Valley Farm: News Letter

Sarah Ling writes a regular article for Farmers Guide Magazine. To find out more about what we have been up to, you can read the article at www.farmersguide.co.uk

This month saw the arrival of the two Cinderella ponies for the Panto at Ipswich Regent. After a couple of rehearsals, David and I spent three weeks driving them to Ipswich daily and leading them on stage to pull Cinders carriage. It was great fun and the cast were all wonderful to work with.
Back at the stables, all the usual Christmas festivities carried on with Kerrie's Fun Friday being a great hit.
The Riding and Road Safety course saw thirteen candidates, eleven of which succeeded in gaining their certificates despite the appalling weather on the day.

The Mock Hunt took place at the end of November and was well supported. The horses had a fantastic time galloping round the marshes, leaping dykes and ditches and logs in the woods. The riders all arrived back covered in mud and grinning from ear to ear!
Juno was requested by Santa to transport him through Woodbridge again, to save the reindeer who were resting up ready for the big day. On the route they were escorted by the McMillan elves who rattled buckets and between them all they raised £206.00 for Mcmillan Cancer support.
Nigel organised another of his fantastic dog shows for the last Sunday in the month which was, as usual, well supported.

Mother, aged 93, passed away. Well known to all our clients she will be sadly missed. However, her influence on the place lives on. Two weeks later, another disaster, poor Limerick our Irish Draught horse, had a grumbling colic attack. Not a bad colic, she continued to eat but after two days and a few vet visits, she very suddenly went rapidly down hill and was put to sleep by the vet to save her any further pain. All this made October a difficult month for everyone.
The month finished off with the usual Halloween Haunt through the woods at night which cheered everyone up.

More free time! Back to fencing and gating fields again. The animals are all having a well earned rest after a very busy summer. The annual Dog agility show took place in fantastic weather.

Busy, busy, busy! Pony Camps all week, weddings and displays at weekends. The weather finally sorted out long enough to fill the barn with hay for the winter. The ponies will be pleased! Emy's foal arrived on Sunday 19th at 8.00am. For weeks all the children on camp had been checking her daily to see if there was a foal and she fooled everyone by having it on a Sunday, so missing all the children on camp. End of August and the two french students returned to France. They will both be missed by staff and horses. And finally, mother, aged 93, moved into the Lodge to be nearer to us as she now needs a degree more care.

The presentations for the Small Farms Business Award took place in our indoor school. We spent the morning turning the area into a posh dining hall and Margaret Holland did a fantastic job on the catering. Anglia Telly attended and it got us another mention in the EADT. We had a Parelli evening which was very well attended. The Cavalry performed at Rendham which I missed as I was out doing a wedding with the horses. Next day we were all at Hevingham Hall where the Cavalry were again going through their paces and in between times, helped me with the pony and trap rides. Pony Camps started on the 9th! Looks like a busy summer ahead! Silver attended Ufford Rally and next day found us in London with Juno doing a Sikh wedding. The weekend after this we were with Silver again at Brook Farm Saxmundham with "Silver's Book" to educate everyone in Silver's daily needs. The wedding horses attended a fete at Ringshall doing a bit of promotion and carriage rides. They were fascinated by the bouncy castle and watched the leaping children as they trotted past, but with their usual good manners, didn't put a foot wrong. The pony club children had a wonderful day out being jockey's for a Donkey Derby. The donkeys were very good natured and everyone really enjoyed it. Another french student arrived to join the team for the rest of the summer. We were sad to say Goodbye‘ to Vicky from our staff. Perhaps she will return one day?

Photo shoot for Juno at Framlingham Castle for the "Framlingham in the Flesh" calendar. Juno had to carry Lady Cadiver! Three members of staff have taken their Driving and Grooms competence test for transporting horses. (Animal Transport rules all changing soon) June 10th saw our Farm Open Sunday event again. The staff arranged pony rides, farm walks and riding displays all day, followed by a gymkhana in the afternoon! Jackanory our welsh pony (on loan) attended a fete to do pony and trap rides and had a wonderful time with loads of children patting and fussing him all afternoon. This month we were also really chuffed to win the Small Farm Business Award. This is arranged by the Suffolk Agricultural Association and sponsored by Clydesdale Bank. We had enormous fun with a corporate group doing a western day. The indoor school was transformed into a western barn with rodeo bull and shooting alley, the barn dancing went on late into the night and a great time was had by both clients and staff. Silver, our miniature horse attended the Norfolk Show again on the trade stand of the British Horse Society. Juno was in demand again for a proposal carried out at Seckford Hall and consequently appeared in the EADT. One of our French students has arrived for the summer season to look after the horses and improve their english.

The water system has been updated. All the old tanks have been replaced and a new pump fitted in the well. Now when we turn on a tap, instead of the feeble trickle we used to have, the water shoots out, hits the bottom of the bucket and rebounds soaking us! The horses seem quite surprised that their drinkers fill up so much faster. Our Cavalry have been out and about doing performances. They were at the Game Fare for two days demonstrating their sword and lances skills. The vaulting Team have also been out on display, at Elmhurst Park in Woodbridge and Otley College for their Big Day Out‘. A new chalet has been delivered ready for Pony Camp season. This one has double doors to enable wheelchairs to access it more easily. The wedding horses have started the season and are booked for most of the summer each weekend. Our usual trade stand at the Suffolk Show has moved position. It's now next to the British Horse Society stand facing the Light Horse Ring.

We have some new chickens! After the Defra ban was lifted we were able to let our existing chickens out and also give them some company in the form of two more chickens and two cockerels. Our new labrador puppy has been given a long lecture on not going anywhere near them. She is a bit dizzy and roars about pretending to be a greyhound in training. The new car park structure is working well. The first morning the staff came in to find their parking spaces named was entertaining. Each car would zoom in, pause, back up, drive on and then slide into position. At least this way they can be sure of finding a space. Half term was maniacally busy as usual. We even had our first caravaners arrive to try out our new camp site. They seemed to enjoy it, and even the sound of our camel mumbling at night didn‘t put them off. Well, I suppose it‘s not everywhere you can camp next to a camel.

March saw Hibou, one of our Camargue Horses featured in Suffolk magazine doing some western riding. Even better, the whole Camargue Herd managed to feature themselves on the TV in BBC's Countryfile. The builders arrived en mass and completed our new reception centre in record time. It looks fantastic and makes life much easier for anyone booking in for lessons. No more queueing in the rain, no more dodging horses going to and from their stables, what luxury! From a health and safety point of view it also enables staff to know exactly who is on the premises at any time. In addition we can now display information about our wonderful Camargue Horses for people to see as the wait. Unfortunately, there were some really upsetting moments as well. Our darling Dales foal Sparrow died. We tried everything and still he just couldn‘t make it through. It seems that he was lucky to have got this far in life. Whoever assembled him for this world was definitely not paying attention and the poste mortem showed him to have a number of long term defects. Poor Sparrow, we will miss him dreadfully. Then, worse, we had to have poor Cantarello one of our Camargue mares put down when she suffered liver failure. Luckily her filly foal is doing well and has settled in well with the other foals. Another new pony joined us, Jimmy. He is well known locally and a bit of an old friend to me.

We spent much time dodging floods and moving horses. Poor Isaac the Suffolk Punch had to spend a day in Newmarket as an outpatient to have an ulcer removed from his eye. He's doing well now, with no ill affects.

Where does the time go? Well, from what I remember January was cold and wet. A new member of staff joined us, Kim Lewendon, who has known us for many years. The staff had a belated Christmas outing to Kingpin to spend an afternoon bowling in the warm and dry instead of facing the cold and wet on the yards. Unfortunately we all had to come home to face the yards afterwards anyway, but it was fun while it lasted. One of the new hungarian horses had the misfortune to go down with colic and ended up spending a week in Newmarket in "hospital". I felt sorry for both of them at being separated as they clearly had little command of the english language and depended on each other enormously. We also welcomed Elvis back to the yard again. The dear little arab had been here in livery before and now was coming back for good to join our other school ponies. The building of the new reception centre was put on hold whilst the building regulations were sorted out.

More sad news this month. Cantarello, who has a filly foal at foot, suffered a very sudden weight loss. Blood tests confirm she has liver failure. She is at present on medication and time will tell how things go. The foal is doing well and she and her mum have been moved into the main foal herd in the hopes that she will make lots of friends for when she has to be weaned off and lead her own life.
The western show went off well, we were lucky to have Tanya Rowe as our judge. Her advice was welcomed and very helpful.
The My Little Pony Club on Friday mornings had a lovely surprise when Santa took an hour out from his very busy schedule to arrive by pony and trap and deliver presents to all. He even stayed for a while and offered to work the music for the musical chairs and pass the parcel. (The My Little Pony Club is for children aged 0-4 to attend with their parent. They do messy play, pony rides and farm walks depending on the weather)

Work on the new reception area begins. And stops! Well, I thought that Building Regulations were specifications that builders had to work to, not something you had to apply for! Hopefully things will be underway again very shortly. We had a fantastic evening talk by Roger and Fiona Clark from the East Anglian Bloodhounds. They kindly brought one of the bloodhounds with them which proved popular with our Pony Club members. Roger explained all about the way bloodhounds hunt the scent of man, not animals, and also demonstrated various notes on the horn. This was followed, a few days later, by our Mock Hunt which was well attended. Although quite a few riders reported spotting a Mock, they proved as elusive as ever and none were caught.
Santa started his rounds early again this year and Juno, one of our wedding horses, was called upon to transport him around Woodbridge. The horses completed their very busy wedding schedule with the last wedding of 2006 taking place at Heddingham Castle. They already have quite a few bookings for 2007 and 2008! Very sad news this month. We said our final farewells to Misty. Misty was 36 and had taught so many children to ride and drive over the years. Recently she had become very poor and wobbly and we decided that it would be unkind to make her face the winter. She had a wonderful summer in the fields and has been retired for the last two years enjoying life. I‘m sure she and Dessert Orchid are having fun swopping horsy tales together.

I had enormous fun this month judging the B.A.L.E award (Best alternative land enterprise). This involved me, along with two other judges, touring assorted farms to see what use they had made of redundant farm buildings and land to improve their income. I managed to glean some excellent ideas along the way!
The work experience season has started again and this time we were joined for two weeks by Ben, who showed great enthusiasm and is now missed on the yards as he has returned to school.
The NVQ course is underway again with thirteen students joining us this year. The horses, with much sense of humour, have been having mud rolling contests to give the students something to do.
A number of corporate groups have been trying their hand at western riding and barrel racing, some even managed to get themselves featured on the horses in the local newspaper.
Half term arrived with some disgusting weather, which meant the One Day Event had to be cancelled as the fields were under water. The livery club made up for it by riding through the floods. Only one pony lay down, soaking her rider! We rounded off the month by doing the usual Halloween Haunt in the dark through the woods, returning for some "bat burgers" and "mice rolls". Then the next day the Dog Agility club hosted a show (and the weather could not have been better) which was extremely well supported. Those of us in the restaurant on the day of the show where caught on the hop with the number of people requiring breakfasts but luckily Simon, who was on car park duty, bailed us out by donning his chefs attire and rattling out breakfasts all day. Next time we‘ll be more prepared! The final day of October found us all playing horseball under the instruction of Dave Pettifor from the British Horseball Association. This again was featured by the local paper. We all had a fantastic day and learnt a great deal on teaching techniques. (The last time we saw Dave was in 1991 when he came here to play against us in a National Horseball Tournament, so it was good to catch up with him again).

Thank you to everyone who has been informing me that the newsletter is out of date! We have been really busy through the summer and just didn‘t find time to type it up. The saddest news we had this summer was when we lost our dear Boxer dog Polo. Many of you will remember him bounding around the yards and grinning like a gargoyle.
Pony Camps are over and it‘s back to the old routines. A huge thank you to all our summer staff who were truly wonderful this year. Now we are back to normal, at least during the weekends. During the week the horses are all having a bit of a rest in the fields, just being brought in when needed for lessons. The hot, dry weather has been appreciated by all of them and Camelot the dromedary who lies flat out dreaming of deserts. Cantarello, one of our Camargue mares gave birth one Sunday morning to the tiniest filly. She was so small I was able to pick her up easily. However, in spite of her miniature hooves she can cover the ground with enormous speed and panic her mum!
The two dales foals are changing coat colour now and have grown quite chunky over the holidays. Their mums will very soon be back in work in the school. They enjoyed all the visitors who came to see them during the summer. The builders are back, this time working on the conversion of the long awaited visitor centre and reception area. With luck it should be open by next Spring ready for the start of the visitor season. I‘m sure all the regulars will make good use of it too!

Stop Press - the foals have arrived. Kite and Kestrel are pleased to announce the arrival of Sparrow and Hawk in the early hours of Friday June 2nd. All are doing well.

Mordy Finch has just finished filming the next sequel to The Secret Of Eel Island. She is now swanning around the yard again in movie star status enjoying the attention of visitors.
Muffin, not to be outdone by Mordy, spent a day out at Bressingham Steam museum where she posed as a beach donkey to lend a holiday theme to the fact that the Hi-De-He cast were doing a visit there. In addition to that she also met some of the cast from Dad's Army and the writer of the series. She was very impressed that everyone stood next to her to have photos taken, plainly because she considered she was the star of the show.
The May bank holiday saw us at the Woodbridge show battling with the windy conditions to put up the marque for our trade stand. Little Sarah took Lullabelle to do the jumping as Mistral decided to go lame the day before. Sailor and Juno managed to fit in a wedding this month at Heddingham Castle. The weather was lovely and they took the bride on a tour round the village. It‘s been a busy month for birthday parties at the stables so the circus ponies have had plenty of opportunities to show off their performances.
Some of the Royals Livery Club took their ponies off to the show at Boundary Farm and returned home clutching rosettes even though extremely wet and muddy. We all felt very sorry for the show organisers that the weather was so against them.
Two of our students gained their Riding and Road Safety certificates this month so they were delighted. Thetford Chase Pony Club joined us one afternoon for a vaulting session and proved to be very good at it.
David, Teasel the Terrible Terrier and I sneaked a week off to go to a family wedding near Wales. I was disappointed that I didn't manage to find anyone to teach me to say Good Morning is welsh.
The end of the month found us at the Suffolk Showground attempting to put up a marque in a hail storm and gales. It took about ten of us to hold down the Countryside Alliances marque at one point or it would have ended up on top of our lorry!

At last, the sun is back and the grass is growing again. This means that the ponies can all go back out to the fields after a winter of confinement. The fencing people have been working hard to remove all the old barbed wire and posts and replace it with new fencing and gates. A problem now is that all the numbers are missing from the gate posts so new clients can‘t tell which field is which! (We‘re working on that)
All the staff had an interesting day doing a Customer Care course. Hopefully this will make you all feel even more welcome on your arrival. (Unfortunately, it did not offer a way of improving my memory for names, so everyone will still need to greet me with 'Hi, my name's ......' (I have just about mastered most of the staff names especially those who have been here for more than five years)
The 'My Little Pony Club' on Friday mornings is blooming. We now have quite a few tots turning their hands to painting and play dough (often at the same time). If anyone wants to join us, it's at 10.00am to noon for accompanied 0's to 3's. There is always a tolerant small pony on hand for fussing and perhaps the odd sit-upon. It's a great opportunity for the parents to get together and have a natter over a cuppa.
The Easter egg hunt went down well, with everyone going away slighter fatter than before.
There is now a new judges box (kindly donated) which also doubles up as the new bird watching cabin for the Pony club.
I also attended a Puppet workshop, returning inspired and the keeper of a brand new black spaniel puppet who has been named 'Bones'.
A new pony Mamba has joined the yard. The two dales ponies are getting very fat, should be the patter of tiny hooves soon.......

Some of the animals have begun malting their heavy winter coats this month, others however are holding on to theirs as the weather has been so unpredictable, from lovely warm days to minus figures and snow. The snow didn't put many of you off the jumping competition, which this month we decided to hold outside, the ground was fine and it was just a bit windy for the first competitors, but then down came the snow! Everyone jumped fantastically in the cold weather, but Millie and Lullabelle were the stars of the show, winning their first place rosettes. Congratulations to Kerrie and Clare for passing their BHS Stage One exams. This month has seen two new arrivals 'Snow' and 'Ice' (horses) they travelled from the cold north to Valley Farm in the snow, hence their new names! They are settling in well and hopefully will be able to help Juno and Zebedee with the weddings this summer.

The poor horses are now very confused. With the sudden arrival of the dry spring like weather we decided to turn them all out for a fling. After a couple of weeks the weather suddenly turned artic. The horses were quickly returned to their stables no doubt thinking that was a very quick summer! Some of the staff managed to grab a couple of weeks away in sunny South Africa to attend a family wedding but didn't bring any of the sunshine back with them. The 'Royal' livery club have been gathering show schedules and pouring over them with their ponies in the hopes of getting out and about this summer. The Pony Club Rally was well attended and congratulations are due to all who were at standard for their bronze and silver certificates. Have you been checking the H&P mag? Quite a few of the ponies have been pictured recently doing side saddle, jousting and last summers pony camp. Now each time it's delivered they all rush to the front of their stables to see if they have been featured.

Happy New Year to you all, the tinsel has been cleared away for another year and routine jobs have taken the place of the fun of the Christmas holidays. The horses have had a great time this month as they have been able to enjoy the freedom of a field rather than their stables due to the dry weather and firm ground, this has also made hacking a lot more enjoyable. The monthly jumping competition was as exciting to watch as ever, with Juno the most careful and fastest to win her first place rosette. The dressage competition had joint first place for Hibou and Nevada. A new keep fit class with horses has started up this month ready for new year resolutions to 'keep fit', so hopefully this will prove to be good fun and improve peoples balance and suppleness.

What fantastic weather for Christmas. The horses could not believe their luck when for Christmas it was decided to turn them all out for a couple of days in the sun. They were so happy they could not make up their minds what to do first - eat, roll, fling themselves in the air, gallop or groom each other. Some of them tried to do everything at once resulting in buckled legs whilst grabbing at the grass, rolling over, leaping into the air to land next to a companion for grooming. It was amazing to watch. Poor Camelot was horrified to be invaded by so many mad equines. Étoile is slowly recovering from her broken jaw. She is now able to eat normal food and surprisingly has not lost any weight. She has a special neck collar to wear as she is unable to wear a headcollar or halter. The horses had some wonderful presents for Christmas including loads of eatable goodies for which they send grateful thanks to all. Happy New Year to all clients past, present and future from all the animals and staff at Valley Farm.

The cold weather has arrived, and so this month most of the horses have come into their stables, to be dressed up in layers of rugs to keep out any draughts! This has also meant a lot of hair has had to be clipped off to prevent the working horses getting sweaty and then catching a chill, this was especially important during the excitement of the mock hunt. This entailed about twenty horses going out for two hours around our fields looking for a 'mock' to chase! Poor Etoile had a bad day mock chasing when she got kicked by a visiting horse which broke her jaw. Her x-rays were dramatic and she is now enjoying a diet of sloppy food and loads of TLC from her fan club. Scorpio the shetland has had a busy month, going out with Silver Lady to visit primary schools in the area to help with equine education. Juno and Sailor helped out Father Christmas, when they pulled his sleigh, so he could visit lots of children, as it was decided the reindeer had better have a rest before the Christmas Eve rush. The monthly jumping competition was as exciting as ever, with Epona winning the trestle event, well done Epona. The animals can‘t wait for next month to see what Father Christmas has delivered!

The horses have been busy jumping this month, competing in a jumping competition and a One Day Event. Epona managed to win just ahead of Mistral in the 2' class, it was a very close finish, and then to continue her good luck she also won the Chase-Me-Charlie, so well done Epona. The One Day Event was great fun even though the weather was awful for the showjumping section, luckily the dressage was indoors and it had stopped raining for the cross-country, although there were some fantastic water jumps this year! Lulabelle performed very well to win the dressage section, but the overall winner was Juno, with good scores for all 3 sections. And amazingly no-one fell off! Several western riders battled it out for the rosettes in their fun competition, Hirondelle did particularly well, as did his mum, Emy. Well done to all Pony Club and Cavalry members who gained their next achievement badges and certificates this half term. The month ended with a very scary but enjoyable halloween haunt through the woods, the horses loved the costumes!

The autumn routine is settling in, with horses grazing most days after the hectic summer and the children back at school. Juno and Sailor have been enjoying themselves at weddings again this month in addition to transporting 'Lord Nelson' round Ipswich. The Pony Club and Junior Cavalry members had a great day out, riding to Easton Farm Park and performing musical rides. The rain ruined our last outdoor jumping competition this year, so it seemed winter had come early as the jumping course had to be moved to the indoor school, but most horses were on their best behaviour and several rosettes were won. The NVQ courses have begun again with some fresh new faces joining the hard work and most of last years level one students have enrolled again for the second level, so good luck to everyone on these courses. Congratulations to Phoebe on winning the ABRS Golden Spur Award for teaching and to Cantarello for yet another foal.

Not much to tell this month, just Pony Camp after Pony Camp, every week keeping us all busy. Juno and Zebedee have spent nearly every weekend delivering a bride to her wedding, however, Etoile stole the lime light as she got to do a special country wedding. Panache and Valencia have gone to new homes and settled in well.

Pony Camps have been the highlight of this month, the summer staff have arrived, along with new horse Epona, and all of the horses and ponies seem to have adapted to their hectic Pony Camp life again. Suffolk Punch Isaac has come back from his winter holiday to join in the fun. This month has also been busy for Pony Club and Junior Cavalry members, with three displays performing their skills in Saxmundham, Ufford and Lowestoft.

The Suffolk Show kick started this jam packed month, Silver Lady attended the show and received cuddles from most people passing her, which she seemed to enjoy. Cinnamon had a beautiful filly named Roularde, both are healthy and the foal is growing up quickly. The half term holiday had several activity days and a Pony Club Rally where members passed their next certificates, and had a very exciting gymkhana to end the day. Fabriqué took the lime light at the western show, winning the most 1st rosettes in a variety of classes, and all of the horses taking part were on very good behaviour and the sun stayed out to make this event a success. We held an outside jumping competition, Juno and Hoquet seemed to be favourites for this and even though the scorching sun was out, it didn't seem to slow any of them down. The following day the Junior Cavalry hacked over to Easton Farm Park for a display, this was very exciting for all involved. The week after they had another display and performed very well with troop members from Northhampton.
The NVQ year has come to an end, the end of June was the deadline for all folders to be handed in, and congratulations, everyone passed. The next course begins in September.

This month began with a very busy bank holiday including the Woodbridge Horse Show, which Mistral attended on his best behaviour. Later in the month was planned to be the first outside jumping competition of this year, the rain however, ended that idea! The Gymkhana a week later was able to be outside in the sunshine, with a good turnout and therefore lots of competition in the flag, egg and spoon, ride and run, all around the world and bending races. All Pony Club, Junior Cavalry and NVQ sessions were busily carrying on at weekends, preparing for their next assessments and shows. The end of the month was packed with activity days, as at last the half term holiday had begun, and the ponies all enjoyed the extra attention.

This month has been a busy one for most Pony Club members, with a rally day where achievement certificates were gained. The regular weekend sessions had to include rehearsals for the Pony Club evening, this evening included a poem, which was made and performed by members, a talk from Brian Adams, who is in charge of Pony Club for our area, prize giving and a polocrosse match.
The jumping competition was a very entertaining one with trestle jumping, in which Honeydew managed to just beat Hirondelle, and several ponies went clear in the minimus.
Towards the end of the month a Western competition was held to test the horses and riders ability at games in a large field, some toured the whole field more so than others when a flag chased them during the flag race. The evening saw most horses winning rosettes and everyone definitely had fun.

All horses and ponies have been busy this month, competing in the showjumping and western competitions. The Easter holidays at the end of the month kept all the ponies out of mischief, they all enjoyed the much needed grooming section of the activity days, when the children competed to get the most winter coat out of their ponies. Carina always won this, she always made the floor around her just as white as her. The Junior Cavalry have been planning their forthcoming demonstrations and several Pony Club members attended the Rally day to progress through their certificates.

The days of snow have unfortunately caused some flooding, but the frozen ground has meant the horses can be turned out to throw snow balls at each other and have a good run around. This month has seen the arrival of three white goats, Alfie, Heidi and Lolly and a white goose called Easter. The Junior Cavalry has been visited by the Volunteer Corps of Frontiersmen, and they have shown a keen interest in helping our Cavalry to improve. This was followed up with some senior members attending the Junior Cavalry training day in the half term holiday. The Pony Club members have been busy with 15 members gaining their Parts of the horse badge, several coming to the Pony Club Rally in the school holidays and achieving their next certificates. The senior members came on a fun Rally day, taking a break from training for their 'C' test. At the weekends, many have been involved in creating a poem, designed for them to perform at displays this summer.
Both the jumping and dressage competitions held this month were a success. Limerick managed to jump the highest in Chase-Me-Charlie and Emy won the Valentines Knock Out. In dressage, Hirondelle performed to the highest standard to win the first rosette.

The New Years Day Ride was fun for all horses and ponies taking part with mad races across the fields to see who was the fastest. Towards the end of the month we held a vaulting clinic, the already keen vaulters saw videos of Championships and so now are trying to be just as good. Donna and Phoebe got to spend a day away from the yard to attend a Welcome Host course. Lightning and Honeydew are both very happy enjoying their new owners and all of the extra attention they are receiving.

All the animals and staff enjoyed their Christmas presents very much, so thank-you very much. Mini Olympia was a cold but successful day with performances and events for everyone to watch. The new recruits of the Junior Cavalry did their first display, King showed off his talents as a heavy horse, and Hoquet won Chase-Me-Charlie, managing to jump higher than his longer legged friends! Several Pony Club members found time to study for their achievement badges in the busy holidays and gained their next certificate at the Pony Club Rally.

Unfortunately this months bad weather has meant most of the horses have had to live in, so they get very excited at the idea of going out again. The mock hunt proved an exciting gallop through the mud, puddles and ice, and with only a few accidents along the way. For everyone who was brave enough for the hunt, the next fast ride is 1pm xmas eve.
A group of western riders tackled the show at the beginning of the month, winning rosettes in events of skill, accuracy and speed. Even Camelot the camel has been working hard recently, learning how to be saddled up and led around, ready for a rider to mount in the near future.

The NVQ students are settling into their course on both Thursdays and Sundays, with their first assessment day now completed. The Junior Cavalry has been busy rehearsing regularly and is still recruiting new members for the displays next year. The half term holiday has been packed with activity days, and the Pony Club children have achieved their next certificate. The older Pony Club members did very well in passing the Riding and Road Safety Test. Several people enjoyed dressing up and riding out on the halloween haunt, telling ghost stories along the way, and only getting lost in the woods once, unlike last year when we had to turn around at least three times! Phoebe passed her grade 2+ side-saddle exam.

Wet weather has gone away and the ponies are enjoying a nice break in the fields. The scaffold has gone and we no longer have to dodge the indoor rain showers, thanks to a lovely new roof. Jingle has moved on to new pastures in the sky as nothing could be done for her deteriorating eye condition. She's been with us for 20 years.

Etoile recovered but Millie has managed to skive off most of the Pony Camps by being lame. She's fine in the field but lame in lessons so has had a nice long holiday. House still covered in scaffold.

Isaac the Suffolk Punch is back in residence for the Pony Camps. He is looking well after his winter rest. Poor Etoile had a bout of colic one Monday morning and we had to stage a dramatic rescue when dear old Jingle lost her way one night and was found in the dyke in the morning. Her excuse was that her eyesight is not as good as it was when she was young. Luckily our neighbours turned up to help us put her out and she is now fully recovered. Everyone is very busy with the Pony Camps and the ponies look forward to Wednesdays when they receive their "Pony Pamper" session. The new canteen is now fully operational and has proved extremely popular with everybody. Alex, our latest member of staff has been busy showing off his calvary skills and is keen to recruit new members for our Mounted Troop. If you are interested, take a look at our webpage and give us a call as we already have some displays booked for next year.

The builders have arrived! The roof is now off the house and hopefully we will soon have a new one. All the new horses and ponies have arrived ready for camp along with the summer staff. Many of our old friends both equine and human are back again for the summer. The Pony Club have been out and about doing displays again. One display at Easton Farm Park involved a large number of them and four ponies showing off their carriage driving, polocrosse, horseball, side saddle and western skills. They were joined in the ring by Will on his unicycle. The summer staff have all been very busy handling foals and preparing the new horses for their roles during the summer activities.

Our two French students have arrived to help look after all the horses. They are excellent and one of their first jobs was to check the large stack of passports awaiting dispatch to various Camargue Horse owners, to ensure our French translations were up to par.
We have some more changes of horse. Chantilly, Valencia and Cantarello all foaled down within days of each other which caught the attention of the media. The foals and their mums appeared on Satellite News, Look East, in the Daily Telegraph, the East Anglian Daily Times and Evening Star and even made the front page of the Telegraph in America. The three foals are lovely and everyone loves to watch them playing together in the field. Camelot who lives out with them is intrigued.
The new Dartmoor pony is proving very popular and is stabled next to the shetlands so that tourists can see 'Lands End' to 'John O'Groats' in one move!
We again met lots of our riders at the Suffolk Showground when we did the Schools Fare with Mouse.
Our new instructor Sam has arrived for the summer and Issy will be back again this year to teach all of you on Pony Camp. If you are intending to book a place on camp, hurry up as there are only limited places left.

Phoebe took and passed her Pony Club A Test. The highest exam in the pony club. One which only a few people each year pass, so many congratulations.

Congratulations to all the Pony Clubbers who gained certificates in the half term. However did they manage to remove all that mud that the ponies have been gathering?

Poor Persil the goose had an accident and had to be put to sleep. She was around thirty years old, so she had done well. Clive the new goat and Blackie are now fast friends and go everywhere together.

We had a bad week of colics with King, Kelpie, Sailor and Puzzle taking it in turn. Thankfully they all recovered and are now fit again.

At last, Phoebe is getting better. To prove it she took and passed her Side Saddle Grade One and now is keen to do the next test. Sarah and David spent a day in London at the National Equine Forum discussing horse passports amongst other things. Sarah is hoping for some good news on the passport front soon for all you Camargue owners who are still awaiting passports. Defra are still considering our application!

The horses are now out for the summer which pleases them. The brood mares are looking fatter so maybe it won't be too long before the foals arrive.

The Pony Camp of July 26th is now fully booked so if you are still thinking of spending a week with us this summer, do get your booking forms in asap as the other camps are all filling fast.

Happy new Year Everybody. Congratulations to Amanda and Mark who had a baby daughter on January 28th. Rhianna Rose Melton, weighing in at 2.8kgs. Amanda is now on maternity leave except for when we get really busy! Poor Phoebe is still not very well. What weather we have had. Floods, frost, snow, heatwaves! The poor horses don't know what sort of coat they should have. Some are moulting already, and then its rugs on, rugs off, out in the field, indoors because the fields are flooded. They don't know if they're coming or going!

All the staff and ponies would like to very much thank those of you who gave us Christmas presents and cards. It is with deep regret that we have to inform you of Jinja Fizz. He moved on peacefully into the next world just before christmas due to a heart attack. He will be dearly missed by all those who knew him. On a brighter note, we found a friend for the Black goat called Clive, thanks to Radio Suffolk. Mistral has now started working in the riding school. All the horses have been visited by the dentist.

The horses are now living in and watching the rain from their cosy stables. They are all anticipating christmas hoping that lots of people will bring the apples, carrots and parsnips. Sadly the brown goat passed away, but we are hoping to find the remaining black one a friend soon. Juno and Sailor have been out and about pulling the carriage for Father Christmas. Some of you may have seen them in Woodbridge. We saw quite a few faces we recognised from the riding school.

The horses are really enjoying their extended summer. Usually they are living in by now, but the weather is so good they are still living in the fields. Mistral is going well under saddle and in harness now, so our attention has gone onto Neige who has been very good so far and has let Phoebe ride her several times. No doubt she will soon be appearing in lessons. Don't they grow up fast. Etoile is having a long holiday as she has hurt her leg, and Fabrique has joined her as he is still lame from time to time, so we thought he would enjoy a rest. Congratulations to Phoebe for passing her BHS stage III.

What a wonderful summer. The horses are all still living out, which leaves plenty of time for horse training. Panache and Papillion have become really friendly now. Mistral is progressing well with his riding and driving. The riding school horses are enjoying a well earned holiday out in the fields. This gives us the chance to school all the youngstock. Mistral is learning to ride and drive, and Neige and Nevada are being lunged in preparation for riding.

Congratulations to Phoebe on passing her Pony Club B Test. Billy the ancient white goat passed away. The heat wave was too much for him. Camelot has been in the media again, this time posing with a bucket of water, and saying how much he enjoyed the hot weather.

Pony camp season. Just about all sold out, so every horse has someone to love it. The wedding horses have been hard at work every weekend. Keep an eye out for them. Sarah passed her HGV test, so look out for her on the roads too! Camelot and the Donkey had great fun doing a film shoot, and so did the rest of us.

Busy month. Out and about doing displays. Many congratulations to the vaulters, who managed and excellent display for the Easton Festival. The wedding horses Juno and Zebedee have been keeping busy too. New horse Kiora, has joined us for the summer.

Valencia had a dark bay filly the morning after Amanda and Marks wedding anniversary. Chantilly not to be outdone gave birth to a chestnut colt the following Monday. We have some new horses on loan for the Summer - Lightening, and Cinnamon. Have been busy working the youngstock. Millie and Mistral are now learning to canter and jump. Nevada has been ridden for the first time. Fabrique has been out and about doing circus displays. Maybe you saw him.

Jenny has brought her two shetland ponies to join us. They are really cute and proving very popular with the children. Pony camps are selling fast. Amanda and Mark thoroughly enjoyed their holiday at the Hitching Post Ranch in Oklahoma, and are filled to the brim with ideas for the western lessons. Mouse made his first public performance at the schools fayre at the Suffolk Show ground, and was loved by everyone. It has been a busy month for Activity days, and exams. Congratulations to Phoebe for passing her PTT and to Anabelle for passing her Pony Club C test. Well done to all the other pony club members who passed various different levels.

Our Millenium baby, has now started being ridden. She was very successful at the western show on Sunday. There was a good turnout for the show, and it was nice to see some new faces. Talking western, some of you may remember Pam Brown, western horse trainer. She was tragically killed in a car accident last week, and will be sadly missed on the western scene here and elsewhere. We will soon be interviewing for summer staff, so you need to get your applications in quickly.

Two new horses, Juno and Zebedee have arrived. They are a new driving pair, so Sailor and Candy should now be able to enjoy a comfortable retirement, and let the new ones do the hard work pulling the wedding carriage every weekend. Ruby has found a wonderful home to retire to. The weather did get warm and dry enough to turn the horses out for a while this month, but after the rain, they are all living in again now, so they don't turn the fields into mud baths. Congratulations to everyone who achieved their pony club tests during the half term rally. We now have a new porta cabin for the pony club head quarters, seeing as the pony club groups were getting rather large to fit in the old one.

Happy new year. Chilly start to the year. Frozen buckets, and water drinkers. Lots of carrying water buckets. Cantarello has come back into work, while we wait for her foal. Don't think it will be here for a long time yet though. Safforn and Cambeto have finally left for their new homes. Have been doing well with the media. Fantastic double page spread in the Evening Star, and Radio Suffolk did a really good half hour interview with Amanda and Sarah. Did you hear it? Sarah's book is proving very popular. Many thanks to all those of you who keep writing to let us know how much you enjoyed it. Your letters are greatly appreciated. Sorry if we don't write back to all of you. Pony Camp bookings beginning to flood in now, so you'll need to book soon if you want to join us this summer.

Merry Christmas every body. We'd like to thank all of you who so kindly brought presents for the ponies. They were very grateful. Floods most of the month. All the meadows are under water, and it looks like a giant boating lake. Millie, Mistral, Nevada and Neige are back from their holiday at Potters Farm. We have had news that all the horses that went to new homes are getting on very well. Phoebe had great fun, and learned loads at the skill horse competition in Manchester.

The horses are in for the winter again now, as the fields have finally got too wet. Boxes and Boxes of Sarah's book arrived. The house is now full of them, and we can't move. It's a bit like moving house! So to solve your christmas present problems, and to free up space in our living room, you can collect your signed copies from Valley Farm now for just £6.99. See the For Sale page for more details. Another new member of staff joined us this month. David Robertson, who will be teaching carriage driving, and heavy horse. Lorenzo and Etna have gone off to new homes for the winter. Ocean will be off to her new home soon too.

The book has gone off to the publishers, so it should hopefully be available in time for christmas. We didn't quite blow away in the Gales, but lost a few trees. It made the Halloween ride through the woods, in the dark all the more interesting, trying to avoid branches we didn't know were there! Great effort from everybody on the fancy dress. For those of you who missed it, this is why Muffin had a pink tail, well into November! A new member of staff, Jenny Pearce has joined our team, and is proving very popular.

The One Day Event was a great success and attracted entries from all over the place. We took Isaac and Taffy to the Suffolk horse Spectacular at Easton Farm Park. The Valley Farm team won the Suffolk Horse bareback gymkhana. All the Pony Club members who took their D test passed, so congratulations to them.

The last lot of camps went off very well. Nearly all the children said they would come back next year, and the bookings are already starting to come in. Jigsaw has moved to his new home, and we have heard that he has settled in really well. Those of you who were following Pumpkins court case will be glad to know we won.

Summer Camps now well on the way. The new chalets are proving very popular with the kids. We have 2 new goats, a black one and a brown one. They are quite wild at the moment, but should get tamer once 28 children have hugged them every week. It is with regret that the position of Junior Cavalry Troop leader has become available, as the Late Colin Trench passed away suddenly from a heart attack. Duke has gone to his new home and has settled in well. We have several new horses who have joined us for the summer, some of which will be available for sale in September. The foals are growing up, and some of them are also now available for sale. See our For Sale page for more details. Camelot did a film shoot for a short film, so watch out for him on TV.

Had 2 very good days at the Suffolk Show. Did you see us? If not look out for us next year. Taffy & Duke, 2 of the Suffolk Punches were there for the shoeing competition. Silver Lady was on the British Horse Society stand, and we had a stand in the diversification pavilion, where we ran circus workshops! Mistral has now been backed successfully. Coquin, Issy, Isaac and Fuzzypeg did a photoshoot for a book on horse breeds, so look out for them. Did the Jeep festival at Birchwood School. Loads of fun, and all the children had a go at our internet competition to win a riding lesson or discount off camp, so if you want a go, you'll need to get your entries in soon.

Busy interviewing staff for the Summer Pony Camps. If you are interested, you need to get your CV's to us as soon as possible. Valencia brought us a lovely black filly foal on May 1st. The other foals are growing fast, and are now being integrated into riding school life, being used for stable management lessons etc. Lorenzo is now broken in and ready to go. Mistral is next on the list. Amanda and Marks wedding went off really well. The team of four horses behaved impeccably.

Been practising lots with the team of four, ready for Amanda's wedding. We are using Jingle, Candy, Sailor, and we have borrowed Carman to complete the team. Lulabelle brought us a beautiful skewbald colt, named Odyssey. He is available for adoption on the internet, along with some of the other foals. See web foals page for details. Mark has done up the old Ransomes horse plough, and is now ready to put Isaac to work. We are still on the look out for any old bits of horse drawn machinery, and especially some plough tips. Look out for us at Woodbridge Horse show on May 6th.

Have bought Isaac two new friends; Suffolk Punch Geldings called Taffy and Duke. We are now set up to do excursions for parties in their wagon. Etna, one of the camargue foals which we imported in 1992, along with Eve, Emy and Beluguo, has now rejoined us and her old friends. The Chickens came to a rather sticky end when some ones dog decided to visit and have them for lunch. The silky was killed instantly and the old hen died the following day from her internal injuries. So if you have any silky chickens wanting a new home we can provide one.

We have a new horse Isaac, a Suffolk Punch Gelding. Now we just need a collar to fit him, because the harness we used to use on Atty, our percheron horse is all too small. Lulabelle is now on maternity leave awaiting her foal.

Happy New Year. Chantilly finally foaled on 5th January. A chestnut colt called Orion. The pony camp bookings are beginning to pour in now, so if you want a specific date, you will need to book soon. We have started working Camelot with a saddle on, so hopefully we will be able to start riding him soon. The winners have been picked from last year's pony camp T-shirt competition, and the final design has now been printed.

Finally we did it. Drove the team of Four! Have been busy schooling horses. Lorenzo is getting going under saddle. Silver Lady and Mouse are learning to drive in pairs. Many thanks to everybody who bought christmas presents for the ponies. Congratulations to all those who took part in the mini olympia, and all those who won trophies.

Did you see us in the Daily Express? Pumpkin was posing with a load of kids and balloons, for a feature about our children's birthday parties. The donkey has arrived. She is called Fuzzypeg, and has the biggest ears you have ever seen! The Halloween Haunt went off really well. Great fun was had by all hunting spooks in the wood, in the dark. The 2 mock hunts went off really well, with all the usual thrills, and some interesting, alternative views of ditches and banks!

Start of the winter show season. Show Jumping, Western, Dressage competitions every sunday afternoon from now on. We have bought a new addition to the collection, but you can't see her yet, because she is still living with her Mummy, but when she is weaned, we will bring our new Poitou Donkey home. Won't Muffin be happy! Have been schooling driving horses. Hibou is now going well in singles. Candy and Sailor are beginning to get the hang of tandem, except for when Candy is behind Sailor, and she walks on when asked but Sailor doesn't !

Still waiting for Chantilly's foal. She is looking very round now. Pony camps are over now, but the bookings are coming in fast for next year. Time for the apres camp tidy up! The One Day Event went off really well, with Sophia on Guillie and Keilly on Snow providing some excellent entertainment! As well as all the usual 'You've Been Framed antics'. Clouseau and Morse have left to go to their new accommodation. Ruby is missing her friend Clouseau. The wedding horses are still working hard, a few more weddings to go before the end of the season.

August 2001 (Photo by The Dailey Telegraph)

The Coco Cola man came to visit, and brought some lovely sun shades for the restaurant picnic tables, as well as a goody bag for the staff. BBC radio Suffolk did an excellent bit about the pony camps, so the children got their chance to be famous.

27^th It's a filly! At last, Emy's foal has arrived bang on time. The cleaners found it in the field this morning! The Daily Telegraph came and photographed it

We all jumped off Ipswich Hospital to raise money for St John Ambulance. Started the Pony Camps. Had Children from as far away as France, Germany and Denmark, so we are getting good at learning the words for horse, yes and no, in lots of different languages! The Summer Staff have all moved in. Karen has brought Fleur back to stay. Cleo and Eve also came back on camp and met their old pony friends. Did you see us on TV? 10 am on the 27th, teaching the Pop Group 'Damage' how to ride western. Sadly dear Gruff the goat passed away on the 3rd, leaving Billy all on his own.

Busy preparing for Pony Camps. Staff are all undergoing an intensive course in how to Play Horseball , Polocrosse, Rope a cow, and juggle all at the same time! To celebrate passing their exams we took all the students on a day trip to Banham zoo, to look at camels! Have got lots of great ideas of how to turn VF into a zoo! The wedding pair have been busy every weekend, and so have the Junior Cavalry Horses, in preparation for their display days. Filming with the BBC - The Camargue horses had a fun day teaching the Pop Group 'Damage' How to ride western. The 3 young colts were gelded. Gruff the goat sadly passed away, so poor Billy (his twin brother) has only the Camel for company until Foot and Mouth has cleared up enough to bring them out of quarantine.

New life! Valencia's foal has arrived. A black colt with two white socks and a star. Not that he will be black for long of course, before long he will start changing his coat to white like his Mum. The wedding season is well under way, Carman and Candy are out and about on the Landau and Ruby is out doing Sikh weddings again. The horses are finally out to grass, long may it last, so we have time now to spring clean the stables and wield the paint brushes.

More rain, more flooding! Baa Baa became ill again, and this time, didn't make a recovery. Poor old girl, it was so sad that she had to die whilst in quarantine and never have the chance to meet all her supporters again. She is buried in the garden, her home. She will long be remembered for her crazy antics on TV pulling her little carriage.

The Camargue herd is now out to grass again, and the two inches of mud they have glued to themselves to waterproof their coats proves it. Who was it said Camargues are supposed to be white?!

Farmers Weekly mag. published a lovely photo of the stallion and an article all about the horses at the beginning of the month.

Still struggling with flooding. The Camargue herd is living in yet again. The Foot and Mouth epidemic is causing problems, poor Camelot, Baa Baa and the goats are living in the quarantine block. They cannot understand what has happened to their life, and it is difficult for us to explain to them that this is necessary. Before, they had loads of attention from staff and clients, and now they while away their hours in solitary confinement, with their meals being served by disinfected staff twice a day. No fussing, no cuddles, no treats, no outings, life is really hard for them. We can't wait for it all to be over, so we can have them back and shower them with attention. Poor Baa Baa gave us all a fright, when she was ill one morning. It turned out to be no more than constipation, due to a month without grass. (I think she is a bit depressed too, at her change in lifestyle) However, after a dose of liquid paraffin, she is now recovered.

Bit of a scare this month, Jinja Fizz, one of our oldest inhabitants, was found cast in his stable one morning. With his legs stuck up the wall, he was feeling very sorry for himself. We hauled him upright, and he seemed ok for a start, but shortly afterwards, had all the symptoms of a bad colic. The vet arrived, and confirmed it was not an impaction or usual colic. Jinja lay on his death bed, shivering and shaking with glazed eyes, and we all thought it was the end. During the afternoon, he got up and ate a bran mash, he then ate a bucket of sliced carrots, another bran mash and looked for more. We concluded in the end that he had been suffering from shock, not colic. The media have been out in force again this month, Farmers Weekly magazine came to do a feature on our Camargue Horses, so watch out for that and Channel Four have been doing some filming of their own here. The floods seem to be with us on a permanent basis now, the breeding herd and youngstock have all been moved to higher ground, as they were beginning to tire of holding their breath to graze under water! Camelots girl friend came up for sale, but in the end we decided that one camel was enough and she was sold to the Somerset Camel Trekking Centre.

Lots of publicity this month, which for some reason all came on the same day! BBC Radio Suffolk in the early hours of the morning, (congratulating us on a recent award) then the EADT (same thing) followed by Anglia TV's holiday programme on our Pony Camps! A splash of snow added some interest for the ponies living out, and the sharp frosts meant that all the automatic water bowls froze over, so everyone had to do some weight lifting carrying water round to all animals. The horses living in are getting to the 'fed up, want to get out of here stage' and perform some interesting manoeuvres (with or without riders) in the indoor school!

Great entertainment over Christmas, with the Mini Olympia day. The Junior Cavalry did another wonderful display, and various people showed off their skills doing side saddle, western, vaulting etc. The Stage One students did an excellent presentation showing how to prepare a horse for riding. Two ponies left us in December, Zaida left at the beginning of the month, for his new home, and Eve left on Christmas Eve, to be a lovely surprise on Christmas Day for her new owner. Recent reports say both are doing well in their new homes.

Water, water everywhere! I think we should move into sailing lessons, or perhaps hitch the horses up to a barge. However, it is at least mild. The livery yard is looking fantastic now, it's developed it's own little atmosphere, and when you appear all the horses look out over the doors to greet you. The best thing about it, is having everything under cover, especially in this weather.

The Camargue herd is having a competition, to see who can win the drowned rat competition. They are all definite contenders at the moment, although the wet doesn't seem to affect them at all, I expect they think its a home from home.

David, our local 'horse whisper' now has official status as 'camel whisperer' having been spotted in the foal field the other day, surrounded by foals and goats, and Camelot whispering in his ear. (Maybe Camelot is a 'Human whisperer'!

Flooding as usual. The Deben has covered the marshes, leaving us with a fifty acre lake. Very beautiful it is too. Mind you, at five a.m in the pitch dark with water well over my knees fetching the foals in, (who didn't want to oblige) I wasn't in a position to admire its beauty! A neighbour arrived late at night with two horses asking if we had spare stabling as her field shelter was under three foot of water! Luckily we did have. Silver was looking worried as the water rose, being only thirty inches high.

The Halloween theme weekend went off well, all staff arrived dressed as scary witches, monsters etc. but the ponies didn't turn a hair. (Maybe they're just so used to our antics they no longer notice). Some riders took advantage of the face painting on offer and went home looking totally different! The Halloween Haunt went out for a late night hack in the dark, and all returned in one piece, with no reported sightings of ghosts.

The Pony Club children who attended the Rally over half term all passed their Bronze award level three.

Wow, what happened to August!? Still it's nice to be busy! Chantilly presented us with a beautiful colt foal during pony camp, which we've named Mistral.

The last camp finished on September 1st, and then we had a week to restore order before the students arrived.

The Stage One course runs every Monday evening for three hours, the Stage Two is every Friday all day, the PTT/Stage Three is every Thursday morning. (These courses are open to all, in addition to resident students, so if you want to join us speak to Michaela on 01728 746916)

In addition Helen Foulger (of Horse & Pony fame) who has just outgrown the Pony Club, is now running the Pony Club Link Centre sessions every Saturday and Sunday, and very popular they are too. Hopefully all will achieve the first Test by Christmas.

The Ride and Road Safety course starts on September 16th with the exam on November 4th. Anyone wanting to do this, again please contact Michaela.

Did the petrol strike affect you? We had just decided how we were going to hire out all our driving horses ( 11 of them) for school transport, tradesmen's transport etc. etc., when the petrol was restored! Still, we had some fun doing the shopping with with them.

More coverage in Horse and Pony mag. also regular diary now appearing in Farmers Guide. This month heralds the start of the summer season. (Shame the weather doesn't oblige!) Eight weeks now of Pony Camps ahead. The night nanny is back in residence with one extra to join camp, who must be our youngest camper ever at two months of age. Will has finally finished his light box, and the disco/karaoke night is now really spectacular.

Still waiting for summer to start! I wonder why we put down all those extra acres of grass last year, the grass hasn't stopped growing on the old meadows yet, so the main job these days is topping meadows!! Fleur is back for a summer holiday and housed in the livery yard, which is again overflowing so looks like the new stables will have to be finished off quickly in addition to completing the shower rooms and harvest! Thank goodness we gave the haymaking a miss this year! Amanda's club house is coming along in the livery yard, her first priority being some chairs to collapse into at the end of the day!

All school horses have recovered from their various ailments and are now back to work. Two newcomers called Filigree and Zaida have proved to be invaluable and very popular. The wedding horses are in demand and out every Saturday and some weekdays. They even did a spot on SGR FM, replacing Black Thunder one morning taking children to school. Photo shoots were completed for Woman's Realm and Farmer's Guardian, so watch out for those publications early July. Camelot has produced his first bag of wool, and now looks really skinny without it. Baa Baa suffered the indignity of being taken to Otley College for shearing with the College sheep, where they tip her up on her bum to shear her, while she yells at them trying to explain she's NOT a sheep but a horse, and prefers to remain on her feet!!

Tell me, what do three hundred scouts and fifty odd leaders do, when caught in a monsoon in a field rapidly resembling a muddy river? Answer - Sing! Yes, it's true, the downpour really couldn't have been much worse, but I could here some of them still singing. However, I think all appreciated the use of the Indoor School one evening for the camp sing song.
All students are happy, they all passed their exams!
Poor Limerick, she had a row with someone in the field, and now can't move her leg as her knee resembles a football.
We've given up waiting for Mark's labrador to produce it's puppies, she got fat, made the nest, produced the milk, but alas, no puppies. However my brother's Springer spaniel has produced her litter o.k.

Puppies!! Six of them born on March 26th (Mother's Day). Alas, now only five as poor Teasel used one as a pillow, not realising how frail they were. All horses out at last, enjoying their new freedom. Camelot did his first photo call at Framlingham Castle to promote the St John Ambulance's new vehicle the Crusader.

Teasels getting fatter!! Hirondelle and Fabrique have left their nursemaids Jingle and Candy behind and are now driving out as a pair together. Not long now before the team of four! Big article coming up in Horse and Pony mag. and our monthly diary can be read in each copy of Absolute Horse mag. For the farmers amongst you, read all about us in 'Farmers Guide'

Places for the summer Pony Camps are going fast, for those of you doing a return visit, send in your forms with which horses you want.

Did you see Etoiles filming debut, on Anglia Tv's Far & Wide programme, on Thursday 25th at 5.30 pm.

Love was in the air for the horses this month, who received a load of Valentine cards, and also Teasel who found a husband! Will we hear the patter of tiny feet in April?

All horses are now warily eyeing up the students, checking their feeds for poison, having just endured a five day course of worming!

The 15th saw the exciting arrival of Camelot on the yard. Yes, after three years of searching, a new camel has finally been found. The 'Camel Club' children were there to meet him and hand over their hard earned cash, raised by them over the last three years by car washing, unicycling, circus performances, selling photos of the horses and printed camel T shirts etc. Many thanks to all who supported them.

The new arrival is two years old, a dromedary and was born in Gran Canaria. It is hoped that when he is older he will be able to join the children's display sessions and raise funds for various charities as his predecessors did.

Valley Farm

Lessons:
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Group pursuits:
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