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SUMMER NEWSLETTER
We are now approaching one of our busiest times and have lots of events planned for the summer holiday period, including a picnic ride for our younger clients! We are also launching riding breaks for beginners. These 2 days will be packed with lessons, mini-treks and a pub trek as well as lots of opportunity to be very hands on with the horses and ponies - a sure confidence giver.
The loan scheme is proving to be really successful, with both clients and the horses benefitting from that special 1 to 1 relationship. There are still horses available for loan so please speak to us if you are interested. For children, the summer holidays are ideal for benefitting from the loan experience. We hold details of horses and ponies coming up for loan and will be only too happy to talk to you about the scheme and the horse that might be just right for you. Now let me tell you about what has been happening with the horses since the last newsletter:-
HORSES/PONIES
Mr P (Monsieur Poirrot) is now back at the yard with Lo. He has settled in really well and seems to be happy sharing a field with his old friends. His first night here was a bit of a disaster as he went in a field with Henry, who totally disliked him and bit him in numerous places. We had to rescue him quickly from this bullying behaviour and join him up with Barny Pee who is a kind and gentle horse. Mr P still does not like riding out alone but is very good in company and so he will be available to some trekkers who are very light with their hands. We are riding him in the school but he is not a horse for beginners. He is quite a character and very handsome.
Barny Pee, Splodge, Dollar, Daisy, Henry, Murphy and King are each very lucky loan ponies. They are being loved and groomed by their loan owners, having regular bathing sessions, having their hooves moisturised, their tails combed constantly and generally enjoying the 1 to 1 attention lavished upon them. Their loan owners are benefitting greatly too. Their regular lessons and riding sessions have helped them to become more competent riders, very knowledgeable and confident around the horses and ponies. They have all become friends too so that has worked out really well. The loan contracts for Geronimo and Rosie are now expired so they are waiting for new loan owners as are Toffee, Penny, Spirit and Star.
Murphy has had his chest and tummy clipped out as this hot weather means that he is sweaty all of the time. He seems to suffer from the heat more than most. He also hates the flies more than most so you may see him wearing his fly fringe to keep the flies away from his ears. We are going to try something similar for Mr P. He is mainly black and attracts lots of flies that make him rather uncomfortable. The black fly mask that was bought for him clearly did not work as he kept hooking it off and I found it floating in his water trough on many occasions.
With little grass in the fields now owing to this prolonged dry weather, all of the horses and ponies are down on the yard regularly to be checked over and to fill their tummies with haylage. Getting them out of the fields now is absolutely no problem-so different from when there is grass to be eaten!
Henry, who has a thinner coat than the cobs and is just a little finer, despite being so tall, is the only horse who stays in some nights if it is raining. He shivers if he gets cold and wet and uses all of his energy trying to keep warm, even on these July nights. His loan owner likes to make sure that she checks the weather forecast and ensures that he has a good straw bed to lie in if bad weather is about. He does actually like his bed and all 17.1hh of him is stretched out asleep in his stable for much of the night!
Sox and Jigsaw are still out with the foals on some lovely pasture. Both of these cobs will be coming back to the yard soon to start work. They look beautiful now. I am sure that both of them will be firm favourites with all of you. The foals are looking fat and happy. We have been fortunate to acquire some additional, temporary grazing nearby. The 6 youngsters have been moved there for a few weeks and are steadily munching their way through abundant pasture!!!
DONKEYS
The hard working donkeys are out on the parks enjoying this fine weather. At Markeaton Park in Derby the donkeys are having a new, wooden shelter built for them to shade them from the sun and the donkeys at Kingsbury Water Park will be having a new track and a new shelter built for them next year. All the donkeys are well although poor Fudge is not able to go to work yet as he is still suffering from hair loss and is very susceptible to sun burn! The donkeys at Lichfield Park have now been joined by Jamie s pedalos! This a is a new venture that he has undertaken and he and 2 of his donkey staff are now qualified pedalo operatives! Look out for the wetsuits!!!
Finally, here are some diary dates for you. These are the planned events for the school holiday period:
KINGSBURY WATER PARK PICNIC RIDE 10.00 -2.00 £40.00
Monday 1st August
Wednesday 17th August
Wednesday 24th August
Friday 2nd September
OWN A PONY DAY 10.00-4.00 £55.00
Friday 5th August
Wednesday 31st August
KIDDIES PUB TREK 10.00-2.00 £40.00
Friday 29th July
Friday 26th August
PONY GAMES DAY 10.00-2.00 £45.00
Monday 25th July
Friday 12th August
Spaces on all of these activities are limited but a £10.00 deposit will secure a place for you. All of our other activities will be continuing. Lessons, mini-treks and pub treks as well as our regular Water Park Treks will take place throughout the summer so please book early. Riding breaks with overnight accomodation are proving popular too so why not join us and stay over?
Have a great summer, HAPPY RIDING and we look forward to seeing you all soon.