Prodney’s Blog: I’m exhausted just watching all the humans coming and going

It was the half term holiday last week and the increased numbers of visitors have had me rushed off my hooves, meeting and greeting, and supervising.

It’s always a treat to have lots of extra teenagers around helping out the old uns, though, and I’m not sure we’d have pulled off the week’s activity without them.

Normal weeks are already packed, but here’s a snapshot of the half term week to give you an insight into what the ponies and people got up to.

School holidays mean extra events and outings, but of course our usual adult sessions still continue as normal, so we need all hands on deck to do it all.

The week began with two regular visiting groups, from Hounslow Council who bring children with disabilities for a break; and Skylarks charity who also bring children with disabilities but with their siblings too, so it becomes a family outing. I love watching these big groups having fun and learning about ponies and life on the yard, and as a special treat I let the youngsters bury their hands in my extra-thick winter coat.

On Thursday morning Natalie headed off with a group of young participants to Epsom Downs, visiting the racehorse trainer Adam West. That would definitely have been exciting when I was a young colt.

And on Friday Natalie and Lexy were both at the Diamond Centre for Disabled Riders where Natalie passed her coaching review, and Lexy her showjumping coaching assessment. Lily, Josiah and Arthur went along for the ride, with ponies Frenchie and Reggie so they could all practise their showjumping, not something they’re able to do at home at the moment.

As if that wasn’t enough, I gather that lots of the team went bowling on Friday night, then on Sunday the horsebox was off again with four horses and humans spending a rainy day at Cholsey Farm where the humans got to experience their first gallop. Natalie said she ran alongside them, if that’s true she really must be superhuman!

Just telling you about that little lot makes me want to go for a lie down. So will we all be taking it easy this week? Far from it, it may be a ‘normal’ week, but with the schools back that means lots of regular school visits as well as our regular activities.

Prodney is Chief Equine Officer (CEO) at Park Lane Stables, and achieved celebrity status following the TV coverage in 2021. And yes, he really is a bit of a star on YouTube and TikTok. Just search for Park Lane Stables and do follow us!