Moving Together

And here is Pendle Dandelion Clock on the front page of the inter schools event

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1PTy4V3RkJ/ #

SADDLE FITTING OHARIU VALLEY.
 I will be in the Valley on Tuesday, 1 September
and again on Friday, 11 September .
I have one space available both days. Get in touch straight away if you are interested.
Remember that saddle fitting is something that the horse needs for maintenance, we shouldn’t wait for things to go wrong before we call the fitter to adjust the saddle. There will have been something going wrong long before you notice him getting grumpy or developing white patches. Maintenance is key!
I plan to be there again During the last week of September . If you get in touch now I can get saddles in for you if that is appropriate. I can’t do if you leave it till the last minute!
Please email me with Ohariu valley in the subject line
(I don’t take bookings just on Facebook)

marypag@xtra.co.nz

Frost itself isn’t the issue it’s a frosty night followed by warm sunny days with good growing conditions that put our ponies at risk

🥶❄ Frosty mornings = higher laminitis risk? Here's why...

As we're sure you've all been feeling, the cold snaps and frosts have well and truly arrived across New Zealand!

Not only does this mean digging out five layers of clothing ... it also means it's time to pay extra attention to your horse's grazing. 🌱

When we get frosty mornings followed by bright, sunny days, grass can accumulate higher levels of sugars (non-structural carbohydrates). During the day, grass produces sugars through photosynthesis. Normally, it uses these sugars overnight to grow. However, when overnight temperatures drop below around 5°C, grass growth slows dramatically, meaning those sugars remain stored in the plant.

The result? Grass can contain significantly higher sugar levels, particularly during the morning after a frost.

For horses and ponies that are overweight, have a history of laminitis, are insulin resistant, or are considered "good doers," this sudden increase in sugar intake can significantly increase the risk of a laminitic episode.

How can you help reduce the risk?

✅ Limit grazing for at-risk horses, especially following frosty nights.
✅Consider using a well-fitted grazing muzzle.
✅ Provide low-sugar hay to reduce the urge to gorge on pasture.
✅ Maintain a healthy body condition and regular exercise where appropriate.
✅ Keep a close eye out for early signs of laminitis, including:
- Reluctance to move
- Increased heat in the feet
- Strong digital pulses
- Shifting weight between feet or standing rocked back

If you're concerned your horse may be at risk, or you'd like advice on managing pasture during winter, get in touch with our team. A few simple management changes now could help prevent a very painful condition later.

Stay warm out there and give those frosty paddocks a little extra respect this winter! ❄💙

Jeepers, I love this…

Our Agenda. Yes, I Said Agenda.🔥

⚠️ Warning: This article may burst a few carefully inflated bubbles. Side effects may include mild indignation, bruised egos or outrage. Proceed at your own risk.

One of the more fascinating developments in modern horsemanship is our apparent determination to pretend we don't have an agenda.

Somewhere along the way, "training" became a dirty word. "Influence" started sounding suspiciously authoritarian. "Leadership" was quietly escorted out the back door, and in came a parade of softer, safer phrases like *co-creating*, *holding space*, *finding mutual agreement*, and my personal favourite, *allowing the horse to choose*.

Which is all terribly poetic until you remember that you've just put a halter on him.

Let's be honest for a moment.

This is our agenda.

The horse didn't wake up this morning thinking, "I'd quite like to spend forty minutes improving my ability to yield my shoulders while Shelley explores her personal growth journey."😜

His plans were refreshingly modest. Graze. Avoid death. Find his mates. Scratch his itchy bits on the nearest tree. If fortune smiled upon him, perhaps knock over a water bucket for entertainment.😃

Everything after that is our idea.

And that's not cruel.

It's not oppressive.

It's simply reality.

The strange thing isn't that humans have an agenda. The strange thing is that we've become so uncomfortable admitting it that we've started disguising it in language that sounds like it was written by a mindfulness calendar.

Apparently, we're no longer teaching horses. We're "facilitating discovery."

We're not asking them to step onto a float. We're "creating an invitation into possibility."

We're not applying pressure. We're "opening a dialogue."

Which is remarkable, because the horse still experiences exactly the same physical world regardless of what we've chosen to call it. Renaming gravity doesn't make you float, and renaming training doesn't stop it being training.😎

The irony is that horses are wonderfully free from this particular human affliction.

They don't care about our vocabulary.

They care whether today's experience makes sense.

Whether it is predictable.

Whether it is fair.

Whether they can discover the answer without feeling trapped, overwhelmed, frightened or uncomfortable.

That's it.

The horse couldn't care less whether your social media bio describes you as an ethical facilitator of authentic equine empowerment.

He's wondering whether your signals contradict each other.

When horses become resistant, anxious or inconsistent, I don't immediately assume they're challenging my authority or expressing some deeply symbolic emotional truth. More often than not, I assume I've made my agenda too difficult to understand or we have some physical struggle going on.

That's a much less glamorous explanation.

It also happens to be far more useful.

Because confusion isn't usually a horse problem.

It's a curriculum problem.

If your student keeps failing the lesson, perhaps stop blaming the student and start looking at the lesson plan.🤷‍♀️

Humans, however, are spectacularly talented at doing the opposite. We can spend three hours discussing energy, intention, nervous system regulation, ancestral trauma, lunar cycles and the horse's desire to be heard before reluctantly considering the possibility that perhaps... just perhaps... our timing was dreadful.🧐

It's extraordinary.

We've managed to create an entire industry dedicated to avoiding the obvious.

The beautiful thing about admitting that this is our agenda is that it also means it's our responsibility.

Not our guilt.

Our responsibility.❗️

Because if I designed the lesson, then I can redesign the lesson.

If I created the confusion, I can create clarity instead.

That's empowering.✅

Far more empowering than pretending my horse and I are simply waiting for the universe to reveal whose truth should emerge first.

The horse doesn't need me to pretend we're equal shareholders in today's training session.

He needs me to be competent enough that my agenda is understandable, fair and worth following.

Oddly enough, I think that's a far more respectful relationship.

Take this image, for instance. This horse did not wake up this morning thinking, "I hope my human dresses as an elf, glues a unicorn horn to my forehead, and we recreate Narnia for Instagram today."

You might think it's a fun idea and a fantastic photo to capture, and that's perfectly okay.

But let's not kid ourselves.

That was our agenda.

Collectable Advice 264/365.
If this resonated, or if you think we could all use the occasional reality check, please hit SHARE or SAVE. ❤️

SADDLE FITTING IN OHARIU VALLEY
I see most clients at my own property in te horo where I have good facilities and everything to hand . However  the new season approaches and I’m planning some travelling days. I have pencilled in a trip to the valley on Saturday, 8 August
Please get straight in touch if you would be interested in this . ideally it will involve more than one client at a location . be sure to mention a
Ohariu Valley on your message.
I have yet to set a date for a second trip but if you are keen and you can’t make the 8th get in touch as I might build the next day around you!

SADDLE FITTING AT HORSEWYSE
 the year comes round and I will soon be travelling again. I plan to be in Palmerston North at Horsewyse Saddlery on

Tuesday, 11 August
Tuesday, 25 August
Tuesday, 8 September 

Once daylight savings kicks in it will be Thursdays when The Shop has late opening

It’s a great venue for Saddle fitting, with a good size Arena Arena, undercover tie up space, good parking right on the spot and of course with a lovely shop where you can buy everything from a hoof pick to a show jacket
Most importantly so far as I am concerned Debs also has a great stock of secondhand saddles as well as whatever you might need in the way of Saddle blankets and girths, which we can tap into as needed!

Please get in touch with me now to express interest and maybe book a place

Bought an NSC saddle since 1 January 2026? Or are you about to buy one? 🤩

You have the chance of 25 bonus entries - PLUS an extra 1 for every $50 spent - in our Equifest VIP Giveaway 🏆

All you need to do is make sure you have entered! ✨

The bonus entries apply whether you bought directly from us, or through an authorised NSC retailer.

We add the entries from our own records, so there's nothing extra to do on your end.

You just need to be in the draw...

Not entered yet? Here's the link 👇

https://omniform1.com/forms/v1/landingPage/6a31c60c96dac0c3df3fc89b/6a409c32e280c8eb56bb820d

Entries close 13 September.