Well, we're certainly getting plenty of winter weather just now! Luckily, the horses and ponies with their nice hairy coats are warm enough and happy spending time in the field, but we've been managing to get some lessons on as normal.
It's really hard work when the weather is this bad, for a variety of reasons. Firstly, the livery horses cannot be turned out first thing in the morning if its icy, so instead of having 15 to muck out, we have over 30! Its also much harder to push the wheelbarrows around and we have all been feeling our leg muscles!
Water is a total nightmare - we have one ground feed tap on the yard, so it is very easy to defrost once temperatures drop below zero, but as it is in the hay steading, it can be quite a long walk to the paddock boxes with buckets! We have been using a clean wheelbarrow to transport the water about, but again, its pretty hard work.
The fields also need watered each day, as they have automatic filling troughs, which freeze over. So we need to fill a massive container which we then drive around the farm, filling bins with water in each field. Haying and watering the field horses alone can take over an hour and a half when its bad weather, which all adds up to a pretty long day.
Quite a few brave members have been making it up for lessons - well done to them! However, we're still advising that if you aren't comfortable driving in these conditions, then you should stay at home - it simply isn't worth it for a riding lesson if it will make you nervous!
Monday, 20 December 2010
Sunday, 12 December 2010
Recent News
Thank goodness the snow has gone now! It has been a very hard couple of weeks - mainly because when we have that much snow, the staff have double the work to do because the horses need hayed and watered in the feild constantly, and the liveries take much longer to look after as it is occasonally too icy for turnout.
The school horses and ponies had a great holiday because of the snow - it was lovely that some of our members got in touch to check that the horses and ponies were coping. They cope much better than people! Horses in the UK can cope with temperatures of up to -20, as long as they are dry and out of the wind. Our horses all wear nice thick waterproof rugs, and have loads of haylage in the field, so they are happier out than in!
We took Melody, Belinda and Aero in as Melody and Belinda don't wear a rug (Aero does as she is a bit older). Melody and Belinda were fine, but we were worried that the cold would affect Aeros breathing, so we thought best to get them into the cosy. Melody behaved really well and enjoyed her stable time in the warm next to mum.
The school horses and ponies were all quite fresh when they came back into work, so the staff had to ride some of them for a bit before members got on them. Worst culprits were Timone and Scrufty, who took the greatest of pleasure in squealing and jumping about with what appeared to be a sense of humour.
We are nearing Xmas and New Year now, and all the staff and horses are looking forward to some nice days off.
The school horses and ponies had a great holiday because of the snow - it was lovely that some of our members got in touch to check that the horses and ponies were coping. They cope much better than people! Horses in the UK can cope with temperatures of up to -20, as long as they are dry and out of the wind. Our horses all wear nice thick waterproof rugs, and have loads of haylage in the field, so they are happier out than in!
We took Melody, Belinda and Aero in as Melody and Belinda don't wear a rug (Aero does as she is a bit older). Melody and Belinda were fine, but we were worried that the cold would affect Aeros breathing, so we thought best to get them into the cosy. Melody behaved really well and enjoyed her stable time in the warm next to mum.
The school horses and ponies were all quite fresh when they came back into work, so the staff had to ride some of them for a bit before members got on them. Worst culprits were Timone and Scrufty, who took the greatest of pleasure in squealing and jumping about with what appeared to be a sense of humour.
We are nearing Xmas and New Year now, and all the staff and horses are looking forward to some nice days off.
Saturday, 27 November 2010
Snow.... and some sad news
Wow, after posting about the gales, we should have expected nothing less than snow....... and lots of it! It started on Wednesday, with most of our evening riders failing to get for their lesson because the roads were at a standstill. Whilst Thursday wasn't too bad, the snow on Friday got ridiculous!
It started on the Friday morning, and just kept thumping down. By lunchtime on Friday there was at least 6 inches of the white stuff and it kept going. Unfortunately, we had to cancel lessons on Saturday because we just couldn't risk taking the school horses in over the ice, and we're keeping our fingers crossed for the rest of the weekend.
We also had some sad news this week. Ed, who is one of our most popular livery horses, was put to sleep. Ed had been at Oldfold for over three years, since he was bought by Tracy (one of our directors). He had spent the last year on loan to Laura (who works in reception) and was one of the nicest horses we have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Ed spent his older teens with us, having been in the North East for the majority of his life and being very successful in his two previous homes. He was a horse in a million, who taught so many people so many things - he was dearly loved by everyone on the yard, but in particular Tracy, Laura and Fay who had so much fun with him. He will be dearly missed, but we're just glad that he had a nice peaceful, dignified ending as he so deserved.
It started on the Friday morning, and just kept thumping down. By lunchtime on Friday there was at least 6 inches of the white stuff and it kept going. Unfortunately, we had to cancel lessons on Saturday because we just couldn't risk taking the school horses in over the ice, and we're keeping our fingers crossed for the rest of the weekend.
We also had some sad news this week. Ed, who is one of our most popular livery horses, was put to sleep. Ed had been at Oldfold for over three years, since he was bought by Tracy (one of our directors). He had spent the last year on loan to Laura (who works in reception) and was one of the nicest horses we have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Ed spent his older teens with us, having been in the North East for the majority of his life and being very successful in his two previous homes. He was a horse in a million, who taught so many people so many things - he was dearly loved by everyone on the yard, but in particular Tracy, Laura and Fay who had so much fun with him. He will be dearly missed, but we're just glad that he had a nice peaceful, dignified ending as he so deserved.
Wednesday, 17 November 2010
Windy weather
We've had a bit of a time of it with crazy gales recently! We had to cancel some lessons last Monday and then cancelled nearly all lessons this Wednesday.
Many of our members cannot understand why we cancel when there is severe wind, but its a safety issue - we want all our members to have fun, but sometimes when it gets really windy outside, we decide that its safer on both the staff and members to cancel. Our horses and ponies, although very quiet and well behaved, can be unpredictable when its really windy due to the noise and things blowing about. For our smaller, more novice members, we worry that the ponies spooking in the wind may make them lose their balance and come off - whilst they are very unlikely to hurt themselves, it doesnt' help their confidence.
For our more advanced lessons, it can also be a problem as the more advanced horses tend to be a bit more "flighty" in these situations. Whilst we are happy that our advanced members are more than capable of coping with windy weather, it can be pretty detrimental to a horses confidence to work in a group situation when things are a bit loud and windy - there is also the issue that the riders often cannot hear the instructor.
We are lucky in that having an indoor school, we can keep going in most weather conditions, but please be understanding that if we cancel your lesson due to the weather, it really is for your own benefit and safety!
Many of our members cannot understand why we cancel when there is severe wind, but its a safety issue - we want all our members to have fun, but sometimes when it gets really windy outside, we decide that its safer on both the staff and members to cancel. Our horses and ponies, although very quiet and well behaved, can be unpredictable when its really windy due to the noise and things blowing about. For our smaller, more novice members, we worry that the ponies spooking in the wind may make them lose their balance and come off - whilst they are very unlikely to hurt themselves, it doesnt' help their confidence.
For our more advanced lessons, it can also be a problem as the more advanced horses tend to be a bit more "flighty" in these situations. Whilst we are happy that our advanced members are more than capable of coping with windy weather, it can be pretty detrimental to a horses confidence to work in a group situation when things are a bit loud and windy - there is also the issue that the riders often cannot hear the instructor.
We are lucky in that having an indoor school, we can keep going in most weather conditions, but please be understanding that if we cancel your lesson due to the weather, it really is for your own benefit and safety!
Thursday, 11 November 2010
Website is Live (and other updates)
Our website is now fully functional and online for everyone to see. If you would like to receive monthly newsletters, go online and sign up for it. We think the website is great and that Kim has done a brilliant job with it - Thanks Kim!
We've tried to make the website in a way that makes it appealing to both our junior and senior club members, and there is loads of information on it about the club, including great photos and info on all the horses and ponies.
Other news is that the vet had a look at Rafiki the other day, and was happy with how sound she is. She looks really good, and is moving better than she has for a long time. We're really pleased at her progress, and hope to write up her case on the website soon for everyone to read and learn about. The only problem now is her weight - she still refuses to lose anything despite being fed very little and obviously her weight is not helping her back leg problems when she is carrying so much extra belly!
We are also about to put in another order for hoodies (with the club logo on them) so anyone who wants one needs to pick up an order form and complete it (in reception).
We've tried to make the website in a way that makes it appealing to both our junior and senior club members, and there is loads of information on it about the club, including great photos and info on all the horses and ponies.
Other news is that the vet had a look at Rafiki the other day, and was happy with how sound she is. She looks really good, and is moving better than she has for a long time. We're really pleased at her progress, and hope to write up her case on the website soon for everyone to read and learn about. The only problem now is her weight - she still refuses to lose anything despite being fed very little and obviously her weight is not helping her back leg problems when she is carrying so much extra belly!
We are also about to put in another order for hoodies (with the club logo on them) so anyone who wants one needs to pick up an order form and complete it (in reception).
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
what a great AGM
We had a brilliant AGM last night, with over 50 members attending, which we were delighted with. We had a brief talk on the accounts by Sally, then a ridden demo by Sally and Martin, then a website talk by Kim.
Dixie and Hagrid really enjoyed their display - showing all the members how happy they are to go forward if ridden correctly. Hopefully lots of our members have picked up tips on how to make Dixie and Hagrid happy ponies when they are riding them!
The website looks brilliant and goes live online on Friday - how exciting! It looked really good projected onto the wall of the school and all the photos of the horses and ponies up there.
well done to everyone who worked hard to make the AGM a success.
Dixie and Hagrid really enjoyed their display - showing all the members how happy they are to go forward if ridden correctly. Hopefully lots of our members have picked up tips on how to make Dixie and Hagrid happy ponies when they are riding them!
The website looks brilliant and goes live online on Friday - how exciting! It looked really good projected onto the wall of the school and all the photos of the horses and ponies up there.
well done to everyone who worked hard to make the AGM a success.
Monday, 1 November 2010
New Website
Hi Everyone!
Murphy here - I'm very excited as the new website goes live tomorrow, and rumour has it that there are loads of very cute pictures of us horses and ponies!
If you want to be one of the first to have a look at the website, go to:
www.aberdeenridingclub.com
We are having our AGM tomorrow night (Tuesday), where we will go through the year end accounts, are doing a demo on "how to ride Hagrid and Dixie" and then launching the website.
We hope to see loads of our members there asking questions and giving suggestions.
Other news is:
Rafiki is now sound and up to doing canter work.
Belinda and Melody are back out in their field following Belindas cut leg.
Apache, Abbey, Bluebell and Blaze are all settling in well to the farm.
Our liveries did really well at a recent team showjumping competition coming 2nd in the 75cm, 1st in the 90 cm and 1st in the 1metre class. Well done guys! A big thankyou goes to Julie Bultitude for organising it and making sure that everyone knew when to jump and where to jump!
Right, thats all from me for today - everyone is so busy getting ready for the AGM. We'll write some more tomorrow!
Murphy xxxxxx
Murphy here - I'm very excited as the new website goes live tomorrow, and rumour has it that there are loads of very cute pictures of us horses and ponies!
If you want to be one of the first to have a look at the website, go to:
www.aberdeenridingclub.com
We are having our AGM tomorrow night (Tuesday), where we will go through the year end accounts, are doing a demo on "how to ride Hagrid and Dixie" and then launching the website.
We hope to see loads of our members there asking questions and giving suggestions.
Other news is:
Rafiki is now sound and up to doing canter work.
Belinda and Melody are back out in their field following Belindas cut leg.
Apache, Abbey, Bluebell and Blaze are all settling in well to the farm.
Our liveries did really well at a recent team showjumping competition coming 2nd in the 75cm, 1st in the 90 cm and 1st in the 1metre class. Well done guys! A big thankyou goes to Julie Bultitude for organising it and making sure that everyone knew when to jump and where to jump!
Right, thats all from me for today - everyone is so busy getting ready for the AGM. We'll write some more tomorrow!
Murphy xxxxxx
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