Shetland Pony Share Membership is the ideal way to enjoy all the fun of owning a pony, without the worries. It’s a great way to start, so let’s find out all about both options.
What is involved in owning your own pony?
First, you need to find a suitable pony for your child. This can be tricky, and you need to be experienced with horses to choose the right pony. Making the wrong choice can be an expensive mistake.
How to look after your pony
You will need to find a place for him to live, where he can be happy. Then, there’s lots to do to care for him for example regular visits from the farrier. He will also need to be seen by the vet and horse dentist and you need to keep his weight in check. He must be looked after every day of the year, come rain or shine, Christmas or holidays, so it’s a big commitment.
Shetland Pony Share Membership makes dreams come true
A great way to start out with ponies is to become a Shetland Pony Share Member, so you can have all the fun, without the daily responsibilities and worries.
There are two types of Pony Share Membership to enjoy from March – November:
Pony Membership – a pony of your own each week, 2 hours, from age 4+
Mini Membership – a pony of your own each week, 45 minutes, from age 4+* (*Covid age restriction)
The video explains how Shetland Pony Share Membership works, so do take a moment to watch it.
How can I become a Pony Share Member?
Membership is very popular, so we have a waiting list of children hoping to ride each week with us in 2022. There is still just time to join the waiting list here.
The waiting list closes on Monday 29 November 2021, and then it’s time to choose the ponies for the children on our waiting list for next year.
A pony for Christmas!
Each new pony share member receives a special pony pack in time to give them “a pony for Christmas”, with riding from March – November 2022.
Join the Pony Share Membership Waiting list by Monday 29 November 2021.
2021 Late Availability
Although we are fully booked for this season, we do get cancellations at short notice, so do check our website for live availability up until end of November 2021.
You can book online here now, or give us a call on 07734 950 309.
2022 party bookings are now open!
Shetland Pony Parties – amazing pony parties for children aged 4 -10 years old. Use of a private facility with 6 ponies, creating magical memories for your child’s birthday. One and a half hours – £600 for 10 children. Extra riding children (up to 18), £25 each. 2021 Fully booked. Book now for 2022.
You can book online here now, or give us a call on 07734 950 309.
Do take a moment to watch this week’s video: Shetland Pony Share Membership makes dreams come true
From Rosemary, the Shetland Pony Club Team and all the Shetland ponies
What do Shetland ponies eat in a day? Let’s find out with Rosemary as she shows us how to look after the ponies at Shetland Pony Club to keep them happy and healthy.
What do Shetland ponies eat in a day?
Just like us, Shetland ponies need a good breakfast early in the morning to give them plenty of energy for their busy day ahead. They love their tasty breakfast and are keen to come in and eat it in The Ranch, every morning.
Tasty breakfast
The Shetland ponies have a very small amount of Balanced Horse Feeds Show Mix, which is a delicious mixture of pony nuts and chopped chaff. It gives them enough energy to be well behaved for their mornings riding at Shetland Pony Club.
Lunchtime is important
The Shetland ponies need a proper lunchtime, with a full hour to eat grass and relax after their busy morning. They always have clean water to drink and enjoy a lick block of salt and minerals too.
Evening eating for the Shetland ponies
At the end of a busy day the ponies go into the rewilding fields where they browse on twigs, brambles and a range of native plants to vary their diet. They also get a treat of a little richer grass and herbs as a reward for a good day’s work.
In our latest Advice Guide from Shetland Pony Club we look at a pony problem called Laminitis.
Laminitis is a common condition in ponies, often caused by eating too much sugary grass. It causes the sensitive laminae in the feet to swell and become very sore.
How to recognize laminitis
Ponies with laminitis can’t walk very comfortably. You can check their feet to see if they are hot. It’s most common to have laminitis in the front feet, but it can be found in all four hooves.
They may also have a cresty neck, which feels hard and lumpy, and is a sign that they may be overweight.
Laminitic ponies may also sit or lie down more to take the weight off their sore feet.
Causes of laminitis
Rich grass in springtime can lead to laminitis
Frost induced laminitis can also happen in winter, with the temperature shock to the hooves and the sugary grass under the snow and frost
Concussion laminitis is caused when the ground is very hard
How to treat laminitis
There are lots of ways to help laminitic ponies with sore feet.
Ponies can be put in a stable with a deep bed of wood chips to make it more comfortable for their feet and stop them eating the sugary grass. They also like to stand on soft surfaces, like rubber mats, which cushion their hooves.
Vets recommend low sugar feeds and can make them more comfortable with pony anti-inflammatory medicine, to reduce the swelling that causes the pain inside the hooves. They can also x-ray the ponies’ hooves to see what’s happening inside.
The farriers can also help with frequent hoof trimming as their feet grow quickly.
Prevention is better than cure
Keeping ponies slim and well-exercised is the ideal way to help prevent laminitis. With careful management, they can recover and be happy and healthy again.
Do you dream of owning a Shetland pony, but are worried about the practicalities? Well, you’ve come to the right place. In this video we find out about the problems of buying and caring for a Shetland pony and how our membership can help.
A pony of your own, the easy way
With Pony Share Membership you can experience a pony of your own, the easy way. Learn to ride, build a bond with your pony, come regularly to Shetland Pony Club, and enjoy pony fun in the countryside every week from March to the end of November.
What is Pony Share Membership?
It’s an easy way to experience having a pony of your own, without the worries and expense. See all the fun you can have in this week’s video.
There are two types of Pony Share Membership to enjoy from March to the end of November:
Pony Membership – a pony of your own each week, 2 hours, from age 4+
Mini Membership – a pony of your own each week, 45 minutes, from age 4+* (*Covid-19 age restriction)
How can I become a Pony Share Member?
Membership is very popular, with priority given to existing members, so we have a waiting list of children hoping to ride each week with us in 2021. There is still just time to join the waiting list for 2021. You can do this by contacting us on: 07734 950 309 or email: info@shetlandponyclub.co.uk
The waiting list closes on Monday 30 November 2020, and then it’s time to choose the ponies for the children on our waiting list for next year.
A pony for Christmas
Each new Pony Share Member receives a special pony pack in time to give them “a pony for Christmas”, with riding each week from March to the end November 2021.
Contact us to join the Pony Share Membership waiting list on: 07734 950 309 or email: info@shetlandponyclub.co.uk. by Monday 30 November 2020.
Shetland Pony Club is now closed due to lockdown
We have had to close early because of lockdown and are now closed for the winter. We plan to reopen on Saturday 6 March 2021.
What does this mean for my November pony riding booking?
All customers with November bookings have been contacted to move your booking, 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
All Pony Share Members have been contacted separately about their November riding and will be contacted shortly about their priority Pony Share Membership renewal for 2021.
Can I book a Pony Birthday Party for 2021?
Yes – bookings for birthday parties are open for the whole of the 2021 season. You can find out more about Shetland Pony Parties here and book online too.
Would you like to learn to be a Shetland Pony Vet? Lots of our staff have trained to be vets and some are hoping to get places at vet school tomorrow, on A-Level results day. Good luck staff!
Many of the children who ride with us would like to be vets too. So, at Shetland Pony Club Camp the children have been learning about their pony’s health and how to care for them.
Caring for your pony
The children have learned the “points of the horse” and what to call them. They have learned about the different feeds a pony can eat and how to mix them up. It’s important for the stable to be clean, with fresh hay and water too.
Learning to be a Shetland Pony Vet
Vets need to be able to recognize poisonous plants to keep their ponies safe. They also need to see if they are healthy by measuring their weight and listening to their hearts. It’s helpful to learn how to bandage a pony too, so the children learn how to do all these things at Shetland Pony Club camp.
Association of British Riding School’s pony health certificate
At the end of a busy day of riding and pony learning the children are awarded their certificates for excellent learning. Well done children!
Do check our live booking system regularly to see the extra availability we have, or contact us on: 07734 950 309 or email: info@shetlandponyclub.co.uk
New minimum riding age of 4
Shetland Pony Club is proud to be one of the first riding schools in the country to be awarded the Association of British Riding Schools Certification for COVID-19 Safe Working Practices. Having risk-assessed our riding in the light of the government guidelines, we have changed the age for riding to a minimum of 4 years old, until further notice.
For children aged 2.5 – 4, we hope to be able to resume riding soon. Keep an eye on our weekly email, social media and the website here for more information.
Take care from
The Shetland Pony Club Team and all the Shetland ponies
