Season's Greetings

Sherwood Equestrian wishes a Happy Christmas and prosperous 2013 to our readers and customers.

The 'Pony Loan' School

Continuing from our previous blog post... rather than buying a pony, an alternative service to consider would be the 'Pony Loan' School.

• Loan a Pony for a minimum of 3 months to discover what is like to be in the world of horse ownership for  a small weekly loan rental from £25pw
• Subject to a loan agreement you will become an owner and learn what ownership entails without the worry of cost and commitment before you are sure it is for you.
• The service package includes Part Livery, Food, Farrier, Wormers and Vet insurance. There are no hidden costs.
• After the period of three months the aim is to give the future purchaser of a pony a clear idea what is involved.
• You will know whether the children are still keen to continue and if the financial commitment is still to be made.
• From the experience gained you will have a good idea what size Pony to buy bearing in mind children grow at a fast rate.

If you are living in the Hertfordshire area we will provide you with full details of a personally known provider of this service who we are happy to recommend most highly.

Contact Sherwood Equestrian for full details.

Wish for a Pony – how much will it cost?

Cats are independent and inexpensive to keep. Dogs cost more and are harder work. Ponies and horses are considerably more expensive and will require your full dedication.

Before you buy your horse, you need to organise where it will live – you may have a suitable outbuilding within your large gardens or, more commonly, you will be able to rent a field and stable nearby. This price will vary greatly on what sort of shelter and services are provided. Who mucks out? Who provides the feed and supplements?

Your horse’s welfare is paramount. There are farrier costs and veterinary costs plus insurance to cover unexpected vet’s bills. The horse and its environment must be kept clean and disinfected to avoid viruses and common diseases such as ringworm, sweet-itch, mud fever and strangles.

To ride your horse, you will need the appropriate saddlery and tack plus suitable riding wear – especially a riding hat. If you wish to take part in competitions, you will need to attire yourself appropriately (visit Sherwood Equestrian for quality riding wear at reasonable prices). You may also need to consider transportation costs.

The initial outlay could start from £1,500 for the horse or pony. Other costs:

• Stabling £1,250 pa approx..
• Feed & supplements £1,500 plus bedding of around £1,000 pa.
• Vaccinations/vet fees £100 pa plus worming of around £60 pa.
• Insurance approx. £400 pa
• Shoes £900 pa (needed approx. every 8 weeks)
• Saddle, blanket, tack £1,000 plus
• Riding hat (essential) £50-£100
• Boots, jodhpurs, gymkhana clothing approx. £200-£300
• Horse box/trailer hire or purchase (insurance) £2500-£5000 pa to hire. Around £10,000 upwards to purchase

If finance is required to help purchase horses, horse-boxes or to build a private or commercial stable, Sherwood First Point may be able to introduce you to specialists in this area.

An alternative service to consider would be the 'Pony Loan' School (see next post).

Types of Wormer for your Horse or Pony

Wormers are known by a variety of brand names, trade names may change, new wormers are marketed. The list of active ingredients is the main information you need to decide which wormer to administer to your horse or pony.

There are four chemical groups, some may be combined for dual- and multi-wormers. The groups are: macrocyclic lactones (ivermectin & moxidectin), benzimidazoles (fenbendazole & mebendazole), pyrantel embonates & praziquantel. Their uses for treatments are:

• Macrocyclic lactones treat: bots, small red-worms, large red-worms and lung-worms.
• Benzimidazoles treat: round-worms, large red-worms and small red-worms.
• Pyrantel embonates treat: large round-worms, large red-worms, small red-worms, seat-worms, pin-worms & tape-worms.
• Praziquantels treat all three kinds of tape-worm.

Combination wormers that contain Praziquantel are available with either Ivermectin or Moxidectin, which work together to treat tape-worm alongside general worming solutions. Sometimes, certain strains of worms are stubbornly resistant to one chemical group therefore you may need to try another one - check the ingredients, not the brand name!

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Eliminating Dust & Breathing Easy - Horses & Humans!

Hay should always be of the best quality possible but dry hay, in particular, is a source of dust and may create breathing difficulties for some horses, ponies and their humans. How can airborne dust and mold spores which can trigger allergies and make owners, grooms and horses wheezy, be reduced?

If using hay forage, it should be steamed or soaked for at least half an hour so that spores swell and stick to it. Haylage is less dusty. For horses that are known to be sensitive to dust, mites and spores, hay forage could  be replaced with a chaff or high fibre cube.

Bedding alternatives to hay include:

• Rubber matting
• Dust-free shavings
• Shredded paper and cardboard
• Wood pellets, providing they are soaked and managed correctly.

On-line shop: www.sherwoodequestrian.co.uk

One Year Later...

Almost a year has passed since we last posted on our blog. In that time, Great Britain won an inordinate number of medals at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Sherwood Equestrian has put considerable thoughts into the redevelopment of our e-commerce website - making it easier to browse and buy - which we hope to launch in the New Year!