MS Equine Services

25/08/2026

15/08/2026

Lovely day at Onley Grounds Equestrian Complex for the Petplan Area Festivals.
Bop and I were competing in the Advanced Medium, and we also were cheering on Laura Askew and Boo who were competing in the Elementary class. Both ponies were fabulous and both came home with rosettes. Thank you to the team at Onley for running a smooth operation on such a hot day. The stewards, judges and photographers deserve medals for sitting/standing in the sun all day.

20/07/2026

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17/07/2026

Lovely trip to Solihull Riding Club yesterday afternoon, for a run through an Advanced medium, trying not to get too ring rusty 😃

02/06/2026

Officials have confirmed a new law is now in force which affects all dog owners taking their pet out for a walk.

Earlier this year, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) introduced a new law which is aimed at stopping dog owners allowing their pets to cause mayhem among livestock.

The maximum penalty for livestock worrying has increased. Livestock worrying, occurs when a dog the person owns or is in charge of chases, attacks, or causes distress to livestock on agricultural land. The aim is to prevent livestock death and injury, which will save farmers thousands of pounds each year.

The fine has increased from £1,000 to an unlimited fine and police now have powers to seize and detain a dog where they have reasonable grounds to believe it has attacked or worried livestock and that there is a risk it could do so again.

The Moorland Association said the law means the dog does not even have to touch the animal. It said: “A dog does not need to make physical contact for an offence to be committed. Chasing, cornering, or simply being loose among sheep is enough. Livestock can be seriously harmed or killed by fear and stress alone, even without a bite or a scratch. Pregnant ewes are particularly vulnerable, the stress of being chased can cause them to abort.

“The law now treats attacking livestock as a separate offence from worrying, making the violent nature of a physical attack explicit in the legislation for the first time.”

The definition of livestock has also been expanded. It now includes:
Cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs
Horses
Camelids (llamas and alpacas)
Ostriches
Farmed deer
Enclosed game birds
Poultry

Courts can also order offenders to pay the costs of seizing and detaining a dog during an investigation or court proceedings. Previously, those costs fell on the police or local authority. Farming Minister Dame Angela Eagle said: “Farmers can now have greater peace of mind knowing that proper penalties are in place for people who carelessly let their dogs worry livestock.

“Dog attacks have devastating consequences and this new law reflects the Government’s strong commitment to our farmers and animal welfare.”

Advice to dog owners:
Follow The Countryside Code when visiting these areas
Any dog is capable of livestock worrying - always keep dogs under control and in sight
It is good practice to keep dogs on a lead when walking in rural areas where livestock are kept, but let go of the lead if chased by cattle
Always follow local signs
Report any incidents of livestock worrying to the police or local farmers
Ensure dogs cannot escape from homes or gardens near livestock fields

A survey of farmers from the National Sheep Association found that almost four in five (87%) sheep farmers experienced a dog attack on their flock in 2024. Many have reported multiple incidents. Recent National Farmers’ Union research found that the cost of livestock worrying has risen by 10% from the previous year. This has now reached almost £2 million. The midlands alone saw an estimated £438,000 worth of livestock harmed by dog attacks, followed by the Southeast at £330,000.

DEFRA said police will now have greater powers and can investigate incidents more effectively. These powers include entering premises to secure evidence or animal DNA. Alongside this, courts will also be able to require offenders to cover the costs of seizing and caring for a detained dog.

✍Ben Hurst

01/05/2026

YOU ARE BEING LIED TO ABOUT GRASS LENGTH !!!

Long grass is not lower in sugar and fructan for horses and ponies than short grass in terms of WHAT THEY EAT.

An attention grabbing headline?

Yes! I am getting really frustrated with this persistent nutribaloney that short grass is bad for horses, not suitable for laminitics, not suitable for weight loss or healthy weight maintenance.

This is Simply Not True.

Worryingly, it's not just uneducated people I've heard saying this, or writing it.

Even if short, overgrazed grass IS higher in sugar and fructan and lower in fibre per kilo, it is the TOTAL AMOUNT that the horse eats and the RATE they eat it that matters, not what is in the forage per kilo.

Capitalised because this is the key and why so many horse owners and even vets get this wrong.

Well-or over-grazed, short grass will generally provide more suitable grazing for a good doer or EMS / laminitis prone horse or pony.

On this type of grazing they will get LESS nutrients (less sugar, less fructan, less calories) per hour of grazing compared to the longer, stemmier grass, simply because of how much they can eat.

I cannot tell you how many owners I've had come to me for advice, and reported in my Facebook comments that their horse or pony has piled on the pounds (gained body fat) and sadly in some cases succumbed to laminitis, when they have tried putting them on free choice longer grass.

Now, the horse on overgrazed, sprouting pasture will likely need more fibre e.g. from a strip of the longer stemmier grass and/or supplementary forage like soaked hay BUT! grazing very short grass is sometimes the only way to keep a good doer slim and healthy (if they don't wear a grazing muzzle).

The key is to monitor the individual horse or pony and adjust their grass access from their bodyweight and condition, and any signs of metabolic disturbances or laminitis.

Some take home tips:
> always monitor your individual horse or pony and adjust their grass access accordingly
> never assume that long meadow grass is safe for your horse or pony prone to weight gain and laminitis
> over-grazed pasture with supplementary forage (if out 24/7) is a method used successfully by thousands of owners of good doers and laminitis-prone horse and pony owners
> if you have no option but to graze bottle-height grass (about 3" or 10cm) for overweight horses or ponies, good doers or those prone to laminitis, I recommend using a grazing muzzle (and potentially strip grazing as well)
> always monitor your individual horse or pony and adjust their grass access accordingly (yes, I meant to repeat myself!) - you can monitor their weight and condition (body fat), any signs of laminitis, their gut comfort and their droppings

Feel free to share!
🐴🍏🌱

22/03/2026

Friday focus…transitioning to spring / summer turnout!

With the recent weather changes here in the U.K. many horses and ponies will shortly be transitioning from their winter routines to spring / summer turnout, which will entail a huge change in diet for some of them, especially for those that have had no access to grass all winter and have been fed hay or haylage only diets. Even for those that have had access to grass over the winter months, field changes to rested pastures will still be a huge dietary change.

As we all know, forage is the basis of our horses diets, so it is really important that any changes in forage (hay, haylage & grass) are carried out slowly. This is more important than changes in feeds (although please also do this slowly!) as this is what they eat the most of, it is this that imposes a far greater risk of digestive disturbance.

I appreciate that it can be very difficult to gradually introduce your equines to new pastures but please do the best you can! Ideally it should be gradually introduced and increased over 2-3 weeks. This is particularly important for those that have been stabled all winter and those that are going onto rested pastures. Strip grazing, grazing muzzles or even grass tracks can be useful here to help limit intake.

I am still amazed that there are so many yards that go straight from being in 24/7 to being out either all day or 24/7 with no gentle introduction to grass at all. Particularly when there is so much evidence to support that sudden changes, particularly in forage, can be so detrimental to our horses and ponies. So please do not just turn your horse out onto lush pasture or the risk of digestive upset will be significantly increased. Colic can be particularly prevalent in spring and autumn due to sudden changes in diet and management. I have sadly witnessed mass yard turnouts on two occasions over the years and in both cases, they had gone from being in 24/7 on hay/haylage only diets to being turnout on rested grass 24/7 with no gradual introduction at all.

Even for those that live out all year, I would still very gradually introduce them to the rested pastures and restrict their intake however works best for you and for them. If you have a horse or pony with a sensitive digestive system, a good quality gut balancer could be useful whilst they are adjusting to their forage/field/routine changes.

Anything you can do is much better than not doing anything and just turning them out unrestricted onto new pastures without giving it a second thought can be detrimental. So please, err on the side of caution and do the best you can; it is not worth the risk!

27/12/2025