HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOAT FARM EQUESTRIAN!! We were one year old on the 21st October! John and I can’t believe how quickly the year has gone and how much we have learnt (and will continue to learn) over the last twelve months. It seems incredible to think that only twelve months ago, the stables and riding school just didn’t exist at all and were only derelict and neglected outbuildings to a non working farm. I so much wish we had taken more “before and after” photographs, but at the time, we never realised the full extent of the transformation. Work continued even after we had opened and the heated common room with vending machines, comfy sofa’s, magazines etc opened in the New Year. This has been so much used both by our riding school and livery Clients and also for stable management courses and for our new Pony Club.
We started Nationial Pony Club during the school summer holidays and now have eighteen members who enjoy a one and a half hour session each Friday from 4.30pm until 6.00pm. The cost of each session is £12 and so far the children have gained their Handling and Grooming Badge and Points of the Pony badge and are working towards their Saddlery and Tacking Up badge. The sessions are a mixture of practical work with the adorable shetland ponies and course work in the common room. Our members range in age from five to fourteen years. From a group of children who didn’t know each other at all (and who were as quiet as mice to begin with!), we now have a happy little group who work well together. The confidence they have gained in handling the horses and ponies is amazing. We are always happy to accept new members, so if you feel your child would benefit, just give us a call or turn up for one of the Pony Club sessions.
I have to come clean and say that the acquisition of the shetland ponies was John’s idea and one I was a bit sceptical about. How wrong I was (but don’t tell him I said that). They are wonderful, biddable little creatures who have been fantastic with the Pony Club activities and who have really come into their own for Shetland Pony Birthday Parties. We launched the parties in late August and so far have been giving one party a week for a maximum of ten children. On all but one occasion (probably one of the wettest Sundays of the year) we have managed a ride out on the beach after grooming the shetlands and games in the indoor school. All our young guests have had a great time and we have been pleased to receive several lovely “thank you” cards from their parents. Again, the confidence the children gain in just two hours has to be seen to be believed. Many are keen but nervous, the games break the ice and by the time we “hit the beach”, most of the kids want to gallop!! We offer two hour Shetland Pony Birthday Parties at a cost of £25.00 per child (to include food) or £20 (without food). All food is prepared and delivered on the day by the Old Mill at Bardsea and a shetland pony birthday cake can be ordered as well at a cost of between £8.00 and £10.00 depending upon size.
We have so many plans for the next twelve months, including carriage driving – both lessons and rides on the beach. We have just bought on e-bay a wonderful carriage which will need a bit of renovation work but will seat six and will be great for rides along the Coast Road. Velvet, our newest recruit, is a “ride and drive” having (poor love) pulled a rag and bone cart in Burnley for sometime. Velvet is looking forward to pulling the carriage as well as having proved herself to be an excellent riding school pony. She is similar in height and build to Charlie Watts so shares his workload. More info on the carriage situation in the New Year!
We have just planned our Winter Programme which will take us through from the end of November to the end of March 2010. This will include Dressage Competitions, Cear Round Jumping, Combined Training, Jumps Up on a Sunday and the Moat Farm Shetland Pony Grotto (on Sunday 20th December). More details will be posted on the website within the next seven days. We do hope that everyone will support our Winter events. We are always being told that there is so little to do in the winter, that we decided to devote as many Sundays as we can to keep you all happy and active (and your horses as well).
The demand for riding lessons has taken us completely by surprise. Lauren has worked her socks off from the very beginning. We were pleased to take on board Deana in Spring of this year when it became apparent that the demand was so great for lessons. We now handle between 70 and 80 riding lessons a week which is a figure we never even dreamt of!
In addition to the one to one lessons, we also offer an Adult Flatwork Class (Tuesdays between 7.00pm and 8.00pm) with numbers limited to four at a cost of £15.00 on your own horse or pony, Introduction to Jumping on Wednesdays between 6.00pm and 7.00pm – again numbers limited to four and at a cost of £15.00 and our new Adult Jumping Class on a Saturday between 1.00pm and 2.00pm.
The Stable Management Classes and Dressage Course have just finished but we will be re-offering these, due to their success, early Next Year.
Perhaps one of the most amazing sights of the last twelve months was the Monty Roberts Demonstration which we held a few weeks ago. Caroline Jennings, a Monty Roberts Approved Instructor, came over from Ireland to put poor Luci and Yasmin through the exams (they passed of course – well done!!) and agreed to do a demonstration. My own pony, Reg the Exmoor, was chosen as he is incredibly nervous and is proving difficult to break. I can honestly say that Caroline did not meet Reg at all until he was led into the pen in the indoor school. what happened next took my breath away. In the space of just under half an hour, Reg followed Caroline around the pen like a puppy, walked over a sheet of tarpaulin and allowed himself to be touched all over his body with a piece of plastic attached to a long pole. All this from a pony that can barely be rugged up without leaping in the air. The woman is a genius and we will be very pleased to welcome her back in February when she will be offering a three day course in the Mony Roberts methods and, hopefully, another demonstration.
None of the last twelve months would have been possible without our dedicated staff and we thank them so much for all they have done. The Livery Clients we have at the moment have been wonderful with all their help and support and we are pleased to have them on the yard.
We all want Moat to go from strength to strength and we thank you for your support during the last year and look forward to offering you even more in the next twelve months.
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