙀 𝙇𝙄𝙑𝙀𝙍𝙔 𝙎𝙋𝘼𝘾𝙀 𝘼𝙑𝘼𝙄𝙇𝘼𝘽𝙇𝙀 𝙎𝙊𝙊𝙉

𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘍𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘳, 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰, 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘷𝘦𝘵𝘴, 𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵. 𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 – 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘢, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘫𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘴 - 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭-𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘵.

𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵, 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘮, 𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴-𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘺𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢, 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴, 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘱𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 ‘𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘺-𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘺’ 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴 😊

𝘞𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴, 𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 😊

𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘢 𝘺𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵. 𝘚𝘰, 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘸, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘴 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳? 𝘐𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘸𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 😉

We'd like to wish all of our residents, clients, suppliers, contractors and FB friends a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

This lovely photo was taken today, on the way home from a wonderful 1.5 hour hack in our nearby forestry. These fine fellows are two much loved gentlemen who live here at Curland EC - they are both 27 years old and in great health, and love to hack together 🤗

Fascinating stuff to ruminate over!

Fascinating Facts About Horse Digestion

Many people anthropomorphize horses. We think they should be clean. We think they should wear nice, warm blankets when it’s cold, and we think they should eat two or three meals a day.

Horses are horses–not humans. They should be treated like horses. They like to get dirty. They can regulate their own body temperature in most cases. They have a unique digestive system that is very different from the human digestive tract.

Understanding horse digestion should be a top priority. It sometimes seems that the horse’s digestive system is quite delicate, but many of the common digestive problems are due to the unnatural way horses are fed. When a horse is out in the wild with thousands of acres of free-roam grazing, and the only external demand is to maintain itself and occasionally run from predators, this configuration serves it quite well, most of the time.

A minimum of 10 acres is required per horse to make enough forage for consumption, allow adequate movement, and to minimize parasitism. This is difficult to achieve in the modern world for most people. Riding or lunging must suffice for exercise, and the horse is much more reliant upon hay. Dewormers, of course, rid them of parasites- at least most of them, there are exceptions.

Here are some fascinating (and good-to-know) facts about horse digestion:

1. The horse is a non-ruminant herbivore. The digestive system share features with dogs and cats (and humans) which are monogastric, as well as the ruminant in which there are 3-4 gastric compartments. (Camelids have three).

2. As forage (the horse’s natural food) is chewed by the horse, the salivary glands produce up to 10 gallons of saliva (per day). Saliva is crucial for neutralizing stomach acids and reducing the risk of gastric ulcers. Horses do not make as much saliva when eating grain-type feeds.

3. The esophagus, which empties into the stomach, only works in one direction for the horse. Food cannot be regurgitated or vomited.

4. Gastric capacity is 8-10 liters, which is quite small compared to other parts of the digestive system.

5. Water only remains in the horse’s stomach for about 15 minutes before moving on to the small intestine. Food retention varies depending upon the type- grass, hay, or grain.

6. When the stomach is empty, acid can attack the squamous cells in the stomach lining, often resulting in ulcers. Therefore, small frequent meals, access to a slow feeder, or access to pasture are important.

7. Most of the digestion and absorption of sugars, starches, proteins, and fats occurs in the small intestine.

8. Horses do not have a gall bladder. Instead, the small intestine aids in the digestion of fats.

9. More than 1g/kg of sugars and starches spill into the colon, potentially causing colitis and diarrhea. Horses should be fed primarily forage and only small amounts of a low carbohydrate concentrate.

10. The cecum is homologous to the human appendix.

11. The colon is shaped like a stacked horse shoe, with varying dimensions to allow proper food mixing and digestion.

12. Food enters and exits the cecum at the top. This is a common site for impaction colic, which is often due to lack of water intake.

13. The cecum and other parts of the large intestine contain active populations of bacteria and yeast, which help break food down in a process called fermentation. This results in the formation of free fatty acids, from which the horse derives most of its energy. It also results in a large amount of gas, as a by-product.

14. The bacterial and microbe populations become specific in fermenting the type of food the horse normally eats. When a new food is introduced suddenly, the bacteria/ microbes cannot ferment it effectively and the result is often colic. (Therefore, all feed changes should be made very gradually.)

15. Borborygmic sounds or ‘Gut sounds’ indicated that food is moving through the digestive tract. An absence of gut sounds likely means there is some digestive upset or obstruction.

16. A horse requires a minimum of 1.5% of his body weight daily of long-stemmed roughage (grass/ hay) for normal digestive tract activity; this is 15 pounds of roughage for a 1000 lb. horse.

17. The entire digestion process, from oral to aboral, takes about 36-72 hours.

18. If it were to be stretched from end to end, the horse’s digestive tract would be about 115 feet long, from mouth to a**s.

Fox Run Equine Center

www.foxrunequine.com

Part time groom/grooms needed at Curland EC

We’re looking for yard help on Fridays and Saturdays from 8am to 11am, and 5pm to 6.30pm; these hours can be worked as a split shift by one person, but this is not essential. There is also the potential for additional morning hours by negotiation on other weekdays.

Applicants must have experience working with horses in a similar environment, and be accustomed to completing all the usual yard tasks to a consistently high standard swiftly and thoroughly. The ability to timeplan and use initiative when faced with a busy schedule is essential, as is being able to work responsibly and very tidily without endless supervision or reminders. Work in winter months is mostly horse and yard-related; in summer months, assistance with light repair and maintenance work is sometimes needed, so a practical aptitude and flexible nature will be valued.

We have lovely horses, pleasant owners and amenable colleagues, with an easy yard layout and decent facilities. We provide a high level of care to all our full and part liveries, with close attention given to the horses’ health and happiness, so a keen eye for detail is very important, as is confidence handling horses of all types and sizes.

We are in Curland (TA3 5SD), halfway between Taunton and Ilminster. We are not on an easy public transport route, so applicants will need to have their own reliable means of transport.

If interested, please PM us with full details of your experience and advise your availability for interview.

Thank you :)

With a drought declared in parts of the UK and temporary use bans on hosepipes, we are being asked to do our part to use less water.

ℹWhat does this mean for horse owners?

If you are in an area with a ban on hosepipe use you are still permitted to use them for the welfare of animals –

✅You can continue to wash your horses off with a hosepipe
✅ You can keep using a hosepipe to fill your water buckets
✅ Do be more mindful about water use – turn taps off properly and don’t let buckets or troughs overflow, report leaks as soon as you see them!
✅ Do recycle your water by using it to water plants etc when emptying buckets
❌ Don’t abuse how your read the rules – for instance; you are permitted to wash the inside of your lorry or trailer using a hosepipe, but washing the outside is not necessary for the welfare of your animals so would not be permitted.
✅ If you are not sure if you are in an area with a temporary hosepipe ban, do check with your local water provider.

The Horse & Hound have more on what is allowed for animal welfare - https://bit.ly/3SPPLxN

𝙊𝙬𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙪𝙨 𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙨....... (author unknown)

"I'm starting to question whether I’ve been under the influence of a hallucinogenic drug most of my life. Some early observations on the differences:

🐎 Put one mare out with one stallion, all hell breaks loose. Mare threatens to come through the fence or over the gate, all at 400 mph. My heart rate peaks at 1257 bpm and I have no fingernails left. After what feels like an eternity, they calm down. Mare lame. Multi million dollar vet bill pending.

🐄 Put one bull out with 18 cows. Complete non event. Absolutely nothing to report.

🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

🐎 Remove one horse from ‘friend’ that it has always hated. Absolute pandemonium ensues. Life flashes before my eyes and I remember I must renew the life insurance if I survive this.

🐄 Remove one cow from entire herd. Comes quietly for handful of corn.

🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

🐎 Horses breakout of field. Horses have complete meltdown at lack of boundaries. No amount of ‘whoaing’ or bucket shaking will calm them. After many laps of the farm they forget why they are running. Two are lame, one is tying up, one suspected soft tissue injury and one half hearted attempt at a colic. Further multi million dollar vet bill pending.

🐄 Cattle break out of field. Ringleader is wearing the 7 bar gate as a necklace. All cows congregate approximately 2 ft from field at nearest grass verge. Remove necklace from ringleader. Not a mark to be seen. Wave magic blue wand. All cows returned to field.

🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

🐎 Comes in from field with 1cm scratch that has barely removed hair. Immediately clean, apply bandage, check available balance on credit card. Next morning horse can only stand on 3 legs. Call vet and priest. After all, horse will require many millions in vets bills and divine intervention to recover from its scratch.

🐄 Comes in missing a leg with rusted barbed wire embedded in the wound. Call vet who says there’s no need for him to come out and will put up antibiotics for you to collect. Return to administer antibiotics to find cow has miraculously regrown leg and shows no sign injury or lameness. Stash antibiotics in medicine cupboard with the rest of the hoard.”

My last post looking for friends of a past Curland student has generated lots of interest, and here is another from Heather Tigwell, who was Heather Drew when here in 1983/4. Tiggy Tigwell

"I am writing in response to your recent post which spoke of past student recollections. I was at Curland between 1983/84 and remember Suzanne Atkinson. My name was Heather Drew back then. I am on the left of the 3rd group picture as they appear in the facebook post…. And appear to be cleaning some tack!

I briefly crossed paths with the then Head Girl Georgina, before taking her place. I had come to train towards my Intermediate exam. I lived in a small caravan on the yard initially, before moving into my own room in the farmhouse.

I remember some names from the same photo (not surnames unfortunately) the girl third from the left bending forward is Lois and behind her is Paula I think. The girl behind Alisons right shoulder is Jocelyn (Rouge?) who was from Lausanne, Switzerland.

Other names I recall are Amanda, who drove a Triumph Herald, and a short blonde girl called Mandy. Also Gaynor, who had an unfortunate kick resulting in some lost teeth.

Other memories include:

Setting up a grid in the outdoor school for Kit Houghton to come and do a photo shoot for the “Pony” magazine.

Watching Mary’s dressage lessons with Betty Howitt

Repairing tack until midnight then getting up at 4am to go Cubbing!

Endless riding without stirrups.

Being expected to have read and able to recall the entirety of Horse and Hound every week!

Mrs Baillie’s Muscovy ducks and helping her catch the pigeons in the stables to supply the local pub.

Sunday morning Vaulting practice on Sam with Mary…great fun.

The dogs…Bungy, Kizzy and Lulu the Dachshund.

Horse names… Bugsy Malone, Tiny, Dian, Buster, Tic Tac, Spyder, Flora, Trespi and Ginger

I occasionally drive past the sign to Buckland St Mary from the A303 and think back to my time there, as a very shy and unconfident 20 yr old. It was certainly an experience and I learnt a tremendous amount.

These are the only photos I have, hope they jog some memories."

As quite a few of you will remember, Curland EC used to be a BHS teaching and training establishment, and had a great reputation for producing knowledgeable and talented horsemen and women whose later achievements were many and various. Such was the centre's reknown, students attended from around the world, and it is always a great pleasure to hear from and welcome past BHS students and riding school pupils, telling me about their memories of their time here, and how, in many cases, they were prepared not only for a career with horses, but also equipped for life in a way that would not have come from a purely book-based education.

I was delighted to welcome Suzan Davis Atkinson earlier in the week, a past BHS student originally from California, back here for the first time in 39 years, who came with a friend made from her time here, Brian Pengelly. What a treat it was to hear her describe living and working here back in the early 80s as we walked around, discussing the yard then compared to now. Her memories came thick and fast, and it was very clear how much she valued all that she had learned, and how strong the sense of teamwork and camaraderie had been. As the years have passed, links with those friends have been lost, so I suggested we try and find some of those people with whom she learned the cornerstones that have helped her build an enjoyable and successful equestrian career in the States.

If you can place anyone in the photos, please PM us. Establishing contact with Alison Brown (née Baillie) has obviously been easy, but names of others who came to Suzan's mind are:

Monica Haycox
Julette
Lesley
Philippa
Helen
Rosalind

Anyone who would also like to trace friends and colleagues through this page is encouraged to PM us in the first instance.

I cannot find the author to attribute proper credit, but feel this is too intuitive not to share!

" I don't know your horse..... but I do know horses. Here are a few things I’ve learned that should help most horses, most of the time, with whatever problem you may be having.

DO LESS:
Whatever it is, just do less. Expect less. React less. Use less strength. Less contact. Less pressure down the rein/rope. Less pressure from the leg. Less driving from the seat. Less noise…

GIVE MORE:
More patience. More time. More benefit of the doubt. More rest breaks. More reward. More still. More quiet. More variety. More length to the neck…

DITCH YOUR EGO & LET STUFF SLIDE:
Your horse isn’t trying to get one over on you, (or if he is, ask yourself why he feels the need to). What you think is naughty behaviour is usually just an attempt to communicate something: Discomfort, distrust, uncertainty, anxiety, fear, none of which require ‘telling off’…

COUNT TO TEN:
Be in control of your own emotions before you try and control your horse’s emotions. Once you let your emotions change, the whole dialogue upon which your training is based, changes…

IT TAKES TWO TO ARGUE:
So rather than asking for something that goes against your horse, start by asking for things you’re already pretty sure the horse is going to give, and go from there. (This one takes a little figuring out but is totally worth it!) N.B.: Common sense required!…

EVERYTHING IS MADE UP OF THE BASICS:
More advanced work is simply an arrangement of the basics taken care of simultaneously…

NEVER DISCOUNT PAIN:
You can never truly ‘rule out pain’ as a cause of unwanted behaviour. No matter how much money you spend, or how good your vet is…

REST DAYS ARE AS IMPORTANT AS TRAINING DAYS: Overtraining can be just as damaging as under preparing. Horses only have so many jumps/steps in them - use them sparingly…

BREAK IT DOWN:
Most issues can be solved by taking a step back, breaking the issue down into smaller chunks, and taking care of those chunks one by one…

TAKE YOUR TIME:
You’ll get there much quicker if you do. Cutting a corner will only come back to bite you in the ass sooner or later…

ONE FINAL THING…
Horse training is subject to the same laws of physics as everything else. You can’t argue with either anatomy or physics, no matter how many medals you’ve won. Train with this in mind, because there isn’t a single instance where an unyielding or strong rein contact will benefit your training, or your horse… "