Brand new Equine social events - Review

[lisap]

New Barn Riders

Lots of people love the Horsey Coffee Mornings in Cheshire, and even more would love to come along, but either can't make a saturday morning, or feel it is too far for them to travel.

Sooo, we've started up New Barn Riders. This is a monthly Evening get together on a Wednesday night. The venue is New Barn, Chelford Road, Ollerton, Cheshire WA16 8SZ - about 4 miles outside of Knutsford.

New Barn has a big meeting room (heated for those cold winter evenings) and the benefit of the large covered school with full lighting and PA system. This means we'll be able to do evening demos as well as talks in the cosy classroom.

Wednesday October 19th 2011
7.00pm

The first event is a lecture demo about how to re-train problem horses and ponies using Natural Horsemanship techniques. Rachel Randalls and her two teenage daughters, Beth and Laura have been taking on 'written off' and rescue horses and ponies for several years. Using a mixture of natural horsemanship techniques they turn these troubled equines around. Now they even use some of the ponies to fly falcons and eagles from while fully dressed up in Medieval gear and wearing side saddles. Rachel will be bringing some of the ponies along to New Barn and showing us some of her methods. The evening will be fascinating and not a little tear-jerking at times when you hear some of the ponies' stories.

The evening starts at 7.00pm with the Lecture demo kicking off at 7.30pm. The cost is just £5.00 per head. There is no need to pre-book, but I would be very grateful to know if you are coming along so that we can get enough biccies and nibbles (and wine for the non-drivers!), so email me at [e-mail] or give me a call on 07931 351183 to let me know that you are coming. Look forward to seeing you!

[troop]

oh fab i am much more likely to be able to arrange for this woop woop

[lisap]

Well, the event is tonight and so far - if everyone comes who says they are coming - we could have over 90 people!!!!!

Glad I bought extra tea and coffee, and also a couple of extra boxes of wine for the non-drivers.

You don't have to pre-book, just come along clutching your £5.00 and you will be made very welcome. Fortunately we have a BIIIIG indoor school at New Barn and lots and lots of chairs, so there won't be a problem with fitting everyone in (we hope!!)

[Mellymoo]

Good luck, hope it's a success!!

[lisap]

Re-training the troubled horse using Natural Horsemanship techniques - Oct 19th 2011

Listening Horsemanship (www.listeninghorsemanship.webs.com ) featuring Rachel Randalls, her husband Paul, and her two very talented daughters, Beth and Laura, kicked off our first New Barn Riders event. With the help of Antonia Rooney and her beautifully trained horse, the team took us through some of the philosophies and principles of her natural horsemanship techniques.

It was hard for the 90+ people who came along to see this event to imagine how the beautifully behaved horses and ponies who were working so calmly in the arena had ever been classed as dangerous or unrideable. Rachel and her family are passionate about non-violent methods and the responsiveness and willingness of the horses to respond to their riders and handlers - some of them just using a rope around the neck - was impressive and inspiring.
The New Barn Riders got a lot of bang for their buck - we saw horses jumping barrels at liberty, bareback with just a headcollar (although Victor was a little surprised at one point and Laura made an unscheduled dismount - which just added to the fun of the evening!). One of the horses who was trotting and cantering around quietly had previously been a complete bucking bronco, now he goes out and regularly competes and is placed in showjumping competitions.

With so many remedial horses and ponies, the Listeninghorsemanship team have to get them to earn their keep on occasion, and they have trained some of the horses and ponies to be dressed up in full medieval costumes and have birds of prey fly to and from them. As an extra treat for the New Barn Riders, Rachel had organised son Jack, and husband Paul to be fully kitted out in medieval costume astride their fully costumed ponies. Then, Womble the Barn Owl made her appearance. She played her role to pefection, flying from handler to the fist of the riders - especially impressive was the sight of young Jack on his impossibly cute grey pony with the owl on his wrist. Even some members of the audience got the opportunity to fly the owl. We think that Pam Rigby might want a barn owl for Christmas....

If this wasn't enough, Beth Gibbons brought along some of her artwork and creations for people to look at while drinking their coffee and sipping their wine. What a very talented young woman she is - the willow horses (based on one of their own ponies) were absolutely spectacular, along with her glorious paintings of horses and people. She even paints horseshoes and is happy to do commissions for people.

It was freezing cold - the coldest night so far this autumn, but the indoor arena looked wonderful and the feedback we have had so far has been fabulous. Pictures were taken, and will be put up as soon as we have them.

Some comments from the audience:

"Really enjoyed last night, despite temperature!"
"Had a great time on Wednesday, can't wait for the next one!"
"Hi, it was lovely to meet everyone last night at New Barn Riders. Thank you for a very enjoyable evening. I look forward to many more over the coming months".
"Fantastic evening yesterday - truly inspirational!"
"Mum and I thoroughly enjoyed it - despite the cold!"
"Brilliant event last night"