Hi everybody
Hope you all had a great bank holiday weekend! As regular readers will know, Pablo’s Open Day was held on Sunday 26th August and what a fantastic afternoon was had by all! The day started with all the volunteers arriving early to start on the yard duties and these were all done by 10.30am. After a quick coffee break, and a final sweep of the yard (making sure that everything was ship shape and bristol fashion!), it was time to start setting up all the stalls. Everything looked fabulous, until it was realised that Little Jerry was still in his field (dressing rooms…oh the indignity of it all!) and there were stalls set out in front of his gate – whoops! – so after moving the stalls, Little Jerry was safely led to one of the pens, ready for his demonstrations.
The main gate was opened at noon (as planned) and all visitors were met with a warm welcome by volunteer Jolanda, and given an information pack. On the yard there were stalls to browse; bric-a-brac, find out how to sponsor a horse, our merchandise stall where t-shirts, polo-shirts, sweat-shirts, and cards were on sale and you could register for this year’s Sponsored Dog Walk (Saturday 20th October). There was pin-the-tail-on-Jack game (don’t worry a cardboard photo of Jack was used!) and great prizes to be won on the raffle (thank you to R&R Countrystore and our volunteers/supporters for supplying prizes). Also there were delicious home-made quichesand pies on sale, as well as amazing home-made cakes, which were all made by our volunteers.
Throughout the afternoon there were demonstrations by Dr Ray Smith on back problems, covering both human and horse trauma, and opportunities to speak to Dr Ray about the correct fitting of a saddle Tel: 07790 701876 Mob: 07870 772352 (24hr Call out). Also, Louise from Vale Hypnotherapy was giving advice on clinical hypnotherapy, mind coaching and relaxation techniques www.vale-hypnotherapy.com or call 07960 839122.
Little Jerry, along with volunteer Rachel, gave demonstrations on some of the basic training techniques he has learnt through his clicker training, over the past few months. Being a true start, Little Jerry thoroughly enjoyed all the fuss and attention visitors gave him, which was in stark contrast to last year, where he was untamed and wild and didn’t want humans anywhere near him. My how times have changed, Little Jerry was an absolute star.
And lastly, the rest of our ensemble cast of stars; the horses and ponies on the yard, including Dolly (who at 47 years old, one of our OAPs) who put in a special appearance and Malty who stood at the gate the whole afternoon wanting to met everyone. Our four-month old foal Lilly and mum Arian, were meeting and greeting and everyone fell in love with the beautiful Lilly.
A big thank you to Joan, Anne, Ruthie, and Paul Hubbard of PeeWee toilet hire. Not only did they provide the two portable loos for the day, they also sponsored Cherry, signed up for the dog walk and bought merchandise. Please see their website link on the right.
A huge thank you to ALL our super volunteers for giving their time, their energy and their skills to make the day so enjoyable. We could not have done it without you.
And a massive thank you to everyone who came to visit the Open Day and showed such tremendous support for the charity. On the day, everyone raised over £550, which will go towards the care of the horses and ponies.
And lastly, a sincere thank you all who attended (or provided support) on the day. We hope you enjoyed being a part of it all, as much as we did having you along for the afternoon.
THANK YOU ONE AND ALL!!!