Happy New Year!!

Our feathered friends at Holton Lee share a Digestive biscuit each morning.

Here's wishing everyone a very happy and prosperous New Year!

A slow thaw, though making walking in the yard extremely treacherous, is encouraging.
I think the novelty of our very beautiful snow-clad countryside is beginning to wear off as we look forward to thoughts of spring and warmer weather!

The horses are enjoying the extra acres we allowed them when the snow cover made it difficult to find enough to eat. They have been receiving a hard feed of Hi-Fi (chaff), bran and a little pasture mix while the snow has covered the ground, but when we took the electric fence back to allow them the whole field of about 20 acres their excitement was a delight to watch as they galloped round, up and back with 'airs above the ground' , heels in the air like a bunch of yearlings that have been stabled all winter and are experiencing freedom for the first time!

Once this weather clears up we shall have to restrict the grazing area again to avoid them coming out of the winter too fit as they did last year, with the sad consequence of Maggie getting laminitis and missing most of the driving season.

Roll on Spring!!

EHDC Christmas Lunch

Seating for 75 in the Medieval Barn at Dylans Restaurant

The proprietors and staff of Dylans Restaurant in the courtyard Craft Centre at Lytchett Minster really did us proud on Wednesday for our Christmas lunch.

In previous years we have limited invitations to our helpers in the restaurant, but this year we opened the invitation to all our regular carriage drivers with their carers and our volunteer helpers, and received a wonderful response. All these lovely people that have become our friends over the years and that we consider to be a part of one big family!

All credit to Wally, as our Group Organiser, for the way he runs the East Holton Driving Centre.

Winter Weather

Twin Oaks Field

Charlie Brown unconcerned by the snow

Marmite & Maggie browsing gorse on the fence line

Twin Oaks field is blessed with natural shelter alongside the woods. It was sheer luck that, as we had been strip grazing, the last move was to take up the electric fence leaving a generous strip against the woods a day or two earlier. As you can see the snow was light in the shelter of the woods, so the horses had no problem finding easy grazing, though John did put out a little hay for them for two days.

The weekend saw a dramatic change with heavy rain dispersing all the snow overnight. I wonder what the weather holds for us for our Carols & Candlelight evening on Thurs 9th December??!