All natural horse care in the west of Ireland

The first dates for the next Positive Horsemanship course are now available. The weekend of 2nd-3rd May is available so I am looking for some feedback for which course to hold. If you want to attend a course with Vanessa then please email me: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it indicating which course you would like to attend and we will get the planning underway.

I haven't been 100% happy with the diet my horses have been on the last couple of years, particularly in the winter. During the summer they are on grass and do not get any additional food suppliments. When I first became a horse owner I used to feed only Whole Oats, Beet Pulp, Fresh Vegetables and Hay in the winter when they are off grass and in a dry paddock.

Over the past 2-3 years I have changed their diet and phased out the Oats and Beet and replaced them with Hi-Fi Lite and Cool and Cooked mix. They still get some occasional carrots and apples as treats.

Over the past couple of winters they remained very fat for the duration of the winter and their coats are not as glossy as they were in the earlier years when Oats and Beet were part of their winter diet.

I know that video quality is very poor but you will get an idea of what happened when I was trying to teach Baby how to yield to rhythmic pressure. She understood the question but reversed the request and was very effective with her rhythmic pressure. (I know this is wrong but I just had too laugh, she is so intelligent. She knows the question but thought, here why don't you try it!!)

Finally, managed to upload this video from 4th August 2008 when we started Harley. Not the most elegant of styles by any means. I bred Harley and he was born 6th August 2006. I am happy I was the first one to sit on him. He will be left for another year, maybe two, before he backed properly for riding.

Two Satrurday's ago a friend of mine brought me a pedestal for us to play with. We have been using wooden pallets with a rubber mat on but I am always worried that they might splinter under the horses weight.

It was tipping it down with rain but I couldn't resist trying out our new toy.

Here are a couple of pictures of us all trying it out. This is Harley having a go with Magpie & Polly checking it out.

Below are some pictures (sometime pictures speak louder than words) of Vanessa Bee halter training a two month old foal during a course held at my place at the end of August. The whole process in less than an hour - amazing!! Shortly after the last picture was taken the foal walked happily back to his field online in a halter: