EVER DREAMED OF OWNING YOUR OWN HORSE OR PONY?
Now you can share ours without the cost or time commitments of owning your own!
Riding and Caring for your pony
My sons get so much enjoyment out of riding and caring for their ponies that we decided to offer the experience to other children. I also have my lovely mare Apache Bow so if any parents want to have a go with their children that can be arranged!
I believe that it’s important for the children to be involved in the whole process, from helping catch the pony from the field, grooming and tacking up rather than just being put on for a ride. The children can ride in the sand school and as they progress they can ride over 350 acres of farmland with no roadwork involved.
After the ride, if they want to, the children can help hose off the ponies in hot weather and sometimes help prepare their dinner – which is quite a complex cooking experience with pasture mix, chaff, garlic, cinnamon, magnesium, oils and brewers yeast! Later on in the year when the ponies are stabled they can also help with mucking out and filling haynets and other stable management duties.
Most children love to ride but they get an equal amount of enjoyment from spending time with the ponies on the ground and most importantly learn that there is much more to ponies that just riding them!
Pony Sessions
The pony sessions last for around an hour, with a minimum of 20 minutes riding and cost £10. Obviously if your child wants to be involved in all of the stable and yard duties then you will need to allow extra time.
The sessions are run after school and in the morning and early evenings of the school holidays as it’s not fair on the children or ponies to be out in the heat of the day. However, if this summer turns out like last year we won’t need to worry about the sun! You can book as a one off or for regular weekly sessions but do try to book early as there has been a lot of interest and places are strictly limited. I am not offering weekend riding as this is the time I like to reserve for me and my children and for attending shows, although if this is the only time you can do please call me and I will try to sort something out.
Book Online
Check out the availability page to see when one of our horses/ponies is available and enjoy… without the commitment or expense of owning your own horse/pony. If it is your first time you need to fill in a few details prior to booking and after that you will have your own log-in so you can book simply and quickly next time.
The Legal Stuff
At this point I must say that I am not a qualified riding instructor, nor is the livery yard a licensed riding school and no indemnity insurance is held. In coming to the yard you are doing so at your own risk and you are responsible for your child at all times and I cannot be held responsible for any accidents. I will, of course, be on hand to help you but you must be prepared to supervise and assist your child. If your child has not ridden before you will need to be prepared to lead them or walk alongside if someone else is leading. I must stress that I am not offering formal riding lessons but the opportunity to experience your own pony. If you do require formal riding lessons I can recommend Tremaines in Horsted Keynes.
It’s a shame that this needs to be said but it’s a sign of the times!
Happy Riding,
Laura