Monty was an incredible horseman known for his ability to listen to horses and for treating them with empathy, patience and respect. Park Lane Stables’ volunteer Marcel Olivé, our very own ‘horse whisperer’, trained with Monty at his ranch in California.

Two weeks on, we’re all still on a high from the Superhero Series Triathlon we took part in at Dorney Lake in Windsor. This challenge is no easy feat… meet our superheroes who took it on!

Our team returned from the RDA National Championships with wonderful memories, fantastic results and plenty to be proud of.

By Natalie O’Rourke
I recently met Richmond Mencap at a Dragons’ Den-style charity event and immediately thought they could be a perfect fit for Park Lane Stables. So I invited them along – and what a brilliant first visit it turned out to be.

TAG is a fantastic charity based in south west London providing youth clubs for children with additional needs and disabilities. We were delighted to welcome a group from TAG for a day at the stables in Teddington.

Back in February we shared that our fabulous home in Teddington, and its architect Sam Kamleh, had been shortlisted for a prestigious RIBA London award. And in May we became one of the winners!

We were at the Regional Qualifiers for the RDA National Championships last week, and luckily there was a bit of a reprieve from the soaring temperatures. Our alarms went off at 4.45am for us to catch the ponies from the fields…

We love welcoming visitors, but this was extra special. Power of Polo is a charity which exists to improve the lives of people facing social, economic or health challenges. The Diamond Centre RDA are good friends of Park Lane Stables, everyone looks forward to our reciprocal visits.

You probably already know that we rely entirely on fundraising to provide the services we do. The loyalty and generosity of our supporters is not something we’ll ever take for granted. But some people go an extra mile for us and this is a public thank you to all of them.

Marcel Olivé is author of The Truth about your Horse, an expert in natural horsemanship, and (lucky for us!) a Park Lane Stables volunteer. This article in Horse & Hound explains why we need to respect a horse’s hierarchy of needs.

Saturday 21 March was the day, and in a world where there’s often negativity around difference, we were celebrating that extra chromosome.

In this interview with presenters Pippa Funnell and Tristan Phipps, Natalie explains where her life in horses began, and takes you on a whistle-stop tour of Park Lane Stables’ chequered history, through to MBE and Grassroots Sportswoman of the Year.

At the Awards Ceremony on 4 February a stunned Natalie took several seconds to realise that it was her name called forward to accept the award.

We love our renovated Park Lane Stables, and now the building and its architect are on the shortlist for a prestigious RIBA London award.

On Sunday 11 January you’ll have found us at Manor Farm in Alton, Hampshire, being interviewed by Alan Titchmarsh for ITV’s Love your Weekend. In this article, Natalie takes you behind the scenes.

Thank you to Horse and Hound for getting behind Natalie. It’s quick and easy to vote but you only have until Sunday. Share this with friends and family!

We will be closed after Christmas Eve until 16 January.

Last month we previewed that we were part of this year’s matchfunded Big Give Christmas Campaign. Here’s what happened after the donate button went live.

The focus is often on the sporting success of individuals and teams, but what of the coaches behind the scenes who nurtured their skills to get them there? That’s where UK Coaching and its prestigious annual awards come in.

Donate to us on the Big Give website between 2-9 December and your donation will be doubled.