13 Shillings Equestrian Center

04/12/2025

I wouldn’t believe it if I didn’t see it in front of me.
…or actually, I would.

04/12/2025

Speaks volumes about who’s “leading” the industry.

04/08/2025

Equine Canada really setting the standard - eh?

04/07/2025

Work with the horse you have as an individual-not as another contributor to the “ideal” blueprint !

03/18/2025

Trust yourself - but first make sure you have your eyes OPEN.

TAKING BACK OUR HORSEMANSHIP…

I think it’s time for owners to take back over their horsemanship journeys.

By trusting themselves and their own judgement.

Don’t like how rough a trainer is being with your horse, but they’re trying to convince you it’s necessary?
Trust yourself.

Frustrated with a lack of boundaries or clarity in your horsemanship, but afraid you’ll be judged or judge yourself if you do anything about it?
Trust yourself.

Afraid to get hurt, but you’re being told to ‘cowboy up’ and get on anyways?
Trust yourself.

Knowing something’s wrong when your barefoot horse is sore, but your trimmer keeps telling you it’s part of the process?
Trust yourself.

Seeing no progress or things get worse after multiple cycles in corrective shoeing, but you’re afraid to say anything to your vet or farrier?
Trust yourself.

Feeling guilty for using that tool that seems to help you and your horse communicate better?
An inner voice that’s shaming you is never your own, it’s always someone else’s.
Trust yourself.

I get it, we can’t rely on ourselves to always be unbiased or be the know-all end-all in decision-making, it takes a well-educated village, but I can’t tell you how many times as a hoofcare professional or a trainer I’ve deferred to a client…

Because they know their horse the best, because they’re familiar with all the variables, because they’re often the first ones to know when something is wrong, even if they can’t quite put a finger on it.

The horsemanship industry reminds me of the beauty industry in many ways... It’s designed to make us feel a certain way about ourselves, which is rarely positive.

Speaking to women specifically… isn’t being able to get away from all the social constructs and baggage what drew many of us to horses in the first place?

You know what I’m talking about…
When it’s just you and the horse having a moment, and you understand and trust each other completely, and you understand and trust yourself completely?

Isn’t with horses where we were supposed to feel most ourselves? Most safe? Competent? Capable?

Can we take it back, please?

03/14/2025

Navicular Rehab and Hoof Adaptability

Looking at these photos, which are of the SAME FOOT by the way, you think I’d be ecstatic with the change in the back half of the foot (and corresponding progress to soundness for this horse).

But to be honest, I almost get a little angry.

I get angry that so many navicular cases like this case are given up on or told to be euthanized just because they have such a weak foot, without attempting to strengthen it or take the time to grow in a healthier hoof.

I get angry that the navicular bone damage or DDFT/collateral ligament/other soft tissue damage is blamed for lameness, without the health of the frog or hoof capsule taken into account.

I get angry that people constantly blame genetics or conformation for things like low heels, long toes, thin soles.

I get angry that people say that the digital cushion and back half of the foot “can’t improve” once it has atrophied.

I look at these photos and see this beautiful gelding trotting by soundly, rehabbed back to ridden work last year walk/trot/canter after so many gave up on him, and want to scream it from the rooftops: diet and movement can mean the difference between crummy feet and rockcrunching feet, proper hoof rehab can mean the difference between, quite literally, life and death.

That’s my drama post for the day.

Photos both show the same untrimmed foot mid-cycle (first was after shoe pull, before hoof rehab), which was the previously lame foot on a navicular case with bone damage and corresponding soft tissue damage, as well as other body-wide compensations. Apologies for the dirty mud season foot 🙃

(If you want to learn more about how we rehab navicular cases, I have an entire ebook on it here - print copy is sold out and on backorder currently) - https://thehumblehoof.com/product/navigating-navicular-disease-an-optimistic-guide-for-a-pessimistic-diagnosis-ebook/

02/27/2025

02/25/2025

Our farm and one of our fabulous young Clydesdales got to start in a part of a music video for local young and upcoming artist, COVA.

Lights, loud music, green horseman, and a dark arena - no bother for our fresh Clyde who’d recenlty had the whole year off from work!

Check out Massey in his featured spotlight moment in COVA’s latest release on YouTube!

Written and produced by Cova. Official Video for "take me away" by CovaListen to "take me away" here: https://linktr.ee/bycovaFollow Cova: https://www.instag...

02/16/2025

FREEZING? FORAGE FIRST.

If temperatures are dropping for you this week, too, don’t forget that keeping your horse warm starts from the inside out…

The digestion of hay, not concentrates or grains, creates heat.

Slow feeders can ensure a consistent source of digestible heat, especially overnight. Picture of my prototype in the comments.

If you blanket, which I do if I see shivering, or if their coat gets wet and can’t fluff, remember we have to replace with an equal about of insulation, since a blanket compresses their coat so it can’t fluff. Around here that means 300+ fill.

10/29/2024

This Saturday November 2nd!
10am - 530pm
Welcome to 13 Shillings Equestrian Center

This event celebrates our 1-Year Anniversary and serves as a launching point for a larger
initiative. Our vision is to create a premier ETHICAL equestrian trade show that
showcases a higher standard of care, management, and practice in the equine industry while also introducing the public to the benefits of interacting with horses.
The event will:
• Showcase a more conscious, sustainable, and progressive industry.
• Promote innovations in equine welfare, resilience, and health.
• Introduce non-equestrians to the curative and restorative effects of equine-assisted activities.
• Offer educational seminars, product demos, and expert presentations.

With your support, we aim to create an unforgettable experience that will bring
communities together and set the stage for a brighter future for the equine industry.

10/28/2024

New email - just for the farm!
Please update/switch your records to the farm’s new email for anything associated with 13 Shillings Equestrian Centre (boarders, clients, collaborators, events, etc.),.

Art Under Saddle Horsemanship (training, lessons, clinics) will resume separate services and will continue to try and recover the original email:
[email protected]

In the meantime, please defer anything payment related to 13 Shillings’ new email. All other emails should be OK to be received through artundersaddle again.

New Email: ✨
❇️❇️❇️❇️❇️❇️❇️❇️❇️❇️❇️❇️

[email protected]

✳️✳️✳️✳️✳️✳️✳️✳️✳️✳️✳️✳️

10/25/2024

Hold all payments please.
So sorry for the inconvenience

09/30/2024

09/25/2024

"We humans are only now attempting with the recent rise in consciousness to achieve the soul that animals have naturally."