George has a Mane Event!

Hello, do you all recognise me?

It's George of course!

I am looking very smart as Emily hogged my mane and clipped my feathers for our RDA Regional Competition at the centre in May.

My stablemates and their riders had a brilliant day.

Lloyd rode Dominic in RDA dressage...

and Kaitlin rode Rusty in the RDA Showjumping class.

Connor steered Gilly around the Countryside Challenge course.

Chloe rode Midnight in dressage...

and qualified for the RDA National Championships in July.

Well done to all our brilliant riders!

We held our Open Day at the centre on 2nd June.

Humphrey decided he would be a 'Super Horse' in a musical ride with Chloe...

and Councillor Valerie Tyler clearly thought that he was indeed SUPER!

Para rider Gayle Bloomfield rode her horse Lucca in a dressage demonstration...

and RDA Coach Laura set up a small Countryside Challange course to allow visitors to watch our riders going around the different obstacles.

Visually impaired rider, Daniel, rode Midnight.

Daniel posted a letter...

steered around cones...

and opened a gate. Daniel was delighted to receive a rosette from Councillor Sue Davey...

and he is very excited to be going to the RDA National Championships in July!

Open day ended with our dedicated volunteers receiving certificates for the many years they have been volunteering at the Pegasus Centre.

And our Lead RDA Coach, Sam Orde, received a certificate for 20 years of volunteering!

I hope to be a RDA horse for a lot of years to come...

perhaps not 20 though!!

Half term news

Hello, my name is Dominic and I am pleased to be reporting on our news this month.

Dominic with Jess

We had a busy half term with competitions at the centre. And I was very happy to compete in RDA dressage and showjumping with the other ponies.

Jess riding her dressage test on Dominic

Lloyd warming up on Dominic

Lloyd jumping on Dominic

Chloe gets a high five after her test from Chairman, Malcolm Haigh

Emily competes on Robbie

Connor on Gilly

We had a lot of entries and everyone had a great time. And as always, there were big smiles all round when riders received their rosettes.

Oliver is happy to receive his rosette from Malcolm

Derek jumps for joy

 

 
I have more good news!...

Our hooves have walked, trotted, cantered and jumped all over our arena surface for the past six years. And volunteers feet have walked many thousands of steps all over it too.

Lead Coach, Sam Orde, often runs all around the arena alongside trotting ponies.

Sam is very active and fit...

and can even run faster than Midnight! But the arena surface had become very compacted...

so everyone was very pleased when we finally got a new arena surface from Andrews Bowen in March. Much fundraising had been done over the past year...

and we are very grateful to all our sponsors and donors who have helped us raise the funds to replace it...  

there are now a lot of happy hooves and feet!  


Finally, we were very pleased that two of our young volunteers, Abby and Georgina, received High Sheriff Awards for the brilliant work they do at the centre...

Abby and Georgina with High Sheriff, Lucy Carroll, Simon King and RDA Coach Laura

and 'Hairy Biker' Simon King was there to hand out the awards during the evening.

This got me thinking that if they had wanted a 'hairy' presenter...

why did they not ask Magic?!

Hello... and Goodbye!

Hello blog readers!

Chico

I have enjoyed spending the past five years helping many RDA riders achieve so much. From sitting on me for the first time...

 

Chico and his rider, from 'Useful Vision' North East, lead the group 

 

to competing in dressage...

Chloe Wyatt competing in RDA Dressage

and learning to jump.

Ryan Gillespie competing in RDA Showjumping

All my RDA riders have grown in confidence...

Chloe Wyatt enjoying her first canter on Chico

and many have learnt to canter on me.

I have helped children and adults win rosettes in competitions...

and as I was the only hoist pony, I have been training Magic to take over from me.

Sophie Hurrell-Day with Chico and Magic

 I have even appeared on T-shirts and mugs!

So, now it is time to say goodbye. I am going to enjoy my retirement with Tim, an RDA volunteer, and his family. Tim's grandchildren will occasionally ride me, but hopefully my days will be spent eating grass!

Chloe on Chico

I will really miss the staff, volunteers, our amazing riders and most of all, my RDA stablemates. And I know they will continue to do the brilliant job that I have done for so many years...

and I feel sure they will all report on how my retirement is going!