Lagoballo

06/09/2026

👀 Your Horse’s Dinner Is Telling You More Than You Think
Feeding time isn’t only about what goes into the bucket. The height and position of your horse’s feed can reveal how comfortably they lower their head, load each limb, maintain balance and chew.

Ground feeding has important natural benefits, but it isn’t automatically right for every horse. Age, arthritis, injury and individual biomechanics all matter. Watch where your horse chooses to stand, how they shift their weight and whether they tilt or chew unevenly. Every meal leaves clues about what their body may need.

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When it comes to feeding horses, most discussions focus on what we're feeding. But perhaps we should spend more time thinking about how and where we're feeding.Traditionally, horses evolved to graze with their heads down for much of the day. More recently, many horse owners have embraced the idea th...

06/09/2026

🫶 What If It Isn’t a Training Problem?
Reluctance, tension, drifting, shortened strides or difficulty moving forward can be labelled as stubbornness or poor behaviour. But sometimes, your horse is protecting a sore foot, restricted muscle or body that has learnt to brace against discomfort.

Before asking for more performance, look beneath the behaviour. Check the feet, assess the body and listen to the subtle signs before they become louder. Training matters, but true softness, balance and willingness can only develop when your horse feels comfortable enough to let go.

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As horse owners, we naturally want the best for our horses. We invest in lessons, clinics, training programs and equipment, all in pursuit of helping them reach their potential.But what if the very thing holding your horse back isn't a training issue at all?What if it's discomfort?Before we ask our....

04/09/2026

🌼 When Did Time With Your Horse Become Another Task?
Training plans, performance goals and the next milestone can quietly turn something we love into another item on the to-do list. Sometimes, we need to put away the saddle, forget the stopwatch and remember the kid who simply wanted to spend every possible moment with a horse.

Scratch them, groom away the winter coat, wander, play or sit together in the spring sunshine. With no pressure and no agenda, both souls get a chance to reset, and the partnership may deepen through doing almost nothing at all.

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30/08/2026

💛 To the Partners Who Never Actually Signed Up for Horse Life
You’ve waited for dinners delayed by the farrier, rearranged weekends around feeding times and accepted that a “quick trip to the paddock” may take three hours. Somewhere along the way, you also became a float-backer, fence-fixer, jump-carrier and remarkably patient listener.

You may not understand why another saddle pad was absolutely necessary, but you understand what horses mean to us. Thank you for supporting the passion that fills our lives, even when it leaves muddy boots at the door and horse hair on everything.

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Let's be honest.Being in a relationship with a horse person is not for the faint-hearted.Our horses often dictate our schedules, our weekends, our bank accounts and sometimes even our moods. We disappear for hours "just to do the horses", only to return half a day later covered in dirt, horse hair a...

30/08/2026

🧰 The Unexpected Product That Never Leaves My Grooming Kit
Terramycin Pink Eye Aerosol might not be the first product you associate with hoof care, but its targeted spray application makes it surprisingly convenient for reaching the deep grooves around the frog when managing thrush.

It isn’t a magic cure. Regular hoof picking, clean and dry feet, early monitoring and working with your farrier still matter most. But as one practical part of a consistent management routine, it has earned a permanent place in my grooming kit.

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Every horse owner has that one product. You know the one. The product you buy "just in case", only to find yourself reaching for it time and time again.For me, that's Terramycin Pink Eye Aerosol.Now, before anyone points it out, yes, it was originally developed as an antibiotic aerosol for treating....

30/08/2026

⚖️ A Little Too Round or a Little Too Lean?
Extra condition can provide a useful buffer during illness, injury or seasonal change, but it also adds strain to joints, tendons and feet. A slightly leaner horse may move more comfortably, yet workload or reduced feed can quickly push “athletic” into genuinely underweight.

The frustrating answer is that neither choice is automatically right. Age, breed, workload, metabolism and season all matter. Instead of chasing someone else’s idea of perfection, look at the horse in front of you: are they healthy, comfortable, energetic and properly muscled for the life they lead?

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If there is one topic guaranteed to spark discussion among horse owners, it's body condition.Too fat.Too thin.Needs more topline.Needs less pasture.Needs more feed.Needs less feed.Sometimes it feels like everyone has an opinion.Recently I found myself wondering: if you had to choose between a horse....

24/08/2026

🧦 At What Point Did Dignity Leave the Paddock?
Mismatched socks, hay in your hair, mysterious stains and an outfit you wouldn’t dare wear in public. Yet somehow, the moment horses are involved, it all becomes perfectly acceptable. The horse is fed, the paddock is clean and whether we remembered proper underwear is frankly beside the point.

Are horse people relaxed, lazy or simply becoming more unhinged with age? Perhaps we’ve just learnt that life is too short to worry about appearances when there are carrots to remember and horses to talk to.

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There comes a point in every horse person's life when you find yourself standing in the middle of a paddock, wearing track pants, a faded top, mismatched socks and, quite possibly, no bra, and think:"Yep. This is my Sunday best."The funny thing is, most of us would never dream of leaving the house l...

22/08/2026

🐴 Your Arena Surface Is Shaping Your Horse With Every Stride
Pea gravel shifts beneath the hoof, forcing the limb to stabilise through every step. Road base creates the opposite problem: a compacted, unforgiving surface that sends concussion back through the horse’s feet, joints and soft tissues.

The damage may not appear immediately. Horses compensate until subtle changes in stride, transitions and willingness become larger soundness problems. A riding surface should provide consistent support and shock absorption, not make your horse’s body absorb the cost of a cheaper material.

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If you’ve ever priced arena construction, you’ve probably heard this suggestion:“Just use pea gravel.”“Road base is cheaper and compacts well.”On the surface (no pun intended), it can sound practical, affordable, and convenient.But here’s the hard truth:Pea gravel and road base are two...

21/08/2026

🐴 Your New Horse Isn’t a Blank Slate
When a horse steps off the float, their past comes with them: previous training, experiences, coping strategies, habits and trauma. The behaviours you meet today may once have helped them feel safe, even if those responses no longer serve them.

Your role isn’t to erase their history or “fix” them. It’s to offer clearer choices, build trust through consistency and help old patterns become quieter over time. When a trigger resurfaces, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It simply reveals another part of their story.

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When you buy a horse, you don’t receive a blank slate (even youngsters or foals).You inherit everything that came before you — their previous training, their experiences (good and bad), their coping strategies, their habits, and their trauma. Whether visible or subtle, it all arrives with them t...

18/08/2026

🐴 Before Asking for More Response, Check What’s Creating the Noise
Heavy clips, rings and hardware create constant pressure on your horse’s face. Over time, that pressure can become background noise, teaching your horse to tune out the subtle feel you’re trying to communicate through the lead rope and, eventually, the reins.

Before labelling your horse lazy, heavy or unresponsive, ask whether they can actually feel you. Sometimes, lighter communication doesn’t require more pressure or more training. It begins by removing what’s getting in the way.

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One of the easiest and fastest changes I’ve seen create an immediate improvement is switching to a lightweight, hardware‑free rope halter and lead combination, like this:This small adjustment often results in a horse that feels: • Lighter • More attentive • More responsive to subtle feelAn...