STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSES MOUTH

02/08/2009 by admin.

It appears that there is an awful lot of confusion out there about Highland Wildrides at the moment and whether or not we are closing for the season or for good and what the reasons for that may be. We would like to take this opportunity to set everyone straight on what is happening here over the next 18 months and just keep you all in the loop.

 

We can confirm that we are closing the trekking and riding school for good on September 27^th this year to allow us to spend the next 6-8 months to prepare and perfect a new and exciting aspect of the business that we hope to launch late spring 2010 (more details of this to follow).

Nearly all the horses will be staying with us so you will be able to keep in touch with them as they and the staff work their way through their Parelli levels, and hopefully end up at Parelli Centres both here and in the states to train directly with Pat and Linda Parelli.

There will still be a need for the regulars to come along and help out in return for riding so really nothing will change – just that it will now be FREE!

 

We have had so much fun riding with you all at Highland Wildrides – we’ve met a lot of fantastic people and had some truly amazing experiences - but now we feel we have taken it as far as it can go in its current form and we are ready to move on to something different. We would like to take this opportunity to say a BIG thank you to all who have supported us with their custom and volunteered as it is the Wildriders who have made this the greatest place to ride in Sutherland for the past four years. We are very excited about moving on to something new and hope that you will continue to join us on our next adventure!

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For Sale – On the search for good homes for Horses and Huskies.

09/07/2009 by admin.

We have had another reason to celebrate at Highland Wildrides with the arrival of our third litter of Siberian Husky pups three weeks ago. These guys are the best litter we’ve had yet, and they are extremely large pups. Bred from top racing and show stock ( Zero and Sepp Alta blood lines) they will make good pets as well as work in harness – ideal for novice mushers. Both parents can be seen ;Dam = Oochinapees Zoom pet name Rogue, and Sire = Sakhalins Magician, pet name Merlin, but there are pictures of them on our website and bebo group page. Two will be remaining with us for our own racing teams, but of the three that are still available we have a piebald dog, a grey dog, and a piebald blue eyed bitch. They are exquisitely marked, will be KC registered and we will be home checking all prospective buyers before a deposit is taken. Ready for homes from August 13^th onwards, £550 each.

 

We have also decided after careful consideration to put our Eriskay mare up for sale. Eriskays are extremely rare with only 300 ponies having any Eriskay blood in them. Our mare is one of only forty 100% pure mares and of a very rare bloodline. She is perfectly put together and is an identical half sister to this years RHS Eriskay winner, Cuill Ruaraidh. She has a 2 month foal at foot, out of Tobermory, who has already been playing the first three Parelli games and is extremely well handled. As Pollei is so important to the breed we have decided that she really ought to be bred from every year and we will find it very difficult to take her up and down to stallions so we are looking for a knowledgeable breeding home with an interest in Eriskays or rare breeds. We are happy to accept offers close to £4,000 for Pollei and her foal.

 

And finally, we are also looking for a new home for Breeze our grey dun, 14hh, 5yr old, highland mare. She is such a great lady and we feel that she is really quite wasted here. She has done two seasons for us trekking, trail riding and in the school, she has done most of that barefoot although she is no problem to shoe, and she is also working at Parelli Level 1-2. She is a highly intelligent girl and would be much better off in a private home where she will be challenged and made a big fuss of. Perfect to do in every way and a really willing partner, we will be sad to see her go and will be home checking all interested parties. We are looking for £2,850 for Breeze, but we would be happy to put her in foal to our Clydesdale stallion an extra £150.

 

If you think you may be the owner for our guys then please do get in touch and we will be happy to discuss things further and arrange a home visit. If you think that you may know of someone else who might be interested then please forward this on.

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Highland Wildrides sponsors the new “Log Pile” at Scotsburn Horse Trials 2009

27/05/2009 by admin.

We will be sponsoring Scotsburn Horse Trials this year including a couple of the jumps specifically. We will be eagerly watching the 225 competitors that have entered so far as they negotiate the ditch combination (we thought this was very apt as all our horses have to jump big ditches daily to come into work!), but most exciting of all will be watching them tackle the brand new log pile jumps at the top of the hill above the Scotsburn Log which we have sponsored in the name of our sister company MacDonalds Mobile Mills (for more info on having your timber sawn on your site go to www.highlandwildrides.co.uk for our contact details). These new log piles look particularly difficult and will pose a real challenge to riders as well as entertainment for spectators. They have very little clearance around them being wedged between some very mature and leafy Beech trees!

 

The weather is forecasted to be fantastic, dressage starts at 7.30am and we look forward to catching up with you all there for an action packed day!

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Good Luck Logo Designers

05/05/2009 by admin.

We would just like to wish the very best of luck to the pupils from Charleston Academy who have entered our competition to come up with a new business logo for Highland Wildrides. The winner will have their design reproduced on our literature, website, signs and on T-Shirts that will be on sale to the public. On top of this they will receive a prize of £50 Highland Wildrides vouchers to be used on any of our products.

 

We will announce the winner at the end of this month and look out for our new logo on www.highlandwildrides.co.uk

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RDA Car Boot Sale

05/05/2009 by admin.

The Car Boot Sale was a huge success raising over £340 for our new Riding for the Disabled Group. Some of the sellers had excellent vans and stalls on their pitches and great deals on new and used products. We especially loved the bunnies and Giant Snails that were on exhibition and we look forward to receiving one of the Lion Head x Continental Giants from Morag’s Small Animals once he is old enough to leave his mother.

 

We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who turned out for pitches or as shoppers. Your support was very much appreciated. We are hoping to make this an annual event and after such a successful first attempt we hope to see it grow rapidly in popularity over the next couple of years with everyone knowing that the best horsey bargains are found at our horsey boot sale!

 

For more information on future events at Highland Wildrides or other ways in which you can support our RDA group please go to www.highlandwildrides.co.uk and click on “Events and Offers”.

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Update on Raffle Prizes and Parelli Demo, May Holiday 2009

02/05/2009 by admin.

Cordless Makita Power Drill from HIS

 

Harry Hall kids hat and scarf set from Horse@HIS

Haylage from Mount Eagle Farm

 

Kids grooming and sticker set from Sarah Watt

 

Goody Bag from Wormers Direct

 

Goody Bag from Seaforth Saddlers including a numnah, silk, and gloves.

 

Pet Food Hamper from Morag Soska

 

Breyer stablemates set from Seaforth Saddlers

 

Equissage session from Sheree Dobson

 

Canine Reiki Massage from Norma Roche

 

Equine or human Reiki or Reflexology from Sue Wilson

 

Sled dog ride for two from Highland Wildrides

 

Own a Pony Day from Highland Wildrides

 

Selection of sauces from Caledonian Curry Company

 

There will also be something from Ross Shire Horse Talk who will also be bringing a selection of second hand and new goods in their van. Pet Pals will also be taking a pitch with their mobile pet shop.

 

The details of our next fund raiser, the Parelli Demo with Claire Adamson, have been confirmed. It will definitely be on Thursday the 7^th at 7pm. The following day we will be having a Play Day and Claire will be doing online lessons for up to two people at a time. At the moment I believe there may be no charge for these lessons, but donations to the RDA instead would be much appreciated.

 

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

For full directions to Highland Wildrides go to www.highlandwildrides.co.uk

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WILD NEWS

17/04/2009 by admin.

Pre School Kids Ride Free

This year we have started a new initiative to help promote natural horsemanship by offering free riding to all Pre School Children. We hope that this will boost interest in horse sport at a grass roots level. We are happy to accommodate younger siblings of Wildriders during Saddle Club whenever possible.

 

30 min extra riding

In a bid to move forward the field of natural horsemanship and display to the public the alternative ways of dealing with horses that have been forgotten over time, we have decided to go “Bitless” in all our riding ventures. Training for this started last year with some of the horses, and had fantastic results. Whenever possible we will be taking out guests and teaching Wildriders to use bitless bridles. There are many advantages to this – better balance, use of the body, and not least the comfort of the horse. Over the next couple of weeks all the Wildriders lessons will be focusing on teaching them to change over to this style of riding. In addition we will also be giving all guests that are new to us or this style of riding a 30min lesson prior to their first trek. This extra half hour of riding will not increase the cost of £20 for an hour or £17 for a member of the Wildriders Club.

 

 

Car Boot & Disabled Riding Group

Over the past few years we have catered for a huge range of abilities. It has been noted that there are a lot of people in our locality who have special requirements or disabilities that would currently have to travel a great distance to enjoy riding in an RDA centre, therefore making it difficult for them to do so.

We have decided to form a charitable riding group here for anyone who is challenged and we will be raising funds for it on Sunday 3^rd of May by holding a “Horsey” car boot sale. It will be a great opportunity to pick up bargains related to all pets. Pitches are £5 and we will be having pony rides, BBQ, Lucky Dip, Hug a Husky, Guess the name of the rabbit, and a bake sale as well as a raffle that has already had some amazing prises donated to it.

 

We would love to get the support of the Wildriders so if you would like a pitch, can help with a stall or bake a cake please let us know – we will be very grateful of all help given.

 

Workshop for Wildriders with Sue Wilson

Equine behaviourist Sue Wilson has kindly agreed to come and give a small talk to the Wildriders at Saturday Saddle Club. This will mainly be about the very important areas of saddle fitting and care of the horses back.

 

Annual Events

This year we will be putting on a lot of events for the public and some purely for the Wildriders. We will be holding workshops with many professionals including Sue Wilson, and Emma Cornell who does TTouch and will be providing coaching for dogs and horses including a special on fireworks. We will let you know once we have dates for these.

 

 

Here are more dates to put on the calendar;

 

April 23^rd – Parelli Play Day Fund Raiser

April 26^th – group of staff and riders invited to attend Parelli Play Day at Bankhead Farm Fife to help us get more ideas and information on this fab way to spend time with horses.

May 1^st – May Day Parade. Come along and decorate your riding hat before we ride out and parade to the village.

May 3^rd – Horsey Car Boot Sale Fund Raiser

June 1^st – Wildrides Anniversary BBQ and Ride out. Come along and get your pony ready before we head off on a long ride and come home to a BBQ.

June 12^th  - closed

June 21^st & 22^nd – Summer solstice

June 27^th & 28^th – Closed for Sarah, Stacie Troy and Sandy to attend a Parelli Level 2 course with Alison Jones at Easterton Farm, Perthshire

July 10^th – closed

July 8^th – Wildriders Club Camp. Come along and pitch a tent and stay with us for the night. We’ll be doing treks, workshops, quizzes, simulations, mounted games and treasure hunts. Parents welcome to stay over and join in too.

July 18^th – Highland Wildrides Open Day – Perfect opportunity to bring along friends to try out the activities that enjoy every week.

August 15^th – Wildriders Club Summer Show. Over the summer we will be pairing the Wildriders up with a horse that they will work with solely and then we will hold a show at the end of the holidays to show off everything that everyone has learnt. You will be able to prepare your horse for the show yourself and there will be prizes handed out for trying your best as well as coming 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd.

 

 

Weekly events

 

Tuesday Daytime – Own a Natural Pony Day. Come and own your own horse for the day and take care of it naturally. Includes riding and is fully supervised.

Tuesday Evening - Animal Healing Classes with Norma Roche

Wednesday Daytime - Treks

Wednesday Evening– Mounted Games Training and Vaulting.

Thursday – Parelli Play Days and Trail Riding Day

Friday Daytime – Treks and Mounted Treasure Hunts

Friday Evening – Parelli Play Evening

Saturday Daytime – Wildriders Saddle Club and Lessons, Sled Dog Trips.

Sunday Daytime – Treks and Sled Dog trips

 

 

 

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“Horsey” Car Boot Sale May 3rd 10.30am. Fundraiser for Disabled Riders

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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OWN A NATURAL PONY DAY

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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Free Riding For Pre School Kids!

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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