Lessons from Nelipot Cottage

Do you remember the furore about Mark Todd and the raised branch? I am not going to get into the nitty gritty of my opinions of the rights or wrongs of his action but we should remember the issues at stake. We are approaching Paris Olympics and the organisers have announced that this time there will be no test event- to save costs. Equestrian competition in the Olympics is expensive, as well as effective in excluding many countries from hosting or participating.

The Olympics are a huge public showcase for equestrian sports. Humans have always been fascinated by horses, by their beauty and grace and power. But in an industrialised, mechanised and now digitised world, how many people nowadays have never seen a horse in real life, let alone sat on one?

Because it isn’t my experience, or yours, that matters to the future of horse sports.

What we equestrians must remember is that horse sport, and thus to some extent, leisure horse riding, owes its continuing existence to a social contract.

The social license for horse sports presumes that the owner and the rider love the horse, that the humans ensure the best possible care for the animal, and that they provide the animal with the best possible life in return for the honour of using that animal for sport, for the gratification and glory of the human. 

“Addressing the Fédération Equestre Internationale  (FEI) General Assembly, Roly Owers of the World Horse Welfare recommends that the equestrian community be cognizant of how the public views the use of horses in equestrian sport. Owers recommended that equestrian sport pursue a social license, which is an unwritten, non-binding contract that means society gives horse sport the right to operate.

Owers said that this would build societal trust that horse sport can operate in a transparent and ethical manner.

Owers points out that there is a small contingent of animal rights groups that believes that using the horse for any profit or entertainment is unacceptable. Animal rights groups are transposing animal welfare issues with animal rights issues; animal welfare is about improving the treatment of animals, not banning their interactions with humans.”

The key phrase here is

how the public views the use of horses in equestrian sport

Those who are uneducated (or un-indoctrinated) to the so called subtlety of equestrian sports seem to see abuse and mistreatment of horses much more clearly than the so-called experts and fans.

Here are a couple of examplar articles from international news sources, not equestrian press.

https://inews.co.uk/opinion/equestrian-sports-dressage-animal-cruelty-horses-banned-from-olympics-1135216

https://www.dw.com/en/opinion-animal-cruelty-on-display-at-the-olympics/a-58790373

So this week, what the casual observer scrolling through Tik Tok saw was a bastion of the equestrian sport community, a knighted Olympian no less, chasing after a scared horse with a stick raised above shoulder height and striking that horse 10 times.

This incident made headlines in the UK national press- “Eventing great Sir Mark Todd APOLOGISES after video showed him whipping horse ‘TEN times with a branch’ to force it through water obstacle – as British Equestrian condemns video.”

Sir Mark Todd absolutely understands the importance of the social contract.

He trains racehorses now, and the British Horse-racing Authority are super hot on the importance of the social contract. They have to deal with the League Against Cruel Sports on a regular basis. The annual deaths at the Grand National as well as other depressingly common incidents at less high profile tracks are only offset by the fairy tale stories of the luxury lives the racehorses lead, treated like kings, pampered like royalty, their every need and want met by an army of staff deployed simply to keep them in tip top condition for racing. The race-going and race viewing public are generally not horse experts. They just like racing and betting. It’s a bit of fun on a weekend afternoon. The general public don’t want to see horses suffer or die.

And now, as well as TV, we have all these other social media platforms where the casual viewing public can access a few moments of entertainment. Anyone who has a phone can take a picture or shoot a quick video and share it worldwide. And every person with a phone now has an entertainment player in their pocket, or actually in their hand most of the time.

Most of the people who clicked through to play that video will have no idea who Mark Todd is, his pedigree in eventing or what he was trying to achieve in that moment. They just saw some bloke repeatedly hitting a horse with a branch.

And the public were quite rightly outraged at this image.

As riders and owners, supposedly horse lovers and participants in horse sports, we must understand that outrage!

And we should not normalise or explain away that behaviour.

Because to normalise or explain away that image suggests that beating horses in training is acceptable and commonplace. And the sentimental, animal loving public who like cute, funny animal videos quite rightly expect the Olympic champions who ride horses for sport to treat them like kings. This public will not like that idea of cruelty based training being common place and they will harden in their outrage against all horse sports.

“I don’t like the Grand National- horses die” or

“I don’t like eventing- I hate seeing the horses fall at those enormous obstacles”

or now “I don’t like watching cross country- those horses only jump those crazy jumps out of fear because they are trained by being whipped over them”

It is about public perception.

If the general public perceives that animals in sport suffer for human pleasure, the social contract is broken. And then PETA and LACS and the rest of the animal rights activists get their day in the news and before we know it will become illegal to ride horses, or race them, or jump them. I’m not sharing any links to PETA here- I won’t give them the airtime, but if you love to ride horses you should be aware of their viewpoint on riding full stop. It does us all good to question our beliefs and actions, or at least to see them through another lens.

Mark Todd has apologised.

And we must all apologise with him, for his error of judgement and the fact that he resorted to the use of force. And we should own our collective shame, and acknowledge that we all have all done things at some point in our journey which we would not like to have on film doing the rounds of Tik Tok. And the correct response to this incident is not to ban all cameras, as the FEI have done in the warm up rings at dressage competitions, but to make sure that we all, as individuals, educate ourselves, skill up and control ourselves, so that we never have that momentary lapse that could go viral.

We should all apologise and do better, every minute, every day, for the sake of our horses, for the good of our own souls and for the future of our sport.

Thank you for reading.

There has been quite a few reports of ergot infestation in this funny wet warm UK summer, leading friends to have to sacrifice their fields of standing hay or foggage that they had been carefully saving for safe winter grazing. Yet correct and careful production of standing hay should avoid ergot infestation. This is unfortunately an example of well meaning people adopting a supposedly simple idea without doing their basic research. I do hope this post will help those friends to avoid similar panic scenarios in future years.

First, we have to understand what we are aiming for with standing hay. The clue is in the name.

Standing HAY.

Hay is dried grass. For grass to dry while standing the climate either has to be very hot or very arid. These conditions are not common in the UK.

If the grass cannot dry or dessicate while standing then you are not growing standing hay you are saving long grass for safe winter grazing.

Also known as foggage

https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/blog/foggage

Which is fine; long grass has lower sugars than short grass because it acts as its own shade. Long grass is actually safer for to graze for most horses, having benefits such as a higher fibre content, lower sugar content and achieving better gut fill.

https://www.heltieanimal.com/en-gb/blog/why-long-grass-is-better-than-short-grass/

BUT the reason long grass is often not considered safe for horses to graze is because too much grass is too much grass- short or long, and our UK “improved” ryegrass pastures often have very high NSCs- even a small patch obviously provides more calories due to the length of the grass as well as density. So strip grazing your long grass for safe winter grazing or opening up patches gradually in sequence will be required to avoid over consumption, especially in the parts of the UK where the grass never really stops growing.

Grass growth slows down in winter

when the air and soil temperature is below 5 Celsius- roughly between Nov to Feb in the south of the UK, October to March in the North. Grass needs light, water, nitrogen and warmth to grow. UK-popular perennial grass varieties, such as common bentgrass, red fescue and dwarf perennial ryegrass will go dormant, once the temperatures plummet later in the year. However healthy grass will probably continue to be somewhat active in winter. We may see a definite slowdown on the surface, where grass growth is easing up. But grass puts all its energy where it matters – into its root system. Root growth is important for your grass to prepare well for the coming winter, and to be safer from the ravages of mud and hooves. When it comes to the growth cycle of fast establishing annual grass types, the change of colour of the grass leaves at the end of autumn and their zero growth will mean only one thing – those grasses are dying rather going to sleep.

Growth of most native pasture grasses only slows down, it never really stops. This is why a run of a few warmer days can lead to an unexpected flush and risk of autumn laminitis.

So what is ergot?

And why are so many acres of much anticipated winter grazing falling prey to this peril?

Fun fact – “In 1976 Linnda Caporael offered the first evidence that the Salem witch trials followed an outbreak of rye ergot. Ergot is a fungus blight that forms hallucinogenic drugs in bread. Its victims can appear bewitched when they’re actually stoned.”

In cereal grains and many of the grasses, resistance to infection develops after fertilization. Thus, conditions that delay or interfere with pollination, such as cool, wet weather, can increase the period of susceptibility.

Ergot thrives in a cold winter followed by a wet spring

What are the deleterious effects of ergot in horses?

So how do we avoid ergot infestation of our winter grazing?

The answer is very simple. Ergot is found in the seed heads. So taking a cut of hay, after seeding, and allowing the hay to dry adequately, will give you good hay and ergot free winter grazing. If it is not good hay making weather, then taking a cut off the grass, and removing the cuttings, as silage, haylage, or even just rubbish, which is what you should be doing you anyway for the health of the pasture, will reduce the risk of ergot. No seed heads, no ergot.

So as I described previously in https://www.nelipotcottage.com/grow-your-own/

to grow natural, organic, healthy native pasture that will be healthy for your horse we should

1. Avoid fertilisers and pesticides.
2. Balance the soil according to Albrecht principles https://www.nelipotcottage.com/albrecht-and-the-agronomist/
3. Aerovate the soil regularly- essential for a healthy soil ecosystem
4. Sow native grasses, herbs and weeds that will flourish on your land and out compete the improved and dangerous rye grass.
5. Graze the land for a few months.
6. Allow the sward to grow and go to seed.
7. Cut once and remove the cuttings, ideally as hay or wrapped hay for your winter forage – you do not want them to rot down and fertilise the land.
8. Allow to grow again for winter grazing.

How does this work in real life?

I’m on livery now so I am not able to practise what I write but this sequence described below is what worked for me when the horses were on my inaugral Nelipot field in Delamere.

The field was 6 acres, split into three cells with a track around the edge.

From March to November the horses were on the track, with ad lib hay provided at the feeding stations. The grass was allowed to grow until we took a cut in late June/ early July. The grass was then allowed to grow again.

In November, the cells were opened up in sequence to allow the horses to graze the (foggage) long grass as well as continued access to hay as required. By the depths of winter they would thus have access to the full 6 acres, so that footfall damage was spread evenly over the larger area. The hay feed stations were on hard standing.

In March, once the grass started growing again and the mud started to dry out (the two happenings are not always simultaneous) then the horses would be limited to the track again and the cycle could continue.

To those friends who have sacrificed their winter grazing this year, I feel your pain. I hope this helps you to understand how ergot grows in grass and how to prevent it being a problem in the future.

Thank you for reading.

If you would like to read more about the management of the barefoot horse, and your land for healthy horses, as well as my musing on training and caring for hard working horses in an ethical and horse centric way then please consider buying the book.

“Bare Hooves and Open Hearts” tells the story of my chequered journey from traditional competitive eventer towards a more thoughtful and holistic type of equestrianism. The book includes stories and guidance based on experience around barefoot performance, healthy diet, sustainable horse keeping, mindset and horse-human connection.

I am a consultant surgeon at the Royal Liverpool Hospital and a keen amateur equestrian. Paddy, my first event horse, was as cheap as chips and came with a fearsome reputation. Part of that reputation was that he hated the farrier. His feet were weak and crumbly, wouldn’t hold shoes, and he absolutely hated the whole process of being shod. When he kicked our “horse whispering” farriers across the yard, and we had to sedate him to get the shoes on, I wondered if there could be another way.

I did some reading and took the plunge, to barefoot, and he went from strength to strength, growing incredible rock crunching feet. We went on to qualify for several riding club championships, and he was still sound and eventing aged 20.

 

My second horse, Cal, had terrible feet when I bought him, and he broke his carpal bone tripping over his long toes in the field. Once he was rehabbed back into full work, I was determined to avoid the concussive effects of metal horseshoes. I knew from my experiences with Paddy that barefoot eventing could work.  But Cal is a sturdy Irish Sport horse with flat dinner plate feet, and getting him sound and comfortable on all surfaces was a challenge. All the learning, the emotional, psychological and intellectual investment, the changes in lifestyle and horse husbandry that I had to make to get Cal’s feet functional, became the subject of this book. I wanted to share the learning, to spare others the pain and the expense.

When I took Paddy’s shoes off, I chose to challenge accepted dogma and tradition. I chose to put my horse’s needs before my own aspirations. I listened to my horse and I  relinquished my agenda for the health of my horse. On that day, my relationship with all my future horses changed completely. There is no recognition in law, or indeed in Equine Science, that these magnificent animals might actually be sentient beings, capable of communicating with us if we could only listen. Once you start listening, once you offer the animal a voice, an opinion and a say in the relationship, the bond you forge is like no other.”

Jane Yorke’s blurb for the riding club draw:

“A little about Fran McNicol’s book, ‘Bare Hooves and Open Hearts’ : The journey to barefoot horses and sustainable fields. How and why horses benefit from going barefoot. Feeding the barefoot horse. Re-wilding your fields to grow food for your barefoot horse. How to pasture the barefoot horse. 

Bare Hooves and Open Hearts: Tales from Nelipot Cottage is the author’s story of her journey from horse-mad child, to goal-orientated doctor training horses for competition, to listening to her horses and learning from them about life and love. 

‘We have high standards that govern how we keep animals in zoos. We legislate to ensure they have space, suitable food, and social interaction with their own kind. Yet somehow we do not apply the same minimum welfare standards to our domestic animals. Leisure horses undoubtedly suffer in human care. They demonstrate stereotypical behaviours, like weaving and crib-biting, associated with confinement and stress. The supplement market is awash with calming powders and digestive health remedies. Equine vets are busy investigating mystery lameness and treating sports horses for gastric ulcers. 

What if we could keep our beloved horses in a way that is governed by their needs, rather than our convenience? What if we could offer horses a life that fulfils their needs for friends, forage, and freedom, as well as our goals and desires? This seems a fair exchange in return for allowing us to share their grace ad beauty. A healthy, happy, and sound horse would be a partner in a dream come true.”

Fran McNicol bought her first horse at the age of 32. She was a surgical trainee, with a good salary, and an aspiration to compete in amateur one-day eventing. Paddy was a dark bay, almost black, a good jumper and an elegant mover, with a troubled past. He didn’t know what apples or carrots were for, didn’t much like cuddles, and was generally suspicious of humans. And he hated the whole process of being shod. She tried to work with him because after all, horses need shoes to be ridden? don’t they?…..

You need to get a copy of this book if you want to read on!”

Other Endorsements, Reviews and Messages

Paul Robinson

Fran employs her innate empathy and sensitivity to her horses needs and combines this with a reasoned, evidence-based approach informed by her background in medicine. This not only allows her to confidently eschew accepted dogma and opinion, but increase her horses’ functionality and performance and, most importantly, deepen their sense of wellbeing. A fascinating read.

Stephan Longworth Author of ‘Prepare for take-off in NWM’- Speaker & Coach. 

Top surgeon and author, Fran McNicol’s New book is educational, often funny and a thought-provoking insight into the world of horses. Bare Hooves & Open Hearts is full of invaluable lessons and a fascinating Must Read, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to everyone. The information shines though from a sincere and authentic person who lives and breathes horses.

Emma Bailey, Equine Hoofcare Professional, Liberated Horsemanship Mentor.

If you’re drawn to the ideals of natural horsekeeping and seek inspiration to break away from unhealthy traditions, this book is the perfect place to start. 

Patricia Bade van Motman, President HJE Holland BV and European Hunter Jumper Equitation Foundation 

Friends, forage, and freedom! This may be a pivotal moment for me. I can’t wait to put it into practice. Thank you, Truly thank you. 

Tania Kindersley of the Red Mare

Fran McNicol has a passion for the scientific method, a love of horses and a deep curiosity about the world. She is constantly searching for knowledge and wisdom that will make the lives of her horses better. Her quest to improve the physical and mental health of her horses never ends. Her journey is a voyage of discovery, and one senses that it will continue to take her in many fascinating new directions.

Genie Petrovits Nordskog of Petroglyph Publishing

Anyone curious about the far-reaching benefits of regenerative agriculture or the unquestionable value of a healthy gut biome will find plenty of evidence here. Fran McNicol chronicles the courage and tenacity it took to listen to her instincts and question “the way things are done.” I particularly appreciate her explanation of why positive training techniques work better for her than punitive methods and her honesty about the challenges she encountered while seeking a holistic solution rather than a quick fix for her horses’ hoof health issues. 

The wisdom of Fran’s barefoot journey is relevant outside the stable as well, applicable to interpersonal relationships, parenting, personal health, and animal husbandry in general. 

Peter Corbett

I read this slim book in one sitting. It is full of fascinating and well researched facts about the physiology, psychology, behaviour and care of horses as well as their various diets and how it is that wild horses seem to thrive so well despite being unshod and rarely having access to grass. The author is clearly a knowledgeable, open minded and caring horse owner who is not too proud to accept the advice of experts, despite her own clear expertise.

The book’s overall message is that we should listen to the wishes and needs of horses and respond to them in a way that works for both them and us rather than simply giving them the job of meeting our demands. The amount of information about hooves alone is particularly impressive. I found the whole book fascinating even though I am not a horsey person myself. Thoroughly recommended for horsey and non-horsey people alike.

Dr Mark Johnston

Fascinating read, Fran uses her personal story with her trials and trepidations. At the heart of this is an encouragement for the reader to put the horses needs before their own. The quest to deliver holistic care, clearly requires effort and a struggle against “modern norms” giving it an almost underdog element, but through Fran’s journey she evidences the rewards seen and ends with much happier relationship between human and animal. There are no shortcuts here, I would be surprised if anyone could read this book and not find her points convincing.

Dr George Nita

A fantastic read, superbly written, valuable life lessons not only applicable to equestrianism.

Jenny Black

I purchased this book for my fifteen year old granddaughter whose whole life is devoted to her horses. I read the book before sending it to Isla and, even though my knowledge of the equine world is almost nil, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is extremely interesting and well written by someone who is obviously passionate about the subject. A really good read for all, not just horse lovers.

Carol York from “Putting in the Magic”

Loved this book. I am so glad someone has stuck her head above the parapet and challenged the outmoded beliefs so many horse people still cling to. And I can back up everything she says with my own personal experience. Well done Fran McNicol.

Cheryl Thomas

I loved reading your book it makes for a very interesting read for those of us that have our horses shod all year. It certainly has me questioning some things that I have always done  – thinking I am doing my best for my horse. It is making me  read it again xx

Marianne Sodemann of ISNHCP Denmark 

Each one of us truly believes that what one does for one’s horse is the right thing, even though we care for our horses in very different ways. What if we all started with the horse’s needs, before our own needs and convenience? Fran McNicol is a surgeon, MD, an experienced event rider and long time horse owner. She navigates between facts and empirical evidence on one side and myths and beliefs on the other, thereby scrutinising dogma and traditions among horse owners, trainers, riders, breeders, vets, farriers, and horse food manufacturers. She encourages all horse enthusiasts to seek information and to keep learning!

Some of Fran McNicol’s many take-aways are: Do horses need lush green grass? Not at all. The horse should eat a forage-based diet.The high sugar and starch content in many grasses and bagged foods is bad for the hindgut microbiome and causes laminitis in the hooves.

Is a stable a suitable boarding for a horse? No. It’s in the horse’s DNA to be on the move constantly and always together with other horses. Solitary confinement in stables and small paddocks is against the basic needs of the species.

Do horses need metal shoes to perform? No. It’s in the horse’s DNA to be barefoot, when diet and environment meet the basic needs of the species.

Can horses be illogical or act deliberately bad? No, horses respond for a reason, typically an underlying pain. Based on these facts, does your horse live a full and satisfying life in horse terms? Fran McNicol’s book “Bare Hooves and Open Hearts” is an enlightening and entertaining must-have for all horse lovers.

Kim Walnes, the Way of the Horse

An easy, engaging, and informative read. I stayed up 2 nights reading this, and learned a lot about natural horse keeping. Fran speaks from experience about the trials and tribulations so many horse owners are experiencing with the shift in equine needs due to how unbalanced our human views have become. Horses do not necessarily have to have shoes to be functional, and the land used for pasture and hay do not need commercial fertilizers. Weeds are essential to a horse’s health, but so many stables around the world focus on appearance rather than function. As a result, the horses suffer. Fran’s book is illuminating, and opens the door for the reader to do further exploring into natural and holistic methods that truly nurture our equine partners.

Dr Carol Hughes, Phytorigins and the Equi-Biome Project

In our post Covid world, the postman often arrives with a box of ‘retail therapy’ both expected and enjoyed, but isn’t it a different experience altogether when you receive a surprise?  And so it was last week, a handwritten parcel arrived, inside was a copy of Fran McNicol’s book ‘Bare Hooves and Open Hearts, tales from Nelipot Cottage’. The title itself is enough to cause a big smile, which continues as you read the reviews on the back and the foreword inside. The day just got a whole lot better; this is a book about stuff I love, horses, friends, freedom, health, and natural horsemanship.

 Beautifully written and presented, a slim book (144 pages), I thought it would take a few days to read, but it’s just so full of insight, with links to further reading that need to be explored, it took much longer to digest and relish. Inevitably this inspirational and honest journey comes to an end with a compelling epilogue.  Thank you, Fran, for putting your ‘bare heart on a sleeve’ and taking us with you on this journey, great respect my friend.   

“Bare Hooves and Open Hearts” is the warts and all story of my journey into thoughtful and holistic equestrianism, with lots of practical tips and hints and recommended reading around barefoot performance, healthy diet, sustainable horse keeping, mindset and connection.

Thanks a million to all who have bought the books already, and please keep sending messages. The most exciting and rewarding part of this journey has been ‘meeting’ new friends and kindred spirits around the world. If we are in conversation, then positive change can follow. Fabulous readers please do put your reviews on Amazon, the algorithm determines my exposure, and my sales.

and Cal is the cover star of course.

I was privileged to appear on the Success in the City radio show https://fb.watch/4GEOkFn5MY/

and the International Online Launch is scheduled for this week

https://www.facebook.com/events/1643772879140151/?acontext=%7B%22ref%22%3A%2252%22%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22[%7B%5C%22surface%5C%22%3A%5C%22share_link%5C%22%2C%5C%22mechanism%5C%22%3A%5C%22share_link%5C%22%2C%5C%22extra_data%5C%22%3A%7B%5C%22invite_link_id%5C%22%3A492942888552420%7D%7D]%22%7D

Some comments re the book- 

• Fran McNicol has a passion for the scientific method, a love of horses and a deep curiosity about the world. She is constantly searching for knowledge and wisdom that will make the lives of her horses better. Her quest to improve the physical and mental health of her horses never ends. Her journey is a voyage of discovery, and one senses that it will continue to take her in many fascinating new directions. Tania Kindersley, author of The Place of Peace: Change Yourself, Change Your Horse and The Happy Horse: An Amateur’s Guide to Being The Human Your Horse Deserves

• A fascinating read. McNicol’s empathy for horses combines with her medical background to confidently eschew accepted dogma, increasing her horse’s performance while deepening their sense of well-being. Paul Robinson, author of The 5 Levels of Formality

• If you’re drawn to the ideals of natural horsekeeping and seek inspiration to break away from unhealthy traditions, this book is the perfect place to start. Emma Bailey, Equine Hoofcare Professional, Liberated Horsemanship Mentor

• Friends, forage, and freedom! This may be a pivotal moment for me. I can’t wait to put it into practice. Thank you, Truly thank you. Patricia Bade van Motman, President HJE Holland BV and European Hunter Jumper Equitation Foundation

Buy the book here