Millhouse Stables
2016
***** Christmas is Coming!! *****
This Christmas our festive Pony Days will be held on Wednesday 28th & Friday 30th December. As always please do book as soon as possible as places are limited and we do get booked up quickly.
The last day of lessons in 2016 will be Saturday 17th December and will resume on Wednesday 4th January 2017.
Don't forget, if you are stuck for Christmas present ideas we have gift vouchers available and also our friends at 'Put A Name On It' can personalize our Millhouse Stables Clothing range. You can contact Amy directly by using the following link: https://www.facebook.com/putanameonit/
We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year
Millhouse Stables 21st Birthday Bash!
Date: Saturday 30th July Venue: Newark Rugby Club Reason: Do we need an excuse to party?! Seriously though 21 years of Millhouse Stables.
Firstly wow, everyone scrubs up really well we are so used to seeing each other in jodphurs, t-shirts and covered in dirt that it was really great seeing everyone all dressed up.
We had our favourite band 'The Reason', thank you guys for putting up with the constant requests for 'Mr Brightside', a Disco thank you to 'The Hall of Sound', a Pizza wagon thank you 'Little Italy', an amazing cake, see pictures, a great venue, thank you Newark Rugby club and most importantly great friends.
Jodie wrote a speech which Nicola would like to share:
"Nicola doesn't want to give a speech as she is a little shy! So I thought I would say a few words.
Firstly I would like to thank you all for coming this evening, to clients old & new, friends and family. I would also like to thank Jackie for the amazing cake and Carly for her efforts in helping organize tonight.
Nicola was terrified that nobody would turn up this evening, but you have all proved her wrong, which is a testament to how deep Millhouse Stables and Nicola has touched us all.
21 Years is a long time in any business, let alone the horse business, so for Nicola to get this far, still be reasonably intact in Mind & Body and be as busy as ever is a mega achievement.
I first arrived at Millhouse having been asked by my boss at the time to cover a Saturday morning teaching so her and Nicola could go hunting, 12 years on I have the bestest friend in the world and a huge extended family both furry and human.
Millhosue Stables has that effect on people, the whole ethos is for a fun & friendly place to ride and to feel part of a family.
Nicola has seen so many children over the years, some contiue with the passion for horses who then pass that on to their children, who then start the cycle again at Millhouse and how old does that make Nicola feel? Why 19 of course!!
As with people we've seen plenty of ponies come and go and touch our hearts, from Polo to Pele, Alfie to Coffee Bean, Nik certainly has a knack of finding the wonky donkeys, nurturing their characters and letting them loose in the riding school. We all have our favourites and we all have our nemesis ponies, but it is safe to say each and everyone of them is as loved and as cared for as the next.
We've also seen a fair few instructors come and go all with their own little mottos, from "discombobulated" to " ballet dancers toes down, horse riders toes up" to a personal favourite "We're not going to Rio!"
Whatever your memories of Millhouse stables I'm certain they are good ones.
I think Millhosue Stables holds a special place in all our hearts, so here's to another 21 years, if anyone can donate an indoor school, a concreted yard and a new working body for Nicola we'd be eternally grateful!
Thank you Nicola"
Spring 2016
With summer fast approaching we have had lots going on, we have had water schooling, Cross Country schooling, a pleasure ride at Osberton, 13 of us went on that one leaving Nik with a very quiet yard for the day! The showing season has officially started and we very much look forward to hearing how you have all got on.
We would like to welcome, Daisy & Kim as the new adoptees of Jake & Brynne. Penny has also joined the Millhouse Stables family with her recent purchase of Wolfie. Bobby B has gone to live at home with Amy & Ebony, where we are told he is being well and truly spoilt!
Congratulations to Victoria on passing her BHS Stage 1 with flying colours, not long now Vics before we'll have you doing your PTT!
Congratulations to Nicola on the addition of more land, and no that doesnt mean we can have more ponies! On saying that we would also like to welcome Fizz to the yard ponies, Fizz has been the yard neighbour for a few years and has now joined our little family.
Well done to all of the girls & boy who took part in the interdressage riding school league over the last year, we were placed 6th out of 23 International Riding Schools. We will be competing again this year so if you would like to see any of our entries please go to our youtube channel, the link is below.
This year also marks the 21st Birthday of Millhouse Stables, in that time we have taught so many to ride, and we now have a number of 'children' that we taught bringing their children to learn to ride with us. It is a great pleasure to be able to share the magic that horses bring to so many.
2016 - February
As usual we all had a brilliant Christmas and New Year. We had record numbers on our Christmas day hack both riders and helpers. It was lovely to celebrate a little bit of Christmas day with you all, it really does support our ethos of being a family yard.
Inbetween Christmas and New Year we had our annual Christmas show on a very windy day. It was that windy we had to have helpers standing on jump wings to stop them from blowing over! In true Millhouse style we all soldiered on with smiles on our faces and had a whale of a time.
Check our facebook page to see all the photos from Christmas day & the Christmas Show.
Going into January we actually managed a trip to ZiZi's for Mickey's birthday, it's surprising how well we all scrub up!
Despite all the wind and the rain that we are having we at Millhouse still have smiles on our faces, lessons are all back to normal and we will carry on lessons come rain or shine. We will only cancel if the weather becomes too severe making it dangerous for us all. (In which case we will contact you to let you know).
If anyone fancies having a go at a news report about their lesson or maybe a little piece about their favourite pony, then we would love to hear from you. Please speak to Jodie or Nicola or you can email us at muckheap@live.co.uk
Don't forget to that we have a youtube channel so if you'd like to watch some of the girls competing then please check us out.
2015
4th October 2015 - Wow, where does the time go?! Summer is well and truly over and we are slowly making a dint in Autumn. The summer pony days have been a great success as per normal and the October Half Term Pony Days are very quickly getting booked up, so if you haven't booked your place do so now to avoid disappointment.
*To all of you who are currently on our waiting list please do bear with us, we are trying our hardest to find slots for you all, we just don't seem to have enough hours in the day or enough ponies (and we have quite a few of them!). To all our current clients if you cannot make your slot for the week please do let us know as soon as possible so that we can offer someone else your slot for that week.
*Can I also remind you not to cancel or book lessons via facebook or the website as this is not managed by Nicola and the messages may not get passed on to her straight away.
*Mr Bob has left us to keep Delilah company, we will still be seeing plenty of Molly Dolly though, she doesn't get away that easily! Kiera has had a major operation on her front leg and is currently on box rest, so far she is doing well but she has an extremely long road ahead of her, we ask all to take note of the instructions by her stable door and please do adhere to them.
*We are delighted to annouce that Amy has now brought Romeo so he will be a permenant fixture with us, Congratulations Amy, we are all extremely happy for you.
*We welcome Judith & her family as the new adoptees of Megan, we wish you many happy memories with her.
*Some of the girls have been entering online dressage/showing classes and have been doing rather well, we are 6 months into the riding school league and so far we are 6th in the league, which is a massive acheivement as a lot of the girls have never entered a dressage competition before. Darcy & Coffee Bean are our secret weapon in the showing classes, her horsmanship skills at the Age of 6, plus the unflappability of Coffee are just outstanding. If you would like to view any of our entries, we have a youtube channel which has all our entries so far on it. Just click on the link at the bottom of the page.
*If you have any photos that you would like to share with us please talk to Jodie.
*Here are a few of our favourite photos from the summer:
7th July - Wow July already!! Another couple of weeks and we'll be into the school holidays, don't forget to join us on the pony days every Tuesday & Thursday during the school holidays. The perfect way to make new friends and meet up with old ones, both human & horsey.
The last few months have been very busy, the show season is well & truly underway and as usual all the girls representing Team Millhouse are doing us proud. We have even had a partnership featured in Equestrian Life Magazine, Victoria & Kiera who won a training session with Event rider Matt Ryan. There has been lots of cross country training, a few one day events, plenty of show jumping & even a few having a go at their first ever dressage tests, Alice, Ebony & Jackie.
We have lost a dear friend, Morgan, who has been with Team Millhouse for at least 13 years, sadly her arthritis became too much and we had to send her to heaven to be with her big friend Wiggle. She will be very much missed by us all (although maybe not her barking which always made me pour my coffee over myself!!)
We have also gained a new friend in Kerry who has joined our teaching team, she is currently working Wednesday & Saturdays, she is slowly getting there with remembering all the ponies & I'm sure once she remembers their names she will start to remember clients names too!!
We have welcomed back Megan (Moo) & Sammy who are currently on their holidays from University, don't forget to let them know how much they are missed when you join us on the pony days!
We do have a couple of ponies coming available for adoption - If you may be interested please speak to Nicola.
Here are just a few pictures of what some of the ponies (and riders) have been up to so far this spring/summer. If anyone has any photos you would like to share please feel free to pass them on to me.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!
We hope that your Christmas break was as fun as ours! From the Christmas Day Hack to the Annual Christmas show, lots of festive cheer has been in the air at the yard despite the cold weather.
We soldiered on when the snow came down, put on our tinsel, onesies, Christmas Jumpers & continued with this years games show. As usual Mr Bob thought everything was very scary, especially being ridden bareback!! We had some very serious concentration faces in the egg & spoon race, & Bobby B was a surprise star at roll out the barrel. The 'cuddly toy of doom' didn't take any lives in the obstacle course although the narrow poles caught a lot of you out. Thank you to all who took part & joined in the spirit of Christmas.
We've certainly had a great year, a little bumpy at times, but as always the Millhouse Spirit soars high.
We wish all our Millhouse family every success in the coming year both in the saddle and out. xxxx
2014
Personalised Polo Shirts/Long Sleeved Shirts
Don't forget that we have embroidered polo shirts & long sleeved shirts. These have the Millhouse Stables logo embroidered on the back of the garment & on the front you have the option to have your name/nickname/ponies name on the front, all included in the price.
The polo shirts are Fruit of the Loom brand and come in the following colours - Black, white, red, royal blue, burgundy, purple, yellow, bottle green, light pink, pale grey, deep navy or pale blue. The long sleeve shirts come in white, red, royal blue, deep navy or pale blue.
The sizes are as follows: Child Sizes - Aged 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-11, 12-13 & 14-15 (they are generous sizes and a 14-15 would fit a small adult). Adult sizes - xsmall, small, medium, large & X-large in the following colours, black, white, red royal blue, navy & dark green.
The price for polo shirts is £7.50 (inc shirt & embroidery) Long sleeved shirt £8.50
If you would like to order a garment please see Nicola for an order form, all orders will require a £5 deposit.
Friday 1st August - The first pub hack of the year was a roaring success. 12 of us went out, visiting 3 local pubs over 4 hours.
After stopping at the first pub the ride soon discovered why Nicola & myself chose Bobby & Connie to ride, not just for the entertainment of seeing my legs touch Connie's knees but for the simple reason that it is much easier to mount the ponies! Although hats off to Jim who hadn't ridden in nearly 13 years, mounting Jimmy proved no problem at all. As we set off for the next pub the heavens very kindly opened on us, so looking like drowned rats we arrived at our second stop. At this point we all decided that Rosie was the best pony to have as she stood stock still whilst Libby devoured her crisps on board.
Setting off to our 3rd and final stop the rain showed no signs of letting up but looking behind me there were still plenty of big smiles on everyones faces. The rain finally stopped and we arrived at the last pub, a few sore bums but all definitely in good cheer. We would like to say a huge thank you to all the landlords for letting us take over their car parks, apologies to the drivers who couldn't get in, and thank you to all who joined us. Here's to the next one ...... Cheers ...... Jodie x
Just a few pictures to show you the gang enjoying themselves out and about over the last few weeks. So far everyone is doing really well, some in the rosettes and some just achieving their own personal goals. You all do us proud both in the ring & out. Keep up the good work guys. Please don't forget to send us any pictures that you would like to share with us from both around the yard & out and about, we are about to set up a gallery page where we would like to add these to.
And remember ......Keep Calm & Carry on Riding!!!