13/04/2009 by admin.

On Sunday 3^rd of May Highland Wildrides will be holding a “Horsey” Car Boot Sale to help raise funds for their new Challenged Riders Group. Over the past few years Highland Wildrides has held regular lessons for disabled and challenged riders of all abilities and ages so now they would like to form a group, in association with the RDA, for riders that would like to learn natural horsemanship. The committee hope to organise many fundraising events that will help to pay for the riding and workshops that Highland Wildrides will provide.

“The car boot sale is the perfect opportunity to get rid of all the horsey things you no longer need so go and get spring cleaning your tack room!” said Stacie MacDonald, proprietor of Highland Wildrides and organiser of this first fundraising event.

They are also selling equipment that is for use with small animals and dogs so that non-horsey locals can get rid of old hutches, beds, bowls, leads etc or get a great deal on essentials.

In addition to the boot sale there will be Pony Rides, BBQ, Hug a Husky, Petting Zoo, Lucky Dip, & Raffle.

Pitches are £5 each and there will be a lot of goods for sale including saddles, head collars, lunge cavessons and whips, nosebands and bits that have never been used so get there before 10.30am and grab a bargain!

Anyone wishing to donate a prise to the raffle for this very worthy cause should call Stacie on 01863 766 771 or email her on stacie@highlandwildrides

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09/04/2009 by admin.

OWN A NATURAL PONY DAY

Highland Wildrides has become even more natural than ever!

Our “Own a Pony” days have been changed to “Own a Natural Pony” days so that all you horse lovers out there can get a taste of what it is like to own a horse and keep it like a natural horseman does.

The basic idea is still the same and everyone has their very own pony for a day, but we will be giving you all an extra treat by making you care for them naturally. This means that you will be getting help on how to groom and do hoof care naturally, how to feed naturally, and how to ride naturally.

You will be taught how to play games on the ground with your horse and see how that improves your relationship.

You will be given the opportunity to try out riding “bitless” whilst playing mounted games and see how it makes you use your body more to work with your horse.

We will have informative quizzes and chats on natural horsemanship and some of its most famous pioneers.

“Own a Natural Pony” days are open to anyone of any age

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07/04/2009 by admin.

What a fantastic day was had by all at our first ever Parelli Play day. There was a super turn out but best of all the weather was just perfect all day long.

We started the day in the school and newcomers were teamed up with horses and they started their friendly game with some grooming. They were then able to watch those who had played the games before.

We had Pat Gardiner (L2) from Kiltarlity come over and join us as a spectator and to meet us all for the first time. Pat has been playing with her horse for 6yrs and had some really interesting things to say. Pat met Elaine who stays not far from her so hopefully they will be able to get together for a Parelli blether! Elaine was playing with Murphy who is of similar horsenality to her own beautiful horse Felix that attended our L1 course with Alison Jones a few weeks ago.

There were also lots of kids playing with our mini Shetlands Swish and Bump and they all did a little of the first few games – well done guys!

In the afternoon we moved out of the school and into the woods at the bottom of the croft. There were all sorts of natural obstacles to play with there including fallen trees, old ruins, banks, ponds, ditches, and timber that we have cut from wind blown timber. Troy did some amazing jumps for Stacie so she is going to include more obstacles in his daily play.

We are also hoping to get started shortly on some making permanent obstacles, that will be scattered all over the croft, for us to use on future play days. These will include sand boxes, a see saw, “waterfalls” of tarps strips and balloons suspended between trees, bridges and cross country jumps. In addition we will set up paddocks with flags, barrels, poly jumps, ground poles, upright bending poles for weaving through, tarpaulins on the ground, tyres, and pedestals.

If you would like to see more photos of our Play Day then please go to www.savvyscotland.co.uk and look in their photo gallery and if you would like more info on Highland Wildrides then please go to www.highlandwildrides.co.uk

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05/04/2009 by admin.

Hi Everyone,

We just wanted to let you know about our special promotion throughout 2009. We are huge believers in natural horsemanship and we feel that it is the riding generations of the future that will have the greatest impact on this highly popular approach to horses. We want to encourage as many people as possible not to just “learn to ride” but to learn how to be with horses of which riding is just a part.
In order to get as many kids out there interested in horses as possible we are offering free riding to pre-school kids.

We also do great “Own a Pony Days” every Tuesday. For more information on these and other events such as Parelli Play Days and the new treks we will be adding onto our menu this year please go to www.highlandwildrides.co.uk

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05/04/2009 by admin.

At Highland Wildrides we often rescue and rehabilitate horses that have all sorts of problems.

We have had several of our equine friends, that have been ill and thought unlikely to pull through, make a full recovery - not just surviving their illnesses, but managing to become horses that work in the riding centre.

Last year in May our Miniature Appaloosa stallion, Banner, sustained a very serious injury to one of his hind legs. He completely ruptured all the ligament, tendon and muscle around his stifle to the point where his leg could be moved at 90 degrees to the side.  After several examinations and x-rays the vets from the local practice had informed us that surgery was the only thing likely to help him, but that the kind of surgery he required wasn’t available to horses in the UK– only dogs. Banner is just 32 inches and we felt that he was similar to a very large dog so we enquired what his chance of recovery without surgery was and we were told that there was no known case in Britain of horses having healed naturally with this kind of injury, and that if no improvement was made he would need to be destroyed.

Initially there seemed to be some improvement as the muscle repaired itself but the vets felt it was doubtful that the tendons and ligaments could ever really heal, and sure enough his progress slowed to almost a dead stop.

Heartbroken, we decided to give him more time before making the decision to destroy him. Banner was the first pony at Rhinamain and, like many owners faced with this dilemma, we felt that he needed to be given every chance possible to make a recovery, even if it was only a partial one. Banner is just a pet and isn’t worked so he only needed to recover enough to be happy in himself (which he already seemed to be as he was lapping up the attention that being permanently inside was getting him!).Surprisingly he was not in any pain (the painful part is the snapping of the ligament but once that has happened it doesn’t hurt any longer) meaning there was no danger of long term liver failure from medication. After discussions with the vets we agreed that if at any point it got worse, or if it had not made a recovery within a set amount of time that Banner would be put down, but for the time being he didn’t seem ready to give up yet himself and therefore neither would the Wildriders! It was decided to give him a full year to improve as tendon injuries take that long to heal completely whereas it was unlikely that even with time the ligaments ever could.

Nursing a sick horse is the most difficult part of any injury or illness. Keeping them from becoming depressed and giving up is the main problem we have faced with any of our seriously sick horses. Initially Banner had to be kept completely immobile so he was given a pen that was the size of him standing up with room for a bucket to be put in front of him. We searched the internet for stories like Banners with a positive outcome to see if there was any product, or management routine that had helped, but sadly there were just no stories out there of any horse having recovered from such an injury.

It was quickly decided to try alternative therapies and as Reiki has had a very positive effect on some of the humans here we called in Reiki Master, Norma Roche to give Banner Reiki and Crystal healing. His stall was gridded with quartz and he was treated on the site of his wound with selenite. He had a session each week and it had an amazing effect as we saw his healing rate begin to pick up quite rapidly from the beginning. It helped him a great deal with the frustration he was suffering from being kept indoors and unable to move. He seemed utterly aware of his condition and he stopped making a play for mares although his interest in them never dwindled!

We fed him mainly on a diet of haylage and Alfalfa chaff or pulp, but we had real problems with his bedding as his boredom would lead him to eat it – even shavings - and on one occasion he got colic after choosing to eat his straw bed rather than the grade “A” haylage we were giving him. He narrowly pulled through this as well – he was on his last possible dose of paraffin when he finally had a gut movement. He has also had a lot of his muscle atrophy as he has had his movement so severely restricted.

In the summer a Canadian vet came over and rode with us and when she went home she did some research to see if there were any cases like Banner. Our spirits were lifted when she got back to us saying that she had heard of one horse that had Banners injuries and, although an operation will be offered to horses with this in Canada and the US, it was elected by the owners not to go down the surgical route but to allow the horse to heal naturally which it did and was eventually fit enough to bear a rider in trot!

Hope renewed, we continued to do the best we could for Banner, and over time he began to get stronger and we were able to give him more room and short walks. When we did his feet he even managed to stand and bear his weight on his bad leg in order to have his good ones trimmed. We are very happy to say that now his year is up he has radically improved with the box rest we have given him and in the late spring he will be allowed out onto pasture. He has still got a limp, but his leg is really mobile and it is hoped with careful management he will be able to live out the rest of his life happily.

To this day we have never been able to ascertain what it was that caused Banners injury.

 We know how important it is to get help from other owners and how frustrating it was when we couldn’t find anyone out there. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Norma Roche and Kessock Equine Vets for their expertise and support over the last year, but most of all we would also like to say a BIG THANK YOU to all the Wildriders who have cared for Banner. You have all helped to make him comfortable and frustration free throughout his long term indoors and I know he really appreciated it.

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24/03/2009 by admin.

Wildriders and Friends were delighted by the progress they made over the two day course with 3 star Parelli Instructor Alison Jones last week.

Alison, who is currently Britains highest qualified Parelli Instructor, made her first trip “to the last page of the map” and Highland Wildrides to teach Staff, Volunteers and other Parelli mad locals a level 1 course over two days. The first day consisted of some very useful theory and simulations, and was then followed by a day and a half of working solely with the horses in the school. The weather stayed thankfully mild and the students, equines and 30 spectators were able to gain so much from Alisons wisdom and experience.

There were several Wildrides horses being used in the course including Sandy the Italian Haflinger,  classy Hannah the dressage diva, the infamous Troy, and Byron “Big Ron” of Craignetherty who is to be broken this year. The results achieved with these horses were just amazing. There had been a stake on round the yard as to whether or not Sandy could be “backed up” at all - even by Alison, but she had him doing it, and once Sarah knew the secret she was able to change the big yellow barger into a horse that walks back off a gentle tap or wiggle of the rope. Troy worked hard at his “Friendly Game” and with Alisons help he made a real break through, pointing out to Stacie that Right Brain is not the same as fragile, and all he needed was pushed into accepting her in different zones of his body. Alex and Hannah got a real boost to their bond and Alex was the only person to trot during “Savvy Ride” at the end where several students mounted and rode using nothing but saddles, a rope halter and a twelve foot line that had to be swung round the front of the horses head from side to side in order to turn! Yard Manager Ella used Byron as part of his start to his Wildrides career. He gave as a very impressive display when Alison began teaching him “Sideways” but by the end of it our bolshy teenager had begun to understand what a relationship with a human is really all about.

The course gave everyone a new way of thinking and approaching horses and how we deal with them. The results have been lasting, and Troy has started to really bond with humans after a life time of being “scared of being scared” as Alison put it. He now grooms us back when we groom him, and looks forwards to his time with us instead of trying to waste as much of it as possible just being caught! Sandy is happily accepting that he is no longer the boss and seems a little relieved about not having the pressure of keeping us all in line all the time! Hannah is delighted to have a bond with her Mum, and Byron is excited to find that we actually speak “horse” and seeks us out for conversations!

We would like to thank Alison and look forward to catching up with her at Savvy Conference. We hope to be hosting a level 2 course with her very soon.

And here’s what people said after the course……

Hi,

Just wanted to thank you for letting us sit in on your first trailblazing clinic. Your doing great with Troy, it was quite moving to watch.

Bye for now

Claire.

Hi Stacie

Thought I would just drop you an e-mail to say again that I thoroughly enjoyed the two days you arranged with Alison on 17th and 18th.

I thought Alison was really good and friendly too.

Please arrange some more clinics, etc., soon.

Elaine 

Hi Stacie

Thanks for a great Parelli course - Penny was really pleased to have come with me on Wednesday and felt she really got a lot out of it (she wished she’d been able to come both days).

I learned tons from just being able to stand back and watch others do stuff. Sometimes it’s quite difficult to learn to do things different/better when you’re actually in the middle of ‘doing it’ yourself. I’m sure I will be able to translate what I learned this week to my play with Gin and if work hadn’t got in the way I would have been doing it already after being at yours this week! In fact the first thing I did this morning was scribble out a plan for next time I play with Gin - first time I’ve done this and shows that I’m feeling inspired and probably can be more provocative and interesting to her (my goal in life - be more interesting than grass!!!) as a result!

We will be hosting two Parelli Play Days on the 2nd and the 23rd of April so please come along and watch or join in - we can lend you a horse of similar horsenality as your own if you can’t bring yours.

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16/12/2008 by admin.

Highland Wildrides is proud to announce that Kirsty Davies, who is one of the very first original Wildriders, has now progressed to owning her own horse.

Kirsty became a Wildrider three years ago as a beginner, and has been a diligent and motivated student. She has got a good grounding in horsemanship during her three years with us  and combined with a real love of horses she has now found a partner in Bonzy.

Everyone here at Highland Wildrides would like to wish Kirsty and Bonzy the very best and we are sure that they will have a fantastic time together. We look forward to them coming back for lessons as well as joining us on trail rides next summer and at our Parelli Seminar.

Lots of love,

Wildrides Crew.

For more information on becoming a Wildrider go to www.highlandwildrides.co.uk and click on “Lessons”.

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16/12/2008 by admin.

Highland Wildrides is offering FREE RIDING for volunteers in a case study of riders who have lost their confidence in order to help us put together a holistic confidence building course which looks at the physical, emotional and mental areas that cause the problem.

Lack of Confidence in riding is far more common place than it is in other sports with almost every rider experiencing it to a degree at some point in their life. People who lack confidence can be left feeling weak, foolish, and very, very alone.

It can become a problem in many areas apart from in the saddle with some finding being on the ground, stable management, or even catching from the field just too daunting and preventing them from ever getting to the stage where they have a ride.

The team at Highland Wildrides understand and have helped many riders over the past few years to deal with their fears and nervousness where ever it exists.

Volunteers who participate in this programme will be asked to work on their problem areas by completing trials in natural horsemanship groundwork, equine psychology, stable management, guided sports meditation, and alternative therapies including crystal regression and Reiki. Some work will be done individually and some in small groups.

We are looking for children as well as adults and will be having short interviews with those who would like to be involved after Christmas with the hope of starting the first groups in March. We are happy to help anyone – even those who think they are “uncurable”.

If you are interested in finding out more about the study, becoming a volunteer or Highland Wildrides generally then please contact us on 01863 766 771 or by emailing stacie@highlandwildrides.co.uk

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16/12/2008 by admin.

Getting fit after Christmas can seem like such a chore, and it doesn’t get any more fun if you spend countless sweaty hours jogging off “Christmas Pud Pounds” on a tread mill. The New Year can be a pretty bleak time so why not lose weight doing something more passive and far more enjoyable like riding and trekking? Crisp, sunny winter days are so beautiful viewed from the back of a horse and far more appealing than staring at someone else puffing on a rowing machine!

Riding is an excellent way to tone up muscle, loosen stiff joints and stretch out. The horses skeleton moves exactly the same as a human skeleton and simply sitting on the horse will move your body correctly so you can get fitter whilst just sitting still – amazing!

At Highland Wildrides we offer riding in and out of the school that will help anyone of any age or ability to improve their fitness. For information on discounts available for block bookings go to www.highlandwildrides.co.uk

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16/12/2008 by admin.

Highland Wildrides near Bonar Bridge, Ardgay is hoping for an early Christmas present. Work has begun on its new facilities and it hopes to open its brand new yard before Christmas. The barn will house all the horses, the feed, the tack, a new reception and the petting zoo and will provide a completely covered area to enjoy pony care and activities such as tack cleaning competitions, quizzes and talks.

The barn is part of the continued expansion of the stables which opened three years ago with just ten horses. Now Highland Wildrides has 25 horses, a petting zoo where smaller children can meet the animals while older siblings have their riding lessons, and a kennel of sled dogs which next year will offer sled dog training trips giving a taste of life of a modern musher, using a specially adapted dune buggy.

As well as riding lessons for both children and adults, Highland Wildrides offers trail rides of different lengths.

“If you can sit up, you can sit on,” said owner Stacie Macdonald. “We have first class trekking in this area and there are trail rides to suit different abilities which can held build confidence.”

Trail riding packs – the perfect Christmas present for horse lovers – include special options such as the Ride and Steak (a trek followed by hot steak dinner), or Ride and Reiki which includes a ride followed by a Reiki treatment.

For a festive celebration with a difference, join the Shortest Day trek on December 21^st.

Stacie revealed: “We set out just as it starts to get dark and ride to a viewpoint where you can watch the sunset on the shortest day of the year.”

The yard is staying open over the winter, although it’s closed on Mondays in December and on Christmas Day. However it’s open for a trek on New Year’s Day for the perfect hangover cure in the fresh air.

“We’re taking it as it comes. It depends on the weather,” Stacie warned. “Obviously over Christmas we’d rather stay in beside the fire, rather than get hail-stoned on!

“On days it’s too wet to ride, children will have pony care lessons instead. We don’t want kids to lose interest over winter and find themselves back at the beginning in the spring.

“But there will still be days when it’s just too rotten for small kids to be out at all, or weather which is too dangerous to be on the yard such as high winds when the horses become spooked. On days like these we will post a cancellation on our website.”

For details of events in December, or news of the opening day visit: www.highlandwildrides.co.uk or call 01863 766771

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