STABLE MANNERS

by Nicole Markwell

Horses and ponies need a lot of care. As well as the essential provision of regular feed and fresh water, they need regular foot trimming and shoeing, regular dental treatment, veterinary checks, worming and vaccinations, and that’s before all the other expenses such as tack, insurance, safety gear, rugs, headcollars…the list goes on and on. Your horse may also be on a special diet, have veterinary problems or be getting on in years, which can mean even more special care and attention. Not only is it time consuming, but it all costs money too.

Keeping track of the finances and schedules for your horse can be a daunting task and even the most responsible horse owner will occasionally feel they might lose track, but help is at hand in the form of a new website that has been launched to help horse owners organise their horse’s care regime so they always know what their trusty friend needs.

www.manage-my-horse.com was set up by Cate Ashton, a committed horse owner who saw a need for those in the equine world to have help and support in a practical way. The website allows owners to record almost every facet of their horse’s life in one place – breeding, training and exercise journals, farriery and hoof care, dental records, health, wellbeing, worming, vaccination and veterinary information, weight and condition scoring, competition records and all expenses and income.

In fact, at Redwings we were so impressed that we have joined up with Cate to become the site’s official charity. Its strong message about taking responsibility for your horse’s care is completely in line with our educational messages as one of the UK’s foremost equine welfare charities and we think it will really benefit horse owners all over the UK.The service on the site is completely free of charge and members will also have access to Redwings’ own range of horse care and welfare leaflets too.

To join up or to find out more about Manage My Horse, log on here and click ‘Take the Tour’. For more information about Redwings Horse Sanctuary or for welfare advice and support, visit www.redwings.co.uk or telephone 01508 481008.