10 years of Simple System HayCare!
During its 10 years so far, it has become apparent that HayCare is so much more than a hay replacer...
Learning very quickly!
08 July 2015
I've had a great month with Zipper- my faux youngster- and we're finally up to BE100! I say finally, he only started competing at the end of April. We've now completed two BE100s, which is very exciting. We went to Farley Hall for our first one (since decided maybe a bit of a tough first one!) and had a nice 32 dressage (sitting trot for the first time...ouch), 1 down sj and then a fab xc round: a baby run out at a skinny in a combination & a missed flag in the water (jumped too big in!). I was thrilled to see how he was taking on the bigger and more technical course. Then, only last weekend, I went to Rackham for an amazing clear xc (much more technical then I expected, but he's really loving the challenge), good dressage (although only a 37, apparently) and a horrendous sj round. It's a real shame, but he was fighting me the whole time & was being incredibly cocky- he just kept knocking them, not concentrating. Really frustrating, so I think we're going to look in to breaks and grid work before we go eventing next. I've also been finding it really interesting to see what dressage mark I'm getting each time on Zipper- we've done very similar tests and had a complete range, from 23 to 42!
July is a quiet month for events, so we'll be doing some BSJA and fitness work mostly. I've only ever had TBs or Irish Sport horses before & they just don't seem to suffer in the heat as much as warmbloods; I'm going to give Zipper the best chance & get him fitter than I would a TB, so we'll be upping the interval training no doubt! I'll be upping his feed a bit, just giving more Red Bag Grass Pellets, to help support this fitness work. He's looking fab though (despite mum calling him fat.. he's curvy; she's not used to warmbloods).
Not such a promising outlook for Topper this month; he's still not allowed to be ridden. He's had a new injection (don't ask me the name, it begins with O) and is walking in hand- hopefully hacking a bit mid month & then we'll trot him up for the vet again. I'm trying to stay optimistic, but it's hard with all these set backs. I think I have the fear that when/if we get him back his other leg will 'go'- surely if there's wear and tear on one, there will be on the other too? Ah well, I'm going to keep my fingers crossed!
Featured News
Can the grass still be growing in November?
Grass has the potential to grow all year, which is different from many other plants. Certain things are necessary for this growth, but if they are not met, the grass will be dormant, waiting for conditions to improve.Â
Rain after drought, what happens to your horse's grass
Rain fall can trigger growth akin to a spring flush, especially if temperatures are high. Even whilst true spring may be in the past, the risk for those prone to laminitis will rise.