Anything For Animals

posted by admin on Jul 30

This article lists some great tips for making a trip to a show easier and hopefully better than before!

By finding the little things that work better, faster or more cheaply can really make the difference to a day at a show - allowing you time to think about the more important things - like winning!!!!

So, lets get started with some quick and easy top tips:

1) The day before the show - wash your horse: not the day of the show.  This way it allows the coat to settle back down and it will be more ‘controllable’ when you are getting him ready in the morning! 

2) And a mane will be virtually impossible to plait when it has just been washed!

3) For yourself - use only a discreet rosebud and small flower head for your show classes - otherwise it will be a distraction for the judges - and could fall out in the ring if too large!

4) And choose dark gloves for dressage and show classes as they attract less attention than white ones - although white gloves may seem the right choice, you want the judges to be watching your horse - not your hands!

5) Keep some thick sticky tape to hand to get fluff and hay off of your clothes before you enter the ring. Roll a full look around your hand - sticky side out - and pat or roll on the offending bits of fluff! Repeat as necessary when all the ’sticky has gone!

6)Keep a list of all important friends and supplier phone numbers with your show equipment, just incase you need something short notice - like a new jacket, hat silk or to borrow a trailer. You can’t waste time looking for a number when you are in the ring in less than an hour!

7) To produce a good shine on your rubber boots - use a little spray from some spray-can furniture polish!

8.)And for your horse: use boot polish instead of hoof oil if showing in an indoor arena - as the shavings wil not stick to the polish!

9) Use a thread the same colour as your jacket when attaching your show number so it looks more natural from a distance.

10) And if you are allowed: trim off the corners of you number at the show as this will make the number look smaller and much neater - it will also help to prevent the number from curling up and looking tatty in the ring!

Hope these helped!

posted by admin on Jul 30

There are hundreds of wetland birds and waders - and even avid birdwatchers don’t always get them right!

So why should you try to get them right either!  Why not get really really good at identifying the basic ones first and then if you spot something different, you can take them as they come. 

If you already know the obvious birds, you can more easily spot when something is slightly different - like knowing how to identify an adult herring gull - a very common British seabird.  Identifying this bird is very easy when you know how, but without knowing this one 100%, you could find it difficult to spot a Yellow-legged gull, which is virtually identical to the Herring gull apart from - you guessed it - the yellow legs!

And believe me - if you have stared at and identified Herring gull after Herring gull - when a Yellow-legged appears - you will definitely spot it!

So, lets look at 5 wetland birds that you can easily identify, so that you can spend more time looking for those rarer birds amongst them!

The Mute Swan - Cygnus olor
The only UK swan with a bright orange bill - and it has a knob on the top to make it extra obvious!  The other 2 common swans that are resident in the UK (the whooper and Bewicks swans) have yellow and black bills.

The Mute swan is the only one of the 3 species to nest in the country too - so if you see one on a nest or being followed by a chain of cygnets - or an older cygnet on it’s own (baby swans are grey, or patchy grey and white) - it must be a Mute!

Canada Goose - Branta canadensis
Out of all the common geese visiting the UK, the Canada goose is an obvious one.  It is a large bird and has a white strap under it’s chin on a long black neck, and a black head.  It also has a lovely pale chest and underbelly.

It looks like someone has wrapped a white neckerchief under it’s chin - although it doesn’t meet at the back.  They are a very common bird throughout the year and breed here too - so will be seen with goslings.

The Eider Duck - Somateria mollissima
This - some say ugly - duck is a spectacular species (when adult male) - and strikingly black and white.  You can’t get an eider duck wrong as they have a yellow huge bill that starts right at the top of their head on top - but the sides of it are the same colour as the face with very low nostrils.  It is a very unique profile.

Once you have seen one - you won’t ever get it wrong again - and only the 1 species is commonly found in the UK - all year on the northern coastline but only in the winter to the south of the country. I love them!

The Oystercatcher - Haematopus ostralegus
If you see a group of large black and white waders (black on top, white underneath) with a giant straight orange bill probing the sand - then it will be an oyster catcher.  These chunky birds are often seen along the tide line on many of the UK’s beaches - and they are nearly always in a small group although can be seen alone in nature reserves.

They have quite a noticeable thick beak and matching thick orange legs - slowly walking through mud or sand-flats probing their bill into the soft material. 

Avocet- Recurvirostra avosetta
This is another black and white wader, but you can’t mistake this one - and you certainly won’t get it confused with an oystercatcher!  They are mainly white all over with a black outline to it’s folded wing and a black stripe across the back of it’s head and neck - and if you can see them: blue legs!

These feisty little critters are tall dainty little things with a very noticable curved tip to it’s thin black bill - and it goes upwards!  Often seen in the wet mud or sand,  they feed by swinging their heads from side to side with the bill open and are also seen pecking at the surface.

This final species was all but extinct in the UK until recently and still found mainly in the south - and is the adopted emblem of the RSPB today!

Good Luck Twitching These 5!

posted by admin on Jul 25

This article details all you need to know as a beginner about a year in the life of a Red Fox:

Animal Type: Mammalia - Carnivora - Canidae

Species Info: There is only 1 Red Fox Species: Vulpes vulpes, however, there are around 12 species of true fox in the world, but there are around 24 other species with ‘fox’ in their name like the Bat-Eared Fox (Otocyon) and the Arctic Fox (Alopex). 

UK Distribution: Red Foxes are the only fox species to be living in the UK and are found almost everywhere in the country - particularly in towns and cities! 

Preferred Habitat:  These creatures are ground dwelling and generally nocturnal - although you will often see then during the day when they have young or are ill.

In urban areas they are known to be scavengers - although will take the odd unattended rabbit or chicken!  But in the countryside they need to be in areas of high rabbit density - but will eat fruit, berries and even fish and reptiles! 

In Spring: The Fox Cubs Start To Appear.
The cubs are born quite helpless underground in March, and at this time you will still see the male and female together - with the male bringing food back to the den for the female.  It is only about 4/5 weeks later that the young will start to leave the den as well and investigate their surroundings. 

In Summer:  The Cubs Are Training To Be Adults.
The cubs spend quite a while with their parents in the same area, learning to hunt by themselves and getting to explore the dangers of the area - it will be autumn before they are full size and able to head of alone.

Many people will find their garden filled with fox families at this time - much to the horror of some!  It is very difficult and time consuming to try to ‘get rid of’ a whole family, but why would you want to anyway!  They are very interesting to watch, and it is only for a few weeks

In Autumn:  Foxes Start To Split Up And Hunt Separately.
Not only will the male have been long gone by now, but the mother will be starting to get a little fed up with the young hanging around and sharing her food, so she will start to tell them off a lot more and try to get them to go away.  And this can lead to some noisy nights and short ‘fights’ between nighttime foxes.

The young will soon get the message, and you will start to see single foxes all over the place as the young head off in search of their own territory - so you can find them in some quite unusual places as they try to find an unoccupied area to live in.  The more food available means there can be more foxes living in an area, although in more rural areas, the young foxes may have to travel quite far to settle down.

In Winter: Pairing Up And Mating.
As the cold draws in foxes will have formed monogamous pairs and set up home in a large den - either freshly dug or having been improved from an existing smaller den.  Once settled, they will start mating around January which results in a lot of nighttime garden screeching!

Other Facts: Most Red Foxes have an average lifespan of about 3 years due to accidents and injury - although 12-14 is achievable in the right conditions!   Red Foxes can also be totally black (quite rare) or even almost white (very rare).

Fox Groups: 
UK - The Fox Website 
UK - League Against Cruel Sports

Other Information:
If you find a ’sick’ fox in your garden during the day, the best thing to do it to slowly approach it head on.  If it doesn’t move when you are within 2 feet of it - then it is really ill or seriously injured and you need to call a rescue centre to come and collect it.  If you don’t try to approach it, or it runs away when you do - then it will probably run away from a rescue centre operative when they arrive so will be a waste of time!

If it seems ‘ok’, then offer the fox some food (anything meaty) and fresh water, and leave it alone and with a clear exit (open gate) - as with the extra strength the food and water gave it, it may well then be strong enough to wander back to where it ’lives’ and leave your garden. 

posted by admin on Jul 20

We all get a bit hot in the warm weather - and we shed our layers and drink cold drinks.

So imagine your dog on the same hot day.  It can’t shed it’s coat or roll up it’s sleeves - and it can’t drink cool drinks or decide to stop in the shade or stay home.

So think about your dog before you take it out and watch it for signs that it is too hot.

However, there are 2 things you can do to make sure your dog never gets too hot unnecessarily and they are both very simple.

1) The Car:
Never leave your dog in a car in hot weather - even with the windows open!  You would think this piece of advice was the most obvious thing in the world - but people still do it! 

Dogs usually don’t settle when alone in the car either - making them even more stressed and so liable to heat up faster anyway.

Add this to a full furry coat and soaring temperatures inside a vehicle and you could very well have yourself a collapsed dog - or even a dead one.  Dogs really do die in hot cars - so don’t make yours suffer.

If you HAVE to drive your dog somewhere in the sunshine, have a strong breeze flowing through the car or the air con on - and plenty of water available in a non-spill bowl of course.

Equally, don’t leave your car parked in full sunshine wherever possible.  Find a tree or building to hide your car behind and/or invest in 1 or 2 of those thick window shades to keep the sun out - they work a treat!

2) Mad Dogs:
What ever possesses people to take their dogs out for a walk in the hottest part of the day (11am -2pm) is beyond me!

I can’t see any sense in taking your hairy friend out when the sun is at it’s hottest - just because we want to sit in the sun for hours - your dog certainly will have other ideas!  It would rather be at home asleep on a cold floor out of the sun!

Yes, some dogs do love to sit in the sun occasionally - but not after a long walk there and another long walk back in the sun - without a drink either!

Why not walk it earlier in te morning or later in the evening - and make it a walk for your dog, stopping and sniffing etc.  Don’t just take your dog where you want to go whenever that is.

And if you have short-nosed breeds, long-haired breeds, overweight dogs (be honest), or dogs with heart murmurs - you could be doing them more harm walking in the heat than you would if you didn’t walk them at all for the day.

If your dog is continually panting on a calm walk - it is too hot.  As dogs only ’sweat’ by panting - they will be losing water from their bodies fast!  So if your dog is drooling and panting in the sun after just walking - it could be in serious trouble. 

Stop walking, get in the shade and give your dog a big drink of water.  Don’t move on until it has fully recovered - or get a taxi home.  Why take the risk with your pets health?

Many dogs are diagnosed with heart problems in the hot weather.  It’s not that hot weather triggers heart problems - its just that people put extra stress on their dogs hearts by getting them too hot!

Cool Tricks:
Obviously, if you think that there is absolutely no way around taking them out in the hottest hours, then try some preventative steps on your journey - and take water with you at all times!

For example, make sure that you walk on the side of the road that is in shadow at the time, so your dog isn’t actually walking in the sun itself. 

Leave yourself longer to get to your destination, so that you can walk slowly and stop frequently in a shaded area to cool off part way.

Don’t be tempted to make your dog run around in any way.  Even if it usually loves chasing balls in the park - don’t ask it to do it in the boiling sun!  It will still want to chase things to please you - so don’t ask it to when it’s hot as it could easily overheat your pet!

Book an appointment to be clipped or bathed and groomed to thin out the coat.  Even short-haired dogs can benefit from a good grooming and a trim in the summer - and it could keep them that bit cooler when out on walks.

Now - go and fill up the paddling pool!

posted by admin on Jul 15

How many times have you watched a delightful and brightly coloured butterfly waft past you on a breeze?

Or sat in your garden watching a dainty little butterfly flutter between plants in your borders?

But what was it so you can tell people you saw it!

Well, there are several very common butterflies in the UK that you can learn without too much trouble to make your gardens a more interesting place!

And once you have learnt the few regular visitors to your garden - you will spot a new one when it arrives more easily - and know which key features to look out for.

Butterfly Identification:
Being aware of the general colouring and wing patterns of butterflies can help you to make a correct id.

For example, butterflies have 4 wings; 2 on each side with the uppermost segment on each side usually being the same size or larger than the rear.

They also have very different colourings on the undersides of their wings that can be quite unique - although not quite so obvious as the topside.

Most common species have a combination of spots, white or black patches or even stripes (of a kind) and it is these that can make all the difference.

For example, the small tortoiseshell and the painted lady can appear almost identical at first glance to a ‘learner’, but when you look at their fore-wings the difference is obvious:

Small Tortoiseshell:
Yellow and Black ’squares’ along the top edge with 1 terminal white square.

Painted Lady:
Only small patches of white amongst larger black patches - no neat squares at all!

Of course there are numerous other visual differences including blue edging all over the Tortoiseshells wings and dark spots on the Painted Lady’s rear wings - but the above is the most obvious feature to observe.

Why Learn Them?
Well, not only will knowing by name all the butterflies that visit your garden or live in your local woods be interesting in itself - but it can help the wider world too.

By knowing and reporting your species to specific charities and biological groups, you could help them to create butterfly distribution maps for your region and the country as a whole.

This will allow for a wider impact assessment of the areas and habitats involved.  As butterflies only frequent certain plants throughout their lives - they can be a great indicator of the state of the plants, their habitat and therefore the other animals that live in the same area.

This can be a really useful tool in trying to help local biodiversity in these changing times.

Also at the moment, Butterfly Conservation and Marks & Spencer are funding a ‘Big Butterfly Count’ at the end of July 2010 to take a quick stock of whats out there this year - and as a result have produced a fantastic colour butterfly identification guide for you to refer to.

Even if you end up not doing the count, you can still learn from the id guide about which species you should be expecting to see visiting your garden plants!

And if you want to do more to help these vital species - then visit the Butterfly Conservation Trust online and think about donating or becoming a member.

posted by admin on Jul 10

Welcome back for some more horse friendly tips for everyone - this time those that could keep money in your pocket!

Imagine what you could spend that saved cash on for your pony - especially if you manage to convince your stable friends who aren’t so waste-conscious to help you out - you could save even more!

So, lets get started - every penny counts these days!

1) Well, lets being with a simple one like regularly swapping over your stirrup leathers so that one doesn’t become over stretched with all that mounting and dismounting - more of a long-term saving but there are many others like it!

2) An old tea towel or a bunch of baler twine can be used as a sweat scraper instead of buying yourself the real thing - and another thing to remember where it is!

3) When washing your horses, it is cheaper to buy some bland human shampoo than a specific preparation.  And as human products may well come in larger sizes - and buying in bulk is always a money saver!

4) And from here, always consider buying bulk products with other people in the yard as larger containers and larger amounts seem to get lower prices.  If you all order your food or bedding in one go, you will save money everytime!

5) And talking of bedding - if you use a small cage to sieve your horses droppings - then most of the unsoiled bedding will fall right through - keeping your bedding thicker for longer!

6) Repaired rugs are cheaper than new rugs - so make sure that you keep your rugs clean so they last longer - but if you have to let one go, then keep all the bits that are worth saving, like the buckles and straps, and any large areas of material that could be used for patch repairs or cushions in the yard!

7) Surcingles are much cheaper than rollers - so improvise.  Find yourself a nice thick piece of sponge to stop the surcingle from rubbing on the spine and voila!

8.) Use 2 small boards for cleaning up piles of hay or straw instead of investing in extra brooms and shovels.  They work for picking up leaves in the garden - so why not use them in the yard.

9) Check what added ingredients and supplements are in your standard feed - as you could be adding supplements that your horses don’t actually need.  And, it may well be cheaper to find a food that does already contain them to save on buying them separately.

10) Get people from your yard to book routine vet treatments or farrier visits together to save on the call out charges made.  Instead of all paying the one-off call out fee - split it between you as often as possible.

I hope some of these have been useful, and make sure you pass some on to your friends to make the savings greater!

posted by admin on Jul 7

Why should your car be just a boring run-around filled with dog hair?

I always thought that a car and a dog would equal: a hairy back seat - but in the past 10 years or so, cars and dogs are becoming more and more civilised!

Not only is there now doggy car etiquette to consider - there is a whole range of car accessories now available to make your hound safer, but more importantly there are ways to keep your car looking as good as new inside and out!

Inside The Car:
Firstly, there is a whole new emphasis on dog safety inside the car.  Not only are there now doggy seatbelts, car seat covers and booster seats - you can now buy a custom-made car crate to fit your exact car specifications, boot space and doggy needs!

Whether it’s a hatchback or an estate - there will be the specific sized and shaped crate to fit in your car - rather than having to sit an unsightly and slightly awkward standard dog crate on the back seat!  Perfect for you and your pets!

There are also a huge variety of seat covers, floor mats and cargo sheets to make sure that all the dog hairs stay off the seat fabric!  And of course, all the mud and grass from a great walk stay off too!

You can take your dirty wellies off before getting inside - but the dogs have no choice, so make it easy for them.

Outside The Car:
Getting your dog in and out of the car has never been easier, with new shape boots and sliding doors.  Plus the fact that you can now buy some amazing collapsible and sturdy ramps for those heavier dogs or those too old or ill to just ‘hop in’ as before.

And as your car probably takes a bit more external attention what with dogs running around it, rubbing against it - and not to mention humans leaning on it to get wellies on and off - why not make it easier to clean with chrome accessories all around - front back and sides!  Plastics can get scratched and bitten (!) depending on your hounds - so avoid it with a sturdy and stylish outside!

And talking of ‘hot’ - make sure that you keep your car cool in the summer when driving the dogs around!  Whether that means parking in the shade, carrying around umbrellas and sun shades or buying trendy sun shades for the inside windows. Dogs get really hot really quickly in cars - so be prepared for overheating pets!

And don’t forget the car either - keep water and oil on hand and make sure that you look after your car as much as your dogs!

You are now ready to give someone a lift in your car WITHOUT apologising for the mess! 

posted by admin on Jul 5

People always love a Top 10 these days, so I put together this list of the dog breeds we love the most.

Obviously, everyone has their own favourite - and this list shows those most favoured by the nation.  And if you look closely - these are the one’s you are most likely to see walking in the park!

However, many people opt for a rescue dog, so don’t actually get the breed they like most - just the one that needed a loving home!  So, there are plenty of dog lovers out there with just any old crossbreed or mongrel that they love to pieces!

1) The Faithful Labrador Retriever - Golden, Black, then Chocolate!

2) The Energetic Border Collie - Loved for the agility and enthusiasm.

3) The Boisterous Jack Russell Terrier - In either long-legged or short-legged varieties.

4) The Elegant Yorkshire Terrier - A very handsome small dog, with a long history. 

5) The Reliable German Shepherd - Either Black & Tan, Sable, Black or White - Standard or Long-Haired too.

6) The Fluffy Bichon Frise - A perfectly shaped little dog - that the kids love to pamper!

7) The Chunky Rottweiler - A well-natured large dog breed that can be really affectionate.

8.) The Spotty Dalmation - An eager breed that loves training sessions and exciting walks!

9) The Dainty Cocker Spaniel - The perfect pooch for both families and couples, and comes in many colours.

10) And finally, the Shih Tzu - A short-legged breed that is very popular with the ladies!

Others breeds just outside of the Top 10 include the Golden Retriever, Labradoodle, Greyhound and of course, the Chihuahua!

There are also a lot of ‘new breeds’ cropping up all the time - but they are basically puffed up Cross-breeds and they may only be first or second generation anyway.  These were all sparked off by the original - the Labradoodle - whereby people were choosing the best quality from each breed and hoping the puppies took both: Like easy to train (Labrador) and not moulting (Poodle). 

We now have Cockerpoo’s (Cocker Spaniels and Poodles), Gointers (Golden Retrievers and Pointers) and even Puggles (Pugs and Beagles).  And it doesn’t end there!