We have just received some brilliant news. William Hill have kindly agreed to sponsor our Open Day on June 14th. We are now being helped and supported by Ladbrokes, Blue Square and William Hill. I think that it is tremendous that despite these gloomy and difficult times these bookies think enough of our work to dig deep into their pockets. It is of particular value to us because our donations are down about 40%.
So it is all systems go to arrange an Open Day that William Hill can be proud of, we are already training a few of the racehorses to perform some unusual moves...so watch this space to see what we can come up with......
We had so many visitors yesterday, Honda came up with 8 volunteers to set up the poly tunnel in the orchard. A very generous couple, Mr and Mrs Abrahams kindly supplied the poly tunnel, so that our visiting children may learn how to grow plants and vegetables. We then had a visit for the morning, from Filton College accompanied by Jerry Watkins, Welfare Manager of Horseworld in Bristol. It was an enjoyable visit and it was good to explain about our work to the students, and also to welcome Jerry here for the first time. It is important that we keep in touch with other welfare charities. Interestingly enough, Jerry told me that like us, he was expecting to have to take in alot of welfare cases, so far, the situation has not been as bad as he feared.
Our neighbouring farmer kindly comes over each week to move our large bales of straw and haylage about so that we may get to it easier, unfortunately a bit of an error of judgement resulted in the tractor grab making a gaping hole in the roof...so we then had a visit from a roofing contractor to try and fix it. Andrew Poynton, our consultant farrier came to shoe a couple of horses with difficult feet. The electricians came to sort out some dangerous wiring, we had a number of deliveries, and then finally the monthly visit from our vermin control officer.
A busy day indeed.
Tuesday 27 January 2009
Saturday 24 January 2009
Luke Harvey
Luke Harvey has kindly agreed to be our auctioneer on the 21st March at Newbury Racecourse. I felt a bit uneasy about asking him to help us again, but he generously accepted. There are still some tickets left so do ring our office should you like to come.
A Good Week And News of New Seeker
We have had a good week - Blue Square have jumped in alongside Ladbrokes to cover the race sponsorship for our charity day at Newbury Racecourse on March 21st. The raceday in March is proving to be one of our most successful fundraising occasions, and this year's plans are shaping up well. Kim Bailey is going to run Heads and Tails again at the beginning of the lunch, he is clever and funny and it kicks off the day brilliantly..so with Alice Plunkett acting as MC and Mick Fitz going through the card it looks as if it is going be great fun.
Greg our vet,has just given us more or less the thumbs up for the future of New Seeker. New Seeker came to us in October because Elite Racing Club wished to ensure his future. He had a brilliant race career on the flat winning almost £400,000. He arrived to us in great shape, albeit he had an enlargement of the right hock following a bit of over exuberance in his previous yard. As time went on the swelling did not subside and we decided to x-ray. This revealed a couple of fragments around the joint. Greg recommended surgery, now this is something that we normally would not be able to afford, and so we asked Elite Racing Club if they would pay for the operation. It is typical of Elite Racing Club to so readily agree, they have a terrific sense of responsibility for all their horses. We had to make sure that previous injury to his knee would not break down following anaesthesia, but all was ok. New Seeker went to Dr Sven Kold at Willesley, Sven is one of the leading orthopaedic surgeons in the country. Sven told us that in addition to the fragments of bone which had to be removed there was also a large amount of coagulated blood covering the lining of the joint. It took a total of 40 litres of saline to flush through the joint in order to remove the inflammatory debris.
Anyway, New Seeker came through the operation as right as rain. We have had to dress the wound every four days in addition to using a hock Pressage bandage. He has borne his box rest with fortitude, and is now walking out in hand. He has been sound from the outset and we are now waiting for a culture to come back having drained some of the fluid from the hock. So, depending on that being clear, the fellow is well on the road to recovery. So that is a relief all round. I must say, he is certainly a big chap for a flat horse! Greg thinks that given sufficient time he may recover sufficiently to be ridden.
Greg our vet,has just given us more or less the thumbs up for the future of New Seeker. New Seeker came to us in October because Elite Racing Club wished to ensure his future. He had a brilliant race career on the flat winning almost £400,000. He arrived to us in great shape, albeit he had an enlargement of the right hock following a bit of over exuberance in his previous yard. As time went on the swelling did not subside and we decided to x-ray. This revealed a couple of fragments around the joint. Greg recommended surgery, now this is something that we normally would not be able to afford, and so we asked Elite Racing Club if they would pay for the operation. It is typical of Elite Racing Club to so readily agree, they have a terrific sense of responsibility for all their horses. We had to make sure that previous injury to his knee would not break down following anaesthesia, but all was ok. New Seeker went to Dr Sven Kold at Willesley, Sven is one of the leading orthopaedic surgeons in the country. Sven told us that in addition to the fragments of bone which had to be removed there was also a large amount of coagulated blood covering the lining of the joint. It took a total of 40 litres of saline to flush through the joint in order to remove the inflammatory debris.
Anyway, New Seeker came through the operation as right as rain. We have had to dress the wound every four days in addition to using a hock Pressage bandage. He has borne his box rest with fortitude, and is now walking out in hand. He has been sound from the outset and we are now waiting for a culture to come back having drained some of the fluid from the hock. So, depending on that being clear, the fellow is well on the road to recovery. So that is a relief all round. I must say, he is certainly a big chap for a flat horse! Greg thinks that given sufficient time he may recover sufficiently to be ridden.
Tuesday 20 January 2009
A Welcome Visit and Water Everywhere.
Jeff and Mary Herrington suddenly appeared at the door! We got to know Jeff and Mary when were in Devon, indeed Jeff can remember us right at the beginning just as we were trying to set up Greatwood. Jeff was a mounted policeman and has been a field officer for the then ILPH (now World Horse Welfare). Jeff used to come and see us quite often when he was passing and was a terrific help and support to us, so you can imagine how pleased we were to see him again. He still works tirelessly for the welfare of horses and he has his hands full keeping an eye on the horses and ponies in the South West. He and Mary were delighted to see how Greatwood has changed and progressed since its inception, but were clearly staggered as to the number of horses we have in our care. They looked in one barn and just saw row upon row of horses backs.
Everyone is still pleased that the freezing weather has disappeared, morning stables appears to be a doddle, now that we haven't got to fill one hundred or so buckets from one tap! Meals on wheels for the horses this morning saw Deano's have a nervous breakdown when suddenly a torrential downpour beat down upon his roof, and a blocked drain sent a torrent of water from the cloakroom gushing past his feet. No water one minute and too much the next.
Red and Tish became too exuberant in the school and Tish lost his rag, resulting in a little bit of first aid. While Red's leg was being attended to (the 16.2h horse here being the casualty, not the 22 inch pony) We took Tish to see everyone in the office. He nonchalently strode through the cloakroom, had a peek in the classroom, and a wander in the office. He was mildly interested to munch the remainder of Janet's apple but seemed a little keener on meeting Lucy who was trying to work on her computer at the time.
Everyone is still pleased that the freezing weather has disappeared, morning stables appears to be a doddle, now that we haven't got to fill one hundred or so buckets from one tap! Meals on wheels for the horses this morning saw Deano's have a nervous breakdown when suddenly a torrential downpour beat down upon his roof, and a blocked drain sent a torrent of water from the cloakroom gushing past his feet. No water one minute and too much the next.
Red and Tish became too exuberant in the school and Tish lost his rag, resulting in a little bit of first aid. While Red's leg was being attended to (the 16.2h horse here being the casualty, not the 22 inch pony) We took Tish to see everyone in the office. He nonchalently strode through the cloakroom, had a peek in the classroom, and a wander in the office. He was mildly interested to munch the remainder of Janet's apple but seemed a little keener on meeting Lucy who was trying to work on her computer at the time.
Wednesday 14 January 2009
Exciting News for our Horse Power Programme
It has been one of our aims to extend our successful Horse Power programme to Independent schools as part of their charitable enterprise in their local community.
We have just returned from a leading independent school and are thrilled that they seem equally as enthusiastic to replicate our Greatwood Horse Power programme in their local community. Once this has been established it would be very exciting to think that their may be a chain reaction which would result in Horse Power going countrywide in the name of Greatwood.
The journey to the school was of particular interest, Janet was at the wheel, and despite warnings about icy roads, we decided to take a rural route which resulted in a great deal of slithering and sliding on 1 in 4 hills, with advancing cars performing Strictly Come Dancing, with graceful pirouettes and chassis into the ditch.
Sue looked after all the dogs here and told me that she had decided to take Hannah and Mabel for a walk, that all changed as it transpired that Hannah took Mabel and Sue, having spotted a very captivating deer, they probably finished up in a ditch as well.
We have just returned from a leading independent school and are thrilled that they seem equally as enthusiastic to replicate our Greatwood Horse Power programme in their local community. Once this has been established it would be very exciting to think that their may be a chain reaction which would result in Horse Power going countrywide in the name of Greatwood.
The journey to the school was of particular interest, Janet was at the wheel, and despite warnings about icy roads, we decided to take a rural route which resulted in a great deal of slithering and sliding on 1 in 4 hills, with advancing cars performing Strictly Come Dancing, with graceful pirouettes and chassis into the ditch.
Sue looked after all the dogs here and told me that she had decided to take Hannah and Mabel for a walk, that all changed as it transpired that Hannah took Mabel and Sue, having spotted a very captivating deer, they probably finished up in a ditch as well.
Monday 12 January 2009
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