CL Independent Equine Nutritionist

05/09/2025

Date for your diaries, ground work done well really pays dividends in the long run

Date for your Diary 📔 🐴

This workshop is suitable for everyone interested in learning more about lungeing as a form of exercise and improving your horse’s way of going. BHS and Pony Club students preparing for their lungeing tests as well.

We will be demonstrating different exercises used when lungeing on a variety of horses including raised poles and double lungeing.

£40pp - There is a £5 discount for Riding and Pony Club Members.

Limited Spaces are available.

To Book and for more info please PM or WhatsApp me on 07597604619.

02/07/2025

30/05/2025

🐴 Donegal Area! - I’m offering Equine Nutrition Consultations in your area and would love to know who’s interested!

Whether you own a leisure horse, competition horse, or golden oldie — tailored nutritional support can make a real difference to health, condition, and overall wellbeing.

🔍 Each visit covers:

✅ Assessment of your horse’s current body condition
✅ General nutrition-related health check
✅ Evaluation of any clinical conditions – with tailored dietary advice
✅ Review of turnout and management practices
✅ Forage & concentrate feeding analysis – creating a balanced diet plan
✅ Personalised report & management plan, just for you and your horse
✅ Ongoing support & adjustments to keep your horse on track

💶 Pricing: €55 per horse + travel expenses

📍If you’re in the Donegal area and are interested, drop me a message or comment below — I’d love to hear from you! 🐎🌿

29/05/2025

13/05/2025

🎇A FULL DAY CLINIC FOR ALL EQUESTRIANS🐴

VBR IRELAND “ASSESS & ADDRESS” CLINIC. The Horse–Rider–Saddle Relationship

🤝A cross-profession, hands-on clinic exploring horse–rider–saddle interaction using the VBR method. Learn to assess and improve self-carriage, rider balance, and saddle influence through lecture, live demos, and small-group workshops. Ideal for vets, trainers, equine therapists and riders of all levels seeking practical, evidence-based tools for injury prevention, improved horse welfare and performance.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN 👨‍🎓

✔ How to assess rider balance and vertical alignment, both mounted and unmounted.

✔ How to identify equine postural imbalances and common compensatory patterns that can lead to pain or inflammation.

✔ How to assess whether the saddle is contributing to compensation patterns in horse and rider. Saddles are often blamed for issues caused by rider or horse asymmetries / rotation. Objective measurement helps identify the true source of dysfunction.

✔ How to use repeatable, hands-on assessment protocols that complement your current practice.

Date: 22nd May 2025
Location: JAG Equestrian Centre, Kildare
Places are limited to ensure quality small-group interaction—early booking is advised.

📜HSI CPD accreditation approved (5 points).

📜Veterinary Council of Ireland CPD accreditation pending

👉 For further information and tickets please visit: https://www.equimech.xyz/vbr-ireland-assess-and-address-clinic

We hope to see you there for a truly integrative learning experience!

02/05/2025

🎊SPACE AVAILABLE🎊
I have one space tomorrow afternoon after 5pm on my route home from the Antrim area/M1 corridor. 😁 Drop me a message if you want to get booked in! 🎋💕🐴

30/04/2025

Why you should be careful when using ulcer treatments and how management changes can help

🔬 Why Ulcer Treatment Requires More Than a Tube of Omeprazole 🔬

If your horse has been treated with omeprazole for squamous gastric ulcers, this recent article from Kentucky Equine Research highlights a crucial consideration: what happens after the medication stops.

Omeprazole reduces stomach acid, helping ulcers heal — but it also causes gastrin, a hormone that stimulates acid production, to build up in the bloodstream. When treatment ends abruptly, those high gastrin levels trigger the stomach to rapidly pump out acid again — a phenomenon called rebound hyperacidity.

💥 This surge in acid can set your horse back significantly.

🐴 That’s why treating ulcers isn’t just about the medication. Management changes are essential:

✅ Ensure free-choice access to hay or other long-stem forage to form a protective mat in the stomach.

✅ Keep feeding and exercise routines consistent.

✅ Consider supportive supplements which may help reduce squamous ulcer severity.

💡Key takeaway from KER nutritionist Dr Kathleen Crandell?

“It is so important to make management changes in the horse’s daily routines in addition to simply giving them omeprazole.”

Read the full article from Kentucky Equine Research for more on how to support your horse’s gut health beyond the last dose of omeprazole: https://bit.ly/4jooi3h

Image via Kentucky Equine Research.

30/04/2025

Welfare Wednesday: How Grazing Setups Affect Pony Behaviour and Wellbeing 🌱

A recent study published in the Equine Veterinary Journal explored how two common grazing systems—strip grazing and track systems—influence the behaviour and welfare of ponies.

As many owners look for ways to manage weight and prevent obesity, grazing restriction is often recommended. But what does this mean for horse behaviour and mental wellbeing?

📋 What the study found:

▪️Ponies on track systems moved more each day and showed fewer signs of social conflict (like chasing or threats).

▪️Ponies on strip grazing moved less and showed more conflict behaviours, possibly due to the layout or competition for resources.

▪️This was despite both systems offering the same amount of accessible grass.

⚠️ The study lasted just four weeks, so we don’t know the long-term effects—but the findings suggest that how we set up grazing spaces can influence both physical activity and social harmony.

Read the full study here:
https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/evj.14411

12/04/2025

🎉You are invited to join us for a fascinating day looking at the horse human bond, how we interact and ways to maximise relationships for positive outcomes.
🐴The Horse Human Bond – How can we maximise the benefits for Horse and Human?🐴
At Danescroft Equestrian Centre, Co Antrim on Sunday 1 June 2025
9.30am to 4pm⌛⌛
We will have the superb team of Dr Esther Skelly-Smith VMedSci (Hons) BVM BVS PCAC PgCert (WVA&CPM) MRCVS, Dr Helen Spence Clinical Animal Behaviourist (specialising in equines), Mark Robinson BHS Performance Coach/BHSI, and the team from CAFRE Enniskillen to guide us through the day.
We will look at three horse and rider/owner combinations exploring their stories and journeys together, we will discuss strategies for worm control for healthy horses and have a look at the best options for wound management.
This will be a fascinating day with inspiration for all horse owners, Coaches, RDA Coaches and Volunteers, Equine Facilitated Learning Practitioners, One Equine Members.
This day will count as 6 CPD points for BHS Accredited Professional Coaches, Horse Care & Knowledge Training for RDA Coaches and RDA Training Coaches. And information day for Equine Facilitated Learning Practitioners (One Equine).
The day will cost £15 per person to include lunch and refreshments
Don’t miss out!

Click on the link below to see the proposed timetable and to book your place!
https://buytickets.at/bhsireland/1656577

27/03/2025

🎊SPACE AVAILABLE🎊
I have one space tomorrow afternoon after 5pm on my route home from the Belfast area/M1 corridor. 😁 Drop me a message if you want to get booked in! 🎋💕🐴

24/03/2025

Rehighlighting as it’s that time of the year again folks!! Whilst no one loves the bright crisp mornings and blue skies more than me, our laminitic prone friends very well may not! 🐴🍃🥶

👀🔎Focus Friday! - Laminitis 👀🔍
Insulin deregulated and laminitis prone horses should be kept on a low sugar and starch diet, that includes sugars from grass!! On frosty nights after sunny days, sugars tend to accumulate in the grass. Therefore laminitic horses shouldn't graze until the sun has melted the frost and temperatures are above at least 5 degrees, to give the sugar in the grass time to dissipate.
It might be a good idea during frosty weather, to consider turnout on non grass areas.

Monitor closely - Once a previously laminitic/insulin dysregulated horse returns to grazing, monitor them closely for signs of increased insulin dysregulation or laminitis risk, particularly: weight gain – cresty neck daily, body condition score and check for a digital pulse in foot.

19/03/2025

Key topics include:

Common Equine Diseases and Why They Matter to You
Cracking the Code: Diagnosing & Treating Viral and Bacterial Infections
Running a Safe Yard: Owner Tips for Biosecurity and Disease Control
Staying Ahead: Strategies for Disease Prevention
Your Equine Infectious Disease Questions Answered (Q&A)

Speakers:

Dr. Vivienne Duggan MVB PhD DACVIM DECEIM
Dr. Nora Grenager VMD DACVIM
Dr. Claudia Gilders BVMBVS CertAVP MRCVS
Dr. Michael Duggan BVSc DVMS DipECVS MRCVS

Whether you're a seasoned horse owner or new to equine care, this session will equip you with the knowledge and tools to keep your horses healthy and safe. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from the specialists and ask your burning equine health questions!

Reserve your spot today and ensure your horses stay protected!
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/protecting-our-horses-a-practical-guide-to-equine-infectious-diseases-tickets-1256789363819?aff=oddtdtcreator