Build a Bond Beyond Belief

This newsletter contains:

• Shift to new venue
• Livery
• New Ride at Mt Lyford
• New Revamped Blog

Riding to do:

• Holiday Programmes
• Natural Horsemanship Club
• Riding weekends at Mt Lyford
• Becoming a Horsey Parent Course
• Sponsoring your horse

Up Coming Events:

• Horsemanship Clinics: Ken Faulkner
• Latest stories
• Handy to know horse hint

Hello Everyone

Welcome to the Summer Newsletter. We have moved yes it is true actually. We are now settling into our new home and all of us including our horses are loving it. It seems a lot of firsts have been happening . We have had a record number at saddle club this last term, 23 riders!! I have taken our first riders to our new “Huts” near Sherwood Lodge, and another Over the Top ride. A lot of new riders are joining the Natural Horsemanship Club, with our horses and theirs. We have two livery horses making their homes with us. Also our first tee shirt has gone out to our online owner of Jimmy. Jill got her tee shirt with Jimmy on it, a certificate and a photo of her on Jimmy. This is all part of the Your Horse scheme .

Shift to New Venue

This is truly a community effort with major work being done by  Mike Southworth and Andy Nicholson who gave their time to put up the waratah fence for us,  the water,  gates and it goes on and on. Thanks to the Collins container people who manouver those big containers like they are matchboxes!, Ralph Ogg who cleared the fence line, Paul Witsey who put in the tie up for us. To John and June for all the extra materials they donated to us around the place, to Abi’s parents, Sue and Ron for putting up the signs. We are operational and all systems are working beautifully. We have more to do but time to do it in now the essentials are done.Your feedback is welcome, so we can continue to make the venue a welcoming place which works for everyone.

Livery

We are able to offer 4 places for livery horses at Otahuna Horse Riding. Livery is a word used in the Westerns to describe horse care, and we care for your horse as if he/she were our own for you. You have access to the trails on the Wilsons, and over to Gherkins Road, your own lock up for your gear and access to all our knowledge and teaching sessions. We have our first livery horses, one at Mt Lyford and one at Otahuna. Fee for livery including hay is $80.00 per week. It includes worming, bare foot hoof care, dentistry, and daily checks and care. No vet fees.

New Rides at Mt Lyford

Sherwood Huts

Pip from Sherwood, myself and others have been working on these iconic NZ huts near Sherwood Lodge on the Lottery River over the Winter and Spring. They will be fully finished by 7th January. They are state of the Art old huts with fire place, copper, outside shower and toilet, cabbage trees, river and bird sounds!

I have taken my first riders over to “The Huts”, and it was superb. We swam in the river, had bar b qued goodies, and were woken by the most amazing morning chorus I have ever heard. The horses had the night in the paddock around the huts and we watched them all evening wandering by, flicking the flies and enjoying their exploration. Be in on this one folks. This is perfect for many of you who are getting really good at your riding and are ready for something more. The trail is straight forward and really impressive. Cathy and I can’t wait to show the best of what we have for you.

We have a ride going over to the huts with 3 spaces on it on the 15th and 16th January, so get in on that one if you can!

Mt Lyford to Hanmer Springs -Rustic Option

We have also opened a new trail to Hanmer Springs from Mt Lyford that is running along with the luxury option and takes us to the huts the first night and a farm cottage the second night. This is a fantastic high country ride with 5 to 7 hours riding each day. It is a bring your sleeping bag and overnight gear, which gets trucked in. We still have Pip from Sherwood doing the food, just not the 4 courses. Take a look at this on the website. The photos are for real I promise.

Cost $895.00 pp  for food, accommodation, transfers and all the horse riding. It can be extended into a 6 day ride by going back to Mt Lyford via mostly different trails.

There are 3 or 4 spaces on a ride to Hanmer that is brewing in the week of 20th January,  so come along and join us on that one!

New Revamped Blog
Walter had worked on the www.katetapley.co.nz site.  It is now our website for the company and our Build a Bond Beyond Belief blog all in one. Have a look! I have just written  an article on the Hanmner Rustic option. Please make comments on the blog, and send in your stories, thoughts, achievements so we can put it  on the blog.

*** Other Riding to do
Half day and all day rides can be enjoyed by everyone at any time. I have been sending out quite a few vouchers for Christmas presents for half day rides, the huts trip and stays at Pokaka log house. Great Christmas presents for many.

Two Day Holiday Programmes for any young riders: 22nd and 23rd December and 15th and 16th January
We have a booking for a riding weekend in the last weekend in March 28th and 29th with 3 spaces in it for you keen riders. This is a superb programme, which never disappoints. As always anyone can book a weekend for themselves. We run them with a minimum number of three riders. $320.00pp includes accommodation, lunches and spas.

The next Natural Horsemanship Club is meeting at 10.00 to 1.00pm 28th December

Becoming a Confident horsey Parent. Again these courses are proving to be very effective. They are simple, short, and enable parents to equip themselves to be involved in their children’s riding activities. There is a special emphasis on safe handling. Cost $145.00pp Take a look at the flyer on the Otahuna website. www.otahunariding.co.nz/parent.html

We have two riding weekends that are booked in March. Both have spaces on them.
March 14th and 15th has two spaces on it for mother and daughter or father and son for that matter.
March 28th and 29th has four spaces on it to join three women of mixed ages. Be in as this is the best month at Mt Lyford for the weather and lots of great times to be had.

Otahuna Saddle Club Holiday Activities

Parents and other family members are welcome to join in. There is no excuse you can do the confident Parent Course before hand to ready yourself.

One Day holiday programme Trekking: 30th December, 19th January, 31st January

Overnight Camp: 5th and 6th January: 24th and 25th January

One Day Holiday Programme Challenge Day: 8th January and 22nd January

Saddle Club begins again on the week of Feb 9th 2009 Enroll ASAP Forms available from Kate or Abi

Horsemanship Clinics: Ken Faulkner
We have Ken Faulkner coming across from Brisbane again on 7, 8, 9 and 10 March, 2009 to run a 4 day clinic at our new venue. Keep this date free and get into this quick. Ken is one of the World’s best trainers in Natural Horsemanship, and this is always a very inspiring clinic. Again horses are available to ride in the clinic from us for $50.00 per day.

Cost $680.00pp to ride, $60.00 per day to watch.

Places are secured by a non refundable full payment paid at least two weeks before the clinic. A late fee of $100.00 applies for payments made after this. Download the registration form here.

Sponsoring your Horse

We have our first sponsor for our horse Jimmy, and the tee shirt with them both on is with her. It is Jill Lindsay who started riding 4 years ago at 72 years. We all love Jill including Jimmy. No excuses for anyone not to begin riding now huh!! There is an opportunity for you to support your horse by setting up a sponsorship for them. You receive a two monthly update on their news, and what your money is being used for to assist your horse, a photo, and of course you get to continue to ride “your” horse whenever you ride with us. There is also the Tee shirt with “your” horse on it.

To sponsor simply e mail Kate on kate@katetapley.co.nz, and we set up a sponsorship online.

Latest stories

The latest story has to be Hannah and her new horse Ruby who are doing livery with us. Hannah and her mother, Michelle, have been so keen, coming out regularly and learning so much with Ruby. There is nothing like doing it all yourself to get upskilled. I appreciate the e mails Michelle has sent to me about Ruby not wanting to walk with them away from the herd as if she is saying, “You have to be kidding I can’t leave my security. You humans don’t get it Ill never survive away from the herd”. Ruby said the same thing to me when I got her in to do her feet and I said “Ruby I will make it a good idea to follow me and prove to you you can rely on me to keep you from being eaten” We ended up having a good time under the roof out of the rain trimming her feet. She went along with me in the end. Horses are bound to try us out left, right and center. It is their nature, and it is our nature too actually. Remember the relieving teacher scenario? Being positive, consistent and direct while maintaining rhythm helps to instill confidence in our horse just like a good leader does for any of us. So I used my phases, relaxed when Ruby moved with me and kept a strong soft focus and a solid intent in my mind. Try that next time Hannah.

Handy to know horse hint

I found myself saying recently. ” It is not softness that gets softness from our horse it is respect” By this I mean the horse has to be sure we will follow through with our phases so they can rely on us and be sure we are going to be solid and mean what we say and say what we mean, then the softest gesture will be taken seriously by our horse. Try this with moving your horse off your space or a hind quarter yield. Then you can turn your cue into a rhythm as Ken Faulkner would say.

Be sure to look up the blog. It is full of great things. I have been writing!

The Blog: www.katetapley.co.nz

From the team at Kate Tapley Horse Treks

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