Thermography - How it's helping our beautiful equines...

Hiiiiiiiiiiiii everyone!

Hope you're all good!

Just an update on the old thermal imaging, I submitted another case study on a lovely Selle Français called Jimmy earlier this week which has since been approved! That's 3 down and 7 more to go! Bring it on!

I've had a couple of scans scheduled in for this week and unfortunately, these haven't gone ahead so I've moved them to next week. So scanning wise this week I've had a pretty quiet week. 

That said, I've received some amazing feedback from Lucy who owns Star - one of the horses I have used previously for a case study. 

At the time of the scan Star had gone lame following a visit from the farrier. I believe another visit from the farrier and some box rest and Star was still not sound. I took some additional pictures of the underneath of Star's foot which highlighted inflammation on the insides of her front feet. 

This week I heard back from Lucy, she has since changed her farrier to one of the best in country and found out that poor Star had a corn and had also received such bad shoeing - a good trim and a new set of shoes, the pair will be getting ready to head out competing again in no time!

I cannot tell you how happy I am to hear this kind of feedback, it means the absolute world to me to know I am doing exactly what I've set out to do. 


I'm still working on new ideas to expand my blog so watch this space over the next coming weeks!


Jess x

Hard work does pay off!/The future of BaileyCakes...

Evening! 

At the end of last week/beginning of this week I submitted two of my ten case studies needed to complete my Thermography Technician qualification. 

The scans I have done previously I haven't been 100% happy with for different reasons such as the stable environment not being big enough to capture a certain area in the frame, one of the horses was a tad excited and the angle and composition of the other just needed some tweaking. I want to make sure I'm not just a good thermographer but a great one so I have scheduled to re-do these scans. 

The horse and the pony

So for the two I have submitted I borrowed two of my friends gorgeous horse and pony; Toby and Star.

This is Toby, he is a cheeky welsh x arab who mainly works on the flat and does the odd unaffiliated dressage test. He is also one of the ponies I am currently riding to a) keep me in the saddle but without the commitment of having a horse just whilst I'm setting up my business and b) to help my friend Laura keep him fit as she has about 3468548 different jobs! Ok slight exaggeration but she's a busy lady so she may as well have that many jobs haha!

This is Star, she is a WB x TB and just so happens to be a very talented lady who does BSJA. I must say Star has one of the most adorable relationships with my friend Lucy and I loved working with them both. 

The review

After a nervous week of waiting for my tutor Sandie to mark my scans I booked some time in with her to review them. I know how much of a perfectionist Sandie is and so I was a little apprehensive about our review however, that was all for nothing as both of my scans got approved!! 

During our phone call Sandie also asked whether I wanted to do the Licensee Programme with Equitherm where I would basically be able to work as a Thermographer but under the Equitherm brand rather than going out there in the big wide world alone. Ok so this is an option for students when you pick your course but to actually be asked to consider doing it meant a lot to me.

Then if that wasn't enough...

The following night after my scan review I received an email from Sandie asking me to call her urgently, in a bit of a panic I rang thinking something was wrong with my camera order or my case studies. 

Isn't it just always the case that when someone tells you to ring them it's urgent you can never get through on the first attempt? Yeah I had that too! For the next 10 or so minutes after I tried to call back through I had what I felt was a mini mid-life crisis thinking of all of the possible things that it could be. 

I eventually got through to only be asked whether I wanted to go to the one and only Burghley Horse Trials with Sandie and some others to promote thermal imaging! At this point I had gone from worrying my head off to ecstatic within the space of 30 seconds! 

It just goes to show hard work really does pay off!

The future of BaileyCakes...

Over the past week I have been thinking a lot about my blog, don't worry it's not going anywhere as I absolutely love sharing my different view of the equestrian world with you. I'm just thinking of what else I can bring to the table or blog should I say. 

BaileyCakes works so well and I have had so much good feedback about it on a global scale that I didn't think it would ever have. So before I went ahead and made changes I wanted to know how you guys would feel about me re-branding the blog?

The things I have in mind to add to the blog are:

• Putting together some product reviews
• Career advice/motivation
• Guest bloggers
• Equestrian Fashion

I named this blog after my late horse Bailey and I'm 100% not just ditching him now, if it wasn't for Bailey I wouldn't be doing my thermal imaging and I wouldn't be doing my blog. He is my inspiration for everything I'm doing now whether that's helping be the voice of the horse via thermal imaging or sharing my findings with you on here in hope that they either help you, make you smile or even inspire you to go after your goals like I am.

Please comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

The man behind it all! - BaileyCakes x

Jess x

15 Things All Equestrians Will Relate To...

ALL equestrians will relate too..

• Since your first canter you've been hooked and never looked back!

• You suffer with RWS (Riding Withdrawal Symptoms) when you haven't ridden in over a week

• No matter what kind of day you've had seeing your horse makes everything much better

• You will find more pictures of your horse on your phone then any family members

• Over the years you develop two tack rooms; one at the yard and one at home

• You turn into your local weather reporter with your outstanding knowledge of the forthcoming weeks weather

• With all of your weather knowledge you then have the big decision as to what weight rug to put on...

• Then you have to decide whether to put on the rug with the neck rug or the one without...

• Then if that wasn't enough you're then faced with do you put on the checked rug, the red one or blue one? Because we all know there are at least three options per rug weight... you know just as back ups and not because of our obsession with shopping for our horse which leads me onto the next point...

• The excitement of shopping for your horse is much greater than it is for when you go shopping for yourself

• When you know you're coming off...

• Your first horse was your dog

• You find your colleagues pulling hay/bits of mud off you for the whole duration of your shift after a wet 'n' wild morning on the yard

• Your colleagues think you just sit there on the horses back and don't understand how dressage is a sport. We all know this would be them on their first go...

• Ultimately your best friend is your horse

Jess x