Boundary Equestrian

08/02/2026

⚖️⚖️ NUTRITIONAL NEWS ⚖️⚖️

The 3️⃣ F’s
These encompass the basis of horse care, nutrition and health (in no particular order).
✔️FORAGE
✔️FRIENDS
✔️FREEDOM

As well as the 3️⃣ F’s, I also like to include 2️⃣ S’s.
✔️Safety
✔️Shelter

🌿🌿FORAGE – grass, hay, bailage. This should be the basis of any horses diet. There should be long stem FORAGE readily and easily accessible. Slow feed (small hole) hay nets and strip grazing are useful for the good doers to assist with trickle feeding.
▶️Horses are trickle feeders (a little and often)
▶️Horses will only create saliva when they masticate (chew food)
▶️Acid is continuously created in the horses stomach, 24/7
▶️Saliva helps to neutralise the stomach acid (reducing the risk of ulcers)
▶️Forage is digested in their hindgut by fermentation by the good bacteria
▶️B group vitamins (including biotin) are by products of fermentation which are a major influencer of brain and nervous system function

🐎🐎FRIENDS – horses are herd animals, relying on the other members of their herd for protection, mental stability, companionship and social development.
▶️Reduce stress
▶️Encourage movement, play and grooming
▶️They get REM sleep as they know others in their herd are on watch for any dangers.

🛤️🛤️FREEDOM – allows them choice, movement and self exercise
▶️Promotes natural movement
▶️Helps with fitness
▶️They can perform their normal behaviours of rolling and scratching
▶️Help with their mental stability.

⚠️⚠️SAFETY – our horses have a right to be safe in their paddocks. Safe from paddock obstacles, poisonous plants, other horses and sometimes, sadly humans.
▶️Do a walk through of your paddocks checking fencing, branches, holes, plants
▶️Horses have a hierarchy, whether in a herd or paddocked over the fence, one will be dominate over the other, by understanding the hierarchy you can help to provide a less stressful living situation.

🛖🛖SHELTER – includes sheds, trees, hills and covers. Shelter encompasses being able to have protection from rain, wind and sun.
▶️Horses will shiver to generate warmth, their hair can stand on end trapping warm air (if not wet)
▶️They can warm their core by reducing the blood flow to their legs and ears
▶️Feed hay, the generation of heat is another by-product of fermentation

The level of the 3️⃣ F’s and 2️⃣ S’s is very much dependent on the individual horse, their location and what you as an owner are able to provide due to financial costs, availability of products and the equipment you have.

There is no “one size fits all”

Boundary Equestrian
⚖️⚖️ 🦄🦄 ⚖️⚖️
Providing nutritional support and diets.

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08/02/2026

🦄🦄Time to get back into it🦄🦄

Pole lessons - Sunday 22nd February!

All details are in the pic below. PM me to book.

04/02/2026

⚠️Arena users⚠️

This is not ok! ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

Most of the poles and all the jumps have been moved and dismantled.
Please leave the arena as you found it.

Simple courtesy to myself and the next arena user goes such a long way.
Thank you.

19/01/2026

Arena has been groomed and a new setup with a 2 stride grid, walk and trot poles.
Easy online booking.

21/12/2025

Well......2025, a rollercoaster of a year in all the ways you don't want or need a rollercoaster.

Despite my year, I hope that all of you have had a brilliant year with your equine partners and I truly look forward to being involved in 2026 and helping you all, from pole lessons, to equine diets, to Emmett.

Merry Christmas everyone, stay safe and enjoy!

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18/11/2025

‼️TEMPORARY ARENA CLOSURE DUE TO ROAD WORKS‼️
So.....we have road works happening for 2 weeks - they are redoing the entire road....consequently, Boundary Road is closed to residents only, so I have made the decision to temporary close the arena until Friday 28th November.
You will still be able to access the booking page to book after Friday 28th. Here's hoping we will end up with a decent flat and pothole free road for many moons to come!!

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12/11/2025

Our arena gate is back to normal with the electronic lock - code will be emailed when you book.

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28/10/2025

Check this out!! Emmett 4 Humans....a course is happening in April next year.

If you are a horse practitioner of any kind, then add this to your basket of goodies. Treat the horse and the rider.

All details attached.

The EMMETT Technique is a safe and simple muscle release therapy developed by Ross Emmett. It is an internationally recognised technique taught in over 38 countries world wide.

03/10/2025

TAKING LEAVE:

I am taking a step back from pole lessons, diets and Emmett while my husband and I spend time with and help a sick family member.

My time and energy has been with my family for a number of weeks now and I cannot do you or your horses justice at this time.

I will be back and you may see me out and about as I take some stress time out and enjoy the outdoors on the back of my horse.

Thank you all for the support you have given me in my Equine ventures to date.

Robyn

Send a message to learn more

28/09/2025

‼️Temporary gate lock‼️and new code‼️

Our automatic, keypad gate has a bad cable......so as a temporary measure we have this little beauty keeping things safe.

When you book, you will receive the new code.

19/08/2025

💪💪MUSCLE DEVELOPMENT AND TOPLINE💪💪

With Spring tapping on the door, we are all thinking about getting out there and riding a little more. Getting ourselves and our trusty steads ready for the new season ahead in your chosen discipline. If your horse, like mine has had the winter off, then starting to ride again and in Spring can be a little daunting.

Every horse owner wants to have a horse with good muscle development and a decent top line. A calm and willing nature is also up there in the priorities. The factors affecting your horses topline are:
1️⃣Nutrition
2️⃣Exercise
3️⃣Body work
4️⃣Equipment used (tack, covers, training aids etc)

For the horse, having a decent topline allows a strong back to help keep balance, for ultimate performance and the ability to carry a rider. The topline of the horse consists of the muscles that run over the top of the horse's back from the neck, wither and spine to croup (see attached diagrams).

To help your horse gain muscle and create a topline requires effort from your part.

🔹🔹Nutritionally:
✅Feed enough energy for the type of work your horse IS performing – not WHAT it will be doing in a months time. Feeding deficient amounts of energy may cause your horse to use its stored energy in its muscles, this in turn decreases the muscle development and they will start to lose the topline.
✅Feed quality protein. Amino acids are the building blocks that create proteins and there are 10 amino acids that are essential (the horse’s body cannot make them or cannot make them in enough quantity). The top two of these amino acids being Lysine and Methionine are classed as LIMITED ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS. This means that they are required in certain quantities for all the other amino acids to build proteins.
✅Feed a balanced and appropriate diet that will enable your horse to be healthy, calm and effectively perform at the level you require. Muscle health and development requires the correct quantities magnesium, calcium and vitamins A, B6 and E.

🔹🔹Exercise:
✅Perform exercises that engage and strengthen the hind quarters and thoracic sling. Allowing the horse hind legs to come up and under themselves and the horse to have a balance way of movement.
➡️Transitions
➡️Hill work
➡️Poles and cavalettis - 2 simple layouts:
🐴4 poles in a straight line - ride at a walk and trot . Once established, can increase the exercise by raising each alternate end of the poles. Horses have no suspension at a walk, so walking over poles is a great way for them to lift each leg the same height. Strengthens the hind end and core and helps to mobilise the pelvis and hocks.
🐴3 poles in a fan - ride at a walk, trot and canter. Once established, can increase the exercise by raising one end of the poles. Ride a 20m circle utilising the fan as part of the circle. Allows your horse to push from behind and activates the core and thoracic sling to lift and engage.

🔹🔹Bodywork: Relaxing and resetting the tired and tight muscles of a working horse is essential in keeping the whole body working correctly. The horse can so easily compensate to varying degrees and sometimes you can be unaware of the compensation. By performing bodywork you can allow the horse to reset any muscles that weren’t working or not working correctly to help them to perform better and become stronger and more balanced. EMMETT4 HORSES is a gentle muscle release therapy which any horse in work would benefit from.

🔹🔹Equipment used (tack, covers, training aids etc): Ensuring the correct fit and usage of equipment is essential in helping to build correct muscles and development of the topline. By getting our saddle professionally fitted and ensuring your bridle and bit are a correct fit and appropriate is essential.

I am available for:
💢Nutritional consultation for your horse to ensure that they are being fed a balanced and appropriate diet.
💢Pole lessons to help you and your horse utilise their entire body, developing correct muscles and become more balanced.
💢Emmett4Horses body work to keep your horse in tip top shape.

05/07/2025

I recently listened to a Webinar presented by Poseidon Animal Health with Dr Erin Roddy, Dr Nimet Browne, Dr Lizzie McCready regarding COLIC.

Colic can be PREVENTABLE and can be CURABLE, however, colic can happen at any time to any horse.

While colic is the number one cause of death for horses, it affects around only 10% of the population. Up to 83% of surgical colic will result in survival.

My takeaways from the webinar:
🐴Horses have been evolving for 55,000,000 years – BUT – they have been in domestication for only 0.01% of this time.
🐴Their digestive system has not evolved enough for the way we keep them in domestication.
🐴Horses require a minimum of 1.5 – 2 % of FIBRE per DAY to enable their digestive system to work efficiently and correctly.
2% for a 500kg horse = 10kg per day
🐴Their MICROBIOME in the hind gut IS DELICATE and can easily be disturbed or killed.
🐴Horses can colic from lack of feed, too much feed and stress.

❗️Signs of COLIC can include
- Pawing the ground, lying down at odd times or rolling
- Lack of appetite
- Less manure or different consistency
- Excessive sweating
- Heavy breathing
- Looking or kicking at abdomen
- Stretching out the body in a long stance
❗️Signs of MILD COLIC can include
- Lying down
- Lack of appetite
- Less manure
- Curling upper lip
❗️Signs of SEVERE COLIC
- repeated rolling
- violent movement

❎Risks of colic
❎Changing the diet suddenly, too much or not enough feed, excessive starch, seasonal changes, mycotoxins, ingestion of sand/dirt
❎Stress from their living environment – herd dynamics, box rest, change in grazing
❎Transport, for long periods, in heat, with or without travel companions
❎Lack of water consumption when at competitions, in heat, when travelling, excessive exercise or sweating
❎Worm burden
❎Dental
❎Medication

⚖️Know your horses normal
➡️Heart rate (32-44 beats per minute)
➡️Respiratory rate (8 – 14 breaths per minute)
➡️Temperature (37 – 38.5 degrees Celsius)
➡️Capillary refill time (2 seconds)

If you see any signs of colic, be sure to "examine" your horse so you can give your vet the "normal" of your horse. Include the symptoms that you see your horse doing.

Link to the webinar

Hear from three leading equine veterinarians about the intricacies of colic, including emergency responses, recovery processes, and preventative strategies.D...