Generally a small mature
horse ( under 14.2 hands high at the withers ) is
termed a pony ! Grown ups ride horses and more lightweight people
ride
ponies ! Ponies have long been used for slow trekking over lovely
mountain
scenery but they aren't big enough to gallop all day long carrying
a big
18 stone man !
A pony may also be classified as a "breed member" but
s/he may be bigger
than 14.2 hands. For example, "Simon", Iain's old Exmoor
Pony, was 16+
hands high ( he needed to be big to carry Iain ! ) but he was
still called a pony
by the vet and others who knew much more than I did about horses
( & ponies ! )
Also, some mature animals which are under 14.2 hands can enter
horse trials.
It's a tad confusing, isn't it ?
More specifically, ponies
are horse breeds which have specific temperaments
and physical conformations. Ponies are usually friendly and intelligent
& quite
affectionate. Generally breeds of ponies have thicker manes,
tails and coats as
well as proportionally shorter, stockier legs and heavier bones
with wider barrels
and broader foreheads. Examples of pony breeds include Exmoors,
Dartmoors,
Shetlands, New Forest Ponies, Welsh Ponies, etc. Small and medium-sized
adults
can ride ponies - n ot just kids - because generally ponies are
strong.
Some ponies you may have
met might be described as devious or stubborn
or both...and some ponies can be quite naughty ! This is often
because some
ponies are owned by young and / or inexperienced riders such
as young
children who do not have the equestrian training skills or time
to train out a
pon's acquired bad habits and undesirable pony behaviour. When
we look at
potential suppliers of riding ponies for our customers, and carry
out risk
assessments Peak Activities Ltd looks for well-schooled, sure-footed
animals
which have a nice temperament and which been trained professionally
by
experts. Some riding schools buy and sell beasts all the time,
so may not
always supply the best schooled and best trained animals. We
avoid using
such venues.
If you're not used to horses
just remember they like carrots and other
bribes and they will pretend to be your friend for life if you
have Polo Mints
or an apple in your pocket. However, the front end can bite and
the back
end can kick ( hard !!! ) - so you need to be briefed about safety
before
you rush into a yard full of other peoples' horses !
Interestingly enough, if
you carry out a thorough review of UK accident
statistics falling off your horse is a MAJOR cause of accidents
going
through hospital casualty departments... ( much more statistically
dangerous than say potholing per thousand man.hours of the activity
).
The height of the horse
riders' accident season is in July and August
when children are on holiday at home from school. If booking
pony treks
it is worth making sure that you're on a safe animal which is
well managed
by your accompanying grooms. Having said that, don't forget you're
sitting
astride a large beast with a brain equivalent to a naughty six
or seven year
old child - so even steady horses and ponies can sometimes get
excited by
traffic or even a polythene bag flapping around in a tree !
Wearing a special horse
riding hard hat is essential in case you take a tumble.
One pony Iain used to ride used to ride often used to fall over
mesmerized
( or so it seemed ) whilst looking up to watch hang gliders high
up in the sky
whenever we were trekking along a local ridge ...but Gnasher
was a rather
odd horse anyway - so that's another story !
If you can avoid traffic on roads when pony trekking in the hills
it is nice to do so for safety and lots of other reasons. The
half
day hill treks we organise try to keep away from roads insofar
as possible.
Please note : because of
the specialist nature of riding you
will riding on our sub-contractors insurance cover.
Click here for more
information on the equipment needed
for horse riding & pony treks.
Information for group leaders
wanting to include pony trekking in their multisports programmes.
At this time we are only offering sessions
of pony trekking and
horse rides to GROUP clients at weekends who are purchasing
combined 2-day package
multisports deals - such as our popular
hen group
weekend package which combines abseiling or caving or
rock climbing with orienteering and horse riding or pony trekking.
To
view this website with navigation frames,
please click here or navigate to http://www.iain.co.uk
Phone us on
01433-650345 to discuss
the group programme you'd like to book....
We are unable at the moment to
offer pony trekking as a single
stand alone option for groups of people. We regret horse riding
and pony trekking is currently not available through our company
for individuals - so please only contact us about riding ponies
and
horse treks if you are wanting to book a group of 6 or more people
for at least 2 days of activities with Peak Activities staff.
- We have another 40 or so other outdoor
activities
- and adventurous outdoor
pursuits on offer for group
organisers. These include abseiling
for beginners,
easy
caving, led-walks, treasure
hunts, rock climbing, potholing,
Nordic Walking, high ropes challenges, scrambling,
watersports
and mountain biking, orienteering and
much more !
-
Four of the women in a jolly Hens Group of 20 ladies enjoying
caving with our centre's DCA qualified Caving Instructors
| |
A
TYPICAL ACTIVE HEN WEEKEND
including horse riding &
pony trekking session
|
|
| Saturday |
9-30 am to 1-00 pm
Choose to try ABSEILING or easy,
safe CAVING
after lunch until 5-00 pm
Try ROCK CLIMBING or a BIKE SAFARI
|
2 days of mid week or weekend multisports
activity packages including hotel or inn acommodation from as
little as £199 each for a party of 6 +
|
| Sunday |
a more leisurely day ...but still loads
of fun !
9-30 am ( or later ! ) ORIENTEERING
after lunch
PONY TREKKING / HORSE RIDING until 4-30 pm
Time for a swim in the heated outdoor
pool and
then teas and coffees prior to your departures.
Click
here for more hen groups information
|
The cost
of the activities for the 11th place is free
if you bring 10 or more people. |
If you are wanting to come on
your own to the Peak District don't
worry, all of
our other many outdoor pursuits are still on offer and
are running this season as usual for individuals, stag
parties &
hen
groups and for
corporate groups. Unlike pony trekking, we can
often arrange single " stand alone" sessions of, say,
mountain biking
or abseiling, etc.
Clients specifically wanting horse-riding only are asked to
contact
directly one of the Peak District's many other suppliers. We
are not
a Tourist Information Point - so please don't waste our time
asking
for horse riding information if you are not a bone fide group
leader
wanting to discuss a two day ( or longer ) programme with us.
...
..
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- Horse riding and pony
trekking are just two of the many
fun different safe adventurous outdoor pursuits and
outdoor activities and sports on offer at Rock Lea Activity
Centre in the accessible village of Hathersage.
- Please phone us on
01433-650345 to discuss the wide
range of other adventurous activities we can offer.
Please remember, individual clients
please DO NOT call us about horse riding - we'll not be
able to help you so you'll be wasting your time and money.
- To view this website with navigation frames, please
click here or navigate to http://www.iain.co.uk
-
-
Meanwhile if you are looking for outdoor pursuits instruction for your group
in the Peak District please click here for details of lots more outdoor activity
choices such as abseiling, caving, led-walks, treasure hunts on cycles
or on foot, climbing, orienteering & trailquests on mountain bikes.
-
-
-
-
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- Telephone 01433-650345
-
-
- Events
designed for individuals run by Peak Activities Ltd
-
GROUP ORGANISERS - Put yourself in the
picture by calling us today 01433-650345
RIDES FOR
GROUP ORGANISERS....
(n.b. GROUPS BOOKINGS ONLY )