Stewarton Polo Club

04/12/2024

No idea what to get for Christmas? Get them a gift they will really appreciate. 10% off til the end of the week

03/12/2024

🫶THE GOOD OLD DAYS OF LIVERY YARDS

Riding your ponies bare back in from the fields. Without a hat.

Putting up a ‘Riding is at Your Own Risk’ sign and that sufficed.

Being dropped off at the yard first thing in the morning and not being picked up until the evening.

Only having a handful of feed options and ‘supplements’ consisted of vegetable oil, salt or garlic.

You filled your livery spaces with postcard sized signs in the local tack shop.

Livery contracts were just a vague verbal agreement.

Horses only had two rugs- a stable rug and a turnout rug. Maybe a string cooler if they were lucky.

The dedicated kids with ponies who had to catch two buses after school just to get to the yard.

Liveries had to speak to yard owners in person or ring the landline at reasonable hours.

The sum total of biosecurity was worming your horse.

Everyone wore Harry Hall jodhpurs bought from the local tack store.

Unsupervised child labour was totally acceptable and everyone mucked in.

The Robinsons catalogue was every horse owners version of Argos.

People just loved spending time with their horses.

The local farmers would be happy for you to gallop in their stubble fields once the crop was cut.

Lunch on the yard was a cup-a-soup or a pot noodle in the grubby tea room.

The kids would take over the arena at the weekend playing chase-me-charlie or gymkhana games.

If you have your horse it’s feed or water in a Tub Trug you were cutting edge.

Bedding options were straw or shavings.

Oil drums for jumps were the norm. Jump wings were for the professionals.

Our version of social media was writing on the white board.

Most horse owners generally only had a saddle, bridle and grooming kit on the yard.

Everything could be fixed with a poultice or purple spray.

If you fell off, you got up, dusted yourself off and got back on.

You could ride out or be at the yard for hours without needing to worry about your mobile signal.

- 𝘖𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘓𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵

29/11/2024

Rugging can be tricky with many variables to consider. It’s super easy to over-rug when we feel cold ourselves! This Beta guide is a useful tool and can give you confidence when deciding how to rug each day.

Editing to add - although we thought we’d covered this when mentioning there are ‘many variables’, we agree that it should come down to common sense, a decision made with the individual in mind, weather dependent (not just temperature in mind) etc - a lot of this is covered in the text above the table.

Many horses are dangerously overweight and this comes with serious health complications. Check our vets recent post on the subject - Bishopton Equine Veterinary Services.

A guide is a guide and not substitute for common sense - we are not suggesting you ignore intuition. You know your horse best!

21/11/2024

Black Friday Deal for the perfect Christmas gift ⭐️

13/11/2024

30/10/2024

We are reposting another ‘Safety Around Horses’ on our page due to an incident reported on the Wingerworth village FB page.

We would also like to mention that, not only is it the responsibility of the car driver to manoeuvre safely, but it is also the responsibility of the horse rider to also ensure that they contribute in helping motorists to pass safely and being alert to the dangers around them.

Here are a few tips for drivers passing horses.

Slow down to a maximum of 10mph and be ready to stop
Be patient – DO NOT sound your horn or rev your engine
Watch out for signals from the rider to slow down or stop
Pass the horse wide and slow, allowing at least a car’s width if possible
Accelerate gently once you’ve passed the horse

Additional tips for cyclists passing horses.

Horses have a blind spot directly behind them and therefore cyclists should slow down and alert riders to their presence by calling out and asking if it is safe to pass
Whether passing from the front or back, please slow down and pass wide when safe to do so.

Additional tips for bikers passing horses.

Motorbikes can seem to appear from nowhere, are often noisy and can alarm horses if they approach from behind due to the horse’s blind spot. This means horses sometimes react to them more than other vehicles.
Please slow down, and keep your engine as quiet as possible as you pass.
Please be prepared to stop and turn your engine off.

Please remember that
Many horse riders are children or teenagers
Horse riders sometimes ride in double file to protect novice riders or nervous horses
Horses can be easily spooked, frightened, and can occasionally panic in traffic
Riders will generally smile, nod or thank drivers with a wave.

Thank you.

28/10/2024

This image captures the essence of the relationship between a coach and an athlete. It shows how coaches invest pieces of themselves—knowledge, experience, passion—into their athletes, helping them grow, excel, and reach their full potential.

Behind every great athlete is a coach who believed, guided, and gave more than just instructions. They pour time, energy, and heart into molding not only the athlete’s skills but also their character, resilience, and mindset. Coaches are mentors, motivators, and sometimes even life-changers. They give so much of themselves to see others succeed.

To all the coaches out there—thank you for your selflessness, dedication, and unwavering support. You shape not just athletes but also leaders and strong individuals for the future. 🙏

26/10/2024

Try something new this Winter. Call 07974 706045 to find out more?

24/10/2024

24/10/2024

Lots of beginners starting just now. Might be a good time to have your first Polo lesson

23/10/2024

My hero growing up

Caroline Bradley and a very young Milton

Milton was bought in 1977 by the late Caroline Bradley. Caroline’s mother Doreen described him as “a funny-looking thing — ugly, and no bigger than a 13.2hh pony”. Little did she know that he would grew up to become showjumping’s first millionaire…

There is no doubt that one of the world's greatest lady riders was show-jumper Caroline Bradley. Caroline was born, in Buckinghamshire, England and went on to become one of the world's best riders until her tragic death at just 37.Caroline was the kind of rider we all strive to be, utterly fearless, totally committed to the sport she loved and completely at one with each and every horse she rode. It is a treat to watch clips of her riding, she has beautiful soft hands and is incredibly focused on what she is doing. I feel very privileged to have been able to see her ride. She made her debut on the British team in 1966 when she was just 20 years old. In 1973 she took the silver medal on True Lass at the Ladies European Championships in Vienna. The following year,

Caroline became the first woman to win the Puissance at Horse of the Year Show in London, in the same year she was also fourth in the Ladies World Championships in La Baule.In 1975 she had a great victory in the Hamburg Derby on New Yorker becoming only the second woman to win this prestigious competition. A few years later, Caroline won the Queen Elizabeth II Cup at the Royal International Horse Show on Marius which was also a great year for her best horse Tigre. On him, she won the team gold medal in the World Championships in Aachen. She also won the Nice Grand Prix and the Grand Prix in Calgary.In 1979 Caroline was again a member of a gold medal-winning British team, riding Tigre at the European Championships in Rotterdam.

Again teamed with Tigre she won the President's Cup in Calgary and in Paris won the Grand Prix. The next year was an incredible one for Caroline, she was elected Sportswoman of Year in 1980 and also received an OBE from the Queen. Caroline also topped the money winner's list, won the Grand Prix at Hickstead and again won the Queen Elizabeth II Cup, this time on Tigre.Tigre was sold in 1981, for more than eight times what Caroline had paid for him. She then bought a new young horse, Milton. Caroline's great horse Marius was the sire of Milton.

Caroline was a tremendous horsewoman with an incredible instinct for picking fantastic horses she knew when he was a youngster that Milton would be one of the greatest of all time. Caroline rode and trained Milton until her sudden and tragic death. She was right about his potential Milton went on, with John Whitaker, to becoming the first show-jumper to win a million pounds.Caroline had just completed the first round of competition at the Suffolk Show in 1983 when she slumped to the ground and attempts to revive her failed. She had suffered a heart attack at the age of just 37.At her peak, Caroline was ranked by many as the greatest lady rider in the world, I wonder what she would have gone onto achieve if she had lived. Caroline was one in a million - an inspiration and a true equestrian legend.

20/10/2024

16/10/2024

Join us for Winter season. Call 07974 707045 for further info.