HSP Animal Solutions

I cant say clipping is my strongest skill, it is, however, something that I enjoy doing and paired with a bit of training, well who can complain?! The task I was recently presented with was the clipping of two hunters, both of which can get nervous and be difficult to clip. The gelding can take a week to fully clip, doing a little at a time over a number of days, and the mare that I had to do has been sedated for the past three years or so after being nervous and kicking someone quite badly. I have the advantage of knowing both horses well and working with them on a regular basis.  However I had no access to sedation of any kind, so this was going to have to be achieved using a different method, or methods.  I started off with the gelding.  He is a lovely boy but he is big and he knows it, so when he decides enough is enough then the easiest option in his mind is to become a tank.  Human vs tank... you do the maths. His attitude used to really irritate me, but when

Two of the older ponies down and sorted for the dentist.  And officially ready for the winter.  In fact they are currently out enjoying the last of the autumn grass, with their rugs on. Stella went incredibly well and was all routine so she will only have to be seen once a year unless anything rears its head, luckily this seems highly unlikely. Monty on the other hand, as we predicted, was much worse. Over an hour and half of dental work and he is now on the right track and able to eat properly once again.  He had a hunch about his teeth when he came and as he started to lose condition despite being fed we knew we had to do something.  It won't surprise a lot of you that are used to handling ponies, that little Monty was much more of a challenge than the much larger Stella.  Not that he was naughty, he just didn't appreciate having to deal with things such as dental work at his age. You would be surprised to know how much hard work it is to keep a small ponie

Now that the nights are drawing in and the weather is starting to turn a lot of people will be thinking about winter care for their horses. For me, this is prime time to up the anti for the older horses that are in my care. I will be watching them carefully, judging when to start feeding them, looking for signs of stiffness or them being cold. How is their weight looking? Do they need extra help this year, or do they need help more quickly than they did last year?  I will show you a couple of my examples and see what you think. Case one: Monty. Monty is a 29-year-old section A. Awesome little Palomino dude. No stiffness and a serious personality. What he does struggle with though is his weight. Though he doesn't belong to me I try to keep him on top form for his owners and currently we are struggling a little with maintaining his weight. So steps to get him to a good weight before the winter sets in. 1) Rug. The little guy is always rugged when he is out, in case of sho

So why have I started grooming? To be clear, I have a job, full time 7:30 - 17:00 five days a week. But having worked this office job since last November I realized that despite being in a better position from most peoples point of view, I was not in a better position for myself.  I missed the hard work and cold fingers, the satisfaction of turning a woolly mammoth into a well-presented hunter. Or my fluffy little section A into a well-groomed driving pony.  I also, despite the regular wage I am now on, struggle financially.  I want a job that I can do as an extra, earning alongside my full-time job, so why not make it my own little business.  I enjoy doing it, I like seeing horses that I have turned out looking good in whatever it is that they are doing.  So time to get myself out of my little rut. Back to the ridiculously early mornings, mucking out and feeding before work, plaiting up manes and leaving horses ready to go hunting.  I want to go in at night feeling