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From Stable to the Show Ring! Stepping into the exhilarating world of horse showing as a newcomer can be boththrilling and daunting. As you prepare to highlight your horse’s talents and your ownskills in the arena, it’s essential to arm yourself with knowledge, plenty of patienceand work with a deep understanding of the bond between you and your horse.Learning the skills to show your horse can throw up challenges but also rewards bycompeting alongside fellow equestrians, laying the foundation for a fulfilling journeyin the world of horse showing. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to improve your skills, here are five toptips to help you begin: Know the Basics Before entering any competitions, ensure you and your horsehave a solid foundation in basic training. This includes groundwork, obedience toinstruction, and basic riding skills. Your horse should be comfortable with beinghandled, groomed, and tacked up in preparation for shows. Source information frombreed societies and their rulebooks about how horses or ponies should be turned outfor showing classes. Information online is in abundance, but opinions may vary. So,find an experienced competitor or trainer that gives solid and clear advice.Practice and Prepare: Consistent practice is key to success in horse showing.Spend time off season refining your riding skills and working on specific manoeuvresrequired for your chosen classes. Practice in different environments particularly incompany to help your horse become accustomed to the distractions and atmosphereof a show ring. Cantering in a ring with other horses can be an excitable party tomany inexperienced horses, so train them to be used to horses cantering in front,around and beside them. Choose the Right Classes: Decide which classes suit both you and your horse’sability and interest. If it is your first outing in the show ring choose a class that suitsyour level of experience and your horse’s ability, treating it as a training session. Usein hand classes for younger and green horses to gain experience in the show ring. Ifyou are still not sure which class to enter then head out to your local show and watchsome classes. Take note of how they perform, what they are wearing and how theyare turned out. Presentation Matters: Pay attention to your appearance and your horse’spresentation. Ensure both you and your horse are clean, well-groomed, and properlyturned out for class. Your turn out should be correct for the chosen class, so do yourresearch beforehand. Ensure tack is supple, clean and correctly fitted to the horse and not too fussy. Judges will be looking at the overall picture of nice turnout and a well-schooled horse. Seek Feedback and Learn: Take advantage of opportunities to learn and improve.Attend clinics, workshops, and lessons with experienced trainers or riders. Don’t beafraid to ask for feedback from judges or more experienced competitors after yourfirst few showing classes. Learning from both successes and mistakes will help yougrow as a rider and improve your performance in future shows. Remember, horse showing is as much about the journey and the bond you developwith your horse as it is about winning ribbons. Stay patient, stay positive, and most ofall have fun! Heathfield Agricultural Show is on Saturday 25th May 2024. The post Top Tips for Newcomers to Horse Showing appeared first on Haynet.... [Read more]

Animal abuser Sean McWhinnie received a lifetime ban on keeping all animals (with a 10-year period before he can apply for that to be lifted) and a five-month prison sentence – suspended for 21 months – at Southampton Crown Court today after a shocking 1½ hour-long attack on a foal was caught on CCTV. Six-month old skewbald foal, Faith, was beaten in her stable by Mr McWhinnie, while the distressed animal’s owner looked on unconcerned. Unbeknown to the abusers, the whole incident was caught on the yard’s CCTV camera. Ever since, little Faith has been recovering at World Horse Welfare’s Glenda Spooner Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Somerset. The welfare charity’s Field Officer Penny Baker visited the yard near Romsey, Hampshire where Faith was kept after the yard owner reported a welfare concern. Penny Baker said: “We welcome the lifetime ban on keeping all animals, however we are very disappointed that the prison term for this abhorrent offence was suspended because in our opinion this very young foal suffered terribly at the hands of Sean McWhinnie and the deliberate attack that he subjected her to. I feel, I’m sure along with the rest of this nation’s animal lovers, that this was worthy of a prison term with immediate effect. “When I first got to the yard Faith – who was a just-weaned very young foal – was in a real state. She was very distressed, and when I tried to enter her stable, in self-defence she put her ears flat back, turned her bum towards me and tried to kick – that filly was terrified.”  Penny’s visit was in November 2021, when she also saw the CCTV coverage showing the sustained 1½ hour attack and beating of the foal in the stable by Mr McWhinnie, whilst the foal’s owner and another woman sat outside in full view of what was going on inside the stable. Police, vets and RSPCA all agreed that an offence had been committed and Penny was able to arrange for World Horse Welfare to take Faith into their care. The court has already agreed to a 10-year ban on keeping equines for the foal’s owner, Sean’s sister Maxine McWhinnie, for permitting the beating. Now two, Faith is growing into a pretty pony. Penny said: “It’s taken 18 months for her case to reach conclusion which is not an unusual length of time for prosecutions, and during that time Faith has been slowly recovering with the expert care of our teams at Glenda Spooner Farm. Her physical scars quickly healed, but her mental scars may never completely go, this kind of experience is likely to leave a mark on her for the rest of her life. We thank all of our supporters and donors whose direct help goes towards supporting horses and ponies like Faith.” The costs of caring for and treating Faith since she was seized back in November 2021 have been borne by World Horse Welfare and the ultimate aim for the young horse will be to rehome her when she is ready. World Horse Welfare retains ownership of every horse or pony that comes into its care for the rest of their lives, meaning there is no danger of them once again becoming welfare cases. As all horses remain in the ownership of the charity, it means that rehomers have the reassurance that if their circumstances change, the rehomed horse can always be returned. World Horse Welfare’s four Rescue and Rehoming Centres are Glenda Spooner Farm in Somerset, Belwade Farm in Aberdeenshire, Hall Farm in Norfolk and Penny Farm in Lancashire. World Horse Welfare’s rehoming website (HERE) sets out the rehoming process clearly and makes applications straightforward. The post Foal puts her ‘Faith’ in the future as her abuser is sentenced in shocking case of cruelty appeared first on Haynet.... [Read more]

Wrap up against the worst of the weather in style with these functional and fabulous additions from British equestrian fashion brand, Eqcouture. Designed by lifelong rider Sophie Mercer, the Eqcouture range encompasses the reality of winter life with horses without compromising on style, as Sophie explains;“Winter is particularly tough on riders, and with three horses at home, I know the challenges well! I’ve designed rider wear that I know will become your ‘go-to’ staples over the coming months. They were always the pieces I lacked in my riding wardrobe, so I spent considerable time designing these basics to keep you stylish, warm, and comfortable on the move!.” The A/W 22 range doesn’t disappoint with second-skin technical base layers and fleece-lined water-resistant riding tights. Rose gold and antique silver metallic embroidered motifs adorn the collection with a focus on premium quality without a hefty price tag. Their Exclusive Team Gilet with a detachable hood, eco-friendly fill and water-resistant fabric is a versatile garment that riders love.  Bored with searching for gloves that gave an incredible feel on the reins but didn’t cost a small fortune, Sophie created her own! The Eqcouture SmartGrip Riding Gloves are styled in a second-skin technical fabric with exceptional grip and feel on the reins during all weathers. Incorporating touch-screen compatible detail, these gloves are perfect for riders on the go! Outer-wear gets a designer make-over with the classic blouson jacket getting a fresh make-over with the Eqcouture EQC Team Jacket. Styled in a water resistant sporty navy soft shell fabric and fleece-lined for the ultimate in comfort, this jacket is finished with inside and outside pockets and features their signature embroidered logo to the back and chest, Eqcouture embossed zip pull and printed logo to the arm. A flash of red in the collar and highlights throughout the jacket coupled with an embroidered union jack celebrate this iconic British equestrian brands’ roots. Eqcouture Rose Gold Technical Base Layer  6-18 RRP: £41.99 Eqcouture Winter Thermal Rose Gold LeggingsXXS – XLRRP: £59.99 Eqcouture Exclusive Team Gilet6-18RRP: £85.00Mid Grey, Statement Black, Navy & Black Eqcouture SmartGrip Riding GlovesS, M & LRRP: £27.99Grey, Navy, Brown & Black Eqcouture EQC Team Jacket 6 – 18 RRP: £90.00 Navy www.eqcouture.co.uk The post <strong>Wrap Up In Equestrian Style!</strong> appeared first on Haynet.... [Read more]

We just love Little Alf and have followed his adventures with his owner and author Hannah Russell. The latest book Little Alf and The Farm Yard Friends takes a tour with Little Alf meeting all his farmyard friends. The story is aimed at the under fives age group and makes a lovely bedtime story and is easy reading for first learners. Sara Barker who is a horse owner and a mum to two children under three recently reviewed this book for Haynet. Here are her thoughts: “Little Alf and The Farm Yard Friends’ is a fun and heart-warming tale of a cute little pony, Alf, and his friends on the farm where he lives. Toddlers will enjoy meeting all of the farmyard animals on each page, and pointing them out in the beautiful water-colour style illustrations whilst older children will enjoy learning more about the characters of each animal who lives on the farm. Hannah Russell chooses her words carefully and with pleasing simplicity; it really is a delightful introduction for early years children to life on the farm and the friendly little pony that is Alf!” Sara Barker This book makes a great gift for all toddlers and can highly recommend all the books in the Little Alf range. Please head over to Hannah, Little Alf and Friends or Amazon. The post Little Alf and The Farm Yard Friends – A Review appeared first on Haynet.... [Read more]

Eight years ago, when Hannah was just 17 years old her first book was published about her miniature Shetland Little Alf. Fast forward to 2022 and she is now releasing her 14th book on Little Alf at the age of 25. Little Alf and the Farmyard Friends is the latest book for Hannah to release and added to the Little Alf series. It tells the tale of Little Alf on the farm and meeting his farmyard friends aimed at children under the age of six and has been described as a bedtime story for children. Hannah said ‘I love writing the Little Alf books, his following keeps growing online and his books get shipped around the world. I never imagined we would be where we are today all those years ago’  Little Alf has become a household name with his books getting published in multiple languages and his children’s series have been awarded numerous awards and found in best-selling charts.  Little Alf is a miniature Shetland who stands at 28 inches high due to him having dwarfism, he came to live with Hannah in 2012 giving her a new focus when she dropped out of college. She started a blog about him online and his following soon grew with people from all over the world who loved watching his cheeky antics. In recent years Hannah’s pages have expanded and now features all of her twenty plus pets online and her brand has become ‘Hannah, Little Alf and friends’ together with a merchandise range. ‘There is always something going on at my house, I’ve recently got two Valais black nose sheep who are full of fun and have been hitting over 2 million views on their videos. I have plans to write about them one day as well as continuing to add to the Little Alf series’  You can now pre-order the new book online here The post Little Alf and the Farmyard Friends – Bestselling author Hannah Russell’s 14th book is published appeared first on Haynet.... [Read more]

A video has emerged of retired eventer Mark Todd. World Horse Welfare has released the following statement in response as Mark was a Patron of the charity. The treatment of the horse in this video is disturbing and unacceptable. There is no place in the horse-human partnership for such use of force. Mark agrees that his behaviour was wrong and we welcome his apology.  Mark is a consummate horseman, who cares deeply for horses and their welfare but, in this case, either through losing his patience or acting out of frustration, he has badly let himself down.To his credit, when the video came to Mark’s attention he contacted us and voluntarily stepped down as one of our Patrons.  We all need to take heed from this episode. If equestrian sport, which we actively support, is to continue to maintain the acceptance of the public – its social licence – there cannot be any tolerance for unacceptable practises, no matter how experienced the rider or trainer. The statement can also be found on our website HERE The post Mark Todd video – Statement from World Horse Welfare appeared first on Haynet.... [Read more]