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Fundraising money – how has it been spent?

We support Pukka Ponies (where our foster ponies come from) because the charity cares for many more horses and ponies that need rehoming, rehabiliating or require long term medical care.

We organised five activity events as part of our fundraising portfolio. So how much did we raise for the charity? How has the money been spent?

In total, we raised £260 ( £220 from activity events, £20 from monetary donations and £20 from selling our horse manure compost).

This money paid for Dash and Sophie (two shetlands) to have their hooves trimmed. Farriers Chris Connell and Charlie Lawson did a sterling job.

  • Chris Connell and Sophie
  • Charlie Lawson and Dash

Soon after this picture was taken, Dash found his forever home. The clip below shows Dash frolicking around with his new best friend Kizzy.

Not to be out done by Dash’s good fortune, Sophie also found her forever home.

The majority of the money raised went towards having Sambuca ( a 3 year old mini cob) gelded (castrated). The vets at Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic successfully carried out the operation.

Sarah Daniells from Pukka Ponies informed us that Sambuca’s recovery went well. He was initally separated from the herd to keep him safe from injury but has since been introduced back to his field friends. Now that he is fully recovered the Pukka Ponies volunteers can continue their work, making him rideable and ready for rehoming.

Sambuca pictured in the middle

A BIG THANK YOU goes to Little Kickers coaches Richard and Olly for running the fundrasing activity events and to all the children who took part; as well as to those that made monetary donations and those who bought our horse manure compost. Sophie, Dash and Sambuca now have a bright and happy future because of you!

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Horses have the power to heal

Sunday 27th October 2019

A lovely lady called Pennie came to visit Little Warden. Today was a difficult day for Pennie, she lost her beloved Little Mo (Mo) a year ago. To mark the day in a positive way, Pennie decided to spend time with the ponies, Silver and Pumba.

Here’s an extract from her account of the day

“It was such a relaxing morning. I just don’t know where the time went. Standing in the field with the ponies gave me such a feeling of warmth and sense of peace that I knew that this had been the best thing I could have done with my day and that Mo would be watching me. I came away feeling very calm and I hope that my beautiful Mo could see how worthwhile a donation will be in her memory to this wonderful charity.”

Little did I know that Pennie’s visit would have a profound affect on me. I felt privileged to have spent the morning listening to Pennie talking about the amazing times she had with Mo. I’m overwhelmed that the ponies and I were able to make Pennies’ day a positive experience. The real credit of course goes to the Pukka Ponies, they were brilliant! Silver and Pumba surpassed themselves, they were cheeky, calm and loving. They snoozed while we laughed, chatted and while Pennie groomed them.

To make a difference in someones life if only for a few moments has been my dream since we set up Little Warden. Today the dream became a reality. I hope the ponies and I will be a part of many more precious moments.

If you want to read more about Pennie’s experience at Little Warden click here https://beautifulmo.simdif.com/anniversaries.html

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Who’s going to look after the ponies when I’m away?

It’s January 2017, we decided a family holiday was overdue. The kids were out of nappies so I was feeling brave about taking them to India to meet my side of family. Once our flights were booked, the reality of leaving the ponies over winter hit home. Caring for the ponies would be particularly tough because our ponies lived out 24/7, the weather was worsening and the days were getting shorter.

Searching for the right people to look after the ponies was not my only headache. I also had to consider: Where to store the hay and how to get it into the field?  How to poo pick during muddier times?  And find ways to prevent the gateways from becoming impassable? More importantly, I had to come up with a plan that was easy and manageable. I needed reliable people who wouldn’t buckle under the pressure when things got tough.

I spent countless hours asking friends, calling friends of friends and searching the web without any success and panic set in. If I didn’t find anyone, I wouldn’t be able to go (this was not an option). Luckily a month before we set off,  I found 3 wonderful girls:  Hannah, Lauren and Becky. Woohoo!

  • Hannah Hawkins
  • Lauren Antwis
  • Rebecca James

Well what a team! The girls did a fantastic job. Yes, there were tricky moments like when my storage box and all the contents blew away during high winds; and Silver freaking out after seeing the light of a small torch and ending up on the other side of the paddock. They even carried on working when they themselves were sick. These girls are made of strong stuff, I really can’t thank then enough. Super stars! That’s what they are too me.

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I can get by with a little help from my friends

It’s only fitting to write my first post after our website launch about friendship.

This post is dedicated to everyone that has supported us from the very start, when fostering rescue ponies was just an idea. Three years on, with the help of family, friends and people from our community we are still fostering rescue ponies, some have gone on to be adopted (pony updates are coming soon). We now organise events to raise money for Pukka Ponies and have established an exciting partnership with Dog Smart Training and Behaviour who run puppy, life skills, agility and gundog classes at Little Warden.

The pictures below remind me of everything that has been achieve through friendships and team work. These are the pictures that lift my spirit when I’m feeling exhausted working alone in the field.

Support has come in the form of donations (money, tools, horsey items), physical help, advice, motivational and emotional support and more importantly many people (especially the lovely children) have taken the time to visit the ponies. The ponies that live with us have a wonderful life (I’m biased but it’s true!). We have a small herd which allows us to give them quality time each day. This enables us to quickly build trust and tailor care to meet their individual needs.  We’ve found this approach creates a great environment for their personalities to flourish. There’s no pressure, they’re here to relax and just be horses. All of these people (there are many more but they’re a little camera shy) have been instrumental in changing the lives of our foster ponies for the better, for this we and the ponies are truly thankful.

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littlewarden.org – our new website. Woohoo!

Here’s our new website. This is the second phase of us living the dream. Thank you to my wonderful husband for spending countless hours designing it, you’re the best!

This is an exciting time for me but it’s also a time for reflection. My mum led by example, instilling in me the importance of giving something back to family, friends, the community and to strangers. She said if the act of giving was truly honest and selfless it would bring happiness, peace and contentment. I have to say now as an adult I believe she is right and it’s something I instill in my children everyday. Although my mum will never be able to see our journey, I feel she is very much part of the vision of Little Warden.

Welcome to Little Warden, where animals and people can live in harmony with nature.

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Beautiful Silver

I promised myself I wouldn’t get attached. I kept telling myself, “I’m only fostering the ponies, they’re not mine.” I thought I had convinced myself but the weeks leading up to Troy’s departure were miserable. Thankfully I didn’t have time to pine after Troy as his replacement arrived just as he left.

Silver, beautiful Silver (or Silvie as I had affectionately named her) was the spitting image of Troy.

Silver was shy, skittish and hard to catch, however, once caught she had impeccable manners. I’d describe her as the been there, done it and got the T-shirt kind of girl. I didn’t know much about Silver’s past, only that she had been a broodmare (used for breading) and she hadn’t been treated well at all. But despite her difficult past Silver’s gentle nature shone through. I think out of all the Pukka Ponies I’ve fostered she is by far the kindest most gentlest soul. I really love Silvie.

Bringing Silver into the herd was a new experience for me. The Oracles had advised me to put her in a neighbouring paddock for a week. That way she could see and touch the herd but still feel safe and I could get to know her. Over the next few days I went into her paddock to poo pick and just ignored her (well I pretended to).  I then began to strategically move towards her, gently stroking her as I walked past. By the end of the week Silver would come to greet me, she was comfortable with me standing near her, I was able stroke her all over and lead her around the paddock. I can’t tell you how happy it made me feel seeing this transformation.

During this time a friendship had developed between Silver and Oreo. Often in the evenings I would see them grooming each other across the taped fence and they had many nose to nose moments. Since all the ponies appeared calm it was time to integrate newbie Silver into the heard. I felt apprehensive about the outcome but luckily Lydia offered to come over and support me. She advised me to move Silver into the larger paddock, that way the ponies would have plenty of space to move around or get away if they needed to. If there were signs of aggression I was to intervene and remove the pony that was causing the problem.

Lydia’s advice sounded straightforward but truth be told I was petrified at the thought of intervening. I had only just mastered leading the ponies and basic horse care. “Be brave, be brave!” is what I kept thinking as I moved Silver into the paddock. Then we just watched. To my relief the ponies greeted one another and started grazing. A happy herd. “Phew! What a relief.”

 

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Myth: Too many Oracles spoil the broth

My approach to fostering ponies is similar to that of life. Adopt a flexible approach, be open to different ways of thinking but most importantly surround yourself with people who are willing to share their experiences and mistakes, so you can learn from them. So I’m super excited to introduce two more Oracles: Lydia and Rosanna.

Lydia Pink
I met Lydia at my son’s nursery. Little did I know this chance meeting would be instrumental in pushing forward my understanding of handling horses. Lydia’s love of animals and her knowledge of training horses was music to my ears. I had high hopes that we would become friends and I looked forward to her visiting me. 

Profile
Started riding: At 11 years old, when she went to pony camp.
Owned horse/ponies: Lydia bought her first pony a week after pony camp. She has owned horses and ponies throughout her life.
Training:  As an adult Lydia went to Texas twice and worked at a cowboy ranch breaking in wild mustang horses. She has also trained for a few summers in Wales with Ken Faulkner – Natural horsemanship. 

Rosanna Hollands
Rosanna was my riding instructor at Saddles. I liked Rosanna right from the start. Being greeted by her dog Loki was an added bonus. 
The riding lessons gave me an opportunity to ask lots and I mean lots of horsey questions. I often referred to Rosanna as my walking encyclopedia (no need to ask Google, just ask Rosanna). What stood out for me was Rosanna’s willingness to share her knowledge and help me find solutions to the issues I was facing with the ponies. 

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Started riding : At 4 yrs old.
Owned a pony/ horse: She shared a pony with her mum for 23 years. 
Competitions: Rosanna has taken part in a few minor jumping competitions and a dressage competition while working in Portugal. 
Training : She has done some training with ponies at the riding school, is working with a foal on the yard and has been taught some Parelli. 
Experience: Rosanna studied at Hadlow college and has a lot of voluntary experience. When she was younger she helped out at riding schools and has volunteered at the Horse World charity. She has worked at show jumping competitions and as part of a jump crew at the Kent county show. While living in Portugal she worked on a dressage yard for an international dressage and Portuguese working equitation champion. Rosanna now works as Senior trainer and yard manager at Saddles.

I’ve finally got to grips with basic horse care and field management, it’s now time to turn my attention to the ponies. I’m hoping the new Oracles will help me to better understand horse behaviour so I can tailor my training to meet the needs of each pony. I’m excited by the new challenges ahead, I can’t wait to step outside my comfort zone. 
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Bittersweet day

It’s a bittersweet day. Troy one of our foster rescue ponies has been adopted. He came to us with a head collar on permanently because he wasn’t keen on being caught. He was head shy, skittish and wouldn’t allow us to get near him.

I was drawn to him because of his standoffish manner. I made it my mission to get him to trust me, so putting on a head collar would not be any issue and he would enjoy our company.

Nearly one year on and the head collar is off.  Troy has learnt to trust people and is always the first one to come and say hello. He has taught me so much. He has taught me to be patient, to slow things down and live in the moment. I think his leaving will always be the most painful as he was the one with the biggest trust issue and he has been the first to go. 

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My Dream Team

My dream has turned into our family’s dream. Well the reality is that it’s still really my dream but my lovely husband and kids support me and are happy to join in around 80% of the time, so I can’t complain. Let me introduce you to my dream team:

PHIL (Husband) aka The Operative

 
Skills – He’s good at chopping and cutting things down. He can fix and repair anything electric. Phil is great at turning stuff we have lying around into something useful. He’s my sounding board and continues to support me even if he thinks I’m nuts.
 

Interests – Loves rugby, using power tools and  F1 (sometimes I think more than me). He loves doing anything apart from listening to me talk about horses in the field.

Horse experience – None but he has managed in the past to coax escapee ponies back into the field, don’t ask me how he did it.

NATHAN (Eldest son) aka Powerhouse

Skills – Great at lifting and pulling anything heavy particularly branches using his truck. He’s good at  making up the horses feed, cleaning the trough, sweeping mummy’s office and digging. Nathan is also great at organising and tiding up (not sure how long this will last).

Interests – Nathan loves riding his bike really fast and always wants to learn new skills and did I mention he loves doing jobs, jobs, jobs!

What he brings to the team – His enthusiasm for life and doing jobs is infectious. He is kind, thoughtful and meticulous.

DYLAN aka The Entertainer

 

Skills – Smiling, singing and helping out when he feels like it.

Interests – Riding his bike, singing, playing with his digger.

What he brings to the team – Keeps morale up by singing and reworking old school tunes. Also spontaneously telling me how much he love me.

ROCKY aka The Rocket

Role – Supervisor, watch dog and helps aid our desensitising program.

Interests – Doing everything at twice the speed, biting his ball, barking at anyone who comes down the lane.

What he brings to the team – He’s a happy magnet, always ready to give cuddles and kisses even when we don’t want them.

 

What’s great is that we’re all so different. I couldn’t have done this without them. Their support is priceless. I’ll sign off with a clip of Dylan singing one of his favourite song, Buffalo Soldier. An old time classic which he has reworked to make it his own. Enjoy!