Healthy Hooves Equine at Higher Manor Farm

Healthy Hooves Equine at Higher Manor Farm Roam•Rest•Reconnect

Track-Based Full & Retirement Livery
Supporting horses through movement, managed grazing and individual care.

04/09/2026

💚 Getting ready for winter…

Our new Equine HayBells have arrived! Although judging by the snorting when they first appeared, I think a few of the horses thought green spaceships had landed! 😂👽

It didn’t take them long to realise there was hay inside though!

We’ve teamed them with GutzBusta knotless slow-feed bale nets which help slow down feeding and reduce wastage, with the knotless design being kinder to teeth and gums too. The HayBells then help keep everything protected from the rain — definitely a bonus heading into a Dorset winter! 🌧️

We’ve dotted them around different areas of the tracks and can close one and open another, encouraging the horses to wander around and find their next hay stop rather than standing in one place all day.

We kept a close eye on everyone while they got used to them, but they very quickly got the hang of it! 🐴💚

Another little winter job ticked off the list!

28/08/2026

🐴 So much more than just an arena…

There are so many ways to enjoy this space with your horse.

We’ve seen Katy Overton’s incredibly impressive bridleless riding, fantastic groundwork and trailer-loading training, alongside horses simply having a good old let off steam! 💨🐎

And sometimes it’s just about having a quiet, safe place to spend time with your horse. ❤️

Whether it’s riding, groundwork, long-reining, liberty, training, play or simply enjoying each other’s company, there’s so much you can do with an arena.

24/08/2026

I do love a good bit of organisation 😂

We’ve had a revamp of the feed area at Healthy Hooves and really pleased with it!

My old kitchen worktop has been repurposed, I love finding another use for things rather than throwing them away and everything is now so much easier to get to.

The heavy feed bins are all sitting on little trolley dollies so they can just be wheeled in and out for easy access. Even better, they were an Aldi bargain… although I think I may have bought nearly all the ones they had 😂

With everyone having their own feeds and supplements, having everything organised and easy to access makes life so much easier.

It’s the little things 😂🐴

19/08/2026

WOO HOO… RAIN!! 🌧️🙌

Never thought we’d be quite so pleased to see it!

After months of incredibly dry weather and with Dorset officially in drought, I think our poor scorched grass is going to be in shock! 😂🌱

The horses weren’t quite as enthusiastic this morning and had all taken themselves into the barn to escape the rain. Safe to say it was a very sleepy start to the day! 🐴💤

They can wander in and out as they please, but this morning nobody seemed in much of a hurry to venture back out! 😂

Have you done the rain dance yet?! 💃🌧️😂

11/08/2026

Making mornings run smoothly 🐴❤️

A little preparation behind the scenes makes such a difference to our morning routine.

Once a week, we make up each horse’s dry feed ingredients into individual bags, ready to add to their freshly made soaked fibre each morning.

It means less time measuring and preparing feeds and more time with the horses — grooming, picking out feet, checking everyone over and, importantly, simply having time to observe them.

Our horses soon get to know the morning routine and are usually waiting very patiently for their turn! 😂

Keeping things consistent and unhurried helps make the barn a calm place to be. And when you see relaxed horses happily coming in, eating their feeds and enjoying all the attention, you know the routine is working for them. ❤️

A bit of preparation = calmer mornings and more time for the horses. 🐴

05/08/2026

A challenging summer for farmers… 🌾☀️

This year’s hay harvest has certainly tested us.

Our late-cut meadow hay, harvested under a Countryside Stewardship agreement, can only be cut in August. It’s ideal for our track-based livery system as it’s naturally lower in sugar, but we never make assumptions—we’ll be testing it again this year to confirm its nutritional values.

The prolonged heatwaves have meant we’ve produced around half the amount of hay compared with last year, and with lower yields across the country, hay prices are likely to rise this winter.

Just days before baling, our contractor’s baler caught fire. Thankfully, he was uninjured. With our hay still needing to be baled, another local contractor stepped in at short notice to help us.

Thank you to my husband, Rob, for all the long days and hard work that went into this year’s hay harvest. Farming is never easy, but it’s a great feeling to have the hay safely in the barn. 🌾💚

03/08/2026

Although I don’t ride Gus anymore, we still love spending time together. On Saturday we headed down to the river for a paddle, and he was such a good boy. He took everything in his stride and thoroughly enjoyed cooling off in the water.

It’s a lovely reminder that time with your horse doesn’t always have to be in the saddle. Sometimes the simplest moments are the most enjoyable. 💙

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Higher Manor Farm
Weymouth
DT35DL

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