Horse Riding in Somerset
Three fabulous sessions were spent in horsey heaven at the Divoky Riding School. We got stuck straight in learning how to groom them. Their winter coats were so thick and after lots of grooming the menage
was full of horse hair!
We were shown how to mount our ponies and we mastered directing them and shown how to come to a halt. This was all done whilst playing games directing our ponies through letters, verbalizing a word and using our reins to move onto the next letter.
Weaving in and out of poles was a great way to master horse direction, squeezing with the right or left leg and using the opposite rein.
Our group learned about the importance of cleaning tack, how to do it and
how to take a bridle apart and then put it back together the correct way whilst
learning the name of each part that makes up the bridle.
The equine dentist visited whilst we were there, and we were able to
watch how the horse’s mouths are opened and kept open whilst the dentist
examines and cleans their mouth and teeth which was fascinating to watch. The
dentist answered any questions that we had and shared plenty of knowledge.
We chose to venture to Weston Super Mare, a seaside town boasting 2 miles of beach, a grand pier and of course donkey and pony rides on the beach. Our first stop was to meet the donkeys and ponies which caused great excitement and produced many photo shoots. We enjoyed pony and cart rides across the sands which kick started our horse riding holiday experience. Everyone enjoyed making a fuss of the ponies before bidding a farewell and heading for fun on the Grand Pier.
Today we chose to visit Cheddar, an area of outstanding beauty at the
bottom of the impressive gorge. We paid a visit to the original cheddar cheese
company and sampled many delicious cheeses. This shop is the oldest cheddar
cheese shop in the world and have been making cheddar since 1870 and sell a
fabulous range of cheeses, farmhouse cider, crackers chutneys and pickles.
Naturally, we didn’t leave without making a few purchases. We wandered through
the village, stopped to view the small waterfalls and dam and to take
photographs capturing wonderful memories. The “Legbender” cider shop drew us
in, we were able to sample some of the traditionally produced cider made with
apples grown in Somerset. We all agreed that the dry “legbender” cider tasted
the best. 
Our holiday pennies were spent at the seaside arcades where we tried our luck, winning tickets to exchange for prizes. It was game on at the bowling alley where we impressed with some fabulous shots and were equally as skilled on the pool table.
