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
Wow, the beautiful poppy meadows are in full bloom at Shetland Pony Club now that it has rained. The meadows have sprung to life with thousands of amazing poppies and other wildflowers for the Shetland ponies to enjoy.
Beautiful poppy meadows
The Shetland ponies love to explore the amazing poppy fields with their friends. They don’t like to eat the poppies but adore the milk thistles that are also growing amongst them, in the wildflower meadow.
How many Shetland ponies can you see?
Best friends Honeybee and Crème Brulee are joined by some more adorable Shetland ponies in the beautiful poppy meadows. Can you see which ponies are exploring the stunning fields with them?
We are delighted to announce that on Sunday afternoon 28 June 2020 we will have limited ponies available for Shetland Pony Visiting and photography. Our pony share members have really enjoyed connecting with their ponies after lockdown. So, we would like to give more children the chance to come and enjoy some pony company too. You will NOT be able to ride but can still have a lovely time with your adorable Shetland pony.
Bookings for Shetland Pony Visiting are now open for Sunday 28 June and are strictly by appointment only.
Please understand your child will NOT BE RIDING due to 2m social distancing rules, just pony visiting, grooming, and a chance to walk a Shetland pony with supervision through the meadows. There will be a chance to take photos of your child and pony too.
There will be very strict and unbreakable rules, for everyone’s safety. You may bring only ONE adult and ONE child per booking. No exceptions. Parents must be able to help their child, by leading a pony under our supervision. You can download our rules for attending these sessions on our website here
Session duration: 45 minutes, Cost £40. Our gift vouchers are accepted.
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.
We’d love to see you for pony fun as soon as it’s safe
We are excited to let you know that we are making plans to fully reopen Shetland Pony Club, in line with the latest government guidelines and advice from the Association of British Riding Schools. Whilst we don’t have a firm date for pony riding yet, we will regularly update you with our plans. Keep an eye on this weekly email andour website here for more information. We would love to see you for pony riding fun, when it’s safe. (updated 17 June 2020).
All paid bookings from July onwards – should it become apparent that we are not going to reopen from July, all paid bookings will be issued with a voucher code in due course, to enable you to rebook at a future date to suit you.
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
It’s time for Moon Daisy fun in the wildflower meadows because the moon daisies are in bloom at Shetland Pony Club.
Prince William and Honeybee have disappeared amongst the flowers. Where are they? Can you find them in this week’s gorgeous video of the moon daisies that are in full flower at the Ranch?
Shetland Pony Puppets in the wildflower meadows
In this week’s craft video, Lucy and Amy show you how to make your own Shetland Pony Puppet, with a paper wildflower meadow for him to play in.
We hope you have fun making and playing with your Shetland Pony Puppets and would love to see some photos of your creations. Email them in to: info@shetlandponyclub.co.uk and we will upload them into the craft gallery for you in the new Shetland Pony Club Online website – sign up below.
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.
We’d love to see you for pony fun as soon as it’s safe
We are excited to let you know that we are making plans to reopen Shetland Pony Club, in line with the latest government guidelines and advice from the Association of British Riding Schools. Whilst we don’t have a firm date yet, we will keep you updated with our opening plans. Keep an eye on this weekly email and the website for more information. We would love to see you for pony fun, when it’s safe.
Members have received a separate email about our phased opening plans.
Strictly Limited Shetland Pony Visiting – Sunday 14 June 2020
Due to the success of our trials of Shetland Pony Club members visiting their ponies, we are delighted to announce that this Sunday afternoon 14 June 2020 we will have limited ponies available for non-member, social distancing Shetland Pony Visiting and wildflower photography. Bookings are strictly by appointment only.
Please understand your child will NOT BE RIDING due to 2m social distancing rules, just pony visiting, grooming, and a chance to walk a pony with supervision through the meadows. There will be a chance to take photos of your child and pony.
There will be very strict and unbreakable rules, for everyone’s safety. You may bring only ONE adult and ONE child per booking. No exceptions. Parents must be able to help their child, by leading a pony under our supervision. You can download our rules for attending these sessions on our website here
Session duration: 45 minutes, Cost £40. Vouchers are accepted. Bookings strictly by appointment only.
All paid bookings from July onwards – should it become apparent that we are not going to reopen from July, all paid bookings will be issued with a voucher code in due course, to enable you to rebook at a future date to suit you.
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
We hope you are all surviving the lockdown at home and getting on well with home schooling. In this week’s video, catch up with the ponies playing together in their new field and there is a new craft for you to try at home. If you haven’t already joined our new online pony club the link is below the video!
Pony Update
Our three new ponies, Snowdrop, Tintin and Simba have been busy exploring a new paddock at The Ranch. Find out what they like to eat in their new field.
How to make easy Shetland Pony Biscuits
Lucy and Amy are bringing you another “Crafty Shetland Pony” idea: decorating Shetland Pony Biscuits. You can make them at home with simple ingredients you already have. If you don’t have everything there are lots of adaptations you can make to achieve the same fun pony designs that the children will enjoy making.
You will need:
Chocolate buttons (ideally milk and white)
Knife (ask a grown-up to help)
Any rectangular biscuits (or cut down different shaped biscuits)
Coloured icing tubes (one dark), or make your own coloured icing
Edible eyes (or make your own with icing and white chocolate chips)
We hope you have fun making them and would love to see some photos of your creations. Email them in to: info@shetlandponyclub.co.uk
Shetland Pony Club Online – join now for free
If you are enjoying our Crafty Shetland Pony video series, we are excited to let you know that our new Online Shetland Pony Club website is now live. It’s packed with lots of pony fun and learning for you to enjoy. You can sign up here for free now.
Ranch closure and bookings rescheduling information
The Ranch remains closed until further notice because of the coronavirus pandemic.
All paid bookings from June onwards – should it become apparent that we are not going to reopen from June, all paid bookings will be issued with a voucher code in due course, to enable you to rebook at a future date to suit you.
Gift Vouchers – expiry dates will be extended if you are unable to use them within the current expiry period.
Pony Share Membership is on hold and members have been notified of this.
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
