Help Mountains Animal Sanctuary - Scotland's largest Horse rescue and adoption centre

Any horse owner will know the importance of looking after and caring for animals in need, which is why charities like Mountains Animal Sanctuary, Scotland's biggest re-homing and adoption centre for horses and ponies. 

For over 30 years, Mountains Animal Sanctuary in Forfar, Angus, has been dedicated to caring for vulnerable horses in need of some TLC and a safe and suitable home. In order to keep themselves out on the frontline, bringing in and re-homing horses, ponies and donkeys in order give them a shot at a better life, Mountains relies on charitable donations and volunteers. However, sadly, they now need your help more than ever after suffering a break-in last week, less than two weeks before Christmas. 

A statement from the Mountains Sactuary website reads:

On Sunday night/Monday morning (9th/10th Dec) at about 3.30am Mountains Animal Sanctuary, was broken into. All our donations from the previous day at our Nativity Concert were taken as was stock from our Visitors Centre and our unique much loved carved horse, Milton, we used for our Armistice Service. Plugs were put in sinks and taps left running so the visitors centre was also flooded, the office was completely wrecked. We are all devastated that anyone would target us especially at this time of year.

Any help would be much appreciated, if you live close by and can help with the big clean up please contact the office on 01356 650308.

You can donate by following the links on this page, any amount however small would be appreciated.

If you have any information that might help the police contact the office on the above number.

  

Make your own horse treats and cakes

It's Christmas time and here at Tic Tac Equestrian, we know that horse owners aren't the only ones who enjoy indulging in a bit of festive indulgence. Earlier, we gave you recipes for basic Christmas cakes for Horses. This time, we've scoured the web for a handful of great little treats and cookies to help you horses get into the spirit and reward them for being great companions over the past year!

Oat 'n' Apple Chewies

Treat your horse or pony to these simple squares made of wholesome ingredients. Keep them fresh in the fridge. Remember not to feed too many of any treat too often.

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ cups unsweetened apple sauce
1 cup oat bran cereal or ground oatmeal/porridge oats
½ cup all purpose flour (approx.)

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 180C/350F
Oil a 9inch x 9inch square cake pan
Spread the batter evenly in the cake pan and bake for 20-30 minutes. The batter will start to shrink away from the sides and it will be firm to the touch.

Slice into squares while still warm. Keep chewies in the refrigerator in an air-tight container or bag.


Molasses Cookies Horse Treats

Your horse will love the sweet crunchiness of these cookies. They keep well in an air-tight container. Never feed too many treats too often.

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ cup all purpose flour
1 cup bran
1 cup molasses
1 cup grated carrot or apple

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 190C/375F
Oil two cookie sheets
Put aside a small bowl of white sugar and a drinking glass with a flat bottom.
In a large bowl mix all the ingredients thoroughly. The mixture shouldn’t be too wet, and should stick together.


Add more flour to make the mixture firmer and hold together if necessary. Drop by teaspoonfuls, about 1 ½ inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Grease the bottom of the glass, dip it in the sugar, and stamp the cookies to flatten them slightly. Bake for about 10 minutes. This makes about 25 cookies, depending on the size. Store in an air-tight container or bag.



Baked Carrot Crispies

2 carrots,shredded
1 apple,shredded
1/3 cup molasses
3/4 cup flower
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup bran
3/4 cup porridge oats/oatmeal

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat over to 200C/400F. Generously grease a muffin tin. Mix carrots and apples into a bowl with molasses.,bran,brown sugar,water,flour and oatmeal. Mixture should have a thick and doughy consistency. Add more bran if needed. Scoop dough into a muffin tin,sprinkle each muffin with brown sugar and bake in the over for 30-50 minutes until well cooked

A Horse Is For Life Not Just For Christmas

'A pet is for life, not just for Christmas'

It's an old saying, but at this time of year, it's particularly important to remember. There is nothing quite as special as the first time the horse of your dreams comes into your life, especially on such a special day as Christmas Day itself. But as any horse owner will tell you, the reward of making this special connection comes with a lot of hard work. 

We don't need to tell you that it's worth it, but there is sadly a growing trend for treating animals as if they're disposable gifts, with many new owners who were once enamoured by the idea of spoiling a loved one with a wonderful Christmas gesture soon feeling overwhelmed by the responsibility and maintenance that comes with caring for a new pet, especially a horse. 

The BHS (British Horse Society) is currently trying to raise awareness of the problem, warning against any company that is encouraging people to buy a horse for Christmas.

As the BHS states: Horses need and deserve skilled care from knowledgeable people. In this market, they may be inexpensive to buy, but they can be costly to keep.

The company, Horsemart, recently sent out an email advertising: 'Horses under £500 make great Christmas presents.'

BHS Senior Welfare Executive Lee Hackett said: “We were so disappointed to see such an irresponsible email coming from Horsemart. A horse is for life, not just for Christmas.

Particularly reprehensible is that the horses shown in the email are all young animals designed to pull at the emotions of unsuspecting buyers. These horses would need careful handling from experienced people to develop and prepare for their future. They are most certainly not to be exploited for Christmas.”

The British Horse Society and we here at The Equestrian Blogger encourage anyone with the ability to properly care for a new horse to contact any reputable local Horse Rescue Centre, where you will find plenty of wonderful horses in need of a safe and reliable home. 

Make You Own Horse Hair Jewellery

At Tic Tac Equestrian, we love jewellery, especially beautifully hand-crafted pieces you can make yourself. Horse hair jewellery in particular is a great gift for equestrians, especially at Christmas time, and not to mention, a fun and beautiful way to honour your horse.

Bracelets and necklaces can be tricky to make but with a bit of practice you can make gifts for your friends and yourself. Which is why we've scoured to net for the best ideas on how to make y

So, how do you start? Well, decide what type of bracelet you would like to make and it's worthwhile making a visit to your local craft shop to pick up the right findings/beads/charms you want to add. After that, the basic steps are fairly simple. 

You'll need: 

• Horse Hair
• Rubber Bands
• Metal beads
• Silk cord, same colour as hair
• Silver cap end
• Toggle clasp

Instructions:

• Collect horse hairs that are about a foot in length. Continue collecting them until you have small bundle--as wide as your thumb.

• Wrap an elastic band at the far end of the horse hair. Insert the thin metal wire into the centre of the bundle. Make sure the elastic band is wrapped tightly, as to hold the hairs and wire in place.

• Comb the hair gently to remove any tangles.

• Separate the small bundle of hair into three equal sections. Keep the wire in the centre of the middle section of hair. Braid the hair, concealing the metal wire, until you reach the bottom of the bundle.

• Bind the end of the braid with silk cord in the same colour of the horse hair. Repeat this process for the beginning of the braid, binding the silk cord in front of the elastic band (where the braid begins). Remove elastic band. Trim off excess hair.

• Pull the silk cord through the cap end and secure it to the end of your bracelet. The hair slips into the cap end, providing a neat appearance. Repeat this process for the other end of your bracelet.

• Slip the metal beads over the hair and position where desired. You may choose to have an attractive bead or charm in the centre of your bracelet, as a focal point.

We'd love to hear what wonderful creations you've pulled together, so feel free to get in touch here, or at the Tic Tac site! Good Luck!

To rug or not to rug - advice on winter horse rugs

For a great selection of rugs,
check out the Tic Tac Equestrian store

Horse rugs form an essential part of proper modern horse care, and a lot of thought needs to go into deciding when and on what occasions to use different types of rugs. However, this doesn't need to be confusing and does not take long to get into a useful routine. 

To help you with this area of horse care, we've compiled a series of helpful tips, highlighting notable differences between all common rug types and when or when not to use them: 

Turnout Rugs

A horse turnout rug is generally used throughout all seasons (with the exception of the middle of summer) to keep the horse warm and dry out in the pasture. Of course, horses are naturally built to withstand winter weather by growing thick coats and as a result, they have the ability to stay warm in the winter without the use of turnout rug, if they aren't clipped. However, many horse owners tend to use rugs anyway.

Winter Turnout rugs

Throughout the winter, you will likley need a turnout rug that is much thicker; one which is both windproof and waterproof to keep your horse warm in all conditions. For a full selection of winter rugs, feel free to visit the Tic Tac store.

Spring/Summer rugs

On milder days, your choice of horse rug will need to be less thick, as there is less need for maintaining a horse's body heat. Many rugs that fall into this category are generally just meant to keep off summer showers and breezes although some of these, which have extra layers underneath, can still be used in the winter.

Stable blankets are also an essential piece of horse equipment to ensure comfort, care and protection throughout the winter months and as the name suggests, they are designed primarily to be used in the stable to keep the horse warm. Stable horse rugs are generally not waterproof, however, these can be used underneath a turnout rug to increase warmth.

As for other types of horse rugs, fly sheets help to keep off flies in the summer which can cause irritation or even lead to potentially serious diseases in horses. Whereas Show Rugs are used to protect a horse’s coat before a horse show to ensure that you don’t have to do any extra grooming.

Spoil your horse this Christmas with gift ideas from Tic Tac Equestrian!

Horses know how to live it up
 at Christmas too!

It's getting even closer to Christmas, and at Tic Tac Equestrian, the excitement is beginning to mount! It's a magical time of year, and a perfect opportunity to show your loved ones just how much you care - especially your beloved horses and ponies!

Believe us when we say our four-legged buddies appreciate the excitement of getting a special new gift on Christmas Day as much as their owners, so at Tic Tac, there are plenty of fantastic x-mas gift ideas for horses, from comfy riding gear and winter rugs, to delicious treats and lots of horsey toiletries to keep them looking happily, healthy and smart. 

For the full range of Christmas gift ideas from Tic Tac Equestrian, go to the official store today, or for some more ideas, check out our earlier post on stocking and stable fillers this Christmas!

From all of us here, we hope you have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!