Happy Hooves Ponies

13/12/2024

Christmas sessions 🎄

We are really looking forward to seeing you all for some Christmas magic 🪄 below are just a few things to note 📝

- Arrival: we have 30 minutes between each session for our elves to clean and reset the barn. This 30 minutes also gives us time to clear the car park ready for the next session to arrive. With this in mind, please don’t arrive more than 15 minutes before the start time of your session as the car park is not big enough to cater for two sessions at once! This will give the previous session 15 minutes to leave.
- Parking: As mentioned above, parking is limited as we can’t use our field to park in the winter. Extra adults (grandparents etc) are welcome to attend but we would ask that you come in as few cars as possible. If you need to come in lots of cars, we ask that some of the cars park at Caen hill locks and walk across to us.
- We will be going ahead whatever the weather. All of the crafts and Santa greeting will take place in a covered barn but the riding will take place outside. However, even our covered areas are not heated so please dress appropriately! Lots of layers will be needed 🌧 hot drinks will be provided to warm hands! ☕️
- Finding us: our postcode is SN10 2NW. The address is Oakwood Stud. Off of marsh lane we are directly opposite the turning to Caen hill locks. Coming from the village, if you make it to the dual carriageway you have gone too far. Coming from the dual carriageway, if you make it to the village you have gone too far. If you have any problems finding us on the day, please call 07703 064066. Our What Three Words location is: ///inflates.slick.splendid

10/12/2024

2025 prices 💸

Regrettably, from 1st January 2025 we need to increase our prices for toddler sessions.

The sessions will now be £18 with a new loyalty scheme in place, whereby customers who book and pay for 6 sessions in a block (these sessions do not have to be consecutive) will receive our 2024 price of £15 per session.

We have held off of having to increase our prices for a long time now, however unfortunately all of our costs have increased and we can no longer afford to keep absorbing this while also providing a 5 ⭐️ service 😥

We have only the very best, most suitable ponies who receive only the very best care. This unfortunately comes at a cost, but is not something I am willing to cut corners on. All of our ponies are considered and treated like pets, not business assets, and I strongly believe that this is why they perform so well week in week out. Here is just a small list of what these ponies receive;
Regular physio and chiropractic treatments
Yearly (or 6 monthly for our older ponies) dentals
Yearly (or 6 monthly for some ponies) vaccinations
Top quality hard feed
Top quality hay or haylage all year round
Any medication required no matter the cost (some of our older ponies are on regular prescribed medications)
6 weekly farrier visits
A full wardrobe to keep them comfortable year round
Regular clipping throughout winter

We then have costs such as muck removal, field maintenance, equipment maintenance, fuel, electric, water, grooming supplies (I think we are the shampoo companies best customer at this point- but I hate presenting dirty ponies) all of which add up.

We make very little to no profit on toddler sessions, we have the very best insurance and a 5🌟 rating on our council license both of which come at a cost. However, I LOVE what I do, and being able to see so many children fall in love with ponies as I did as a kid so I hope to be able to continue doing so for a very long time to come. I am not profiting from this increase, we are simply a small business trying to keep our head above the water.

I hope you understand our need for this increase and will continue to support us throughout 2025 and beyond… let’s keep making dreams come true and creating new ones together 💭🦄

10/12/2024

2025 toddler sessions 🛝🐴

2025 toddler sessions will start running on Monday 6th January.

However, an exciting and highly anticipated new addition for 2025 will be a TUESDAY morning session! This means we will now be running toddler sessions on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays 10am-12pm!

Our toddler sessions are a proven fantastic introduction to ponies and riding. Run in a safe, fully licensed and insured environment with highly experienced and qualified staff we guarantee to provide a calm, no pressure introduction to ponies. Toddler sessions also include lots of outdoor play time and crafts meaning there is something for every child, no matter their level of interest or experience with ponies. All children get the chance to groom, ride, lead and feed the ponies with drinks and snacks for child and parent included in the price.

Sessions can be booked in a block or as one off bookings.

We take children from 18 months up to 5 years and run all year including school holidays, with the exception of bank holidays.

Bookings are now open for Mondays and Wednesdays throughout 2025 and Tuesdays in January while we trial this new day.

The cost is £18 per session for 2025, a small increase on our 2024 prices but unfortunately all of our costs have increased. However, we are also introducing a new loyalty scheme whereby customers who book and pay for 6 sessions at one time (these don’t have to be consecutive) will receive the sessions at our 2024 price of £15. We hope you understand this need for an increase, and in return we promise to keep providing a 5 ⭐ experience week in week out!

Please email [email protected] to book.

30/08/2024

As we come to the end of summer, we are sadly saying goodbye to lots of our regular toddler session children as they head off to school 👋🏼😢

We therefore have a few spaces available for toddler sessions throughout September and beyond!

Toddler sessions run 10am - 12pm Monday and Wednesday mornings. The children get to ride, lead, groom and feed the ponies as well as play in our small play area, mud kitchen and crafts barn! Drink and biscuits for children and parents are included in the price of just £15 per child!😱

No previous pony experience required, we are the perfect introduction to ponies but equally regular riders are also more than welcome and catered for.

You can book just one session, every week or anything inbetween! Suitable for children aged 18 months onwards, we take children who are home educated (or on school holidays) up to 6 years old.

Based in Rowde, just outside of Devizes we are easy to get to with plenty of parking.

Please email [email protected] to book your child’s space!

27/08/2024

🎅 Christmas Grotto 🎅

Our popular Happy Hooves Ponies Christmas grotto is back for 2024🎄

The sessions will take place on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th December at 10am, 11.30am, 1pm and 2.30pm. Suitable for children aged 2-7 years old.

Each session will be 1 hour long with a maximum of 6 children per group. The children will have a pony ride, complete a Christmas themed obstacle course with goodies from the North Pole at the end, make Christmas decorations to put on their tree at home and write letters to Santa before the big man himself arrives with a sack full of quality gifts for the children.

Each child will also receive a chocolate reindeer and there will be both hot and cold drinks as well as Christmas biscuits and mince pies on offer included in the price for all the children and their parents.

The sessions are £35 per child to be paid at the time of booking. Bookings will be taken on a first come first served basis via email only to [email protected].

Please email with your preferred time and date but let us know if you can be flexible. It will mean we can fit everyone in easier. We also need to know your child’s name, age and gender to ensure Santa buys the right presents!

Please also let us know of any allergies or dietary requirements at the time of booking so we can cater accordingly.

07/08/2024

I am heartbroken to share the news that at lunch time today, we said our final goodbye to Angelo 💔

There is so much that could be said about him, but I think the amount of children and adults that adored him does all the speaking that needs to be done.

Angelo; thank you for being my solid rock, my Mr reliable and my all around best friend in the whole world 🌎 this business never would have survived without you, but to me you were so much more than that. Anyone who knows me, will vouch for the fact you are my favourite 💙

Until we meet again little man, run free and eat all the grass in the world 🍔

Your wings were ready, but my heart will never be 🖤

Please feel free to share your photos or memories of Angelo in the comments, we would love to see them 📷

24/07/2024

Would there be any interest if we were to run a ‘Hobby Horse Competition’ over the summer holidays? Low key and fun would be the name of the game!🤪

17/06/2024

🥳 Pony fun day 🥳
Throughout the summer holidays we will be running a series of pony fun days for children aged 6-10 years old.
The days will run from 10am-3pm and be full of action packed games and hands on pony learning. It is suitable for children with any level of pony experience (including none).
Activities will include a 20 minute riding lesson, grooming and leading the ponies, helping to make their favourite treats, scavenger hunts and even some educational pony painting! Each day will be themed around a different element of pony care, so if children wanted to attend more than one day we can guarantee a variety of fun activities!
There will be a medal for each child at the end of the day and lunch and snacks are also included 🌭🍫

The cost is £70 per child with only 4 spaces available meaning your child will get a fully interactive, hands on experience.

The days will run on;
30th July
13th August
15th August
29th August

Please email [email protected] to book your space! Please include your child's name, age, experience and any special dietary requirements when booking.

10/05/2024

I have one or two spaces available for toddler sessions on Mondays throughout May. These can be booked as a block, or one off sessions. £15 for two hours of pony fun including riding!😱

Please email [email protected] to book 📧

25/04/2024

Last minute space for a toddler session on Monday 29th April 10am-12pm!

Please email [email protected] to book 📧

(Toddler sessions are £15 per child and include grooming, leading, riding and feeding ponies as well as lots of play time, cars and diggers to ride and a mud kitchen to play in, arts and crafts and drinks and biscuits!)

16/04/2024

As we come into summer with big waiting lists for toddler sessions, I unfortunately need to implement a new booking, cancellation and refund policy for toddler sessions. The amount of time I have been spending recently chasing money, and the amount of money we are missing out on by people not paying, cancelling or turning up is getting a little out of hand! So effective immediately;

Please ensure ALL toddler sessions are paid for one week in advance. If you haven’t paid a week in advance you will be sent a reminder email and given until 9am the following morning to pay, if not your space will be given to the waiting list.

If you need to cancel for any reason please cancel by 10am Friday for a Monday session (We are closed over the weekend and therefore emails aren’t monitored and we can’t fill spaces beyond this point) or 10am Monday for a Wednesday session. Up until this point we will give a full refund/ credit. After this point, you will only receive a refund/ credit if I am able to fill your space.

Finally, if you don’t pay, respond to my emails or cancel but have future sessions booked in (unpaid) then these spaces will be given away until your previous sessions are paid for.

So far this month alone, we have had enough no shows to fill an entire session. This makes me sad as there are so many of you waiting for sessions that can’t get them and all I really want to do is bring joy to these children and let them experience the magic of ponies!

Sorry for the moan, but I want to keep my prices where they are, and if we keep going as we are I’m going to have to put them up just to cover the additional admin, let alone to recoup the losses from no shows and that isn’t fair on the majority 😢

10/04/2024

I’ve thought long and hard about how to work this, so please bear with me 🫣

I am now OPEN again for lessons! We have new ponies, and a restructured schedule with a slightly different offering. I have a wait list as long as my arm and so many people waiting to recommence slots. However, what we are offering now is different and I do not have enough slots even for those who are waiting for theirs to recommence so I think the fairest way on everyone is to start fresh.

I have a waiting list from both Happy Hooves Ponies and Oakwood Equestrian but my new offering will be suitable for both lists of clients, hence my dilemma on where to start!!! I don’t want to be unfair to anyone, so I’m going to give everyone equal chance.

With all that said, I am now offering 40 minute sessions at a cost of £30. This includes 20-25 minutes of riding time, and the rest preparing and putting away your pony, learning to care for them along the way. This will include some hacking once the children are ready. These are for children from 4 (must have started school) up to 9 years old and under 40kg (I hate asking people to weigh children but this is for the ponies welfare). Any level of experience is welcomed as our new ponies are seasoned school masters.

As I ease these new ponies in slowly, the slots I currently have available are; (these must be booked as a weekly, consistent slot until you decide you no longer want it- these aren’t for one off sessions)

Monday 5.10-5.50pm

Tuesday 5-5.40pm
6-6.40pm

I really hope I don’t upset anyone by doing it this way but please appreciate I literally have two spaces for over 300 children. Please email me at [email protected] with your child’s name, age, and riding experience (if any). These will be filled with the most suitable children for the ponies- not necessarily first come first served. For now, please only apply if you have either had a slot with us before, or are on our waiting list in order to do this the fairest way possible.

I will update here as and when I have more slots to offer.

I’m looking forward to a summer of fun with some fantastic children and ponies! ☀️

08/04/2024

LAST CALL FOR AFTER SCHOOL CLUB!

With lots of last terms attendees moving onto riding lessons, I am low on after school club numbers. Please see my previous post and let me know ASAP if your child would like to attend, I need to make a definite decision by 6pm tomorrow (Tuesday) 🤞🏼

04/04/2024

📚 After School Club 📚

I have a few spaces available for after school club this term.
We had a brilliant time last term, with lots learnt and lots of badges achieved! These sessions are the perfect way for your child to learn everything about ponies and how to care for them as if they were their own. Riding is not a regular part of these sessions, but we do have the odd pony ride as a treat 🙈

All details can be found here; https://happyhoovesponies.co.uk/after-school-care-club/

The dates for this term are below, Tuesday sessions are for children in years 2, 3, 4 or 5 and Wednesday sessions are for children in reception, year 1 or 2. Tuesday is 4.15-5.45pm and Wednesday is 4-5.30pm.

Tuesday 4.15-5.45

16th April

23rd April

NO SESSION 30th

7th May

14th May

21st May

Wednesday 4-5.30

17th April

24th April

1st May

8th May

15th May

NO SESSION 22nd May

Please email [email protected] to book your child’s space!

These sessions are aimed at children who want to learn more about how to care for ponies and give them the opportunity to work towards our own Happy Hooves achievement badges. Your child will recei…

24/03/2024

Last minute cancellation spaces for this Wednesday 27th March toddler session!! These are our last Wednesday spaces until the end of May, so if you want to get a session in please get in touch!

10am-12pm £15 per child, a great introduction to ponies for children 18 months- 5 years.

Please email [email protected] first come first served 📧

22/02/2024

👧🧒 Toddler morning availability 📔

Our toddler sessions are starting to get really busy again with spring just around the corner (hard to believe today I know!! ☔️)

If you would like to join us this spring, please book in sooner rather than later to avoid disappointment!

As it stands our availability is as follows;
Monday 26th Feb
Monday 11th March
Monday 25th March
Monday 15th April
Wednesday 17th April
Monday 22nd April
Wednesday 24th April
Monday 29th April

To book in please email [email protected] 📧

14/02/2024

Following the success of yesterday’s pony fun day, we are going to run more of these days in the Easter holidays!

It will be on 9th April. (Possibly another to be added)

🥳 Pony fun day 🥳

We are running a pony fun activities day for children aged 6-9 years old.

The day will run from 10am-3pm and be full of action packed games and hands on pony learning. It is suitable for children with any level of pony experience (including none).

Activities will include grooming and leading the ponies, games such as treat making or hobby horse racing, scavenger hunts and even some educational pony painting as well as a craft to take home.

There will be a trophy for each child at the end of the day and lunch and snacks are also included 🌭🍫

There won’t be any riding on this day but there will be plenty of hands on time with the ponies.

The cost is £55 per child with only 4 spaces available meaning your child will get a fully interactive, hands on experience.

Please email [email protected] to book your space!

01/02/2024

🥳 Pony fun day 🥳

On 13th February we are running a pony fun activity day for children aged 6-9 years old.

The day will run from 10am-3pm and be full of action packed games and hands on pony learning. It is suitable for children with any level of pony experience (including none).

Activities will include grooming and leading the ponies, helping to make their favourite treats, scavenger hunts and even some educational pony painting!

There will be an award and trophy for each child at the end of the day and lunch and snacks are also included 🌭🍫

There won’t be any riding on this day but there will be plenty of hands on time with the ponies.

The cost is £55 per child with only 4 spaces available meaning your child will get a fully interactive, hands on experience.

Please email [email protected] to book your space!