It’s Worth the Smell

We have been feeding Honeychop for quite sometime now and it has never failed to please, we had been feeding the Honeychop plus Apple which all the equines loved. I do love to try new products and different feeds, so I thought it was time for a change, so I chose Honeychop plus Garlic it sure is smelly but it sure is good.

As well as being something different to Honeychop plus Apple for the horses and ponies to try Honeychop plus Garlic also contains a higher protein level, and is great for the summer as the garlic helps to repel flies.

As you can see the new feed goes down very nicely, all in all the Honeychop plus Garlic is a very good feed, it helps to keep your horse in good health, and keeps the flies away, if you are interested in feeding Honeychop click the link to visit their website.

Finally Clean

I have finally got my saddle all cleaned up, shame it show’s up all the other damage a lot more, last time I cleaned my saddle I had quite a lot of difficulty getting some parts clean , but this time it has been no problem with Chesfield’s Multipurpose. The amount I go on about these products anyone would think they were sponsoring me, but no they aren’t I just really like the products.

Anyway back to the saddle, it’s now nice and clean with a healthy dose of saddle soap to keep it soft and supple, next I plan on getting my bridle clean and then shortly after I will give my saddle another clean, I think it’s probably best if I keep on top of my tack cleaning this time, easier said than done for some.

Sound as a Pound

Niko is now fully recovered, and I have ridden him today he was very good and went very well so he’s back to his normal sound self, you can see in this photo him making good use of his soundness, as he makes his escape from the jaws of Madeline.

Also Pip’s bum is healing quite well, the fur isn’t back yet but I wouldn’t expect it to be. Here’s a photo of him, taking a look for himself to see how it is healing, poor little chap, still I am sure he will get better at avoiding the bites.

All the horses and ponies have been enjoying the mud that was left behind from the rain, I have managed to clean a lot of it off of them but they are still far from clean, it’s mostly their manes that are dirty, but on the bright side they did have a lot of fun rolling.

And I just had to use this photo, take a look at Tipper’s nose, now that’s flexibility! It always amazes me the stuff they can do with their noses. Anyway that’s all from me for now I am just happy that Niko is sound again.

Good News Bad News

The other day I arrived at the paddock to be faced with a completely lame Niko. Poor chap was hobbling around like an old man, so obviously he had the day off we’ve checked him over and can’t find anything so it isn’t all that bad and today he has been a lot better, and walking around fine but better to be safe than sorry so he has had today off as well.

While Niko has been off work I’ve had more time to do things like poo pick and some other stuff that I will get to in a bit. I managed to clear all the muck out of two sections of the paddock, now I just have one left, sadly it’s the worst one, but before I go on to that one I want to cut down some of the weeds in the other two.

Anyway on to that other stuff. I have washed Tipper’s mane and forelock with baby cradle cap shampoo, he had a bit of dead skin and cradle cap shampoo is a great way to keep his mane and forelock in good condition. On a less pleasant note I have also cleaned Murphy’s sheath, he was not good about it. As he is only small it’s hard to get to his sheath and be out of the way if he decides to kick, and as a result I was kicked twice, not much fun.

Today they are all just sheltering from the rain and only coming out to eat, and who can blame them it has been such bad weather here. I am hoping Niko will be sound tomorrow, but if this rain keeps up I don’t think I will be riding anyway.

Now I must stop rambling.

The Prophet’s Thumbprint

Tipper may look like just a normal horse, but he is far more than that, Tipper bears a thumbprint in his neck now what does that mean you say well here is a story about it.

By Ilil Arbel, Ph.D.

“The hot desert wind blew against the tent, driving the dust inside. Fatima walked softly in, carrying an earthenware jug full of cold water, and handed it to the Prophet. "Please, stop tormenting yourself, Mohammed," she said, "drink some water!"

"I will drink when the test is over, and the horses can drink, too. I cannot drink knowing they are thirsty," said the Prophet to his daughter.

"I do not understand this test, nor do I like it," said Fatima angrily. "Depriving the horses from drinking for three full days is cruel. I cannot believe you would do it, a man who loves animals better than himself!"

"I must. Allah commanded me -- would you have me disobey God? The spread of Islam depends greatly on the loyalty and strength of our horses. The best of these horses, said Allah, will be honored till the end of time... But it is the evening of the third day now, so let us go to the horses and conduct the test."

He took a horn that hung at the tent’s entrance, and walked toward an enclosure where about a hundred horses were confined, a little distance from the water hole of the oasis. The horses looked reproachfully at their beloved master as he quickly opened the gate. Tormented by thirst, the horses galloped to the water hole, but before they could reach it, Mohammed raised the horn to his lips and sounded the call for war.

The horses ignored it. They were so thirsty that perhaps they couldn’t even hear it, and went on galloping toward the water. But not all of them. Five mares stopped. Without hesitation, they turned around and returned to Mohammed, ready to do whatever was required of them.

The Prophet stroked their silky manes, tears in his eyes. He led them to the water and envisioned the glorious future as they drank. He knew that these mares would foal the finest of Arab horses, the only horses of pure blood, the horses that would help bring Islam to every corner of the Earth.”


The five mares were kept for breeding and it is said that the prophet pressed his thumb in their necks marking them with his thumbprint. A horse with the prophet’s thumbprint is said to come from the bloodline of horses that belonged to the prophet Mohammed, it is said that a horse with the prophet’s thumbprint should be treasured and treated with great respect, and are thought to be lucky.