It’s said that a horse is worth whatever someone is prepared to pay. In the case of Marsha, the four-year-old Thoroughbred who last week became the highest price horse ever sold at auction in Europe, that was 6 million guineas.
Say it slowly. That’s £6.3 million, nearly ten times more than the ma...
Since my last blog work has recommenced with the horses. Chiara and Wizard started work three weeks ago and Fantom about a week ago. Dilmun, on the other hand, is destined to have a rather long holiday and won’t be brought back into work until February as it would be impossible for me to have four...
In the winter, adverse weather conditions often mean that horses have to live in more, often
stabled for the majority or even all of the day. A major challenge for horses that are stabled is to keep their respiratory system healthy.
Horses that spend a lot of time inside have greater exposure to ...
There are times when we all need advice, and most people in the horse world are generous about giving it. Unfortunately, that sometimes causes more problems than it solves.
The old carrots controversy is back in circulation, with some people worried that if they feed more than two carrots per fee...
Good evening,
It really has been a while since you have heard from me, but we have been through some difficult times here at Castle Hill Stables and I wanted to wait a little while before putting hoof to paper. As I am sure you all know, racing and Castle Hill lost a monumental man in Patrick Has...
What does your horse want for Christmas? No, I haven’t made a quick start on the sloe gin, it’s a serious question.
As the shopping countdown starts, those in the know suggest that glitter quarter marker kits – including one that looks as if a Christmas fairy has landed on your horse’s backside –...
When dressage and showing classes for ridden heavy horses were introduced, social media was awash with disparaging comments. One of the kindest labelled them as “gimmicks” – and one of the cruellest referred to “elephants in tutus”.
Critics have egg on their faces, as the classes are hugely popul...
Congratulations to Debbie Smith, who has won a BHS award for her work trying to help make riders safer on the roads, writes Carolyn Henderson.
When more than 100,000 people signed her petition calling for a legal requirement for drivers to go past a horse wide and slow, and to be compelled to abi...
Being in the wrong job is miserable. If you’re stuck in an office when you’d rather be outside, or crunching numbers when you’re longing to be creative, you’ll know what it’s like.
So, what’s it like for a horse to be in a similar situation? Obviously, horses don’t grow up dreaming of career paths,...
If you’re a horse or pet owner, chances are you hate fireworks because of the distress and even injury that they can cause to animals. Hopefully, you also share my loathing of Chinese lanterns, which can cause devastating harm to wild and domesticated animals as well as damaging
property.
I’d lov...
