Harmony Stables

03/09/2024

September Dates!

Thank you so much to everyone who has attended sessions throughout summer holidays!

Thurs 5th own a pony (full)
Sat 7th own a pony from 10am or group lesson at 11am, we have the saddle fitter in the afternoon
Sun 8th own a pony from 10am or group lesson at 11am

Tues 10th own a pony from 4pm or group lesson at 4:45
Thurs 12th own a pony from 4pm or group lesson at 5pm
Friday 13th group lesson at 4:45
Sat 14th own a pony am and/or pm
Sun 15th own a pony from 10am or group lesson at 11am

Tues 17th own a pony from 4pm or group lesson at 4:45
Thurs 19th own a pony from 4pm or group lesson at 5pm
Sat 21st own a pony am and/or pm
Sun 22nd own a pony from 10am or group lesson at 11am

Tues 24th own a pony from 4pm or group lesson at 4:45
Thurs 26th own a pony from 4pm or group lesson at 5pm
Friday 27th group lesson at 4:45
Sat 28th PONY DAY!!! 10-3 or 9-5
Sun 29th own a pony from 10am or group lesson at 11am

Private lessons can also be dotted around in amongst these wear possible
Please message to book! First prepay first serve (prepayment and 3 day cancellation policy applies)
Please see website for details/prices of our services

Harmony Stables C.I.C is an equestrian establishment that rescues, retrains and rehabilitates horses and ponies from all walks of life. Our community impact is centred around providing opportunities for people from various backgrounds to improve their knowledge and understanding of equine welfare wi...

01/09/2024

Hi all! Last day of Holiday Club on Tuesday this week (for those back in school of course!) if the numbers remain low then we won’t be able to run it I’m afraid so please let me know before tomorrow lunchtime if you’d like to book on
9-5 £50

31/08/2024

30/08/2024

LAST PONY DAY OF THE SUMMER! Don’t miss out!
Last few spaces left on Pony Day tomorrow! Either 9am-2pm or 9am-5pm
Special afternoon activity includes a bit fitting session by The Bit Doctor - Bit and Bridle Fitter. One of the horses will be my exracehorse, Digger (this beautiful boyo), the other 3 will be Deena’s exracehorse, Velvet, and Harmony’s own Boo and Luna
Please message to book! Check out the website to find out what’s included in our Pony Days.

27/08/2024

DRESSAGE SOLUTIONS: To maintain a correct upper body position through corners ...

Imagine you are balancing on an exercise ball. If you lean your torso into a turn, your seat bones will push the ball (your horse) in the opposite direction. To help the horse balance, keep your spine straight and use your shoulders to turn. Your seat bones will follow. Try it on a ball, it works!
~ Jane Kelly

Jane Kelly is a USDF gold, silver and bronze medalist, “L” Education Program graduate and associate instructor based in Powhatan, Virginia.

24/08/2024

Hi! We’ve got spaces on a group lesson at 11am tomorrow (Sunday)
Please message the page to book 🐴

22/08/2024

Vaccinations for a few of the ponies yesterday by Hannah Thomas Veterinary Services and first injection for Luna to help her irritated skin.

While these sort of experiences aren’t necessarily advertised as part of the holiday club, if these sort of appointments are booked on the same days as a holiday club session then we want the kids to take the opportunity to learn about what other necessary care horses may need.

Thank you to Luna’s sponsors for making it possible for Luna to have these injections

Holiday Club 9am-5pm £50

16/08/2024

Session spaces!
(Friday) Today’s 1.5 hr at own a pony 1:15pm or group lesson at 2pm
Saturday own a pony from 9am
Sunday tiny tots in the morning (time TBC depending on numbers), own a pony from 10am or group lesson at 11am
Please message to book,
Details for services and prices can be found on our website

14/08/2024

We’re away tomorrow for Flint and Denbigh show (not competing lol). Please know we are taking bookings for own a pony sessions on Friday to make up for Thursday this week

12/08/2024

12/08/2024

Own a pony session space tomorrow (Tuesday) from 10am or group lesson at 11am

We are doing a Tiny Tots session on Wednesday at 10am also

Please message to book!
Photo by Bee_SnapHappy: throwback to Cheshire Show - Seren and Luna

11/08/2024

Meet and Greet and sponsor pony morning under way! Pop up to the yard if you’d like to see what it’s all about!

10/08/2024

Harmony Stables Sponsor Open Day tomorrow!

The yard is open to those who would like to pop up to the yard to see what we do and meet us and our ponies. Please bare in mind we have limited parking and we are running a couple of sessions throughout the day so let us know upon arrival what you’d like to know and we will be glad to assist

09/08/2024

Hi, if anyone has booked an own a pony/tiny tots Shetland session/group lesson tomorrow can you please message if I haven’t messaged already
Many thanks

06/08/2024

SPONSOR A PONY MORNING MEET AND GREET
SUNDAY 11TH AUGUST

You are invited to visit Harmony Stables this Sunday morning to meet our herd! Many of our ponies could do with a little extra help, your sponsorships/donations can go a long way. One of the things we try to give back to those who are sponsoring is the opportunity to spend some time with their sponsor pony.

Please let us know if you'd like to come by on Sunday morning so that we can make arrangements for parking and know what time people may like to come along

Please see our sponsorship packages:

Bronze: £5 pm or annual payment £60
With this you get a sponsorship certificate, fact page, 2 photos, colouring page

Silver: £10 pm or £120 annual
All of the above plus an annual written update of your pony

Gold: £15 pm or £180 annual
All of the above plus a calendar

Platinum: £20 pm or £240 annual
All of the above plus the opportunity to walk with your sponsor pony at the annual meet and greet

Please see below some pictures of ponies you could sponsor today and what extras some of the ponies need!

06/08/2024

A subtle change can make a big difference. We spend time in our sessions getting riders, young and old into a long term- healthier position. We try to correct and work with students riding with knees/toes turned, hollow backs and straight arms and work on this so they can maintain a healthier position while riding their horse/pony to a consistent rhythm and line

05/08/2024

04/08/2024

Make Them Carry Their Saddle

A father of a darling girl and I were talking last week and he said that he wanted his daughter to ride more and not have to do the work part of the catching, grooming, and saddling. I smiled as I explained.

Riding horses is a combination of strength, timing, and balance. Kids in this country are physically weak (unless they are actively involved with weight training and physical conditioning 4+ times a week.)

When you walk out to the field, you are clearing your stress from being under fluorescent lights all day; feeling the sun soak into your bones. As your body moves on uneven surfaces, it strengthens your legs and core.

When you groom your horse (especially currying), you are toning your arms and stabilizing your core.

When you carry your saddle, your arms, chest, and back are doing isolated strengthening work.

Being near horses, calms and makes you tune into the splendor of these empathetic animals.

When you ride at a posting trot, it’s equivalent to a slow jog calorie burn wise.

After a lesson, the riders are physically tired and mentally quiet and balanced.

Horses feel your heart beat and mirror your emotions back.

Riding large and somewhat unpredictable animals makes you resilient and pushes your expectations.

Working with horses is so much more than learning how to ride.

So parents, make your children carry their saddles. Don’t do the hard parts for them, as long term it actually hurts them. To advance with their riding, they must get stronger. You can help by doing the high parts.

I love having you all at the farm, and am so grateful to get to share these fascinating animals with you.

Hannah Campbell Zapletal

01/08/2024

Couldn’t have written it better myself, learn your fundamentals well, don’t run before you can walk (literally), get into the right habits early! Staying on is different from practicing good horsemanship skills that last a lifetime

Riding schools for children -

I used to teach children riding lessons a lot. It was really fun and rewarding to instill in young people care and respect for the horse, and good riding skills. I found chikdren far more receptive and empathetic than many adults, because they hadn’t been taught to ignore horses expressions to get something done.

The pressure from parents to accelerate the kids skills to more fun stuff, or to prevent the child’s boredom, was a steady presence in teaching- along with maintaining the school horses soundness and mental well-being from being ridden by beginners. Keeping lessons good for both horse and rider was a job of creativity and constant adjustment. I believe it can be done, but the culture at large doesn’t typically make it profitable, as many parents struggle to want to pay for lessons on sound husbandry and good riding basics. The kids want to canter, by God!

I have some firm beliefs about good riding stables, and I realize the expense and strain and adjustment is an ever pressing reality, I stand by these beliefs:

-children should learn good riding fundamentals first, and not progress to trotting, cantering, jumping until they have a good understanding of a balanced seat and can demonstrate it

-children should learn care of and respect for the horse comes before their entertainment. Grooming, tacking, warming up and cooling down, quitting an activity or adjusting if the horse is stressed, learning groundwork, etc, should be a non negotiable

-children should learn to feel a balanced horse to the extent possible. A beginner horse should not simply be a lame horse that tolerates them, but one to teach th em how to ride- children should not be set up for a future of kicking and pulling to get a horse to do something, but learn to feel how to direct a horse with their body, and to feel movement that is balanced, setting them up for a lifetime of being able to balance future horses.

- children should learn to read accurately equine expression and well-being. Children should not be taught to describe horses as lazy, stubborn, etc- these are taught by adults and children learn to adapt these views. The adults are responsible for setting the culture and views of horses and their handling.

Many riders struggle with normalizing tight, crooked, and unhappy horses because this is what they learn to ride on. The instructor is responsible for setting the culture of what their program entails, and I believe this means setting firm boundaries on what the purchasing client can expect, instead of catering to unreasonable demands to keep business. That is a whole can of worms in itself, but one worth opening.

31/07/2024

AUGUST DATES 🥳 (better late than never)
Friday 2nd - Own a pony from 10am, Group lesson at 11am
Saturday 3rd - Shetland Tots Session 9:45am 1/2 hr, Own a pony from 10am, group lesson at 11am
PM sessions also available
Sunday 4th Am- No sessions, please message if you need to rearrange your booking

Tues 6th - Holiday Club 9am-5pm, Own a pony from 10am or group lesson at 11am
Thurs 8th - Holiday Club 9am-5pm, Own a pony from 10am or group lesson at 11am
Saturday 10th - Shetland Tots Session 9:45am 1/2 hr, Own a pony from 10am, group lesson at 11am
PM sessions from 12:45pm also available
Sunday 11th - AM Sponsor Pony morning - if you are currently sponsor a pony and would like to attend to spend some time with your sponsor pony/ ponies please let us know, if you are interested in sponsoring a pony/ would like to come and meet the ponies to have a look round, please message so that we can book you in for a slot

Tues 13th - Holiday Club 9am-5pm, Own a pony from 10am or group lesson at 11am
Weds 14th - Holiday Club for off-lead rein riders available
Thurs 15th - We are going to close for this day, please message to rearrange your booking
Friday 16th- Holiday Club 9am-5pm, Own a pony from 10am or group lesson at 11am
Saturday 17th - Shetland Tots Session 9:45am 1/2 hr, Own a pony from 10am, group lesson at 11am
PM sessions from 12:45pm also available
Sun 18th - Own a pony from 10am or group lesson at 11am

Tues 20th - Holiday Club 9am-5pm, Own a pony from 10am or group lesson at 11am
Weds 21st - Holiday Club for off-lead rein riders available
Thurs 22nd - Holiday Club 9am-5pm, Own a pony from 10am or group lesson at 11am
Sat 24th - Shetland Tots Session 9:45am 1/2 hr, Own a pony from 10am, group lesson at 11am
PM sessions from 12:45pm also available

Tues 27th - Holiday Club 9am-5pm, Own a pony from 10am or group lesson at 11am
Weds 28th - Holiday Club for off-lead rein riders available
Thurs 29th - Holiday Club 9am-5pm, Own a pony from 10am or group lesson at 11am
Fri 30th - Own a pony 1pm or group lesson at 2pm
Sat 31st - PONY DAY BIT FITTING SPECIAL with the Bit Doctor coming, 9am - 2pm or 9am - 5pm

As per, prepayment and 3 day cancellation policy applies. Please message to book!
If you have any queries about any of the services, please refer to our website

Harmony Stables C.I.C is an equestrian establishment that rescues, retrains and rehabilitates horses and ponies from all walks of life. Our community impact is centred around providing opportunities for people from various backgrounds to improve their knowledge and understanding of equine welfare wi...

29/07/2024

Spaces on tomorrow’s Own a pony session from 10am or group lesson at 11
Please message to book, the forecast looks lovely for tomorrow
Edit: please visit https://www.harmonystablescic.com/about for price list and details of services

28/07/2024

Harmony Ponies met up with Velvet and Digger for a hillwork hack round Treuddyn this afternoon. Zeus, Casey, Hermione, Deano, Fleur and Boo came along for this workout! They all did amazing to keep up with 2 exracehorses