Join Rosemary as she shows us how to care for Shetland ponies in Storm Arwen, the first named storm of the winter.
Can Shetland ponies live outside all year round?
Shetland ponies are bred to survive in the harsh conditions of the Shetland Islands, where there are no trees for shelter and the weather is wet, cold and windy. They can live outside all year round as they have thick coats and fluffy tails to protect them.
How do we keep the Shetland ponies safe in a storm?
The Shetland ponies are best kept outside, in a large field where there is natural shelter to protect them. They feel safer outside with their friends, where they can be together and find shelter, rather than being alone in a stable.
Which field is best for the Shetland ponies in Storm Arwen
Rosemary has taken a close look at the wind direction and is moving the ponies to another field. She has chosen a field where there is the most shelter from the storm. Do they think it’s a good idea to change fields?
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 is £600 for 10 children with extra riding children (up to 18) are £25 each. Book now for 2022.
Buy a gift voucher for 2022
Buy a gorgeous gift voucher to come and ride with us in 2022. You can buy online vouchers to download now or gorgeous hard copy gift vouchers posted to you in a lovely gold envelope.
Which pony ride gift voucher should I choose?
Starter Rides–are 45 minutes long and are specially designed as first riding experiences for children from age 4 years old. £40 per child.
Own a Pony Experiences – are 2 hours long and are delightful early riding and learning experiences for children from age 4 years old. £60 per child.
Summer pony camp days and weeks – enjoy the whole day with your favourite Shetland pony. Learn to ride him, look after him and enjoy being with him all day long. 9.30am – 4pm, summer holidays only. Age 5+. £125 per day or £500 per week.
We are now closed for the winter and are working on the programme for 2022. Keep an eye on Shetland Pony Club TV each week and be the first to hear when bookings for next season open.
Do take a moment to watch this week’s video: how to care for Shetland ponies in Storm Arwen.
From Rosemary, the Shetland Pony Club Team and all the Shetland ponies.
It’s time for the perfect autumn ride with the Shetland ponies. The sky is blue, the leaves are golden and Trooper is waiting to come and be ridden, with Batman and Simba, who are in the shade of the old oak tree.
Let’s head to the woods where the leaves are rustling
The pony share members are keen and ready to ride, so let’s head off to the woods for an autumn adventure. Everyone enjoys long autumn rides in the cooler weather – perfect conditions for riding.
Sunset after a busy riding day at The Ranch
The ponies have had a busy autumn day riding with the children, and are now back in the fields, enjoying the juicy grass and the perfect autumn sunset. Well done ponies!
The waiting list for Pony Share Membership is closing soon
Pony Share Membership is very popular, and we have a waiting list of children hoping to ride each week with us in 2022. There’s lots more information about Pony Share Membership on our website here. The Pony Share Membership waiting list closes on Monday 29 November 2021, and then it’s time to choose ponies for the children on our waiting list for next year.
Buy a gift voucher for 2022
Why not book a gorgeous gift voucher to come and ride with us in 2022. You can buy online vouchers to download now or gorgeous hard copy gift vouchers posted to you in a lovely gold envelope.
Starter Rides – are 45 minutes long and are specially designed as first riding experiences for children from age 4 years old. They cost £40 per child. Own a Pony Experiences – are 2 hours long and are delightful early riding and learning experiences for children from age 4 years old. They cost £60 per child. Summer pony camp days and weeks – enjoy the whole day with your favourite Shetland pony. Learn to ride him, look after him and enjoy being with him all day long. 9.30am – 4pm, Summer holidays only. Age 5+. £125 per day or £500 per week.
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
2022 bookings to open soon
We are fully booked for this season, and are working on the programme for 2022. Keep an eye on Shetland Pony Club TV each week, to be the first to hear when bookings for next season open.
Do take a moment to watch this week’s video: Autumn ride with the Shetland ponies
From Rosemary, the Shetland Pony Club Team and all the Shetland ponies
This week we find out how to transport a pony from the Shetland Isles, now that we have found the ideal pony for us, in the last 3 videos.
How to transport a pony from the Shetland Isles to Surrey
First, we need to arrange lots of paperwork to make sure that our new pony can travel safely to us. Once everything is arranged, we need to bring him to Surrey before the winter weather and rough seas set in. On a calm day, our new pony, Trooper, says goodbye to his friends and sets off on his ferry journey to Aberdeen. He is very calm as he has been on a ferry before, and he knows that he gets tasty hay bricks to eat on the journey.
Weekend break for a Shetland pony
Trooper takes the overnight ferry from Shetland, when the weather is calm and has a weekend break in Aberdeen. It’s good to split the journey into sections so that he has time to graze and rest on his trip.
After the weekend, Trooper comes to the south of England, and has another night’s rest before coming to Shetland Pony Club. Let’s see him arrive at Shetland Pony Club after his long trip.
We’d love you to join us for pony fun this autumn. We are open at weekends and in the holidays until Sunday 28 November. Although we are fully booked for this season, we do get cancellations at short notice, so do check our website for live availability.
Which pony ride should I choose?
Starter Rides–are 45 minutes long and are specially designed as first riding experiences for children from age 4 years old. They cost £40 per child. Almost full.
Own a Pony Experiences – are 2 hours long and are delightful early riding and learning experiences for children from age 4 years old. They cost £60 per child. Fully booked.
Halloween Pumpkin Rides – themed pony treasure hunts for pony-mad witches and wizards. Enjoy 1½ hours of pony riding fun at the Ranch, during October Half Term. Age 4 +. £60 per child. Almost full.
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.
For your safety we have COVID-secure procedures in place:
Please minimise the number of people attending with your child
You are welcome to watch from our socially distanced benches and Safari Tent
What do Shetland ponies eat, is a great question that we find the answer to in this week’s Shetland Pony Club advice video.
What do Shetland ponies eat?
The main part of a Shetland pony’s diet is grass. He eats for as long as 16 hours per day, so can eat lots more grass than you might have in your garden.
Ponies like a varied diet
Just like us, ponies like to eat a range of foods. They are especially fond of milk thistles in summer and eat prickly common thistles in winter. They also enjoy other spikey plants such as blackberries, both the fruits and leaves, in the autumn.
Winter feeding of Shetland ponies
When it’s cold, the grass stops growing and ponies may need to be fed hay, which is dried grass, as a supplement to their normal grazing. They may need an additional small feed when they are being ridden regularly, to give them energy. Our ponies at Shetland Pony Club have a feed each morning when they are being ridden by children.
Nutritious and delicious
Ponies also need to eat a range of minerals and vitamins. On the Shetland Isles the ponies eat seaweed on the beaches, which is full of nutrients and salt. At Shetland Pony Club in Surrey, we don’t have seaweed, but the ponies enjoy a salt lick to get their extra minerals.
How to store your pony feed
It’s important to store your pony feed carefully. Find out what happens if you don’t do this!
We’d love you to join us for pony fun. Summer riding is almost full as the ponies are very popular.
Which pony ride should I choose?
Starter Rides–are 45 minutes long and are specially designed as first riding experiences for children from age 4 years old. They cost £40 per child. Extra spaces available this weekend.
Own a Pony Experiences – are 2 hours long and are delightful early riding and learning experiences for children from age 4 years old. They cost £60 per child.
Summer pony camp days– enjoy the whole day with your favourite Shetland Pony. Learn to ride him, look after him and enjoy being with him, all day long. 9.30am – 4pm, Summer holidays only. Age 5-10. £125 per day. – email us to join the waiting list
Shetland Pony Parties – amazing pony parties for children aged 4 -10 years old. Use of a private facility at The Ranch, 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.
Find out how to keep Shetland ponies warm in winter in this week’s video from Shetland Pony Club.
Do Shetland ponies prefer the cold weather?
Shetland ponies come from the Shetland Islands which are 120 miles north of mainland Scotland in the North Sea. The weather is very wet there and so Shetland ponies are bred to cope with cold and wet weather, and they prefer it to the heat.
How to keep Shetland ponies warm in winter?
Shetland ponies have several ways to keep warm. First, they are compact and naturally fat, so they have less surface area to lose heat from.
They also have a special fluffy coat with two layers, short hair next to the body to keep them warm and longer hairs to trap a layer of air next to the skin. So, Shetland ponies have a built-in duvet, and unless they are old or their coat is not fluffy, they can be warmer without a rug.
Why do Shetland ponies eat hay in winter?
Shetland ponies eat hay in winter when there is less grass. They have a special digestive system which is called hindgut fermentation. This is how they break down grass and hay and it acts as an internal central heating system. So as long as the ponies keep eating, they keep warm.
Finally, Shetland ponies like to run around and play in winter to keep warm and be sociable with their friends.
We are planning to reopen on Saturday 6 March 2021, although this is subject to coronavirus restrictions and may be later. As soon as we have further information, we will let you know.
VIP bookings waiting list now open
Our full programme for 2021 will be online in the coming weeks and you can join the VIP Bookings Waiting List now, to be the first to hear when bookings open for the season.
