Lily's Diary - stock-whip training

As mentioned last month, I will be talking about Lily's training in accepting someone cracking a stock whip next to her. Ok, in real life, my little mare will never be exposed to mustering cattle and have whips being cracked around her, neither will she feature in the next Guy Maclean show. But it is Guy who, unknowingly, planted the idea in my head when I saw his show in 2009 at the Ekka.

Working things out between your horse and you is not as easy as saying sorry. When you have a fall out with a friend or a loved one, quite often the situation can be sorted out by sitting down and having a good conversation.

Well, it is not that simple when it comes to restore the so fragile balance that exists between horses and humans. It is all about trust and it takes time for an already cautious horse to trust again a human who has let them down. When a horse has given you his trust and you are bestowed the power of The Leader, you are suddenly transported to the top of the hierarchy. But don’t think you can now rest on your throne and enjoy this glorious title. On the contrary: you are now expected to work very hard to keep it!

We all have heard of animals mirroring us, but what does it really mean? When I heard this for the first times few years ago, I asked around. Some people said "they mimic their owners". other said "they take on their illnesses" or "they look like their owners". Ok, those can be all valid responses but I was not satisfied with them.

Communicating intuitively with animals can be a challenge for beginners as they might find it difficult to differentiate between the messages sent by the animal and their own thoughts.

I don't write much about my beloved Thoroughbred Thunder but I feel it is time to share a story about him with you.

It is very difficult and devastating to have to say good bye to our animal friends. Unfortunately, life would not exist without it. It is even harder when you have to make the harsh decision to call upon a veterinarian to help with the process.

When we acquire a new animal friend who has already been named, we usually think that we need to keep this name.

However, if your new friend seems to be oblivious to his name, or present some strange behaviour, sometimes renaming him can be a blessing.

Wild ducks are funny little birds! You see them everywhere but what do they say?

In my horses' paddock there is a lovely pond that attracts many wild ducks. They congregate there and wander around the place on the look out for some food. At feed time, they come near the horses and nibble at anything falling out of the horses' mouth.

Dying is a natural process which occurs as part of any living being's life path. It is the death of the physical body whilst the soul migrates to another realm. Some will argue that animals do not have souls. As any animal communicator will tell you, animals have souls and we are able to connect with them in these higher realms.

Horses are highly receptive to Reiki or any other hands on energy healing, more so than any other animals I have worked with. As such, a Reiki session with a horse can be very rewarding for you and the animal!

Some people do not know how to conduct a session with a horse so I hope this article will help and will give them the desire to find a pony to practice on!

As a child, we've always had pets. I received my first dog at my 6th birthday and since then, I have not spent one year of my life without a pet, small or big. I would not be able not to have a pet!

A pet becomes a friend and is always there for you, no matter what.

Animal communication is the ability to use your intuition to communicate with animals through their energetic fields.

Animals are masters at sensing their environment, including the true feelings of people. Among themselves, animals communicate not only with body language, but also through their energetic fields, and through telepathy.

 

Many owners are concerned about the well being of their horses and want to know whether they are in pain, especially when they are ill. Animal communication can help to discover how they feel.

What on Earth is a humanised horse you might wonder? To me, it's a horse who has, somehow, become detached from his own species and feels closer to humans than his peers.

Have you got a horse who is impatient for his feed? One who will attack others if they come close to his feed bin? Even sometimes his owner?

This is a question I am often asked to put forward during an Animal Communication session.

In my experience, the answer is yes and no.

My first choice to clean wounds on pets and horses is Lavender essential oil. Pure, unadulterated, 100% Lavendula angustifolia.

I also use Calendula tincture for its disinfectant and healing properties.

Older animals quite often get affected by arthritis. Like in humans, it is a painful illness and, unfortunately, no cure exists yet. However, there are many natural remedies or treatments that can significantly help our friends and can work alongside traditional veterinary medicine. It is wise to consult your vet for a definite diagnostic and make sure that the natural remedies you use do not interfere with whatever your vet has prescribed. The following treatments can be used with horses and dogs. I do not recommend to use aromatherapy (essential oils) on cats as it can be fatal. You can replace essential oils with hydrolats or floral water.

Have you noticed that doctors are now being much more reluctant to give you a prescription for antibiotics unless it's proven that you are indeed suffering from a bacterial infection? Well, I wish I could say better late than never, but in the case of antibiotics, we're far too late.

Aromatherapy for pets is highly efficient however, although essential oils are natural products in essence, one cannot assume that they are all safe for pets. With many pets, you should avoid the use of essential oils altogether.

It takes good knowledge of animals and aromatherapy to know when and how to use essential oils with pets.

All horses love a treat.. or two! And that is fine but you want to ensure you give your pony natural, healthy treats. You can have baked treats or fresh treats so the list is endless!

Of course, you also need to check that the treat would not endangered his life! So here are some ideas for you and your horse.

In this time of financial crisis (I still believe it is a crisis, no matter what our Australian politicians are saying!), it might be difficult to feed your horse. However, I also believe that there are enough cheap alternative not to let a horse starve.

So I thought I'll see if I can come up with some cheap options. Of course, the best option would be to have a good doer who can live on the smell of an oil rag like my Lily, but it is not always the case!

Equine Gastric Ulcer (EGUS) is very common in horses, including pleasure horses. Although there are some products on the market, it is possible to manage EGUS with herbs. This article is not about the causes of EGUS but how to manage it naturally.

This list summarises Australian plants that can be lethal to horses. This list is not exhaustive.

Always consult your vet if you suspect poisoning and disallow the horse from accessing the source. This applies to any type of poisoning.

 

Herbs for horses are part of a natural diet, but do you know which herbs are not recommended for the pregnant mare or any other pregnant mammal? Here is a list compiled from various resources that you might find useful.

 

Owning an old horse can be at time upsetting when you see your old companion fading away. However, nowadays, horses can live happily until a very old age, some well after the age of 30. Hopefully this article will help you and your old mate find the right care.

It is common to see animals eat dirt or lick it. Some will rather drink from a mud hole than from a bucket with clean tap water. Clay is basically dirt with amazing therapeutic properties. So why would it be so strange to give clay to animals?

I have experienced the benefits of clay over the years and I would like to share some recent examples that had excellent results with horses.

Clay is not widely used in Anglophone countries whilst in Francophone ones, nearly every household will have a packet in its cupboard. Clay is part of any good horse stud, agistment properties and equine rehabilitation places and is readily available in saddleries or produce stores in various forms.

Clay is a natural element that has been used by humans and animals since the beginning of time. Animals will eat clay, drink water from a hole filled with clay and roll into it for various reasons.

Clay is at its highest activity when moist, and should be renewed or replace after 2 hours. However, it can stay on for many more hours as long as it moist. Dried clay paste on the skin or coat is actually quite uncomfortable!

How to prepare the Clay Paste, or mud, to apply on pets.

Some tips about using clay with pets

Here is a sample analysis of virgin coconut oil

We have compiled some information regarding the benefits of virgin coconut oil and tried to find data in relation to animals.

All uses available to humans are also available to animals.

Virgin coconut oil is clear and has a smell of fresh coconut whilst the copra coconut oil is yellow with some impurities and has a more rancid smell. So what is the difference apart from the look and smell?

Great, natural dog treats you can make yourself!

A great healthy treat for your dog

An easy recipe for great doggy cookies!

 

It is not always easy to feed your dog healthy food at a reasonable price. This article gives you some ideas of easy, natural recipes on the cheap.

This oil recipe is an excellent supplement for dogs, especially if your dog has skins problems and joints ailments.

It is best to use organic and cold pressed oils. These oils provide Omega 3, 6 and 9.

Cheesy dog cookies, a natural recipe for your dogs

Easy, natural dog treat biscuits for your dog.

This is an easy recipe to make your own macerated oil which you can then use on your pet within a massage blend or ointment.

 

This method describes the making of a herbal tincture that you can then use on your pet.

 

How to make an ointment or balm that can then be used on your pets.

Flower essences and how they can be used with animals

 

Inflammation on an animal may appear around a wound, where there is some foreign object inside the tissues or anywhere on the body when the body's natural defence mechanism reacts to protect against infection and bacteria. Homeopathy may be highly efficient in resolving the problem. if symptoms persist, please consult your vet.