Pony tales from the stables of Cheshire Pony Parties.
Simpy wonderful childrens parties and other pony activities in a delightful Orchard setting in Cheshire.
Well, Saturday was a bit of a worrying day - I'd found one of the ponies had dodged the electric fence and having 'stuffed' herself silly was waiting, asking to return to the starvation paddock!!
When I tried to let her back into the paddock one of the other ponies kept coming over, preventing the over-indulged pony from coming back in, which was a bit strange.
When I finally got the pony back into the paddock the other one started attacking her - she was chasing her round, biting her bottom.
Now you do sometimes see this when you introduce a new pony to the group and you sometimes see older ponies attack younger ones - they'll chase one til it's exhausted - I have once seen the after effects and it's just not pleasant.
I didn't have time to figure out WHY this was happening - I just HAD to get the pony that was being attacked OUT.
I grabbed a headcollar, jumped into the field at which point the attacker stopped - the worry is that the one being chased will do ANYTHING to get away - even go through a seemingly impenetrable hedge onto a road (my concern).
Anyway I soon got the headcollar on and moved the pony under attack to another paddock.
By this point we were running late for my daughters opticians appointment so we rushed over and 'did' the eye appointment which gave me time to think about why the attack might have happened - I've never seen these 2 ponies be aggressive in any way to each other so it was a bit odd.
I came to the conclusion that
the attacker is the dominant female in that group and as such should 'lead' the group to food, water, out of danger etc
the attacker didn't like the fact that the other pony had found some really delicious, long grass, as they were all supposed to be on a diet on my starvation paddock!
because the escapee had found the grass, it was taken to be a sign of trying to take over as leader
hence the attack
Well that's my verdict anyway!
So much for trying to keep them trim!
I have to say I'm now giving them a tiny morcel of hay morning and night, they're all in together, I have kept watch over them and 2 days later all is still calm.
My verdict - the starvation paddock was a bit too restricted for them and they may have been a TINY bit hungry but also they were bored - and what does boredom create - problems (just like in kids!).
Solution - give them something to occupy them and a TINY bit of food - ie hay - it just seems to be enough to keep them and their tummy's happy.
You don’t get a second go at your child’s birthday party so choose wisely, using our handy guide!
Do they listen to your requirements?
It’s important to create a party that’s suitable for the age group and number of children including any special requirements – does the organization take these into consideration?
Testimonials
A really good indication of children having had a fantastic party is reading any testimonials the organization publishes from happy customers.
One or two is good but a string of current testimonials is a very reassuring sign.
Check out their facebook page - Facebook provides you with a feel of the person behind the business – what they put on facebook can give a hint as to their approach to parties.
Can you visit before the party
A visit to the location is a great opportunity to meet the person who is going to be responsible for entertaining your child and party guests. You can also see the location where the party will be held and look over the ponies, who should appear happy and healthy – not too fat nor too thin.
Safety aspects
Are there safety signs around the location and/or is there a safety briefing at the start of the party?
How do you know the pony handlers have sufficient knowledge and experience to handle the pony and children mix!
Does the saddle/equipment appear in good working order and to fit the ponies?
You should also check that the organization has appropriate insurance (public liability insurance is compulsory)
Cheshire Pony Parties is one of the longest established pony party providers in the UK. We welcome pre-arranged, pre-party visits and can work around most requirements.
Our safety rules are born from many years experience of managing equines, based upon sound knowledge.
Our aim is to provide ‘smiles all round’ whilst keeping everyone safe and our ponies healthy and happy.
We want to your visit to be a memorable one with smiles all around.
The following offers a taste of what you can expect.
• Visits here provide a very personal and unique experience.
• Our setting is idyllic, rural and rustic. We are not a large riding establishment simply a horsey family – your visit provides exclusive access to our private garden/orchard which include a variety of established fruit and other trees and bushes.
• Our ponies are adorable, tiny, child friendly, patient, cuddly, gentle, well-mannered, healthy and happy.
• We don’t just ‘go through the motions’- we interact with our visitors to ensure they feel special and make the experience really enjoyable for them – our testimonials give a flavour of the attention we pay to the children
• We also unobtrusively adapt each session to the needs/confidence level of the visitors, taking care to build confidence where needed or challenge more confident children so everyone goes away having had a great time
• Parents also enjoy the relaxed atmoshphere as well as the chit chat about ponies in general and our personal pony tales.
• We’ve got heaps of experience of working with ponies and children and plenty of knowledge, experience and tales from riding, training, driving, competing, breeding and generally caring for horses and ponies over many years.
• We also enjoy giving children such immense pleasure from spending time with the ponies.
February half term is fast approaching and I've put together a summary of what your children can enjoy here - They canride, groom and pamper a pony - we've got red ribbons and hearts for a valentine's themed week!! Depending on the activity we might do an orchard walk, see if the snowdrops are out yet and find any acorns that the squirrels have left! We may even see if the fairies are playing! They may do a quizz about the ponies or if they're really lucky go in the paddock and stroke all 4 ponies! Older children can attempt leading one of the ponies around our obstacle course - a bit of a challenge!!!
As you can see the ponies are fairly hairy at the moment - sporting full winter coats! Lots of brushing required!!!
Here's why we think you should bring your kids;
Visits here provide a very personal and unique experience.
Our setting is idyllic, rural and rustic. We are not a large riding establishment simply a horsey family – your visit provides exclusive access to our private garden/orchard which include a variety of established fruit and other trees and bushes.
Our ponies are adorable, tiny, child friendly, patient, cuddly, gentle, well-mannered, healthy and happy.
We don’t just ‘go through the motions’- we interact with our visitors to ensure they feel special and make the experience really enjoyable for them – our testimonial give a flavour of the attention we pay to the children
We also unobtrusively adapt each session to the needs/confidence level of the visitors,taking care to build confidence where needed or challenge more confident children so everyone goes away having had a great time
Parents also enjoy the relaxed atmoshphere as well as the chit chat about ponies in general and our personal pony tales.
We’ve got heaps of experience of working with ponies and children and plenty of knowledge, experience and tales from riding, training, driving, competing, breeding and generally caring for horses and ponies over many years.
We also enjoy giving children such immense pleasure from spending time with the ponies.
But don't just take our word for it-this is what our customers say-
"I cant thank you enough for such a fabulous day. You, your daughter and your ponies were all fantastic. Thanks a million for making it so special."
"I just wanted to thank you again for Francesca's wonderful experience last Sunday. She hasn't stopped talking about Poppy and her "horse riding teacher" since. The whole session was perfect for her and she now has lots of envious little friends whose Mummies are gutted you're not closer to us.
Thank you again, it was truly wonderful and both Rich and I thought great value for money. Hopefully we'll be able to come and see you again next year when we're back at Fishpool."
"You're one in of a kind"
"Just wanted to thank you for a lovely party you made the birthday girl feel really special and although Olivia is extremely shy she chattted about the pony tricks being the highlight. She will always have a memorable time to cherish and I have no hestitation in recommending Cheshire Ponies."
Well this weather is really most weird-this time last year we were taking my daughter to her birthday party at water world nr Stoke and it was so snowy we weren't sure we'd make it. Even our dog had to wear a coat (see pic left!) This year, apparently, November has been the warmest in 350 years. So how's this affecting the ponies?
By now the grass has usually stopped growing and so the quantity and nutritional value both drop. The ponies get fed up as there's not much grass and what there is isn't very tasty!! Normally by this time they're having hay in the field to supplement the grass AND they're in at night to try and keep them off the grass to make it last a little longer!
So far, the ponies have had hay on 2 days-that was only because it was pretty chilly and they were looking a bit bored. By giving them hay they have something different to focus on, and it stops them finding other things to do, like trying to push through the now bare hedges trying to find something succulent to eat! (Oh the mind games!) Equines stomachs are designed to process food 24 hours a day which means they need to be at least picking all day and all night-really difficult in the summer when I'd really like to stop them eating at night and lock them in the stable with NO hay BUT I've found Demi really struggles with that regime-so they HAVE to have a little something!
As it's been much warmer than usual (apart from a couple of days and nights), I've been happy for the ponies to stay out ie not be stabled at night-it's more natural for them, far cheaper for me as no bedding or hay to provide AND it's far less time consuming!! A win win situation!
Now I'm a believer in leaving them as natural as possible, given the very unnatural environment we keep our equines in in the modern world. The native Shetland and Welsh Mountain ponies I have are built to withstand tough weather conditions. However nobody told Poppy or Demi that and they do actually shiver when they get chilly!! They can usually cope with cold air but they really suffer if it's raining heavily and there's a wind-it just pushes the rain through their coat and onto their skin-THAT's when they start shivering.
So far this year none of the ponies have had rugs on. In nature there would be some shelter-small wood, overhanging hedge etc, however, again in the modern world we have our hedges neat and most horses are kept on neat handkerchief patches of grass with few trees for protection. Ideally I'd like the ponies to have some shelter to hide in if necessary. Both the fields we use do have good hedges, however when the weather does turn I'll move them to a different field where they can go in to the stables if they want to.
Jinny and Maisie have a double coat-they have shorter hairs plus really long hairs that keep them super toasty-I had to drag Jinny into her stable last year when it was -17' outside-she wasn't bothered at all-neither of them wear rugs-I do keep checking to make sure they're not shivering under all that hair but they're quite happy outside!
We've also managed to keep the horses out 24/7 so far-they feel the cold far more than the ponies as they're not built to withstand harsh weather, however they've all had rugs on for about 4 weeks AND they've had hay in the field day and night to keep them busy and full! They'll come in at night now to preserve what's left of the grass to try and make it last as long as possible!
Oh, and my old lady, Katie, who's a real foodie started leaving her hay towards the end of the winter-it's pretty dry, not very tasty by then and I guess not really very palatable, especially if you're an old lady! This winter I'm going to try her on a bit of haylage-just as hay it's dried grass, but not left to dry out as much before being baled so it's more juicy and I think holds more nutrients-hopefully she'll eat it and the extra nutrients will help to keep the weight on her (a particular problem with older horses).
Oh and my big girl, Kandi who's in foal has to be fed to keep the weight on and let the foal grow but NOT let her get too fat-if you over-fuel the foal it can cause real problems with their joints when they've popped out-so she's the only one getting 'hard' feed ie feed in a bucket-I've just started giving her a specially formulated mix for broodmares as I thought she was losing a bit of condition.
Ahh-so how do you tell if they need more food?
Well I'll leave that to another post!
Anyone got any questions?
If you'd like to know more about caring for ponies-perhaps your a new owner (horse OR pony) or you'd like a refresher please take a look at my 'keeping ponies happy and healthy' course which also covers safety of children around ponies!
With the ponies being a little quieter now we're into Autumn, I've finally had time to create some courses to show others how I operate my pony party business-what works for me, what others do, how I price products, how I entertain the children, how I manage to get such wonderful testimonials and referrals from parents, how I care for the ponies etc. My experience is available in short courses, one 'everything you need to know' 'ultimate pony party training course' or in electronic versions (well they will be shortly!). I'm also working on a really easy franchising option ,where the office here does all the 'office stuff' for you, leaving you to concentrate on delivering fantastic experiences, parties and activities for the children. You can contact me or find out more at the link below . http://www.cheshireponyparties.co.uk/businessopportunity.php If you'd like to listen to my story it's here; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn9Ssx0m2G8&feature=player_detailpage
Imagine your child applying classroom lessons in Maths and English to real life aspects of pony care .....
Well now they can, with the help of our miniature ponies as the subject!
Measuring, placing them in size order, multiplying, ratios, comprehensions, listening, reports and more.
Our outdoor workshops have been designed by a primary school teacher and are very closely linked to the national curriculum.
Learning couldn't be more fun!
School visits for September and October 2011 now being taken with introductory offer available
