In our last video of the year, we enjoy the best of 2020 at Shetland Pony Club. After the wettest winter on record, we started riding in March with our members enjoying being back in the saddle again.
Lockdown life for the Shetland ponies
After just two weeks of riding, we had a 3-month lockdown and were not able to ride. So, the ponies went back on holiday and were able to eat and run around in the wildflower meadows. It was fun, but all that eating meant that the ponies put on weight and had to be weighed weekly to get back into shape.
The best of 2020
The moon daisies and poppies in our wildflower meadows were spectacular. For many of our members, the best of 2020 was being able to visit their ponies at a social distance and take them walking through the rewilding fields to enjoy being outside with their ponies in nature.
Hands, face, and loads of space
When we were able to ride again there were new routines to learn for the staff and all the children and parents, with lots of hand washing, mask wearing, and social distancing outside in the many acres of space at the Ranch. We were able to welcome lots of children to enjoy pony fun and summer camp days too.
Results and routines
With exams cancelled our staff made the best of 2020, enjoying being outside with the ponies through the really hot summer months. We even had a graduation ceremony for Madeleine! Routines continued for the ponies with visits from the farrier, dentist and also the vet.
Halloween pony fun
With members lessons over we enjoyed our annual Halloween Pumpkin Rides, COVID – style, before it all came to an end with another lockdown in November.
Thank you so much for all your support in 2020.
The ponies are on their extended winter holiday now and we look forward to welcoming you all for another season of pony fun from 6 March 2021.
Join Shetland Pony Club Online for FREE whilst we are closed
Shetland Pony Club Online is a new fun website full of pony videos, learning and activities for you to enjoy at home. There is even a section for parents.
In the Shetland Pony Club Online website you will find:
Getting Started – pony news, reward chart, and certificates
Learningabout ponies– child-safe videos and quizzes to learn about ponies
Pony Fun Online – pony painting, word searches, and quizzes
Fun with ponies at Home – pony craft ideas, pony photo gallery, and colouring templates to print and enjoy at home
Ponies for Parents – the benefits of ponies, the riding equipment you need, and our shop
More – Shetland Pony Club TV catch up and your craft and artwork on display
Shetland Pony Club Online is our way of helping you get through these unusual times. It enables you and your children to have pony fun and learning at home.
We have created this website for free, but many of you have asked about donations. If you would like to support our work you can make a small donation through the fun “Buy me a Coffee” scheme. Just click on the link to donate.
We hope you’ll try our fun new Online Pony Club. Do let us know if you’re enjoying it.
We look forward to seeing you inside the new Online Pony Club.
Gift Vouchers are available to buy as e-vouchers and hard copy here. £40 – £125 plus post and packing. E-vouchers are available for instant downloading.
Happy New Year from
The Shetland Pony Club Team and all the Shetland ponies
Stop worrying about lockdown and let’s enjoy our 2020 Shetland Pony Club review, as it has been a year like no other, for all of us. We opened in March after the wettest February on record and were looking forward to some lovely sunny weather.
Stop worrying about lockdown!
After just two weeks of pony fun in March, the national lockdown gave the ponies an extended holiday and time to enjoy the lovely spring weather that followed. There were amazing wildflowers for the ponies to enjoy – but where were the children? The ponies did a lot of eating and playing and Hector Moonbeam even joined a birthday party on zoom.
Enjoy our 2020 Shetland Pony Club review
We finally opened in June for members only, with Shetland pony leading and extensive COVID-safe planning and training for all. We had a summer of pony fun, with camps and parties, followed by lots of Halloween Pumpkin Rides this autumn.
It was tough for our staff too, with exams and graduations cancelled, we had our own celebrations at The Ranch.
Life for the ponies went on as normal with visits from the farrier and dentist, and lots more eating!
Now we have gone full circle and the ponies are on an early holiday, as we lockdown and remember all the Shetland pony fun in 2020.
The government has ordered stables and riding centres to close from Thursday 5 November 2020 as part of the lockdown in England. So, we are now closed for the winter and we plan to reopen on Saturday 6 March 2021.
What does this mean for my November pony riding booking?
Customers with November bookings have been contacted to move your booking, or organise a voucher or a refund. If you have not heard from us please do contact the office on 07734 950 309 or email us at info@shetlandponyclub.co.uk
Members will be contacted separately in the coming days about their November riding and membership for 2021.
This week, we find out how to feed a Shetland pony, in one of our series of pony advice videos. We all know that ponies eat grass, but did you know that they are browsers and enjoy eating prickly plants like thistles and blackberries.
Unusual foods for Shetland ponies
Shetland ponies like to eat a varied diet with lots of different plants containing different minerals to keep them healthy. In the Shetland Isles, Shetland ponies eat an unusual plant that’s not available at The Ranch. Watch the video to find out what it is and see what our ponies enjoy eating as an alternative.
We are excited to let you know that Shetland Pony Club is opening for riding from 4 July for existing bookings and Pony Share Members only. Our July bookings for all riding will open shortly afterwards.
Keep an eye on our weekly email, social media and the website here for more information and our plans for riding safely. The ponies would love to see you for riding fun from age 4+ soon. (Updated 1 July 2020).
Shetland Pony Club Online – join now for free
You can enjoy our new Online Shetland Pony Club website. It’s packed with lots of pony fun, craft and learning for you to enjoy. You can sign up here for free now.
Rescheduling information
All paid bookings from July onwards – If your child is aged 4+ we may need to reschedule some July bookings to a different time for social distancing reasons and will contact you, should this be necessary. If your child is less than 4 years old, we will need to postpone your booking for now and will contact you about this in the coming weeks – please bear with us.
Parties – we will contact you to discuss your party booking.
Gift Vouchers – expiry dates will be extended if you are unable to use them within the current expiry period.
Pony Share Membership – we are contacting members regularly about their pony.
Refunds – we hope that you will support the ponies, if you are able to, by accepting a voucher code to ride in the future. Should you require a refund instead, please email us and we will organise this for you.
Take care from
The Shetland Pony Club Team and all the Shetland ponies
Every day, we check the holidaying ponies’ health and wellbeing on our Shetland pony patrol. Madeleine and Rosemary are carefully checking all the ponies to see that they are fit and happy, and saying hello with a rub and the occasional peppermint.
Take a look at the ponies with their fluffy coats on our pony patrol.
Who likes rubbing on the log and who has a crazy hairstyle?
Wow! In this Shetland Pony Club Review of 2019, we look back at the wonderful times we have shared with the ponies, team and children throughout the changing seasons at The Ranch.
From a fully booked year of membership fun, with lessons, camps, learning polo and new saddles; to unicorn birthday parties, fetes and school visits, Toby’s retirement; new pony, Snowdrop, arriving and our War Horse Parade.
Phew! What an amazing time we have had with the ponies. We hope you enjoy the Shetland Pony Club Review of 2019 and look forward to welcoming you for more pony fun in 2020.
