Kate's Newsletter:

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Summer 2007/2008

Build a bond beyond belief

Hello Everyone

Welcome to the Summer Newsletter. I have never seen our horses looking and behaving so well. The weather is just glorious and we are having the time of our lives. Join us. We have  some very good  riding opportunities and lots of exciting news. Welcome to Janet McLean who has joined us as a new guide at Otahuna, and Tina Longman who has teamed up with Cathy Johns at Mt Lyford. A big thank you to all our work for riders for the hard work they have put in throughout the year

This Newsletter Contains


What is coming Up

We have many riding programmes designed for the Summer holidays for young riders and families. All our groups have a maximum number of 6 riders. Remember you do not need to be Mark Todd to be able to ride with us. We are teachers and confidence builders, which is the main purpose of the partnering up session that accompanies all our activities:

The Two day holiday programme is an excellent way to learn about riding and horses and see some countryside. It is open to all young riders of any experience.

Thursday 27th/Friday 28th December 2007
Monday 14th/Tuesday 15th January 2008

Fee $240.00 pp You may book for the first day only $120.00pp.

Half day and all day rides can be enjoyed by everyone at any time. We have a great new all day ride that takes us up to the top of the summit road, where we have lunch looking over Lyttelton Harbour, and return through a fabulous established stand of native forest. Take a look on the route guide on the Otahuna Website.

The Over the Top Ride is a great family ride, and we have a few adventurous families who are taking the horses by the reins and booking their trip during the holidays.

The Natural Horsemanship Club is being put together by Abi. It is beginning on 12th January. This is a regular group of riders who can meet up and learn all they want about this amazing method of communicating with the horses. Anyone welcome. More on this below.

The riding weekends at Mt Lyford have been very successful. We have some mothers and daughters looking to March to book another group. As always anyone can book a weekend for themselves. We run them with a minimum number of three riders. $295.00pp

Becoming a Confident horsey Parent. Babs is running another of these as I write. Again these courses are proving to be very effective. They are short, just three sessions where parents can equip themselves to be involved in their children's riding activities. $145.00pp

Take a look at web page for this programme, or download the pdf flyer. Cathy at Mt Lyford is running this course also. Contact Cathy on 03 3156361.

Report On Saddle Club

This has been a busy term for Saddle Club with about 20 young riders taking part. We have met many new faces which is really encouraging for us all. I hope that the new riders and their families feel welcome and are finding firm friends both horse and human.

The more experienced young riders, who have taken part in previous terms, have been working on their Parelli Natural Horsemanship Level 1 certificates. They are making great progress. There is the opportunity for those who want to take the assessment in the first half of next year.

It is always rewarding to see the young riders grow in confidence during the six week sessions. They seem to find their feet in the middle weeks and become more independent and confident in what they are doing and knowing what to do next. An example which happens a lot is picking out the pony's feet. At the start of the course the young rider is nervous and apprehensive about doing this but by the middle weeks they can do it with some assistance and at the end they are doing on their own!

I hope you all have a safe happy Christmas and a good start to the new year

Abi and her Saddle Club Team

Holiday Happenings At Otahuna Horse Riding

The next Saddle Club (term time) 6 week courses will begin during the week of the 3rd March 2008. Please send your enrolment in promptly with payment to secure your place.

Holiday Programmes for Saddle Clubbers

Parents and carers are invited to take part in these activities with their young rider(s) either riding or spectating. Information sheets on all the activities below are available on our menu board in our containers. Help yourself them.

The following programmes are for young riders who have completed a 6 week Saddle Club course, or a two day Holiday Programme or a Certificate at Horse Sense Riding Centre (Jo Gaul's):

One Day Holiday Programme (Trekking)

Tuesday 1st January 2008 - mainly walking with some small trots
Wednesday 2nd January 2008 - some trotting and cantering included
Wednesday 9th January 2008 - mainly walking with some small trots
Monday 21st January 2008 - some trotting and cantering included
Friday 1st February 2008 - the pace will be at the guides discretion
Fee $100.00 pp

Overnight Camp

Saturday 29th to Sunday 30th December 2007
Thursday 24th to Friday 25th January 2008
Monday 4th to Tuesday 5th February 2008
Fee $150.00 pp

Challenge Days

Monday 7th January 2008
Tuesday 22nd January 2008
Thursday 31st January 2008
Fee $100.00 pp

New Initiative - Otahuna Natural Horsemanship Club

Its happening !!!!!

The start date is the 12th January. You are welcome to do a full day or half day and we will start off by revising the basics. There will be an opportunity to be assessed for certificates (PNH or ANH) at the end of February/beginning of March next year.

Contact Abi on 325-2264, 027-649-4685 or e-mail abi@ricketts.gen.nz. Please note that I am not an official instructor for Parelli Natural Horsemanship or Australian Natural Horsemanship. You will be assessed by someone who is.

Abi

Horsemanship Clinics: With Bryan McVicar and Ken Faulkner

Bryan McVicar We have a four Day Clinic running on the last two weeks of April 2008 at Mt Lyford in fantastic surroundings. You may do the first two days only, which is on the weekend. Stay on and let us take you over our magnificent alpine trails. Bryan is an outstanding teacher and horseman and we are so lucky to have him in our midst. You can bring your own horse or take one of ours. Good grazing facilities available. Comfortable affordable accommodation available near by.

Fee $600.00pp four days $300.00pp two days to ride, $50.00 per day to watch.

We have Ken Faulkner coming across from Brisbane again in February 23rd to 26th 2008 to run a 4 day clinic at Tai tapu. Venue Weedons Ross Road. 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.

Fee $680.00pp to ride, $50.00 per day to watch.

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

Venue

I am still exploring all avenues to find another venue nearby to where we are now, in the Otahuna valley, nothing is nailed as yet. Any ideas or resources welcome.

Plains FM Radio Programme

Nick and I are poised to do the next half of the radio programme where Nick rides out on a trek. I need to find sponsorship for this next half, and am opening this to you. If you would like to be advertised on Plains FM by sponsoring our radio show on Wednesday mornings then let me know!

Sponsoring your Horse

Many of you have ridden our horses, and made significant connections with them, and some of you have fallen in love with "your" horse you have ridden, which I totally understand. We do that constantly. There is now 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

We have had some very significant moments on our rides lately. I had a week with an English family from Singapore who came over in their school holidays to have a week's riding. We rode Over the Top as well as all round our Otahuna Trails. We came back from Governors Bay in a screaming nor' wester. Actually the day someone was killed in Redwood. Surprisingly on the hills the wind wasn't as bad, and we wandered through the bush and finished all safe and sound. But looking down at the dustbowl on the Plains from the top of the Port Hils was amazing. I was quite prepared to wander back down to Governors Bay if need be.

There have been so many success stories in the saddle club. One such story that impressed Abi was little Isaac who managed to carry all of his saddle and saddle blankets to and from his pony by the end of his course when on the first day he could only carry the girth. Well done!!

Please write in any of your stories to me and I can add them to the newsletter and the websites. Everyone has a story to tell around horses.

Handy to know horse hint

During our last clinic with Bryan I realised that having a soft flex in my horse, Rusty, both on the ground and in the saddle enabled him to think with me, feel safe with new things and help his movement for all other manoevers I asked of him. As soon as Rusty or me went stiff all else failed. It is a paradox. Softness enables strength. Pulling enables weakness.

Be sure to look up the blog. It is full of great things, and I will put more up soon!

The Blog: www.katetapley.co.nz/news

From the Team at Kate Tapley Horse Treks

 

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Build a Bond Beyond Belief
Mt. Lyford Horse Treks and Otahuna Horse Riding are operated by Kate Tapley Horse Treks Ltd.
Last updated: Tuesday, 11 December, 2007