Horse Riding in Somerset
Hurray! We got to meet our horse that we were riding over the next few days. On arrival, we received a warm welcome from Pat, the proprietor of stables and Hollie, a riding instructor. We donned our riding hats and boots and then spent time meeting our horses.
We made our way to the outdoor school where our horses were waiting eagerly for their riders. Once we had all mounted, time was taken walking around the school so horse and rider could get well acquainted. Colin looked like the pro Frankie Dettori on his horse called Callie. 
Emma quickly grew more confident on Bert and Tom looked very much at home on Nobby. We learnt how to guide our horses properly by weaving in and out of poles using the reins and legs which we mastered and before long it was time to trot- both seated and rising. Bridget and Craig were next in the saddles and were put through their paces. Craig looked as if he was in the wild west riding one handed and very relaxed. Bridget looked like a natural, too. They both mastered guiding their steeds whilst weaving in and out of the poles and changing reins at given letters around the school. Craig was fantastic at sitting trot like a true cowboy and Bridget gave it her all when learning to do rising trot. Gayle and Sarah finally had their turn to ride and as they were the more experienced riders of the group, they were set tougher challenges. They worked hard on guiding, changing rein, balance and posture and really getting their horses to respond to what they were asking them to do.
At one point, Pat instructed us to do the around the world manoeuvre whilst our horses were stationary. This entailed taking our feet out of the stirrups and turning our whole bodies around on the saddle so at one point we were facing the horses rear end, finally turning until we were sitting back in the correct position. 
Like all good stable hands we made sure we gave our horses a good brush down and mucked out their field before saying goodbye for the day.
Making the most of the warm sunshine we spent the day at Weston Super Mare, a seaside town in north Somerset. We strolled along the beach, which was long and sandy, stopping to say hello to the donkeys who loved being made a fuss of. Colin had holidayed here many times and enjoyed being our tour guide, relaying his memories and facts about the area to us. 
The Grand Pier was our next stop, an iconic landmark which features a 2,000-seat theatre used as a music hall for opera, stage plays and ballet. We had bucket-loads of fun here with the old fashioned 2p slot machines, ghost train and of course the dodgems. Emma showed off her driving skills causing lots of laughter when she bumped into Craig’s car. It was great to see them whizzing around having so much fun.
We returned to Divoky stables for our second day of fun. Pat, Martin and Hollie welcomed us once again and today we spent time outside riding around the canter track and fields with beautiful views all around. Martin taught our group the correct way to approach horses and how to groom them successfully using different brushes for their bodies, manes and tails. He explained why horses are clipped and the importance of the farrier’s job to maintain regular shoeing.
How adorable is Dumbledore, the friendliest Shetland pony.
We groomed Joe, Martins horse and we did a fantastic job. Before long the yard was covered in enough white fur to make a blanket! We met Bluebell, a rescue pony and whilst we rode around the fields, she popped her head over the wall and desperately wanted to join us.
At the lodges we spent time relaxing in our hot tubs which was just what was needed for our aching limbs after a day of horse riding.
After dinner we had a mini darts tournament where we all had our eye on the prize!
A super afternoon was spent at Cheddar Gorge visiting Goughs cave. This cave was the home of ‘Cheddar Man’, Britain’s oldest, complete skeleton found in 1903 and the site of the largest underground river system in Britain. It’s pretty awesome and we loved the audio commentary as we walked through many chambers with incredible rock formations.
Our third and final day spent at the stables and boy, did we have fun!
The gymkhana was brilliant as we competed against each other, racing to be the first to throw the balls into the tyre or to place the cup on the end pole. To finish, we had a tour of the indoor stables and learnt the importance of cleanliness to ensure the comfort of the horses and looked at different horseshoes used for eventing and different types of ground underfoot.
Hollie had planned for us to learn some polo techniques. We learnt how to hold the mallet and swing it up in the air, letting it drop to hit the ball. This took lots of practice and whilst honing our skills Pat explained the training entailed before being able to play polo.
What a wonderful 3 days we have had. Great memories made and a hobby that we all wanted to continue with when back home.
We headed to Wookey Hole, home of the world’s first ever cave dive. We experienced a guided tour hidden away beneath the Mendip Hills through a spectacular underground network of breathtaking caverns! Wookey Hole is the UK’s largest show caves system, home to the infamous Witch of Wookey Hole.
Then we took a walk on the wild side and met the prehistoric, animatronic ROARING dinosaurs in Dinosaur Valley! 
It was game on as we hit the bowling alley for a friendly but competitive few games. With plenty of high score and strikes we almost looked like pro's!
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