The Organic Horse

Autumn Light

2009-10-31T07:06:00.002Z

Your reward for getting up early is paid in light. The autumn is famed for mysterious qualities as the climate changes. Ideal for ghosts and ghouls as the strange shadows and shapes form in the dark of early evening. The mornings are draped in mist or fog during the months of October and November. The difference between mist and fog is visability. As the sun tries to break through the moisture heavy air it lights up the sky golden yellow. It is great to see the horses in this light and makes you feel glad to be alive. As the sun rises the mist drops and it all changes to a very soft light with blue skies. You can see a pheasant flying startled by the camera as quiet as it was. Stunning.

SOIL ASSOCIATION ORGANIC CERTIFICATION FOR 2010 – APPROVED.

2009-10-28T22:37:00.001Z

We are proud to announce that we have attained full organic status for our hay and forage for 2010. We have had full organic status since 2003 so this is our 7^th year. Running your pasture in an organic system is a lot of hard work and the yields are less compared to a conventional system that uses stimulants to aid growth. The benefit of not using pesticides is obvious. You wouldn’t like to eat food that had been treated with chemicals and neither would your horse. (We can’t speak for your horse of course). There has been much debate about organic food recently and if there are any direct health benefits. This has been the focus of media attention. Our view at Stone Circle Livery is that the hay and forage must be better and more natural with out artificial intervention. More importantly is the effect an organic system has on wildlife and the environment. Wildlife flourishes and we have seen insect numbers rise. You can see this happening by seeing the increase in birdlife and mammals. We now see many raptors and this can only mean that the food is around to feed them which means more small mammals and rodents which in turn means there are more insects to feed the small mammals. Still with us? Good. So, yes there are health benefits for your horse in an organic system but best of all the wildlife flourishes too.

BRITISH HORSE SOCIETY APPROVAL FOR 2009/2010

2009-10-27T14:34:00.005Z

The British Horse Society did a spot inspection unannounced and we are pleased to say Stone Circle Livery Passed with flying colours again! It is a credit to Susi and the team that Stone Circle Livery continues to attain and maintain excellent high standards. Well done everyone!

THE STONE CIRCLE AT STONE CIRCLE

2009-10-27T14:29:00.004Z

Here’s the reason we are called Stone Circle Livery. Stood at the top of a hill in the grounds of Stone Circle Livery is a stone circle that looks across the valley. There are many alignments with the sun and moon. This picture was taken at sunset on October the 25th. No special day but a great sunset.

KNOW NO BOUNDARIES.

2009-10-27T14:27:00.002Z

The extra land (18acres) at Stone Circle Livery has had to be fenced to put a clear boundary. As you can see we have used a half sawn post with stock netting and a single top wire. Plain top wire is miles better that barbed wire and in our view, there is no place for barbed wire.
The style is a type that allows dog access and the double step actually helps those that might not be as agile as they once were.

TRACKS = MILES OF EFFORT

2009-10-27T14:24:00.002Z

Autumn is a good time to see the raw structure of your planting. As the leaves fall you can get a clear picture of where needs planting up and where doesn’t. For many years we have been creating riding tracks around the grounds at Stone Circle Livery. These are either tracks through newly planted woodland or hedgerows that mark the field divisions. We have also done gentle clearing in woodland to provide tracks too. Nothing better than on a crisp Autumn morning riding through leaf covered woodland tracks. Peaceful, calm and beautiful.

LATEST NEWS

2009-09-16T22:12:00.003+01:00

Well, the blog has been a little quiet. Time is the biggest reason. Sorry to those that follow it. Anyway, lots of new posts coming soon. We have some very exciting news. Stone Circle Livery is expanding and we have purchased a further 18 acres. You can see it here in these pictures.

Some of you will know that we have created a few new paddocks and taken that grazing out of hay production. It is being used for horses and sheep. This means we have had to create new hay crop. All of this takes time - lots of time. The new ground has to be fenced, then we have to seed it. Paul is very excited about doing a hedgerow transplant. Instead of a garden fork he has a JCB! No one knows what the result will be but if it works it will be amazing.

After planting the organic grass seed the ground will be put in to organic conversion for land and forage and that will take two years. The wider open areas mean we can run a herd of horses for those owners and horses that are comfortable with that. For those that aren't there are plenty of new individual paddocks.

Some of the Stone Circle Liveries are doing well and the rosettes are building up. We didn't think of where to put them when we built the yard so thinking caps on as to where they might go? As Kent's environment business of the year we are looking forward to passing on the honour to another company at this years awards. It promises to be a great night on the 22nd September with Kent's leading environmental businesses celebrating the good work that they do. Port Lympne is the venue and it is a black tie event. Posh frocks at the ready!!!

The organic hay is all in and amazingly even with the strange weather the quality is excellent - probably the best we have ever had. We are about to restore another pond. This has been done in consultation with Kent Wildlife Trust. You'll see the progress here. We have a rabbit problem. We like rabbits but there are quite a few of them now. 6 rabbits eat the same as one sheep. So a plan is being hatched on what to do?

This year has been the busiest year we have faced. We are pleased that the yard continues to be a leading light in the equestrian world and we thank our dedicated customers and their horses. Stone Circle Livery will be talking at the Blenheim Palace lectures on the 3rd March 2010. So if you are there we'll see you.For those that like to Tweet you can follow the adventures of Jerry Organichorse and friends by going to www.twitter.com

The nights are getting dark and no one likes that but it does give us the evenings to plan and think and that has to be a good thing. Happy autumn from all at Stone Circle Livery.

PASTURE ON THE MEND

2009-07-12T07:33:00.005+01:00

Last year, the horses were put in the hay field near the start of the rain season. On clay soil, a horse will damage the ground beyond repair in a matter of days. They sink down deep and push the grass sward with them. The ground becomes rutted and when it dries it is almost impossible to walk on. It is also dangerous for horses as they can get injured on really uneven ground.

So what do you do? Well, there is only one way to fix it and that is reseed. This means you have to plough, harrow, seed and roll in either September or spring. We lost 6 acres of hayfield because of this. It will take 3 years for the sward to become strong. It may take longer for us as we are an organic livery yard and we don't use fertilizers or sprays. In addition, organic grass seeds are 8 times more expensive that regular seed. As a guide, in cost terms including the overseeding it will be around £1,500 in seed and labour. The field yielded about 400 bales (A non-organic field could treble this amount with the addition of fertilizer.) so we will be 1,600 bales down over the next 4 years before the field is back to full production. (If it wasn't organic this process would take half the time as you could use artificial inputs to aid and stimulate the growth - the cost is about the same as what you don't spend on seed you spend on Nitrogen).

The pictures here show the field just after the reseed process had taken place in April. We'll take a few pictures in September to show you how it is coming on. We plan to overseed in November. There are places where the seed has not taken so we will have to attend to those areas in isolation. We may also have to scarify the ground to raise a light seed bed and apply more seed to strengthen the coverage. It is all a bit of an experiment that needs constant monitoring. The biggest issue is losing the hay. Fortunately we have another 20 acres to hay at present that is natural pasture/meadow so none of the horses will miss out.If you want to know more about planting pasture there are a couple of links below. Most of the reference out there is from North America. Talk to a seed specialist before planting as different grasses do different jobs and take better in different areas.

http://www.seedguys.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=tips.mainv

http://www.bostonseeds.co.uk

BLUEBELLS AT STONE CIRCLE LIVERY

2009-07-12T07:23:00.004+01:00

OK, we know that the bluebells have gone now but we are behind in the blog entries. These pics were taken when the bluebells had passed their best really. Still, the pics give you the idea. Always a great display along the woodland ride! There are 11 different types of Blubell - bet you didn't know that? So, if you are really keen you can follow the links below and identify what variety of bluebells you are looking at. Ours are 'Hyacinthoides non-scripta' - the common bluebell.

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/british-natural-history/survey-bluebells/bluebell-identification/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluebell

Organic Livery Poll Results

2009-07-04T22:17:00.002+01:00

We had a poll of opinion about organic horse livery here on Blog Spot. We wanted to know what you guys thought. Here are the results to the 3 options we listed.

1: Love it. It is great for the horse and the environment = 89%

2: Love it. It is great for the horse = 6%

3: Love it. It is great for the environment = 2%

4: You people are mad hippies = 3%

So, overall it seems that 89% of you think the Stone Circle Livery concept rocks. Deep down we are mad hippies so congratulations to the 3% that got it right.

Have a go at our new poll on the environment and livery yards.

You can visit Stone Circle Livery at http://www.stonecirclelivery.com

Deer at Stone Circle Livery

2009-06-08T22:54:00.002+01:00

The Fallow Deer is on the increase in the UK and at our last Soil Association inspection we spotted prints in the earth that were identified as deer. Now we have the pictures too!

The two here are young and impossible for us to tell between male and female but we suspect they are two females. All of the Fallow deer have white spots on their backs, and black tips at the ends of their tails.

They are grazing animals; their preferred habitat is mixed woodland and open grassland. At Stone Circle Livery we have sheltered open grassland with surrounding wooded areas so it should come as no surprise that deer have started to appear. As more woodland is planted we should expect to see more of them.

Wikipedia has some great information on Fallow Deer as does the British Deer Society. Follow the links below for more information.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallow_Deer

http://www.bds.org.uk/fallow.html

Global warming, do they really mean ‘global wetting’?

2009-06-08T22:50:00.002+01:00

We have noticed that we are getting long dry spells then a downpour that lasts a few hours. The clouds maybe there but the rain in general is not coming. Strange to think then that we are getting wetter weather in general. The dry spells combined with showers is ideal for plant growth and we have seen an amazing developments in both tree and hedgerow planting and pasture.

The climate change experts are talking in terms of ‘global wetting’ and the forecast for a sunny 2009 seems improbable. At Stone Circle Livery we have started to monitor the weather at the livery yard to help us plan the seasons in a more effective way. It will take a while to get reliable data but at least we can see the trends and try to predict what actions to take.

Weather information can be found the BBC by following the link below or the actual weather at Stone Circle Livery can be found on our weather page by also following the link below.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/hi/about/default.stm

Spencer Rowell – Photographer at Stone Circle Livery.

2009-06-08T22:46:00.003+01:00

Spencer is probably most famous for his ‘Tennis Skirt” and “Man with Baby” pictures. Both images became very popular Athena posters. Since those early days, Spencer has continued to create award winning photographic work. Spencer was at Stone Circle Livery to shoot some new ads for us that demonstrate the harmony of environmental care and welfare combined with horse livery. Hopefully you should see the images in the press soon.

Spencer’s work can be seen at http://www.spencerrowell.com/

Practice makes perfect

2009-06-08T22:42:00.002+01:00

Stone Circle Livery is a small and quiet livery yard. This means there is excellent availability of the arenas and facilities. Instructors and their students can spend valuable time learning and practicing without having to rush because of other bookings. The arena lighting extends the day in the winter months. In addition to the 60m X 20m rubber surfaced arena there is also a 20m round pen with American safety rails. Both arenas have cameras that record to DVD or internet download to record your lessons. The pictures show Kerry making the most of a quite day practicing her jumping.

It’s RDA season at Stone Circle Livery

2009-06-08T22:39:00.002+01:00

Now the summers here the Carriage Driving for the Disabled group based at Stone Circle Livery are in full swing. Drives out along the lanes still prove popular and the group meets once a week. The pictures show the group departing for a pub drive with the horses looking on. It takes a lot for a pony to become a carriage driving pony but with plenty of training and expert handling they provide great benefit for man disabled people. You can follow the lnk below to find out more about the RDA.

www.rda.org.uk

Don’t count your chickens.

2009-06-08T22:36:00.003+01:00

Chickens are great fun. We lost one a while ago which is not unusual as foxes are always a threat. This time though we lost it to a dog kennel. The hen had been laying her eggs in a disused dog kennel and as the picture shows she had been going there quite a while. The hen has now been reunited with her hen house. You can buy a kennel like the one featured from Forsham Cottage Arks. It seems that their kennels offer you the option of keeping chickens too!

www.forshamcottagearks.com

4,000 TREES PLANTED SO FAR IN 2009

2009-04-11T06:59:00.004+01:00

This planting season has seen us plant 4,000 trees in the form of new hedgerows and woodland. We have also planted some in-field trees and windbreak barriers. A hedge we planted 5 years ago is now 12ft wide and really strong so the results are worth waiting for. We have planted 620 metres of new hedgerow, a 300 tree copse and some specimen trees for structure. The interesting areas for us are an experiment with a 50 metre run of red dogwood and smaller runs of field crabapple and wild rose. We have also planted a run of 30 poplars to give one of the rides a more imposing setting. The picture here shows the specimen paper birch trees at the house entrance opposite the manege. Most of our trees are sourced locally from Hopes Grove Nurseries in Tenterden, Kent. We have found he quality of the trees and the advice to be excellent.

You can visit Hopes Grove here http://www.hopesgrovenurseries.co.uk

SPING LAMBS AT STONE CIRCLE LIVERY

2009-04-11T06:48:00.003+01:00

We use sheep as biohoovers. They are good for the ground. It is a small flock of 17 but the numbers have swelled to 26 thanks to a good lambing season. We have Soay and Southdown sheep. Both breeds are on the Rare Breed Survival Trust Endangered List.

You can visit the RBST here http://www.rbst.org.uk

NEW PADDOCK = NEW PASTURE

2009-04-10T10:48:00.006+01:00

To get the season off to a good start in terms of grazing we have created a new 2 acre paddock. Finally the ground is hard enough for the horses to be out all day if need be. The rain and clay soil tend to make a mush quite quickly so winter and the prolonged wet weather is a nightmare.

Fencing is a huge investment for livery yards. The new paddock you can see here cost around £6,000. It is a half round post with half round twin rails configuration. Some people like a third rail but it is not necessary unless you have very, very small ponies. If you are ever erecting your own paddock the rails need to be on the inside of the fence posts. This is so the horses don't push them off. If you see dropped rails it is because they are positioned on the wrong side or on an adjoining paddock. We learnt the hard way!

A fence like this is expected to last around 25 years. If you plant a hedgerow alongside it then by the time the fence has rotted the hedgerow should be strong enough to form a natural division. This has massive benefits for wildlife and horses prefer it.

BEACH RIDING SEASON OVER

2009-03-30T11:19:00.003+01:00

Saturday the 21st March was the last open day for riding on the beach until October. Those that made it were rewarded with glorious sunshine. The beach rides are half an hour away from Stone Circle Livery and offer miles of riding. The beaches start to fill up with people now the spring is here so riding is not available until they start to clear again in the autumn. It is possible to ride outside of these times but special permissions are needed and they are usually only granted at very early times in the morning so you have to be dedicated. Below is the text from the www.rother.gov website that explains how riding at Camber works.

When can I ride my horse on Camber Sands?

The current byelaws regarding horse riding on the beach are as follows: "No person shall on the seashore break in any horse or other animal, or ride or drive any horse or other animal in a race or so as to cause danger or annoyance to any person using the seashore".

In view of the fact that more people use Camber Sands during the summer season, i.e. between Easter and the end of September, there is greater risk of horses causing danger or annoyance to persons using the seashore. Therefore, horse riders are advised not to take horses onto the sand after 8.30 a.m. or before late evening during this period. It is also always best to choose the best tide, i.e. low tide.

The gates at the main car park at Camber will be locked at 20.00hrs on Fridays and Saturdays and on a Monday if a Bank Holiday follows it.

Horse riding on the sands during the summer season is at the discretion of the Coastal Control Officer based at Camber who can be contacted on 01797 225207; camberoffice@rother.gov.uk

HORSE RIDING IS RESTRICTED TO:

Summer (Easter – 1 October)

You may only ride early mornings and be off the beach by 8.30 am or in the evening after 7.00 pm, both subject to the Coastal Officers approval.
Weekends are best avoided as they are inherently busier, our car parks are locked until 8.30 am, hence parking will not be available. It is also always best to choose the best tide conditions i.e. Low tide.

Winter (1 October to Easter)

Outside of the 'summer season' riding is unrestricted, but please base your visit around low tide as much as possible and be aware that even winter weekends can be very busy.
Horse owners have a duty to clear up any horse mess from the car park before leaving.
The gates at the main car park at Camber will be locked at 8.00 pm on Fridays and Saturdays and on a Monday if a Bank Holiday follows it.

Western Car Park is not accessible for horse boxes or high sided vehicles.
Horse riding on the sands during the summer season is at the discretion of the Coastal Officer based at Camber who can be contacted on 01797 225207.

For information on tide times visit: BBC Tide Tables

HEALTH AND SAFETY SPOT CHECK PASSED WITH FLYING COLOURS

2009-02-27T13:00:00.002Z

Many of you know there is a move by government in the UK to license livery yards. Licensing means that all livery yards will have to demonstrate good Health and Safety practices. If you are looking for a livery yard make sure you ask to see the health and safety policy of the yard - it is there to protect you and the people that work there. Not having a policy says a lot Stone Circle Livery is a British Horse Society Approved Livery Yard. Part of the approval process is to demonstrate a robust Health and Safety policy at the yard. The Environmental Services did a spot check on Stone Circle Livery and we are pleased to report that there were no issues and the inspector reported that high standards were maintained. So well done us! he picture shows the certificate they give you at the inspection. It will be hung on the wall at the yard for all to see.

KENT SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS BREAKFAST

2009-02-24T13:30:00.006Z

Stone Circle Livery was honoured to be asked to talk at the Kent Sustainable Business Breakfast held at the Kent Science Park and hosted by the Institute of Directors and Kent Business Link. Sustainable energy was a hot topic as were renewables. Stone Circle Livery has a long-term ambition to turn over to wind power and many new allegiances were formed that help to make this a reality. Renewable and recycled horse bedding was discussed at length and many new ideas were brought to the table. Stone Circle Livery believes that equestrian businesses can play a big part in creating a sustainable future for us all.

THE SNOW MUST GO ON

2009-02-08T09:21:00.002Z

A busy livery yard has to go to work in all weathers. Here you can see a few pictures from around the yard as the snow began to fall. Ellie's pony, Fairy wasn't sure about the snow but her thick coat seemed to be doing the job. The falling flakes made all of the horses a little excited and it was great watching them belt around the arena enjoying themselves. The design of the yard at Stone Circle LIvery came in to its own with the large overhang providing excellent shelter from the snow blizzards. When we first proposed this design to the planners they were not too keen on it but if anyone out there is building a yard and needs pictures on why a large overhang is an essential feature please let us know and we'll send you some. It may help with your planning application.

OH. SNOW

2009-02-02T17:53:00.002Z

Well it came down hard and stuck. We haven't had snow like this for 18 years apparently. Trains are cancelled and roads are closed. The horses went out today in the snow but were glad to be back in again. The pictures show in and around Stone Circle Livery with a full coating of snow. As we write more snow is forecast overnight so maybe we should ask the farrier about snow shoes! We watched an owl flying low over the snow covered fields and saw a stoat bouncing along a fence line. The funniest thing was watching the kittens trying to work out what snow is. Yesterday and today have been spent fitting stop taps at every automatic water drinker. Just in case we get a big freeze. You can check the forecast at http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/ To see the current weather at Stone Circle Livery, go to http://www.stonecirclelivery.com/weather.asp

CARBON COUNTER AND OFFSETTING THROUGH STONE CIRCLE LIVERY

2009-02-02T13:42:00.004Z

If you visit the CARBON CALCULATOR page on the Stone Circle Livery Website, not only can you calculate your carbon it calculates how many trees it takes to offset this carbon. There is also the opportunity to buy trees directly from the web page through a secure payment gateway instantly. Carbon Offset certificates can be ordered as an email pdf file or sent in the post as a pre-framed certificate. The certificate states how much carbon you have offset. Stone Cicle Livery plant many trees and this is an excellent opportunity to do your bit for the environment. You can also calculate a friends carbon and offset that too and give them the certificate as a gift. Visit the site now to offset your carbon. www.stonecirclelivery.com.