Red Gum Equine Services

04/09/2026

Absolutely love this 👌👇

“Manners”

You can tell much about the level of someone’s basic horsemanship by the way their horses lead.

A horse should stay next to you, not pull you or be dragged by you. A horse should respect your space, and not crowd against you, maybe step on your feet.

This is known as “having manners.” A horse that won’t lead is like a dog that jumps up onto furniture, it hasn’t been taught right from wrong.

I recently read something by a well respected western clinician. He said, “People want their horses to love them so much that they think they are being mean if they create boundaries.”

Horses weigh half a ton. They can easily hurt a puny human if they lack manners and boundaries, Heck, they can easily hurt us if they DO have manners.

People who treat horses as though they were some sort of fuzzy pets can create animals that can do a lot of damage. Creating boundaries doesn’t mean whipping and beating, but it does require that when you say “no” you mean “no.”

Standing at the mounting block, standing for the farrier, picking up its hooves, letting itself get bridled, so many basics that make the difference between a mannerly horse and one that shoves you around.

As the clinician said, “letting a horse walk all over you won’t make him love you more.”

03/09/2026

Another super awesome lesson with Alex and Penny 🥰 I've only recently introduced Alex to the idea that horses can do more than just go forward and back, they can also go sideways ↔️ We have done a couple of sessions of rolling the hind over and influencing the hind feet. Tonight Alex discovered why I'm so particular about that outside rein, what it does and how it can influence the front end 👌 Penny is very responsive and sensitive to the outside rein, especially now that she's being ridden with a mane hair mecate (if you've ever felt one you should know what I'm talking about) so is a good one to learn this sort of thing with.

Alex even managed to ask for trot tonight and Penny stepped into the sweetest jog and just cruised around happy as can be 🥰 Never, and I mean NEVER, did I think this horse would get to this point but here we are and she is absolutely rocking her part time role as a schoolmaster for someone to learn on.

25/08/2026

I have the day off while our front boundary fence gets replaced (that is a whole other story, thanks James 😒) so it's a good day for a bit of preventative maintenance on the float. The new floor has been in for 3 months now and is looking great. Technically I don't need to treat it until May next year but I wanted to get it on a schedule of being done at the driest time of year so it's nice and freshly treated right before the rain starts. I'll do 2 coats across the whole floor and maybe 3 in the areas that will see the most moisture ie near the doors, below the side windows and at the back.

Time spent on preventative maintenance is never wasted.

20/08/2026

Awesome lesson with a young friend on Penny this afternoon. I don't typically do lessons using my own horses but when a very dear friend of ours asked about lessons for his granddaughter, well, exceptions get made. I never thought Penny would be the horse I would teach lessons with, she is crazy sensitive and can be rather tricky to ride.... but here we are. This young friend has a good foundation from a local riding school and Penny has a lot she can teach her.

Proud of this horse is an understatement. It's been a hell of a journey that I've nearly given up on several times but I'm sure glad I haven't. She still has her moments, it's one of life's mysteries why the neighbours simply existing is terrifying to Penny when they've never done a thing to her but...... we all have our quirks I guess.

15/08/2026

The hay and/or pasture your horse has access to for much needed fibre and roughage is just as important as what you put in their feed bucket. I have no pasture on my 5 acres so have to provide hay for my horses year round.

I've recently done my stock up of hay for the Wet Season and this year my round bales came from Bosanac Farm NT Hay and the small squares are rhodes grass from Turf NT (still need to put a few more in the shed before I'm fully stocked up).

I've bought hay from Turf NT before and was very impressed with it and this year's cut is awesome once again. This is the first time I've bought hay from Bosanac Farm and it definitely won't be the last. Their bales are hefty, superb quality and my horses love it. If you're looking for hay in the Top End these 2 producers are well worth checking out 👌

With quality hay sorted and CEN Horse Nutrition going into the buckets my horses nutritional needs are well and truly covered 👌As always if you're looking to put your horses onto the goodness that is CEN get in touch with Bec at North Horse and Co - Complete Nutrition

14/08/2026

So the answer to yesterday's post (which had some really awesome responses to might I add 👌).

The 2 things I liked about the pic are......
1 - yes, both horses standing quietly waiting to be asked to come off the float.
2 - no 💩💩💩 to clean up

Main reason I took the pic...... yay, just did a 20 minute round trip and I don't have a dirty float to clean out 🤣👌

Sometimes noticing and appreciating the little things with our horses can bring just a touch of joy to the day. Noticing the little wins and positives adds up. Be sure to keep an eye out for the good, even if it is simply no s**t in the float after you've taken your horses somewhere.

13/08/2026

There's a couple of things I like about this pic and 1 big reason I took it.

Anyone like to take a guess at what those things are? 🤔

12/08/2026

Awesome read 👌

11/08/2026

🚨📢THIS!!!! This right here 👇👇👇 If you read just one post in it's entirety today/this week/this month then make sure it's this one 👇👇👇📢🚨 I too am incredibly passionate about all of this 👇 If you need help with any of this please feel free to send me a message, I'm only too happy to help 😊

Here is a topic I feel extremely strongly about: having access to a trailer—and knowing how to use one.

Before we get started, I want to acknowledge that not everyone can afford a trailer, has a place to store one, or has a truck capable of hauling one. I understand that. But I do think this is something every horse owner should have a plan for.

If you have horses, you should ideally have reliable access to a trailer—and, just as importantly, you should know how to hook it up, load your horse, and drive it.

I read comments on Horse Vet Corner every day about horses experiencing medical emergencies when their owners don’t have access to a trailer, and unfortunately, there are situations where a veterinarian can’t come to the horse.

I also get frequent calls from people in emergencies asking if I can come haul their horse—sometimes while I’m out of state or simply unavailable.

And then there are evacuations. Floods, fires, hurricanes, severe storms. When an emergency happens, suddenly being able to get your horse somewhere safe can become a matter of minutes and miles.

Your horse’s life may depend on having access to transportation—and on you knowing how to use it.

I don’t say that to scare anyone. I say it because I’ve heard too many people tell me, “My husband always hooks it up,” or “My friend does that,” or “My trainer handles the trailer.” And normally, that may be perfectly fine. But an emergency has a way of exposing the things we never thought we’d need to know how to do ourselves.

So if you have access to a trailer but you’ve never learned to hook it up, load your horse, or drive it, I would encourage you to make that a goal.

And if owning a trailer simply isn’t realistic for you right now, think about what your emergency plan is.

Who can you call?
Who has a truck?
Who has a trailer?
Who can actually get to your horse?
And have you practiced loading your horse into someone else’s trailer?

I know trailers are expensive. I know storage can be difficult. I know not everyone needs or wants to own one.

There are other possibilities, too—sharing a trailer with a friend, leasing one, bartering, or creating an agreement with someone nearby who can help in an emergency.

My point isn’t that everyone needs to go out and buy a trailer tomorrow.

My point is that every horse owner should have a transportation plan—and should know enough about trailers to be able to use that plan when it matters.

Of all the things we spend money on as horse people, I think emergency preparedness is one of the investments worth prioritizing.

Because when your horse is injured, sick, or in danger, that’s not the moment you want to discover that the trailer has always been someone else’s responsibility.

To me, having a horse without a transportation plan is a little like having a baby without knowing how you’re going to get them to the hospital.

You may never need it.

But if you do, you’ll be very glad you planned ahead.

10/08/2026

The last 2 nights I've taken James out for a walk along the road side to take in the sights. I'd love to be riding Penny and leading James but Penny is full on in season at the moment and wayyyyyyy not suitable to be leading out a horse like James. I'm fat and unfit and James is a bit feral so walkies it is which can only be good for the pair of us. When I lead him out beside Penny last week James was a bit snorty about the neighbourhood dogs rushing out to say hi. Bit by bit he's getting better and the last few dogs we encountered this afternoon he spooked a little then wanted to chase them 🤣 This dog, however, was not one that he wanted to chase 🤣