Games with Gilly

Hello! As it has been several months since I reported on the blog, I thought I would let you all know what I have been up to.  And if you are a new reader and have not met me before, then welcome to Morpeth RDA Group at thepegasuscentre.org.uk  blog.

My name is Gilly, and I am a Welsh Mountain Pony. Since December, many people have taken up pony adoption to help us raise funds for our RDA group. And I am very pleased to tell you that I have been adopted by more people than any of the other ponies! I feel sure that this is because I am an experienced RDA pony, well behaved and very cute.  Corrie does not agree with this, but my name on many adoption packs have proved her wrong.
If you would like to know more about pony adoption, please read Corrie's blog post from December.


I am also first choice for many of our smaller school children to ride.

From left. Teacher, Alice with Michael and volunteer, Sandra, wait for games to start    

Michael started riding me in January and has really enjoyed learning new skills. 

He is good at stretching forward to remove hoops from cones...

Morpeth RDA Chairman, Malcolm Haigh, helps Michael take a hoop

then reaching out to put them back on different coloured cones. This exercise also helps to improve balance.

Michael likes to give Malcolm a high five once the hoop is in place.
 

Playing traffic lights is a fun game too and Michael likes to shout out STOP...

Chief Instructor, Sam Orde, holds up a stop sign

and GO when Sam holds up the signs.

 Michael shouts out GO when the sign goes up

Michael rode Chief at the end of term, and as his balance has improved, he had great fun trotting. 

Volunteer Chris leads Chief in trot with Alice keeping an eye on Michael

I hope to see Michael next term and perhaps he will ride me again...

because I like trotting too!

 


   

Easy Fundraising with Beau and Jess

Hello, my name is Beau and I am the 'Hound of The Pegasus Centre'. With help from Jess, we will explain how you can all help raise funds for Morpeth RDA Group by shopping on the internet with easyfundraising.org.uk

Are you planning a holiday this year?

 

Book a beach holiday and raise money for us too!

Virgin, Thomas Cook and Jet2 will all make a donation if you book through their website.

I would prefer watching 101 Inuits

Do you need a new television, computer or laptop?

When Sophie is teaching I like to Google bones

John Lewis and Currys are just two of the many retailers who will donate a percentage of your purchase to Morpeth RDA Group.

I think I am very well trained!

Forget training, let's go to the beach!  

Amazon will donate too, and with free delivery, are a good retailer for books...

Jess jamming

a new CD...

Sorry, Martin is not here today, can I take a message?

phones...

Now I can't hear anything!

a warm hat for the winter...

They need to go over your eyes Doug... Health and Safety!!

goggles...

Who do you think I am?... Gordon?

DIY kit...

I look far more 'cool' in these sunglasses than you Beau

and sunglasses.

There are thousands of retailers who will make a donation and it is very easy to do.
Simply go to the easyfundraising.org.uk website. Under 'Search for a Cause' type in 'Morpeth RDA Group', then click 'Support this Cause'. When you have registered you can go shopping. Just search for a retailer through the easyfundraising.org.uk site and they will direct you to where you want to go. Once you have made your purchase, the retailer will make their donation to Morpeth RDA Group directly and you will receive an email to let you know how much your purchase has raised for us.

If you are a bit forgetful like Jess and I, then it is a good idea to download the easyfundraising.org.uk donation reminder. This means you will never forget to go through the easyfundraising website before making a purchase.

And finally, petsupermarket.co.uk sells everything you need for your much loved pet and they currently offer 15% off first time orders and free delivery if you spend over £29.00.

Mmmmm

They sell everything from bones...

Photo sessions are exhausing!

to beds. And best of all we get a donation! Happy shopping...

and fundraising!





Thank you to Emily and Sophie for taking such brilliant pictures for this post and of course to Beau and Jess who are the real stars. If any TV, film or model agencies are interested, they are both currently available for work. Please contact their agent, Mrs A Boyle, through The Pegasus Centre to discuss their fees, a percentage of which will be donated to Morpeth RDA Group. 

 






 

 

Adopt a RDA pony

Hello, my name is Corrie and I am a Welsh Mountain Pony.

I am ridden by children from school groups during the week...

and if the fields are wet, I get to play with Tess in the indoor school during free time. She likes to be scratched, but as she is so big, and I am so small...

it is a challenge to reach up to her withers! The geldings always run around...

and as usual George and Magic get up to mischief!

We raise funds at the centre by offering pony adoption. You can adopt me or one of the other ponies for a year. You will receive a certificate of adoption, a colour A4 size photograph and a card with a picture of your adopted pony on the front. The cost is £25.00 which helps towards keeping your chosen pony. During the year we need hay, straw and feed, and also visits from the vet, farrier and other professionals who keep us in good health. Please visit our website
 www.thepegasuscentre.org.uk  for more information on pony adoption.
Obviously I would like you to adopt me, but you could choose any of my friends who are pictured on the blog.

Heather with Corrie

You can also help us by becoming a volunteer like Heather, who volunteers at the centre twice a week. You could assist in lessons, groom and tack up ponies or help on the yard. We could not do what we do without all our brilliant volunteers, so if you want to make a New Year's resolution...
become an RDA volunteer!



On behalf of all the ponies and everyone who looks after us at The Pegasus Centre, we wish you all a very Happy Christmas.   

Tess the Ardennes Mare

Hello, my name is Tess. I am an Ardennes mare from Belgium and the full name on my passport is Tessa van het Oostrum's Veld.  The Ardennes or Ardennais is one of the oldest breeds of draft horse and their history dates back to Ancient Rome. Throughout the years, blood from several other breeds has been added to the Ardennes, but only the Belgian breed had any significant impact. The breed could be a direct descendent of the prehistoric Solutre horse and is thought to be the type of horse Julius Caesar described as "rustic, hard and tireless".  They were used for heavy cavalry units... the original war horse!
I am very pleased to be an RDA horse.

I have not been at The Pegasus Centre very long, and before I could be ridden, I needed tack. This caused a bit of a problem due to the large size of my head, so parts of my bridle had to be specially made and finding a rug to fit me was a challenge too.  However, I now have a new blue rug to keep me warm this winter.

This week I was checked over by Ed Chinn, a vet from Alnorthumbria, and an Equine Nutritionist was there to weigh all the horses and ponies. As I thought I had overindulged on too much grass, I hid behind a rug hoping they may forget about me...

but being nosy I could not resist looking at what was going on...

so I was put on the scales and after a bit of  a discussion, they all agreed...

that I was the perfect weight for my size... phew!
On Tuesday evenings a group of visually impaired children come to ride.

Peter rides me...

his brother, Daniel, rides Magic...

and Jessica rides Monty. They all enjoy coming to the centre for sessions, and we love them riding us too. We get stroked and patted a lot and sometimes get a scratch too...

 

and there is nothing a horse likes more than a good scratch!

Thank you to Emily and Martin for providing some of the pictures on this post.



 
  

It's Magic... with George!

Hello, my name is George and my best friend is called Magic. We have both recently joined The Pegasus Centre.

George (left) and Magic

Magic has settled in straight away, but it is taking me longer to get used to my new surroundings.

Magic

When I arrived, I was introduced to Emily's dog, Beau. He is very friendly but not always keen to share the hay. Playing in a field and rolling around in mud makes a horse very hungry you know!

George meets Beau

The first time I went inside the indoor school, I thought it was very strange to see another horse in there that looked just like me...

Another George?

but I soon realised that I was just looking at my reflection in a mirror!

Toys are not tasty treats!

It was disappointing to discover that the buckets in the school are full of toys. Personally, I prefer to find horse cubes in buckets!

Hello Niamh

Niamh, who rides Gilly every week, likes to stop and say hello when I am in the paddock. I have to put my head down close to her so she can pat me. I must seem very big to her but I think she knows that I am very gentle with children.

Just testing!

Magic and I share a field with the other geldings but I thought it would be nice to introduce ourselves to the mares. There is an electric fence separating the girls and boys but Magic was sure it was switched off. After checking it was safe...

Head first, then step through. Easy!

I climbed through and told Magic to follow...

Come on, what are you waiting for?

then headed across the field to say hello. Unfortunately I was caught in the act by Kate and Alison...

Sorry Alison, but the grass really is greener on this side!  

so got taken back to the geldings field with Magic.

We need to work on plan B  

I thought Magic was given his name because he had been to Hogwarts with Harry Potter. And if he had an invisible cloak, we could come and go without being noticed. Sadly this is not the case...

Oops, it was just an accident!

and after breaking another fence, I am now wishing for a magic wand!  



Many thanks to Emily and Kate for providing the brilliant pictures for this post.