Options for Horse Riding with Long Hair

If you have long hair, there are strict rules for competitions, particularly for dressage hair solutions, and we have some inexpensive options in our shop. We also have an abundance of colourful scrunchies to keep your hair in place when leisure riding. Shown below is a small selection of hair accessories.

The essential equestrian hairnet is available in a choice of colours to blend with your own hair colour.
You can add four hairnets to your shopping cart for only £1.75.

Elasticated bun nets are available in black (or navy, when in stock), are easy to use and keep long hair off the collar.

Choose from a pearl bun net or a crystal bun net. At only £3.25, buy one of each to have a spare.

www.sherwoodequestrian.co.uk

Currently On Sale: Curry Combs for Grooming your Horse

Great value - TWO curry combs for £2.25

The plastic curry comb can be used to remove mud from winter coats (do not be use on clipped or fine coats).

These and other inexpensive horse grooming equipment are amongst our equestrian products in our online shop at www.SherwoodEquestrian.co.uk.

You Can Visit Our New Shop Now!

Sherwood Equestrian's re-vamped shop is now open for business!!! We are so excited!

We've added about 100 or so products for the launch and will be continuing to add more on a daily basis.

Not only do we sell equestrian clothing and underwear, for which we are noted, but we have added more accessories, some items for dogs plus a gifts section.

We will also be adding gift vouchers and we have started a loyalty points programme towards future purchases you may make. Finally, we have added a "wish list" where you can keep a note of items that you might wish to buy - or have bought for you!

Please visit our shop and let us know what you think: www.sherwoodequestrian.co.uk

New Website Almost Ready to Launch

We are very excited to announce that our long awaited re-designed Sherwood Equestrian supplies website is scheduled to begin Beta-testing on Monday and we hope to go 'live' in the next two weeks!!

Thank you so much for your patience. We look forward to your feedback.

To 'Like' our FaceBook Page www.facebook.com/SherwoodEquestrian

Pony Care Gift for Girls

Take one Elico canvas bag - blue, purple or pink - for just £7.75. Add some inexpensive items in coordinated colours, such as:

• Brunswick Body Brush £1.80
• Brunswick Mane Comb £1.60
• Brunswick Face Brush £2.40
• Brunswick Hoof Pick £1.90

The perfect gift for horse riding enthusiasts!

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Sherwood Equestrian Bargains via Social Media

At Sherwood Equestrian, we aim to bring quality equestrian supplies at reasonable prices. Our eBay shop and our blog are very popular but we have fewer visitors to our website (see our current equestrian supplies "price drop specials") and we have not yet made a big splash on social media.

We are quite new to FaceBook and have some Likes but would appreciate more! If you are interested in receiving occasional posts from our blog and news about our products on your FaceBook timeline, please visit www.facebook.com/SherwoodEquestrian and Like our page - thank you! Feel free to add some posts and comments, too.

If you are more of a Twitter fan, we can be found on www.twitter.com/SherwoodEquestr - follow us for news, sale announcements and updates. We look forward to tweeting with you!

The Magnificent Shire Horse

Shire Horses are generally calm and placid so, when one came thundering towards me as I crossed a field on a public footpath with my bouncy dog, I stood rooted to the spot and crossed my fingers - well, there was no way I could out-run it!

Centuries ago, the only British horses were small ponies, like the ones that roam the New Forest. Therefore, larger, stronger horses had to be imported to cope when knights began wearing heavy metal armour.

As times changed, the horses were utilised for pulling heavy equipment - on farms, for deliveries and, going full circle from carrying knights in medieval wars, pulling heavy artillery in later wars.

These gentle and intelligent animals played a major role in daily life prior to the invention and widespread utilisation of engines - towing canal barges, pulling passenger vehicles and beer drays.

Shire horse numbers fell dramatically during the first half of the 20th Century but small numbers continued to be bred and the magnificent Shire horse has its place in today's world.

Apparently, they are very comfortable to ride. (It's a long way down - you'll need a good quality riding hat!)

Oh, and the horse in the field stopped inches from me, stood quietly for a moment then ambled off.

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!

If you have a Facebook account, you can Like our Sherwood Equestrian page to receive notifications of our blog posts.

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!

Equestrian Christmas Gifts are on their way

Gearing up for Christmas - see our equestrian clothing, accessories and horsey gift range!

Men's Slate Show Jacket, better than half price!

Sorry, you missed it!

Last 2 sizes, 44" & 46" chest, Men's In-Vent Show Jacket by Equetech:

• In-Vent embroidered logo to single breast pocket
• two concealed zip pockets
• plush velvet collar.

Made from durable polyester with teflon coating for a showerproof finish.

Original RRP £143.94, previous selling price £119.95

NOW ONLY £50! When they're gone ...

Order from our online shop today, www.sherwoodequestrian.co.uk