Wickstead Farm

30/08/2024

27/08/2024

Ready for some fun! Sharers camp 2024!

01/08/2024

Camp 1 is done!! Phew that was a hot one! 🥵well done to all who took part, great fun had by all! And extra efforts made with early starts to make the temperatures less intense! Finished of course with a well deserved water fight ☀️😂

28/06/2024

We have some wonderful school horses 🦄🦄

Things your riding instructor wants you to know:
1. This sport is hard. You don't get to bypass the hard…..every good rider has gone through it. You make progress, then you don't, and then you make progress again. Your riding instructor can coach you through it, but they cannot make it easy.

2. You're going to ride horses you don't want to ride. If you're teachable, you will learn from every horse you ride. Each horse in the barn can teach you if you let them. IF YOU LET THEM. Which leads me to…

3. You MUST be teachable to succeed in this sport. You must be teachable to succeed at anything, but that is another conversation. Being teachable often means going back to basics time and time and time again. If you find basics boring, then your not looking at them as an opportunity to learn. Which brings me to…..

4. This sport is a COMMITMENT. Read that, then read it again. Every sport is a commitment, but in this sport your teammate weighs 1200 lbs and speaks a different language. Good riders don't get good by riding every once in awhile….they improve because they make riding a priority and give themsevles opportunity to practice.

5. EVERY RIDE IS AN OPPORTUNITY. Even the walk ones. Even the hard ones. Every. Single. Ride. Remember when you just wished someone would lead you around on a horse? Find the happiness in just being able to RIDE. If you make every ride about what your AREN'T doing, you take the fun out of the experience for yourself, your horse, and your instructor. Just enjoy the process. Which brings me to...

6. Riding should be fun. It is work. and work isn't always fun.....but if you (or your rider) are consistently choosing other activities or find yourself not looking forward to lessons, it's time to take a break. The horses already know you don't want to be here, and you set yourself up for failure if you are already dreading the lesson before you get here.

7. You'll learn more about horses from the ground than you ever will while riding. That's why ground lessons are important, too. If you're skipping ground lessons (or the part of your lesson that takes place on the ground), you're missing out on the most important parts of the lesson. You spend far more time on the ground with horses than you do in the saddle.

8. Ask questions and communicate. If you're wondering why your coach is having you ride a particular horse or do an exercise, ask them. Then listen to their answer and refer to #3 above.

9. We are human beings. We make decisions (some of them life and death ones) every day. We balance learning for students with workloads for horses and carry the bulk of this business on our shoulders. A little courtesy goes a long way.

Of all the sports your child will try through their school years, riding is one of 3 that they may continue regularly as adults (golf and skiing are the others). People who coach riding spend the better part of their free time and much of their disposable income trying to improve their own riding and caring for the horses who help teach your child. They love this sport and teaching others…..but they all have their limits. Not all good riders are good coaches, but all good coaches will tell you that the process to get good is not an easy one.

📝 Kimberley Reynolds

📸 Max & Maxwell: Equestrian Photography

15/06/2024

Let’s discuss the unicorn in the room…. Unrealistic expectations!!

I’ve seen a few wanted adverts recently and had a few enquiries with wanted lists and unrealistic accompanying price tags that left me banging my head against the wall 🤦‍♀️

You CANNOT have all 3 of these things. Yes, “Karen” has probably found one of them 20years ago that she bought for £1 and it turned out to be her 5* eventer…. (So yes, it is POSSIBLE…) but…. The £1 horse probably didn’t have a 5 stage vetting with X-rays that it was expected to pass with 100% perfection and it probably took a lot of hard work and time to produce the horse into that 5* eventer and therefore by definition, it wasn’t actually cheap because it took a lot of time and money to develop.

I see and hear it so often “I’ve been looking for months, had X number of horses fail the vet, been up and down the country to see horses that were misdescribed” …. I get that there are some rogues out there and I don’t envy buyers. But…. Sometimes…. Be more realistic. And be more critical before getting in the car. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is!

It costs thousands to put a quality foal on the floor. It costs thousands more to keep it to 3/4years old and then it costs thousands to break it and have it at a stage where most people could safely ride it - even then it will still be very green! So we are into 5 figures and it’s only just under saddle….

NO that doesn’t mean that just because every horse cost X means it’s worth the same or more - some don’t make the grade, some aren’t easy, some don’t xray/don’t vet - but these are therefore the horses that will fall into the lower budgets. You cannot expect to have perfection for a low budget. Something has to give!

A riding club horse does not need a perfect vetting - yes your insurer might want a perfect vetting, but do you need insurance? And if you need insurance and the low budget horse is likely to throw “something” up on vetting that you’re worried will cause an exclusion, do you need the vetting?! (I’m going to get blasted for that comment 😅) Or do you need a more experienced friend/trainers opinion and then buy and insure it without a vetting if it’s at a price level where it’s not needed? Most insurers don’t require a vetting under £5k unless you want loss of use and then we get back to the point that your £5k horse is unlikely to pass the vetting cleanly and therefore you’ll have exclusions…. And please let’s vet for purpose, don’t get me started on the vets that vet “Bob the cob” as if he’s going to the Olympics…

✅ Be realistic about what you want/can afford and what you can actually ride
✅ Be prepared to make compromises
✅ Be more critical of adverts purporting to offer a unicorn for next to no money
✅ Enlist the help of a more experienced friend/trainer to guide you
❌ don’t rule out an older horse or one that requires maintenance if it does your job
❌ do not expect perfection if you haven’t got a big enough budget

I’m sure this will bring out the “it’s not fair, not everyone has a huge budget to spend on a horse” argument. Well guess what, LIFES not fair… those with a big budget can afford to have a long wish list and wait for said unicorn! Everyone else, needs to be realistic 😅

Edit to add - this post is talking about the sane, sensible horses… you CAN have sound, talented and cheap….. but I guarantee it will be quirky or difficult and most people can’t ride those 😅

09/06/2024

What a fun afternoon of Dressage well done to all who took part. Loads more pictures what’s app if you want them 😅

30/05/2024

Great fun with the pony club today 🐴🐴

11/05/2024

If you are going to Badminton today - don’t forget to be in the main arena for 10am - to give them a great big cheer 📣📣📣👏👏👏 still such an amazing achievement For Team Tapner - and we all love the Shetland Duo go Team 💪💪

09/04/2024

Huge massive congratulations to Ellie and Tegan who have both completed their equine groom qualifications with outstanding reports from their EPA’s, both working above the level required. We are very proud of both of you for your dedication to your qualifications. Ellie is staying on to complete her senior Equine Groom which we are very confident she will continue to learn, embrace and excel at. Tegan has found herself a grooms position working for Tapner Eventing best of luck Tegan in your new role 🐴🐴🐴

08/04/2024

What makes a good school pony - being kind and patient and able to turn their hoofs to all types and levels of riders ❤️❤️🦄🦄🦄

02/04/2024

How many Pony Club members does it take to clean Paddy 😍😍 he loves a pamper session ❤️

30/03/2024

Apprenticeship positions available for the next academic year - if you would like to find out more about doing an apprenticeship rather than going to equine college - drop us an email for more information.

Looking for 16/17 year olds ready to start the equine groom qualification - happy to discuss taking on an older student looking for a change of career, or a senior equine groom student.

We could start students earlier depending on individual requirements. Excellent working facilities, correct pay for your age and experience- 5 day week to include one weekend day.

If interested please email [email protected]

04/03/2024

Apprenticeship positions available for the next academic year - if you would like to find out more about doing an apprenticeship rather than going to equine college - drop us an email for more information.

Looking for 16/17 year olds ready to start the equine groom qualification - happy to discuss taking on an older student looking for a change of career, or a senior equine groom student.

We could start students earlier depending on individual requirements. Excellent working facilities, correct pay for your age and experience- 5 day week to include one weekend day.

If interested please email [email protected]

28/02/2024

Mr flash is looking for a 1/2 sharer to take him on from Easter he is a lovely boy - who is very dependable and loving , he wants a bit of fun and some TLC available for Wickstead lesson clients - if you are interested in becoming a lesson client or in a share of flash please speak to Jo or email [email protected]

05/02/2024

Lots of fun this Saturday 👍👍

Entries close on Wednesday for our Arena Eventing next SATURDAY 10th February so don’t delay and get your entries in! Please share!

****** STOP PRESS*******
We have now added a 60cm class!
Please note this class will run first.
It will be an inviting XC with no ditches.

Also 70cm - 100cm open to all

8 showjumps followed by 10-12 XC fences to included ditches, steps, water and banks so as XC simulated as you can get while being in an arena!
Head over to our website to view a video of what we offer link below ⬇️

For entries please head to our website
http://www.wicksteadhorseplay.co.uk/arena-eventing-schedule.html

Or on the Horse-Events website

Photo curtesy of Jasmine Punter Photography who captures all our events on camera 📸

02/02/2024

No Farmers No Food

15/01/2024

Check out what fun you can have int the horse play arena ❤️

15/01/2024

Mabel and Frankie enjoying competing yesterday in the arena eventing in the Wickstead HorsePlay fabulous arena - our working horses do enjoy competing how lucky they can do it onsite in this facility. A fantastic opportunity for our sharers and horses to have a go at something different 🦄🦄🦄 photos supplied by Jasmine Punter Photography fantastic shots thanks ☺️

01/01/2024

05/12/2023

Huge congratulations to our student Fran for passing her senior equine groom qualification. Fran has been with us since she left school and has completed both level 2 and 3 with excellent results. She was an excellent apprentice hard working and great fun to have around. Well done Fran we are super proud of you 🐴🐴❤️❤️with thanks to Sheldrake Training for providing the framework.

25/11/2023

Sleep tight you were one in a million ❤️

We said a sad Goodbye to Billy after many years as a Field Master’s horse with Dave, he stayed with us at Wickstead for his retirement career. He had 10 long and happy years with us he was amazing and gave some lucky sharers a wonderful time. He turned his hoof to anything he was incredibly reliable and trustworthy, from strutting his stuff in the dressage arena with everyone chomping at the bit to have a sit on him! - to hacking round the farm with the dogs. He took great care of whoever was on his back.

With big thanks to Goddard Farrier services for helping us keep him sound as long as we could his last few years and to his sharers and riders who loved him as much as myself, Vicki and Lani. 🦄🦄

17/11/2023

🐴🐴

👏👏👏👏

10/11/2023

Massive congratulations to Jack Gildert who has successfully completed his apprenticeship and passed his Senior Equine groom qualification with a distinction in many units. Such an Amazing achievement well done Jack. He is now progressing his career at college in Hereford training to be a farrier. With thanks to Sheldrake Training who provide the framework for our students.

30/09/2023

A Half share of Mr Flash is available- he is wonderful and such a confidence booster. Only available for Wickstead lesson clients if you are interested please speak to Jo