Saturday 30th April 2011

Today in both the Morning & Afternoon sessions, we concentrated on Road Riding.

Jenny & June laid out a course in the field to simulate a series of roads, incorporating turns to both the left & right, From & to main roads and including how to ride round a roundabout.

Before the children started, they were given a talk on safety, and we explained once again how to make clear signals to other road users.

The children had to first walk the course and have instruction on how it should be ridden.
They then took it in turns to ride the course. It was a very practical session, which has lots of merits in aiding to keep the members safe on the roads, both when walking, cycling & Riding!

This was followed up by each session being divided up into 2 groups. One group went with Jenna into the school and continued riding whilst the other group were with June doing the theory on what they had ridden down the field. They were taught about the sequence of traffic lights and the different road signs that they need to know about when out riding. They were taught about the equipment needed to keep them safe and highly visible. This badge they are working towards is the only badge that we have to have an outside examiner for (apart from the actual riding badges) so we will be covering this in great detail until we are sure that the members will pass with flying colours.

A companion book for this badge is available from the pony club http://www.pcuk.org/ entitled Junior Road Rider. This book is the higway code equivalent for horse riders and gives important information to the members that they can study and return to time & time again. Alternatively you can order from June in the office for a small surcharge to cover p&p (£3.95 through June)

(While we are on this subject, If any parents have access to lime-wash for marking football pitches etc. could they spare any for marking out the course for future lessons, because flour just tends to blow away. If you do, can you please let June, Paul or Jenny know or e-mail us at pineridgepc@hotmail.com many thanks).

All of the children were extremely interested but the shining stars during Road Rider were Cormac, Hannah & Nathaniel.

Riding in the school comprised of figure work, learning to ride serpentines, figure of eights etc and the most improved riders this week were Hannah, Millie J & Nathaniel.

After all the members had been both in the school with Jenna & also at the tables with June, It was time for home. A few of the children took time at the end to do some Mini Achievement Badge Tests!
Congratulations to: Edith - Points of Tack
Megan - Points of the Pony
Millie J - Points of the Pony
Sophie - Points of the pony


Very well done to all of you, you worked really hard and did extremely well in everything.



All of the children were extremely interested but the shining stars during Road Rider were Cormac, Hannah & Nathaniel.

Riding in the school comprised of figure work, learning to ride serpentines, figure of eights etc and the most improved riders this week were Hannah, Millie J & Nathaniel.

Saturday 23rd April 2011

Today June concentrated a lot on Working Dogs with the children. We had a practical session on what it is like to be a Blind person. They were put into pairs and each member had a turn at being blindfolded and led around by their ‘Guide Dog’ partner!

Then they pretended to be deaf! Their partner had to act like a hearing dog. When the telephone rang, they had to alert their ‘deaf’ partner to it by pawing at them and running to the telephone. They did the same sort of thing for the ‘smoke alarm’ (a magazine) and a doorbell.

All the children enjoyed these practical sessions and now have a better understanding of what it is like to be blind or deaf! However I must give extra congratulations to Cormac, Ruby & Nathaniel for their interest, they were extra attentive to the subject. Both Cormac & Nathaniel were able to work out where they were in the yard whilst being blindfolded by recalling the feel of the ground under their feet at different points & Ruby found the experience of trying to find your way around without a guide dog was very scary but as soon as she had her ‘guide dog’ became confident about moving around with ‘him’!
Well done everyone!

The children also had a chill-out few minutes and did some colouring in – a fun picture of a man being bitten on his backside by a dog! Again they had a lot of fun with this as you can see from some of the results.

Riding was back to normal with Jenna. All of the members ‘hacked out’ either down the lane or around the riding track as well as riding in the sand school. The most improved riders this week were Tamryn & Sally
Grooming and mucking out was with Jenny and the members managed very proficiently to muck out the stables and groom and ponies very quickly indeed. Jenny has informed me that Cormac has become extremely proficient in untacking the ponies and can do this by himself.

The 2 sessions went very quickly and as both sessions ran the same, again I have merged this report into 1 instead of breaking it up into 2 (why repeat myself)

Birthday this week

This week it is Hattie's birthday

Hattie will be 8 on the 18th of April

We would like to wish Hattie a very Happy Birthday from all of us here at Pine Ridge Pony Club Centre.

Saturday 16th April

Both Morning and Afternoon sessions took the same format so I have linked them together this week. Sorry for the lack of pictures but with ALL junior helpers away on holidays this week, there were no spare hands to take any!

Today Paul & Jenna took the members for lessons in the yard whilst June & Jenny did the Riding!

Jenna taught them how to mount properly and how to adjust their own stirrups and girths. Although the children have all been riding for some time now, all this has been done for them and now it has come to the time when most of them will be able to do it for themselves.

Paul did field maintenance with the children and besides clearing the dung from the paddocks (a job they all love to do) He taught them about checking the field perimeters and checking the grazing for poisonous plants such as Ragwort. This plant is extremely dangerous to horses if eaten.
Jenny & June did the riding, and with such a warm day, decides to do most of it in the field and around the riding track. Some of the children even Cantered for the first time. We also taught them other thing, like types of trees, wildlife, wild flowers & poisonous plants.

Saturday 9th April Badge Achievements

Saturday 9th April - Morning Session

Congratulations to the following members:

Mini Achievement Badges:
Grooming:
Sally
Annabel G
Olivia
Points of the Pony:
Sally
Annabel G
Olivia
Edith
Tillie

Well done to you all.



Saturday 9th April – Afternoon session
This afternoon saw even more badges being achieved and the first of the main Achievement badges being won.

Congratulations to the following members:

Mini Achievement Badges

Points of the Pony:
Hannah
Cormac
Lorcan
Nathaniel
Joely
Scarlett V
Hattie
Farming:
Cormac
Nathaniel
Grooming:
Cormac
Lorcan
Birds: Lorcan


Achievement Badge Awards:

Bird Watching:
Ted
Amy
Lorcan
Cormac
Hannah

Very well done to all our badge achievers today. Keep up the hard work

Pony Club Rally, 9 April 2011

The two sessions of pony club proved to be highly successful for several members who attempted and passed some of their mini achievement badges. Well done all of you.
June took the members through poisonous plants, grooming, points of the pony as well as farming and we are delighted by their knowledge on most subjects. In the riding sessions we saw great improvement from Sally, Lorcan and Hannah, keep up the good work and don't forget your basics. A good foundation is very important in any sport.

We have club days throughout the holidays and they are limited to four per session, so they are perfect for one on one tuition. Phone for more information or to book.

This weeks Birthday

Birthday this week is:

Sally who will be 9 on the 3rd April

A very Happy Birthday to you Sally, from all here at Pine Ridge Pony Club Centre

Saturday 2nd April – Afternoon session

This Afternoons session was just as busy! This time the children started with the birds and were very industrious in their endeavours. They all copied British Native Birds and we were very pleased with the results.

They then broke up into groups and while some rode, the others did paddock & field maintenance with Jenny followed by grooming. (Ella must be the cleanest pony on the yard)

The standard of riding was very high indeed today with the children managing to do some jumping. Well done Nathaniel, you did really well for your first time of jumping.

Congratulations to you all, you all did very well indeed today.

Saturday 2nd April - Morning Session

This morning the group did field & paddock maintenance with Jenny and did a superb job of cleaning the paddocks.

Then they split into groups and while one group rode with Jenna, another group did work towards their Birds Mini Achievement Badge with June, by cutting out a bird shape and its wings, colouring them in and finally gluing the wings onto the body of the bird.

These are a few of the birds that the children made - I think they all did an excellent job, well done evryone.

I am also very pleased to be able to congratulate Cormac on achieving his Birds Mini Achievement Badge. He was successful in colouring in 5 different birds from memory and not only did he do that but also described other birds as well. Well done Cormac!