Taylored Equestrian – Equine Recuperation And Therapy Centre

8 Jun 2011 - 12:15 pm - FREE Equine Digestive Health Evening
Monday 13th June - 6.30pm

We are proud to be hosting an Evening all about Equine Digestive Health in association with Fyrnwy Eqine Clinics, Succeed, Baileys Horse Feeds, Haygain Steamers and Intelligent Worming.

Light refreshments will be available to purchase on the night.

6.30pm - Emma Hardy (Succeed) will start with a talk about how the digestive tract works
She will be followed by Luke Edwards (Fyrnwy Equine Clinics) who will talk about what can go wrong, specifically colic.
They will then be followed, in no particular order, by:
Lorna Edgar (Baileys Horse Feeds) - how to feed to both manage and prevent problems within the digestive system.
Becky James (Haygain Steamers) - the importance of foroage to the Digestive system
Intelligent Worming - how to worm sensibly and Tailor a plan to each individual horse.

We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on the night. Entry is free, however we only have limited seating so it may be wise to bring your own chair (if you have a folding one) just in case!!
8 Jun 2011 - 12:10 pm - I am rubbish at this blog malarky!!
So I've given up trying to do catch ups!!

Essentially we've got loads of horses in and we're really busy!!

Val and Romeo are both qualified for the Summer Regionals and will be at Somerford Park
Bully will be aimed at the Young Horse Qualifier up at Frys in July
Jake has pretty mush completed his rehab following his annular ligament op and is ready to go home whenever his owners would like him back!!
Bear needs to learn where his feet are in canter and then will be ready to contest a few shows.
Blue is having some TLC after coming from a yard where neither him Bully or Spence had been fed properly and then will be out and about competing.
Ronnie and Bill are bored and fat as I don't have enough time to do them at the moment!
Biskit is being a little bit slower on the rehab front for a leg issue and we're just ticking along at his speed at the moment.
Brad is loving the spa and his leg looks loads better after just a week.
Peanuts is currently a free range Shetland so he can graze the verges and save us having to mow them!

Plus we have our visiting outside clients who just come in the spa as a precaution after they have competed and they are all looking fit and well and getting some very good placings at some very big shows!!

So that's probably it for another 6 months! But I will try harder to keep on top of theblog. And now that my wedding and honeymoon have been and gone it should be a bit easier to do that.
2 Dec 2010 - 2:29 pm - A bit of a catch up!!
Wow - so much has happened since my last blog!! I have kept thinking I must update the blog but not known where to start...

April - I suppose the main thing that happened in April was not actually horse related, but instead was the fact that Jamie got down on 1 knee next to the muck heap and proposed!

May - In may we joined forces with Merial and Frynway Equine Clinics to host a gastric ulcer evening. We had an informative talk from Merial explaing what gastric ulcers are and a few statistics behind the number of horses suffering from them. Then the team from Fyrnwy did a great job scoping 2 horses live and talking through their findings on the amazing flat screen loaned to us from Integrex. The evening was rounded off with a talk from Caroline Dickens (Baileys Horse Feeds) explaining the best ways to manage your horses diet to help prevent ulcers.

Also in May was the much awaited birth of "Vallora" or Flora as she is more commonly known. She is almost the spitting image of her dad - Valeur R - facially and she is also liver chestnut. I will be uploading some video and picture to you tube soon and will post a link when it is available.

June andJuly saw us busy with the horses that were in for rehab, mainly for tendon/ligament injuries and also the massive highlight was to see Biskit start some ridden work after the trauma of his double colic surgeries 6 months before.

Also at the end of July we held our 3rd annual open day and this was well supported as usual. The weather was not at it's best but it did hold off long enough for Jane Bartle and I to manage to do a pas de deux. I have to say this was hysterically funny as we only managed to have one run through in the afternoon and then just cracked on in front of the audience! (again will upload video to you tube!)

In August we took Flora off to Solihull for the BEF Futurity series where she scored a 1st premium. She was awarded 9/10 by the vet, but I was disappointed by the marks awarded by the evaluators. However it was very kind of some of the spectators who came up to me and told me that they also thought she deserved a hgher mark. With hindsight I think that perhaps I should have done a small journey with her on the lorry prior to going to Solihull so it wasn't quite so tiring for her.

Since then we have just kept out heads down and been working with the horses that have been in for our services. It's always hard to have to listen to a vet giving a poor prognosis to the owner but such a pleasure being able to return the horse having made a significant improvement to it.

And so the snow is now here, hence the catch up on the blog!, but the horses are still being kept in consistent work thanks to the horsewalker. Clinics have been booked but so too have alternative dates in case of problems with the weather!! November really was far toooo early for the bad weather to start and I just hope that this is not a sign for how the rest of the winter is going to go...
30 Mar 2010 - 3:38 pm - Busy Busy Busy!
Thanks to the wet weather I have got time for a catch up in the office! With 7 horses to work ontop of the other jobs there is not much time for paperwork!

Val has just started to come back into work now that his rash has cleared up. He will do a couple of weeks on the equiami to help strengthen him over his back and then we will crack on where we left off. He is partly qualified for the summer regionals however I am undecided whether or not to get the other wins he needs or just to crack on at home, work on his changes and move him up the levels. I'll see how I'm feeling/how busy I am when we restart the ridden work...

Talking of changes - Ronnies are getting more consistent all the time. Another few weeks of schooling and I will look at advertising him.

The best news I have had recently was that Bills scans are all clear. He has been doing 2 hours a day on the walker and has now been given the go ahead to start some ridden trot work. Mel is coming later this afternoon to refit his saddle but in the meantime I have been riding him bareback!

This was a total and utter moment of sheer madness!! But I just decided to give it a go! He has been really well behaved and I think that he is just happy to be back doing something. He seemed so suprised when he had his whiskers and tail trimmed, mane pulled and regular grooming to try and shift his coat! The reason behind the bareback is partly due to my impatience to be able to sit back on board but also that he hasn't had a saddle on for a while and I thought it would be a good introduction to having a weight on his back. It really is quite amazing to feel his muscles working directly beneath your bottom - even when just standing still! Even once he has his saddle fitted I may continue to do a little bit of bareback with him as it has also really helped my balance. We are only walking at the moment but I may venture to a trot at some point!

I met with Maria Wynne the other day and she handed me some info on a couple of products she is involved with. The first is "whip watch" which looks like a great product for anyone wanting to be able to time themselves when riding. Please click on the link to find more info.

The second item we discussed is a new range of clothes called "Animals to Wear". (click on the link to go to their website). Theses clothes are fantastic quality with some really unique designs on the back. I have been regularly wearing the hoody, 1/4 zip and cadet tops and have found all of them to be extremely comfortable and good quality. The photos on the website really do not do the items justice. Hopefully they will soon be available in the UK.

There is a constant shift of horses in and out at the moment - Victor came in for a week in the spa, Bekki goes to a new yard on Friday and William comes in on Thursday.

Biskit went out at the weekend in the field and was able to graze free (for 30mins!) for the first time since December. He hardly lifts his head from the ground and just loves being out there. It's fantastic to see the change in him since his arrival. Not least of all the 97kg he has put on thanks to Baileys horse feeds. He now look so much happier within himself and hopefully in another few months will be able to start a bit of work again.

I have been in discussion with Merial and Fyrnwy Equine clinics to host some demos. Hopefully the first of these will be some gastroscopy sessions. Please keep an eye out on the whats on page for the confirmed dates and times.

The next Jane Bartle Clinic has also been booked for April 8th. If you are interested in slot then please contact me asap.
10 Mar 2010 - 3:09 pm - A little catch up!!
Wow, time has flown by the last few weeks.

So Valentines weekend saw the lorry packed up and Val, Jamie, myself and 2 German Shepherds off to stay at the College in Bedforshire.

The snow more or less held off (just a little sprinkling on the Saturday morning) but there was plenty of mud which made hard work of trying to keep white bits white!! Both days followed the same pattern and Vals first call was to do the in hand trot up. This involved walking into the arena, standing him up and then running twice round the arena. Now I appreciate that I am not overly fit but thought that I was doing a fairly good job - until I watched the video back later. I then realised that whilst I thought I was running fast I was in fact making Val look like he was out for a gentle lope round the school!

Later on in the afternoon we got ready to go and do our ridden performance. I was very pleased with Val as there were trade stands by the arena, people walking about, plenty of noise etc but he just went round and did as he was asked. At home we are working towards Medium level but I felt that for the show I would just keep it simple.

Horse and Country TV were present on the day and they filmes each stallion as they went in. If you would like to watch Val then please follow this link: http://www.horseandcountry.tv/expo and click on his name. (he is also the stallion in the picture at the top of this page)

Saturday night brought with it a free champagne gala evening and it was great to be able to spend some time talking with Jane from Bailey Horse Feeds (Baileys were the main sponsors of the event). Plenty of Champagne meant that I certainly slept well that night!

Sunday was a repeat of Saturday and once again Val was very well behaved. however it was late by the time we got home and I was glad to see my bed that night!

Jane Bartle came to do a clinic on the Tuesday and I rode Ronnie and Val for the clinic. Poor Val was a little tired after his weekend, but someone had pulled out so I needed to fill the space.

I worked on my tests for the regionals with Ronnie and he worked superbly. Jane said she had never seen him go so well. He is really engaging and taking the weight behind meaning that he is finding more power and elevation in his work.

Wednesday was then the stallion parade up at the Myerscough Arena and with hindsight it was just too much for Val too close to Prescott, the Expo and a lesson with Jane. Nothing went drastically wrong but I just felt that he didn't show himself off to the best of his ability and that really we should just have stayed at home rather than travelling all that way. However there was a very good turn out of people and the Arena was packed so I will certainly consider it for next year (depending on the timing).

The next big event on our calender was Willerby Regionals which was a Nightmare!!!! The M1 was shut and the journey took us over 5 hours. We got there not long before Ronnies test but he just didn't settle very well. And whilst his test had some moments of greatness there was also some utter crap!!!

The next day I was thrilled with the way Ronnie worked in, and 75% of the first test was phenomenal. Unfortunately he just got a bit tense in some of the canter work and started throwing in some changes! He ended up 8th with just under 68%.

In this sort of situtation I don't feel it is fair to get cross with the horse as he has started work on higher movements at home and they just came out at the wrong moment. As a result we just went for a clear round in the medium and he ended up 8th again.

I was a bit worried about how Val was going to perform as he had developed a rash going down his shoulder and under where his saddle lies. However he worked in fantastically well and looking in the mirrors he looked like and International Horse. With just a few mistakes in the test we ended up on just under 70% and 5th. Some of these mistakes I think were caused by the rash. For example he was a little explosive into both canter transitions, which would have been sensitivity from the rash and me sitting.

I was disappointed not to have qualified either horse through to the Winter Championships but I felt that there were positives to be taken from both horses. I did feel like I had let down Barnsby as without their support I would not have been able to take Ronnie to the regionals at all, but you just can't win them all, and I think that it was just bad timing not to have made the winters for the first time in 8 years when I had this one off sponsorship!

Since getting home val has had to have time out of work as his rash has got so sensitive that without bute he tries to rip his rugs off his body.

Ronnie went out to Prescott on Thursday (04/03/10) where he won the medium qualifier. So he is now qualified for the Summer Regionals and can now crack on with more work on his flying changes.

Business is busy, with both the treatments barn and stabling barn full of horses, and some youngsters out in the field trying to clear off some grazing before the fields are fertilized.

Jasper and Milo both go to see their respective vets on Monday so fingers will be crossed for both, however heat in each suggest that things might be going a bit slower than was planned.

Sarah came yesterday so several of the horses including Bekki and Romeo are unable to be worked for the next few days which gives time for me to catch up with things like this blog! Although I am keeping an eye out for Dick who is due any moment to see how Shannon and Poppy are cylcing and when they may be ready to be covered.

With horses everywhere the days are long and work is hard but very rewarding so fingers crossed that long may it continue...
12 Feb 2010 - 12:56 am - Talk about the right place at the right time!! And a massive THANK YOU!!
What a hectic week so far!!

I had been schooling Ronnie at the start of the week and was just thinking what a shame it was that I hadn't entered him for the regionals (due to him being for sale) and how well he was going. Whilst thinking about this I just had a gut feeling that I should jokingly write it on my facebook status.

So off I trotted and typed up " Zoe is wondering if anyone would like to sponsor her to take Ronnie to the regionals?". I really did not expect any response at all. But instead have found out what a fantastic company Barnsby is.

They have agreed to cover my costs to take Ronnie up to Willerby Hill for the Regionals. Please do take the time to have a look through their website and when I am back from the UK Stallion Expo this weekend I will update this website to include more information about them.

PH went home on Wednesday night and his little face is already missed. He was a lovely horse who did not demand much attention and just settled very easily into his routine. He was very intelligent and once he had worked out what was required of him would just get on and do it without much fuss.

His stable won't be empty for long though as Milo will be coming in on Monday to begin his rehab with us.

I picked up my rugs last night from the embroiderers where they were being updated with the Baileys logo. As I use therapeutic back on track rugs on my horses when out competing it seemed the best option to get the Baileys logo added to them.

This morning saw an early start in order to get the yard mucked out and everything walked before taking Val up to Prescott to run through a couple of novice tests. Once in the working in we discovered that the horsewalker was going so our trip became a bit more exciting. I think Val sees the horsewalker as his own personal sweetie shop and thinks that he should be able to pick and choose whichever horse he wants to 'play' with off it!! We had a little bit more lift and engagement than was required!!

However he managed a convincing win in the novice 37 with over 73%. Having changed his routine the last few months, whilst resting the fields over the winter, we are still experimenting with his feeds. Lorna at Baileys is always at the end of the phone for me to discuss his requirements and we just need to find that balance that gives him a bit more stamina. So during the novice 38 he was just a little bit behind the leg and whenever I asked him to come up into a better trot he broke into canter. so with several large mistakes we ended up on just over 68% and 3rd.

Back home for a quick change over and Ronnie went to try his hand at the medium 71. I am buzzing from working Ronnie at the moment. He is becoming so much more engaged and I can really feel the moment of suspension growing in the trot. His extensions are there for the asking and his lateral work is really established. I really will be gutted when he is sold and I just hope that whoever gets him appreciates him for the brilliant horse that he is.

The M71 went well with just 2 points to note. The first being that I am rubbish at centre lines!! One of the movements in the test is:
MXK - extended walk
KA - collected walk
A - down centre line
X - collected canter left
This movement also has a co=efficient of 2.

Ronnies walk is excellent (he scored a 10 in a young horse class) and we managed to get an 8 for this movement. But John had so kindly written in brackets that I was on for a 9 until I was wonky on the centre line!!!

The second point was Ronnies ability that whilst he was in left canter halfpass he managed to put in a flying change (to pick up right canter)!!! This resulted in us getting a 2!!

Overall a good test though that saw a mark of over 67% and Ronnie part qualified for the summer regionals. So fingers crossed that we get one more win and then we can crack on again with the changes until he finds a new home.

Another early start tomorrow as I need to get Val shining as much as is humanely possible in the bid to win the magnum of champagne that is on offer to the best turned out horse during the trot up at the expo.

Please do come and say hello if you are around at the weekend and it's always good to meet new faces.
28 Jan 2010 - 11:12 pm - Busy few days...
The last few days have been quite hectic.

We had a great clinic with Jane Bartle Wilson on Wednesday. All riders were pleased with the progress they are making and all are looking forward to the next clinic on 16th Feb.

I rode Val the aim of the lesson being preparation for the Expo in a few weeks time. We worked on the engagement of his hindleg and also started a little work on his changes. Val is a really quick learner and with such a super canter I am hopeful that it won't take long for him to get the idea of things.

Simon, from Fyrnwy,, came in the morning to take some bloods and then David Jagger came in the afternoon to scan some horses also. I had been experimenting with Bills rehab from his hind PSD and his scan showed that there was no improvement. As a result I will now crack on and spa him and hopefully we can have a good recovery as we have had on previous PSD cases with the spa.

Whilst David was scanning we had a new horse arrive. Luckily the owner has been a client previously so filled out the paperwork whilst we finished scanning. David kindly waited whilst we got Jasper sorted and then sedated Val for me to clip.

I had tried my hardest to put off having to clip him but with the expo and the regionals coming up he was just that little bit too hairy! I am absolutely gutted at how his neck looks from the clip!! "mishmash" I think describes it!! Luckily it has happened to my horse rather than to a clients but arghhhhh!! what bad timing with everything coming up. So I have taken his neck off his rug in the hope that we might have a bit of hair growth back in the next 2 weeks.

Lorna from Baileys Horse Feeds came today to check up on how all the horses are looking. I am very lucky to be sponsored by the team at Baileys, they supply a fantastic variety of feeds which suit horses from every discipline no matter what their work level. It was pleasing that Lorna agreed that all the horses are looking well and that not much needs changing but equally reassuring to know that she is at the end of the phone if I need any extra advice.

This service is open to everybody and is not exclusive to their sponsored riders. If you would like a visit, with no obligation to buy, then please get in touch either with the team at Baileys directly or through me.

All the horses here are weighed weekly which enables us to monitor weight gain/loss easily. It is difficult when you see a horse on a daily basis to see subtle changes in their weight. But thanks to the weighbridge we can catch any changes before they go too far in either direction. If you would like to bring your horse to Taylored Equestrian to see Lorna then we can also incorporate a session on the weighbridge.

The evening has been spent hoovering the lorry before it goes for plate tomorrow so fingers crossed it will pass with flying colours.....
23 Jan 2010 - 11:54 pm - Welcome
Welcome to the first Taylored Equestrian Blog!!

This blog is intended to keep you up to date with any events going on at the yard, with Zoe's competition horses and just general bits and bobs!!

Jane Bartle is coming on Wednesday (27th Jan) for a dressage clinic. The clinic runs from 8.30am with each session lasting 45 minutes and costing £60 per person.

As well as riding at the Olympics Jane has also acted as Ched D'Equipe to the British Team. She has great energy and the ability to teach 'feel'. She is happy to teach riders of all levels from all disciplines. If you are interested in having a session with Jane then please contact Zoe. Clinics run on a monthly basis.

I am also trying to decide what music to ride Valeur R to at the stallion expo. I am looking for something upbeat, lively and fun! All ideas and suggestions welcomed.....

The Expo is taking place at The College (Bedfordshire) on 13th and 14th Feb. It is only open to fully licensed stallions and is a great opportunity for mare owners to see some quality stallions in all one place and be able to see them ridden, trotted up and also their behaviour when stabled away from home. For more details check out the Expo website: www.ukstallionexpo.co.uk

We have now been open for nearly a whole year and to celebrate we are holding another open evening.
This year we have extended the open evening to include:

If you are interested in having a table (£5 per table, tables provided) at the table top sale then please get in touch with Zoe asap.

Jane Bartle will also be holding a dressage clinic on Tuesday 30th June. If you are interested in having a lesson with Jane then please let Zoe know asap as these clinics tend to fill up early on.

We have had a busy start to 2009 including rehabbing one of my own dressage horses.

Bill was diagnosed with hindlimb PSD and the expected recovery time was going to be 12 weeks before seeing any difference and 6 months before riding would commence. After discussion with the vet we decided that we would only use the hydrotherapy spa. As a result of a program of controlled walking on the horsewalker and regular spa sessions Bill has been given the all clear at 12 weeks and will be out competing again shortly.

1st November 2008

We have now been open for several months and have already developed a loyal client base as well as having business referred to us by David Jagger of Fyrnwy Equine Clinics.

Cases we have treated so far include tendon injuries, arthritis, swollen limbs, infected wounds, abcesses, and puffy joints.

We have also looked after an orphan foal who was fostered by our Shetland gelding – Peanuts.

We prepped a mare and foal for the BEF futurity championship where the mare and foal took reserve broodmare – eventing and reserve foal – eventing.

Our CCTV is now fully operational and as a direct result we were able to help the vet diagnose a case of narcolepsy. The cameras operate 24hours a day and can be viewed by owners via the internet. They also allowed us to keep track of what this particular horse was doing when on his own and now he can be managed so that he can continue his competitive career.

Going away on holiday? Why not leave your horse with us for the duration? During his stay he could take part in one of our MOT packages – have his back checked by the chiropractor, any problems sorted by the physio and kept in general shape with regular walking.

9th July – We had very successful open evening and would like to thank everyone that attended. We raised well over £1000 for the air ambulance and we hope that everyone enjoyed themselves.

And just to let you know..................

WE ARE NOW FULLY OPEN FOR BUSINESS!!

Open Evening – Monday 30th June 2008 – 5.30pm til 9pm

Come along and have a look round our fantastic new recuperation and therapy centre.

As well as the opportunity to see the hydrotherapy spa, high speed treadmill, oval horsewalker and weighbridge you can also take a look at the stables and see first hand how the CCTV works.

Food will be available on the night in the form of a hog roast with all the proceeds going to the Air Ambulance.

There will also be a raffle. All prizes have been kindly donated and all the proceeds will again be going to the Air Ambulance.
Prizes include:

Click here to download the full list of prizes. Please keep an eye on the website for any updates.

Please note that whilst tickets will be available to buy around the county (and on the night) The draw will take place at 8pm on the open evening.

Whilst this open evening is open to the public the management reserve the right to refuse entry.