Pony Fun – by Lisa Gregory

I can’t believe that we are already into the second month of 2020 and we are about to start our special programme of activities for our young riders.

We have a popular programme of pony fun for every school holiday and, as February brings half term, of course, we will kick off next week.

Pony Activity Sessions

Our Pony Activity Sessions are fun and informative;they are for four-year-olds upwards. The two-hour session includes a riding lesson, grooming, helping to tack up, and lots of pony games. It also includes a drink and a small snack. I think these ‘My Little Pony’ mornings are perfect for introducing the joy of riding and pony care to children who do not yet have riding lessons, but we also find that our young pupils who are already learning to ride enjoy them just as much.

It is a chance to really get close to your pony and begin to learn handling skills in a supervised and controlled environment. And, of course, it’s lots of fun too!

Our first pony activity session is on Wednesday, February 19th, from 10am to 12 noon and the cost is £45. Don’t worry if you can’t do this first one, as we have lots of other dates throughout the year, which are Wednesday, April 15th; Wednesday, July 22nd; Wednesday, August 5th; Wednesday, August 19th; Wednesday, October 28th; and, finally, Wednesday, December 30th, for a fun-filled festive morning.

We have a very special themed session planned for October 28th! Dress up in your Halloween costumes and enjoy pony apple bobbing and lots more spooky pony games. The morning includes a riding session.

Magical Unicorns Experience

Lots of children love the sparkly world of unicorns, so we are also offering a magical unicorn experience on the last Sunday of every month.

Aimed at children from the age of four upwards, this 45-minute session starts at 2pm and costs £40, which includes a special unicorn hot chocolate in our Ranch Bistro.

This is a fun-filled experience that children will love. They can dress up the ponies with sparkly accessories, paint their hooves with glitter and then ride their ‘unicorns’. This activity can also be booked for parties.

Children’s Riding Courses

And, of course, throughout the year we will be running our weekend children’s courses. Each course lasts for six weeks at a total cost of £150 and each lesson last for 30 minutes.

Our highly experienced instructors guide our youngsters from our Intro To Riding course, through Riding Improvement, on to Intermediate and, ultimately, our Advanced level. Again, we accept children from the age of four upwards.

The timings for these courses are as follows:
Saturdays – Children’s Riding Improvement, 9.30am; Children’s Intro To Riding, 10.15am; Children’s Intermediate, 11am; and Children’s Advanced, 11.45am.
Sundays – Children’s Intro To Riding, 9.30am.

Private lessons can also be booked.

Paddock Rides

On Sundays, we also have paddock rides for children aged four upwards. These are available at 10.15am and 11am, and each lasts for 30 minutes. They are perfect for giving children their first experience of sitting on a pony. The cost is £20.

Daily Treks

Of course, alongside all our special children’s activities, we mustn’t forget our daily 1- and 2-hour treks. Our 1-hour trek, costing £40 per person, is perfect for younger riders (from seven years upwards), and is walk and trot only. Older children (those ten years old and above) are also welcome on our 2-hour mixed ability trek, and those children with more riding experience may be able to join our 2-hour experienced trek. Both 2-hour treks are £60 per person.

25th Anniversary Celebration

This is a very special year for the trekking centre. We celebrate our 25th anniversary on Saturday, 20th June, and we are planning a full day of celebrations that promise to be lots of fun for children, and for mums and dads too! So keep watching our website and Facebook page for further details.

And please don’t hesitate to contact the centre directly if you have questions or need further information. A full list of our activities can be found on the website.

CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES 2019

CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES

It’s a new year and I have loads of new activities planned to take place here at the trekking centre.

Obviously the centre is growing and I am always thinking of fun ways for our young riders to learn and to interact with our lovely ponies and I have introduced a whole children’s schedule.

Every week we have our PONY CLUB for children aged four and over. This runs each Wednesday from 4pm to 5pm.

This is perfect for every child who ever dreams of owning their own pony. It is a fun and exciting opportunity to get close to a pony, with kids learning stable management, how to groom and look after a horse and obviously includes a riding lesson.

This is pony club with a difference. Throughout the year we will be adding all sorts of fun activities and there will be the chance to play gymkhana games, try Western riding and have a go at bare back.

I always think children learn best through fun and it is important that they become “horse savvy”. It is fine to focus on learning to ride, but pony handling is a very important skill.

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We always try to listen to what our clients want and we aim to keep things fun and exciting for our children. So we have added a very special event every winter Wednesday at 5.15pm.

All children love the sparkly world of UNICORNS and we are offering a magical Unicorn experience. Little girls love the idea of dressing up ponies and we have had many requests for Unicorn fun.

It will include brushing and grooming, painting glitter on pony hooves and decorating with fun accessories. Then they will be able to ride their unicorns to music.

This activity will run until the end of March, when it will switch to Sunday afternoons. It is also available for private party hire on Sundays.

 

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School holidays will bring a whole feast of trekking centre activities.

MY LITTLE PONY is a two hour activity session which includes grooming, plaiting, a riding lesson and fun and games. It also includes a small snack and a drink. Dates:
Wednesday February 20th, Wednesday April 17th, Wednesday July 24th, Wednesday August 7th, Wednesday October 20th and Friday December 27th.

The October session will have a Halloween theme with fancy dress, games and apple bobbing for the ponies. The December date will be a Christmas party theme.

 

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HOME ON THE RANCH is a morning of cuddly pets. Spend two hours with our ponies, donkey, bunnies and Pygmy goats. This includes a paddock ride and a small snack and drink. Dates: Thursday February 21st, Thursday April 18th, Thursday July 25th, Thursday August 8th, Thursday October 31st. This one will have a Halloween theme.

 

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Our RIDING SCHOOL is open from Wednesday to Sunday every week and on Saturdays we have a programme for children.

INTRO TO RIDING begins at 9.45am and introduces our young riders to the first steps of walking and trotting. RIDING IMPROVEMENT is aimed at children who have completed six weeks of the intro class and introduces canter for the first time. INTERMEDIATE RIDING looks at the transition to jumping and basic dressage. This is for age seven and upwards.

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On Sundays we have PADDOCK RIDES for young children at 10am and 11am. And obviously there are opportunities for slightly older kids to join our TREKS on Cannock Chase.

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Please contact the centre for prices and booking information and keep an eye on our website and Facebook page throughout the year.

Gymkhana Fun

Put your riding and sporting skills to the test with a morning of fun gymkhana-style competeitions. Age 7 upwards

Stable Management

A one day course with loads to learn about caring for the horses, starting with a theory session with BHS registered instructor, Karen Hudson, followed by a one-hour trek and an afternoon of practical experience working with the horses on the yard.