Cool Hills Ranch

07/21/2026

07/19/2026

The most amazing product Lactigo/Fortigo

05/29/2026

https://www.facebook.com/amlequestriancoaching/posts/pfbid024SY8PQ1g7dPESzdvPNqFHFjmTNMoi8AF7wzP7K8QCvZbSGZBu1LdBPyM4vQQSbutl

😼😼 Today’s Pattern (see previous post for real life setup)

🤓13 Poles

🔹 Set Up
👉 6 Trot poles on the outside track. I ended up rolling these in for a collected line at 1.20m but your trot distances can go right up to 1.45m.. just remember if the distance is bigger than their standard working trot you need to ensure they are strong enough NOT to dive through their chest but can “sit, lift in front and push out”..
👉set your walk poles where you can ride an achievable leg yield line. Don’t put them metres over if your horse is only just learning leg yields…less is more.
👉 Your three pole fan needs to be far enough off the outside track to ride a small circle. Again… set this at the level you’re training. Give yourself more room or bigger circle area for a less technical line… bring it down to smaller circle sizes if you want a more technical ride.

🤓 How did it ride?
👌It worked a treat! I rode the long sides before the 3 pole fan in shoulder-in or traver before entering the fan. The trot poles I made a much shorter distance so I could keep Ruby in a slower, more collected trot pace. Sometimes I rode the walk poles at a very collected trot. Each turn except into or out of the fan was a square turn.. think 1/8th of a turn on the haunches but in trot. Then I added canter from exiting the walk poles or trot poles depending on what rein I was on. Downwards transitions to trot or walk for the poles. This was a really fun pattern with loads of options and definitely got my Ruby Rocket a lot more supple for the more technical training she’s recently begun.

For everyone chasing these patterns in a bundle - the AML 50 Pole Pattern PDF is here - https://www.amlequestriancoaching.com.au/store

05/29/2026

Tomorrow is the Tack sale at Cool Hills. Can't wait to see you all

04/25/2026

If your are interested in reserving a spot please DM or Call 530-308-2450

03/31/2026

𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐭 - 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞?🐴 👅

There’s a widespread belief that horses should be fed loose salt instead of block salt, based on the idea that they can consume loose salt more easily. This belief stems from the fact that salt blocks were originally designed for cattle, who have rougher tongues and can more effectively lick salt from a block.

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡?

At the 2025 Equine Science Society Symposium in June, my friend and colleague, Dr. Devan Catalano of Colorado State University, presented new findings that aimed to answer this very question.

🧪 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐬

Sixteen mature horses were individually housed and assigned to one of two treatments:

🔹 Loose salt

🔹 Block salt

Each horse remained on one treatment for seven days before switching to the other in a crossover design. The entire study was repeated so that each horse received both treatments twice. Salt consumption was measured by weighing the salt before and after each seven-day period.

📊 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬

The form of salt (loose vs. block) did not significantly impact overall intake. However, individual variability played a major role in which some horses consumed more salt than others, regardless of the form offered. This highlights the wide range of intrinsic motivation among horses to seek out and consume salt.

💡 Interestingly, only 7 of the 16 horses met the recommended daily salt intake of 30 grams per day, suggesting that many horses may not self-regulate adequately when left with free-choice salt alone.

💭 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

These findings suggest that free-choice salt access, whether loose or in a block, may not be sufficient to meet the daily salt needs of many horses. If you’re concerned about intake, top-dressing salt onto feed can help ensure your horse gets enough, but keep in mind this can sometimes reduce palatability of the meal.

📣 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞-𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞

Free choice access to loose salt isn’t necessarily better than a block, but neither may be enough on its own. Monitor your horse’s intake and consider top-dressing if needed to meet their daily requirements.

Cheers,

Dr. DeBoer

Murphy BA, Catalano D. Effect of form on equine salt intake. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. 2025 May 1;148:105502.