I feel like I need to start this blog with an apology for not writing sooner. Whoops, we’ve been super busy and had a fantastic summer but the seasons have definitely changed and it’s time to look forward to different things. Winter is for training!

The Bomber has been up to all sorts; keeping it varied so that she doesn’t get bored with covering Ehren’s maternity leave. We were 2nd in the BE80 at Stratford Hills, have jumped round some BS British Novices at Felbridge and Cobham Manor, and have been taking advantage of the hacking and hills at Speedgate. She qualified for the Elementary Area Festival Final through Pachesham, has qualified for the Freestyle to Music Elementary Winter Regionals with great scores of 71% and 75%, and has done her first two mediums gaining around 68%. Unfortunately, the Area Festival Final at Parwood didn’t quite go to plan with her getting very overwhelmed in the arena, but she has never seen anything like it and my plans to have a practise run there were all thwarted. Moving forward I couldn’t be more pleased with how she’s going. She’s nearly got her changes both ways and I have my fingers crossed that we might try an easy Advanced Medium before the end of the year. Not bad for a funny little Irish pony that looks like she’s been built with spare parts. This time last year she was just coming back into work after a year off. She’s such a good girl and tries so hard… Read more

We have a pair of tickets for Your Horse Live 2019 to giveaway to one lucky winner. The tickets are two standard adult day tickets valid any day of the event on 8th - 10th November 2019.

To enter:
1. Like Simple System Horse Feeds Facebook page.
2. Comment on the competition post answering the question.

Competition closes at 12pm on Monday 28th October 2019. One winner will be picked at random. Tickets will be emailed to the winner. The winner will be contacted directly, if we have not received a response from the winner in 24 hours the prize will be forfeited and a new winner will be chosen.

Good Luck! Read more

With better diagnostic tools and techniques, ulcers are being more widely diagnosed. There are basically three types of stomach ulcers and horses can also get hind gut ulcers which are much harder to diagnose as they are out of reach of any endoscope. The stomach ulcers can be squamous, which occur in the upper part of the stomach that is not protected against acid. These may be a result of working a horse on an empty stomach. Mucosal or glandular ulcers occur in the lower part of the stomach and these are more associated with stress. Pyloric ulcers occur near the pyloric valve, between the stomach and the first part of the small intestine. These are more likely when the horse has been fasted for several hours. Read more

Congratulations to Charlene Goudkuil who has had a fantastic 2019 polo season. Read a write up of Charlene and her ponies' season below:

Following a successful 2018 and my debut for the Netherlands Ladies Team in Italy 2018, 2019 exceeded all expectations and has been another great year. I played both mixed and ladies polo in the UK and finished the season with 3 super ponies. Dorado (bright bay with small white star), Picosa (dark bay mare with white face) and a new addition 5yo Ricardito (palomino). Small and Fernet both moved on to two great new homes. In all the ponies have been on amazing form this season and continue to be fuelled by Simple System Horse Feeds for energy and stamina the natural way. Read more

Autumn can be a tricky time for horses and ponies prone to laminitis. Mild temperatures and wet weather provide ideal conditions for grass to start growing again after going dormant over the hotter and drier summer months. The cooler months can bring a flush of lush grass high in sugars.

Horses and ponies that are overweight, older or have existing metabolic issues will be more at risk. It is important that your horse not be allowed to gain too much weight – cresty necks and fat pads on other parts of the body are an indicator that the balance of hormones is getting out of kilter and the risk of laminitis is greater. Read more