Tidy up time for Teddy

My buddy Teddy has been looking rather hairy lately.  He is quite an old chap, (don’t tell him I said that!), this means that he hangs onto his really woolly winter coat for ages and ages.

We are all losing hair at the moment but Teddy had obviously decided that it might still snow and was not really shedding any hair.  it has been so warm the last couple of weeks he has been suffering a little bit in the heat, so Nicky decided it was time to take action and get the clippers out. 

Teddy post-clipping, looking rather dapper!

Teddy has had an all over clip, with one little exception.  Teddy now is sporting a love heart on his bottom!  I am sure he feels much better since his haircut but I am not sure how he feels about the heart.  All the staff love him though so I guess it is quite a fitting tribute for him. 

Teddy's heart...

On the Horse Weekend things went one step further when Kerri got the paint out – Teddy soon had a blue heart! As you can see this made it stand out even more!

...and now its Blue!

Fun and Games with Midland Heart

This week we have had a large group of people here from an organisation called Midland Heart.  They have all been to visit us in the stables and have had a great time.

 They all had to work together in teams to learn about us equines, they had a go at tacking up their horses for riding with help from our volunteers.  They also helped to lead the horses while other members of their team were riding them. 

Some of them were really scared of horses at the beginning of their session but soon got used to being around us with help from yours truly and all the other lovely horses here.  It was great to see those who were a bit worried at the start get on a horse and have a brilliant time.

Brin in particular was very popular, he seemed to gain a lot of new fans this week; he's a big handsome fellow, but I'm always going to come tops as I will always be cuter!

Brin in action in the outdoor arena

Driving Demonstration

Last Friday night it was time for the driving team to show off their skills once more.  Nicky, Duchess and Hendrix put on a demonstration for the North Devon Riding Club.  Some of the riding club members came along to see what was involved in carriage driving.

All the riding club members have their own horses but not many of them do carriage driving with their horses, they are mostly riding horses. Nicky, Kerri and Alice got Duchess ready first.  She was harnessed up and did a demonstration in the outdoor arena with Nicky driving her in the four wheeled carriage. They showed how to navigate around a course of cones.

Some of the people who had come to watch had a go at standing on the back step of the carriage while Duchess was trotting – this is great fun as the person on the back has to lean around the corners to help to keep the carriage balanced. I would like to try it but sadly I don’t think my four feet would fit on the step!

Duchess at full speed (photo kindly provided by North Devon Riding Club)

Nicky explained to everyone the difference between holding the reins for carriage driving and holding the reins for riding.  Some of the riding club members had a practice at holding carriage driving reins with “Bob”, the training horse in the yard.  

Bob the training horse

This was actually quite tricky for them, because they are all used to holding riding reins. Then it was time for Hendrix to show his stuff.  He was harnessed up and put to the 2 wheeler carriage. Hendrix had two sets of reins on so that a few people could have a little go at driving with Nicky. 

Hendrix said that all the people thought he was marvellous; but then he would say that wouldn’t he?  I did roll my eyes at him! 
The riding club very kindly gave a donation to Calvert Trust Exmoor at the end of the evening. Maybe some of them will now want to try carriage driving. We horses are so versatile and fantastic at doing different things; got to go now, I feel an agility workout is on the cards for me! 

Open Day

Last Monday we had an Open Day at Calvert Trust Exmoor. These days are always very busy but great fun. 

This time the weather was really great; we had a day filled with sunshine.  Most of us horses and ponies had a lovely day out in the field but two special horses were working hard.

Duchess and Hendrix spent the day giving carriage rides to people who had come to spend the day here.  Duchess and Hendrix shared the workload between them although if you listened to Hendrix you would think he did it all himself!  As it was such a hot day and they are both black horses they did feel the heat of the sun so each time they had finished their turn pulling the carriage they had a lovely shower to cool them down.

Duchess hard at work

Duchess tells me they also had plenty of food to keep them going all day, I am sure Hendrix was glad about that.  The Open Day is a great opportunity for local people to come and see us.  They can learn a little bit about what the Calvert Trust does and can also have a go at some of the activities. 

Teddy was out in the field which looks over the reservoir all day with some of the other horses and he said they all watched people on the boats all day enjoying the sun. 

Open Day Visitors enjoying the boats

Horse Weekend Fun

We recently had another lovely Horse Weekend.

One of our regular visitors Bryony came with her friend and also a group of four young ladies came to stay with us and have fun in the stables. We were all pleased that the weather was good as it is always nice for us and the guests to get out in the sunshine.

Bryony and her friend, with some of our lovely volunteers too

Our guests all helped to feed us and muck out our stables, Tana was very good at pushing the wheelbarrow. On Saturday I had a bath which was lovely, its certainly helping my winter coat to come out. On Sunday Teddy and Henry had a good time practising a dressage test with two of our guests. Teddy was made to look especially smart with some plaits and ribbons in his mane.

Teddy showing off his plaits and ribbons

He did perform his dressage test wearing these, but one fell out during the test so Kerri used it as a cheerleading ribbon!

Kerri Cheerleading! 'Go Teddy Go, rah rah rah!'

Some of the guests also had fun with Hendrix and his carriage; as the weather was good they all had a carriage drive outside along the track. Hendrix told me he had worked really hard, but then he always thinks he has worked hard! In my opinion he doesn’t do any more than any of the other horses and ponies. 

I did some agility with Bryony on Sunday too which is always fun, I love to show of my skills to people.  At the end of the day our visitors went home tired but happy with their rosettes and certificates. A job well done once again by all the Calvert Equines!

New Wheels on our Wagon!

The four wheeled carriage needed some new rubber on the wheels this week.  The wheels had to be taken off the carriage by one of my favourite activity instructors - Oli. 

Then the wheels were taken a long way away to somewhere called 'Colyton', which I heard Nicky said took her a long time to get to, although its still in Devon. Devon must be a very big place I think!

I have never been that far, I don’t think I would like to travel a long way as I love living here. There is a man in Colyton called Greg who is a wheelwright and he did all of the hard work to put new rubber tyres on all four wheels. 

Removing the old tyre

Duchess is going to be pulling the carriage at the Devon County Show; Teddy said Calvert Trust Exmoor is their official charity for 2015, so Duchess and the stables team get to do some demonstration runs in the Lady Clinton Arena. I hope I get to go too, I don't want Duchess to have all of the fun!

Putting the new tyre on the wheel

Nicky also saw some very interesting things in Greg's workshop, and she showed me the photos. I particularly like the gun carriage; beautiful workmanship, although I think it would be a little heavy for me to pull!

The gun carriage

The carriage wheels now look as good as new, Oli has been working hard to put them back on the carriage so that Duchess can pull it again.

Richard has also been doing some touching up of the paint work so that the carriage looks lovely. 

I even saw Rob from the office measuring the carriage and he said he was going to get some big stickers made up with the Calvert Trust Exmoor logo on them, so I think by the day of the Devon County Show the carriage is going to look fantastic!

I'm sure Duchess will be very proud to show off her stylish new carriage in the arena, I hope she doesn't show off too much!

Night Time during the day?!?

All of us horses heard the stables staff talking about this thing called "the eclipse" that was due to take place on Friday the 20th. I asked Teddy what this was and he explained that he remembers back when he was younger an eclipse taking place. He said it’s when the moon passes the sun in the day time and it all goes dark. Usually when it’s dark I go to sleep so I was a little confused about it all!

On the Friday morning we all got up as usual but then Monique from activities came and took me to show me how to look at the eclipse safely. Apparently it's very dangerous to look directly at it, but they had an idea so we could watch it. I felt very honoured to do this as the rest of my friends had to stay in their stables.

Eclipse watching

Monique had two bits of paper and one of them had a hole in it.  I tried to eat them but Monique said I wasn’t allowed!  Anyway the reflection of the eclipse came through the hole onto the other bit of paper.

It got a bit darker than normal and also the birds stopped singing for a few minutes.  The reflection of the eclipse on the bit of paper looked like a moon shape to me and not very exciting but all the humans were quite interested in it.


I have never understood some of the things that humans get excited about, they ought to try some of the things that horses do to amuse themselves like chasing each other and eating grass!

Duchess competing again

Duchess has had an exciting weekend, she was taken for a trip out in the horse trailer. She went to Mullacott Event Centre with Nicky to do two dressage classes.

Now as you all know Duchess is quite a sensible girl, and nothing really fazes her. However she thought the idea of being away from home with lots of horses she didn’t know was very exciting! She did confide in me that she slightly forgot her manners for a few minutes when she first got there!

She was a good girl though and managed to come home with a couple of rosettes.  This was her second competition in the last two weeks and she says she has heard on the horse vine that she might get to go to Devon County Show with her carriage.

Teddy says he thinks that these competitions must be to get plenty of practice before going to a big show like that. I will of course keep you informed of what happens; that is my job after all!

The staff here at Calvert Trust Exmoor seem to be quite proud of Duchess's achievements, they have even put up a display board in the restaurant!

Lots of space for more rosettes, and a great photo of me too!

Silly Teddy!

Teddy has had a visit from the vet this week.  Now Teddy is very clever as you all know but he managed to head butt the wall in his stable the other day! Silly Teddy we all thought. 

Teddy is a little embarrassed and refuses to discuss this with anyone. The vet had to come out to see him and Teddy looks like a boxer!  He has had some stitches above his eye and now seems to be constantly frowning at us all. Nicky says it is just swelling which will go down and soon Teddy will look like his normal again. 

Teddy showing off his stitches

Teddy is a bit cross because he has to stay in now for a week or so.  He can’t go out in the field until his cut has all healed up and the stitches are taken out.  He has been out each day though for a walk and had some grass. The vet is coming back soon to check on Teddy and take out the stitches so hopefully then Teddy will be back to his happy self again!

Sunny Ride and Lead

On one of the recent sunny days the stables staff took a group of horses out for a lovely ride.  I heard afterwards from the horses that they all had a great time going through the woods and along the road.

Richard and Nicky both took two horses each; I've mentioned before this thing called 'ride and lead', which means one horse gets ridden and the other goes along beside it.

Ride and Lead

Some of the horses here are good friends with each other so they like going out like this together. Hendrix and Bertie went together and so did Duchess and Jack. I would like to have a go at this one day but I am not sure I would be able to keep up with any of the others!

My Spring Bath!

Hi everyone, I have lots to tell you all. 

Last week we had a couple of really lovely warm sunny days.  Me and all the other horses and ponies thought spring might finally be arriving, but the warm weather tricked us and only lasted a few days.  We all thought it was time to begin losing our winter coats and have begun moulting!

I had a lovely bath one day which has helped me to feel good.  There is nothing like being clean and shiny, although I wouldn't want to have a shower every day like humans do. 

After my bath!

Mind you, humans don’t need to have natural oils in their coat to help to keep them warm like us horses do. Anyway, I am feeling great and also looking pretty fabulous if I do say so myself!

... if I do say so myself!

Guest Blogger Duchess 2: A Very Exciting Day

Pilgrim: Last Sunday something really exciting happened to Duchess and Henry!  I have asked Duchess to explain, so over to her Ladyship...

Duchess: Hello everyone I have been asked to tell you about the great time Henry and I had on Sunday.  We were both groomed really well on Saturday and the arena had been levelled and watered so we had a slight inkling that something exciting might be going on. Then on Sunday morning Nicky arrived really early with her friend Emily, and they fed Henry and myself and groomed us AGAIN! Something was definitely going to happen.

Over the past few weeks Nicky had been practising riding me and Henry, and we were about to find out why.  Henry had plaits put into his mane and I had my feathery legs and lovely long mane and tail brushed out.  Suddenly outside the stables we heard hoof beats which we didn't recognise, how exciting!

Nicky tacked Henry up and took him outside, he was gone for about half an hour and when he came back he said with  a slightly surprised voice that he had just done his first ever dressage test in front of a judge! Now I also have never done dressage before but I am happy to try anything new so when my tack was put on I was quite excited.

Nicky got on me and we went to the outdoor arena to warm up.  We practised my paces and standing really still.  There were some other horses also warming up who were strangers and some of them were behaving as though they were a bit excited and showing off!

I just got on with my work in the usual way as I always like to try to do my best for whoever is riding me. Soon it was my turn to go and perform for the judge. In we went and after the judge rang the bell I was off, showing my lovely paces and behaving myself beautifully as usual.

Showing my lovely paces

It was all over quite quickly but I did get a big round of applause when I did my final halt and Nicky saluted to the judge.  I returned to my stable feeling very happy that we had performed well.  I had a word with Henry about his test and he was a little overexcited about the whole thing. He said he had also met some strangers in the warm up and had wanted to go and say hello and bounce around with them but Nicky had just asked him to concentrate on the job in hand!  Henry is quite young and not quite as sensible or experienced as me; Nicky said he was a little bit like a teenager at their first disco!

My Final Halt

Nicky soon came back into the stables and she had two rosettes in her hand and a little trophy!  I was amazed to have won my class and Henry was very excited to have been placed second!  Of course he now thinks he knows it all and will be able to compete at the next Olympics!

My Rosette and Trophy

I have explained that we only did an introductory test which is for horses who haven’t done dressage before but he has been telling Bertie and Jack how fabulous he is.  We need to bring him back down to earth! When we go out into the field tonight I shall gently remind him that I am the girl in charge.

Henry's Rosette

2015's First Horse Weekend

We have just had our first Horse Weekend of the year, we horses had a great time with all the visitors. Our guests had loads of fun with us horses and ponies and learnt lots of new skills.

They all had their own horse to look after and ride for the whole weekend, they got to muck out their horses’ stable and help to feed and groom them each day. They also helped to bring their horses in from the field first thing in the morning and put them back out each evening for a rest.

On the first day they all had a lesson and went out for a ride on the tracks.  Luckily the weather was quite good but everyone needed to wrap up warm.  Regular tea breaks were definitely needed to help to keep everyone warm and happy!

On the second day all the guests had another lesson and had a go at drill riding, which means that all the riders have to keep in line with everyone else.  In the afternoon there was a chance to show off all the skills they had been practising by riding their horse around an obstacle course. 

Everyone did really well at that. Henry who rode Brin all weekend had a bit of trouble with his riding boots; he couldn't work out which foot they should go on!  This meant it was really difficult to get them off when he had finished riding and it took four people to help him!

I am glad that doesn't happen with my shoes.  The farrier always knows which feet to put them on and he is also really good at taking them off, but he has had a lot of practice!  

A Pony Palace Just for Me!

I have been going out in the camping paddock to eat grass for a while now, and have been wondering why I am not turned out in my usual paddock next to Archery.

Rooster and Duchess came in from their field over the road the other day and told me lots of things are happening in my archery paddock.  A building has been put up and there is a big pile of earth. Duchess said she thought I wouldn’t be going out there for a while.

I thought I should ask Teddy if he knew what was going on; maybe I was having a brand new pony palace built in the paddock fit for a celebrity like me! 

The Pony Palace!

This turned out to be wishful thinking. Teddy said he had heard someone say that the workmen are actually putting in a biomass boiler. None of us know what this is exactly but Teddy thinks it is to do with keeping the centre nice and warm which is a lovely thing for all our guests.

I hope I will still have a little paddock left when they have done all the work.  Imagine cosying up to a boiler in the winter; that sounds lovely to me, I do like my home comforts. 

I think I will have to make sure that I get to keep that little paddock all to myself, I don’t fancy having to share it with any of the big horses!

Many Small People!

Last week we have had lots of small people here.  I felt quite big!  They were all from a local primary school in Shirwell. 

Some of them have horses and ponies of their own at home so they already knew quite a lot about looking after a horse and how to ride.  Those who had a bit of experience were very kind and helped their friends if they felt a bit nervous. 

Even one of the teachers had a go at riding.  He rode Rooster and said he enjoyed it but he thought Rooster was a very bouncy horse! Alice proved to be a very popular riding instructor with all the children.  They all had a great time.

Rooster

All the children helped to put out an agility course for me on the back yard.  It has been very cold this week but I still have my woolly winter coat and we shetlands are a hardy bunch, so I was fine.  The children all had to wrap up warm with coats and gloves on. Everyone had a practice first and then did a timed round of agility with me. 

Showing off my agility skills (and my woolly winter coat!)

Let me tell you I feel like I certainly earn't my hay that night!

Full Steam Ahead

It's full steam ahead now for all of us horses and ponies and the staff here in the stables, we are all looking forward to a busy and fun year.

Alice and Richard have been learning all about different types of groups who come to Calvert Trust Exmoor since they started work here. Now we are busy and they have been able to put into practice what they have learned so far. 

Last week we had a group of young people from Pathfield School.  They all had a great time trying lots of activities and of course getting to know us here in the stables. 

I was able to show them how clever I am at jumping. Bertie had a go first but I think he was feeling a bit lazy as he knocked down the fence several times!

I on the other hand did my usual fantastic leaping over the jump, and earned myself a round of applause from all the people watching me from the gallery. Richard has quickly got the hang of helping me to put on a fabulous show for our visitors and I really love working with him.

I love to jump!

Bertie eventually managed to haul himself over the jump. I think he felt a bit embarrassed watching me make it look so easy! 

Bertie prefers his fences to be this high!

Volunteer Training Day

Fitness work continues for all us equines here at Calvert Trust Exmoor.  Some of us have been long reined, some schooled by staff members, some of us have been out for hacks, Duchess and Hendrix have been pulling their carriages.  Soon we will all be the fittest horses and ponies in the land! It is great fun doing all sorts of interesting things with the staff.  I have even shown Alice and Richard how brilliant I am at jumping little fences while I am being loose schooled in the arena. 

Training with our Volunteers

Our fantastic volunteers have been to see us for a training day.  They learnt about harnessing up a carriage horse and how to help in an emergency.  It was a freezing cold day when they came and they all needed lots of hot drinks and coats to keep them warm! 

They also helped Nicky and Richard to do some hoist training with Teddy, just to remind him that he needs to stand really still.  Teddy was his usual brilliant relaxed self about it all and behaved perfectly.

 All the volunteers then had a photo with Teddy which he loved as he adores people and will take any attention he gets with a big grin on his face! 

Teddy loving all the attention!

Hullo Milo!

I would like to introduce you all to Milo, who is the new addition to our family. He's a horse on trial! 

That doesn't mean he is a criminal; in fact he's a very nice chap! It means he comes here for a month to see if he is suitable for the very important job of being a Calvert Trust Exmoor horse. 

In this month of trial he will get to try out lots of the jobs he will need to do here and see how he likes them.  He’s moved into the stable next door to me now, and I have to tell you that his big hooves don’t half keep me up at night as he stomps about munching hay!

He's been doing lots of work with the instructors since he arrived, and tells me that he really enjoys learning new things and being part of the Calvert Trust team. So far he has got used to being in a stable in the main yard, been introduced to Hendrix and Jack in the field, fallen in love with me (of course!), and been learning how to behave when he is being lunged and long reined.

He has been ridden in the past but not for a while so this work helps to get him a bit fitter and used to wearing his tack.  He will begin being ridden by the staff very soon. 

Milo

He has also learnt a little about the mounting block in the arena which is a very important thing here.  Lots of our riders need the horse to stand very still in the mounting block while they get on.

We actually have two blocks, which the horse stands in between. This means that a helper can assist the rider with their mounting by standing on the other block and holding the stirrup while the rider mounts.  Sometimes they also need to help the rider to get comfortable in the saddle.

Hopefully it won’t be long before he can join in lessons…although Teddy says that you can’t rush these things! 

Horse Weekend

Hi everyone, I have only just had time to write this, as it’s been all systems go in the stables recently.

I’ve just heard that our first horse weekend of 2015 is approaching on 21st and 22nd of February. My friend Kerri, who is one of the riding instructors here, had the fantastic idea of giving each horse weekend this year a fun theme (she’s definitely the creative one of the group!).

There are lots of rumours going around amongst us horses as to what the theme is this time; as usual Kerri isn't giving anything away, but it promises to be a weekend to remember!

Some of the action from a previous Horse Weekend

Training new Instructors

Training is under way again here in the stables.  We have lots of new activity instructors this year; as part of their job they have to come over to the stables and get involved during group sessions for our guests.  They may be needed to help to support a rider or carriage driver.

As they are normally climbing walls, cycling, abseiling, canoeing or sailing it is nice for them to come and spend time with us horses.  Obviously the main difference is that I am much, much cuter than a climbing wall or a boat!  Also sometimes we remind people that we have minds of our own, unlike all the other activities!

The other day Brin was called into service to help to train the new instructors. Off he went into the arena with Nicky, Richard, Alice and all the new activity instructors. He was needed to show the new guys how horses are fantastic at helping people.

Nicky asked Monique (who is a new instructor), to sit in a wheelchair.  Brin was positioned in between the two mounting blocks and Monique was then hoisted onto Brin.  This was a great way to show the new activity instructors one of the jobs we horses do here.  Monique was very pleased to have a try at being hoisted, but Brin said he thinks she didn't realise how far up in the air she would have to go!

Monique hoisted onto Brin

It was also a good training session for Brin who is a brilliant hoist horse.  His favourite thing is standing still and he needs to stand for as long as it takes to hoist someone on. This could take up to 15 minutes; Brin just has a quick doze!

Yesterday all of the activity instructors came over to the stables to spend the morning here, as Nicky had some training organised for them.

They learnt about how to care for all of us horses and ponies and how much is involved in keeping the stables running. 

They were also learning skills that will help our guests, things like how to load wheelchairs into the carriage, how to lead and side walk with ridden horses, and how to assist the stables team to make the session as brilliant as possible for our guests. Duchess and Hendrix put them through their paces and made sure they are all ready.

Duchess leading Matt in a trot!

The whole team observing Harry's leading technique

Learning Emergency procedures with Hendrix

They also got to spend some time with your truly, so I showed them how fabulous I am at horse agility and generally cute and wonderful I am! 

Picture Perfect...

Do you remember me telling you about having my picture painted by two great local artists?

Well, someone had whispered to me that my lovely paintings are now up in the centre, so I snuck into the Acland room today to have a look, and there they were!

Don't I look lovely!

I'm so pleased that they are up there, it means that all of our lovely guests will get to see them!

 I also want to say a big thank you to Gillian and Sandy for painting such fantastic portraits of me.

Roadwork and Clipping

After a couple of weeks holiday as you can imagine we were all feeling just like people do when they have been eating lots and not doing much exercise. We all needed to get back to work! The fitness campaign started with gentle exercise, most of the horses went out to do ‘roadwork’.

This means that they get out for a lovely ride.  Some even went in pairs, called ride and lead.  Jack was very happy because he got to do ride and lead with Duchess who is his best friend. 

Jack and Duchess out for a 'ride and lead'.

Bertie was very excited to be going out riding on the first day, but by the third day he told me he was feeling like he needed another holiday!

I have been doing some lunge exercises and also been out for a couple of walks.  I will be fit and ready to do my agility again soon, I can’t wait for that.  As the fields are very muddy we have all been allowed to go into the arena in groups to roll and have a scratch and play with each other which has been great fun.

Some of the horses have been clipped again this week. Henry and Bertie look particularly smart.  Some of us are still looking very shaggy though so I think it is probably only a matter of time before the clippers work their way around everyone!

Henry being clipped

I know Duchess is looking forward to being clipped; she's very hairy at the moment and I think she will feel much better when she looks a bit sleeker. You know how girls are about having a new hairdo! 

All our regular carriage drivers and riders are now coming back in for their lessons so we are back to normal which is great, especially for Rooster as he loves a routine. 

Bye Bye Safari

Hi everyone, its great to be back. 

Sadly we had to say goodbye to Safari just before Christmas, He has gone back home to his owners. 

He had a lovely time working here at the stables but has now gone to semi retire and enjoy some light riding work and  relaxing time in the fields with some new pony friends and his owner Kat. We will all miss him but I think he will enjoy life there.

As you know Rooster was very friendly with Safari and although he probably misses him a bit, he has now completely fallen in love with Duchess, which she seems to be quite happy about! 

Duchess and Rooster

We horses and ponies have all had a lovely holiday over Christmas and New Year;  lots of cleaning and some painting has gone in in the stables while we were having our holiday!

One thing that looks a bit different is the indoor arena.  It now has a bright yellow line all the way around the edge of it. I was a bit surprised when I first saw it and Bertie thought it was a bit scary!  (He is a bit of a baby about new things!). 

The line makes it much easier to see the edge of the arena and Teddy says this is what it is for; to help people who are visually impaired to see where they need to steer their horse when they are riding. I am sure it will help a lot of people to have a great riding experience. 

New Faces for 2015

Do you remember I told you a few weeks ago that some of the staff in the stables were going and new people were going to come and look after us? 

Louise has now left us to work at a vets and will be training to become a veterinary nurse. I think she will be really good at looking after sick animals.  When any of us horses and ponies felt a bit sorry for ourselves she was great at cheering us up and caring for us.  We will miss her but hopefully she will pop back in to see us all in the future.

Abi has also moved to a new job which is closer to her family. She will be working with some event horses and their family of humans, I think she will be great at training all of them! She said she hopes to come back and see me soon, I hope she does as I will miss her cuddles.

Cuddles with Abi...

... and kisses too!

Our two new staff Richard and Alice have been with us for a couple of weeks now, so I thought it was about time I introduced them to you.

Richard has lots of experience with horses and people; we are all getting to know him now and showing him how we like things to be done!

Richard

He has worked with carriage horses before and one of his jobs here will be driving the carriages. He has done some carriage driving with both Hendrix and Duchess, they both said he was very nice and kind to them and they are looking forward to taking him out driving in their carriages.

Duchess is a very sensible mare and I'm sure she will soon have Richard under her spell! Hendrix will just be his usual cheeky loveable self and get Richard to do things exactly how he wants him to without Richard even realising! 

Alice volunteered with us for a few weeks before starting her job with us, so we have got to know here already. She is our new Riding Instructor.

Alice

Alice has lots of experience with horses and has taught many people to ride so she has plenty of ideas for us equines and for all our guests too. I have also been chatting with Brin about Alice and I think he may have a new number one fan; apparently Alice loves him already!