Golden Pony Equestrian
Prairie Valley Road V0H 1Z8 Summerland, BC, Canada

UPDATED MARCH 2021! Hi Everyone! As we move into our SPRING schedule, a reminder of a few of our House Rules and a few of our COVID Rules... Please take a moment to refresh your memory :) ** ALL RIDERS must sign a new 2021 Waiver for the year! - All Riders must sign a daily attestation form before EVERY ride. This form must be signed by a parent or guardian for juniors.... - All riders must have their own ASTM/SEI certified and current riding helmet. - All riders using school horses must have gloves. At this time, masks are required in close contact situations such as grooming/tacking up, but you may remove them while riding. - Junior Riders may have one parent or guardian accompanying them to their lesson - please leave "extra" bodies home. - Riders and family members are asked to utilize the Hand Sanitizing stations located at the arena entrance and the white gate by the barn. - If riders wish to assist in the grooming and tacking up of their school pony, they are required to purchase their own grooming kits. The grooming process is a relaxing opportunity for students to interact with their school pony on the ground, and has been sorely missed by those who appreciate regular face to face pony time. Respecting physical distancing and doing our best to avoid multiple contact points will allow students to enjoy this important part of riding lessons again. - No dogs - Younger siblings must be closely monitored and kept close to parents, or alternate care should be sought. - No smoking - 24 Hours notice required for penalty-free cancellations, otherwise lesson price will be billed in full. - Riders are encouraged to obtain Horse Council BC insurance. HCBC is required for all Rider Levels or riding off-property. (*Note - this will be a requirement for ALL 2021 GPE students!) - Close all gates behind you - Be kind and respectful to your horse, coach, family, and fellow riders! - No Lungeing in the arena - No jumping unless directly supervised - Do not feed any horses unless specific permission has been granted by a GPE farm owner. This includes treats and grass! Thank you everyone for your cooperation in keeping us all safe and healthy this year! Be on the lookout for information packages to go out to all GPE parents this fall with a review of these rules, as well as some further information on HCBC and available Rider Programs.

Clear rounds Saturday tentative schedule: 9:00 Ruby, Taylor T, Myaia, Naomi 10:00 Stable Management Lesson 11:00 GPE lesson... 12:00 Ez Acres 2:00 Kaydence, April, Kelsey, Mik 3:30 Taylor Z, Audrey, Savannah 5:00 Emily & Sara See more

Well that was a fun day :) thanks everyone!!! Big thanks also to Navy and Kaydence for their expert help all day long with the steeds!! Somehow I missed getting pics of some of you.... post em if you got em ;)

Ride Times for those entered in the Percentage Day this weekend!

The ol' grey sure can sleep. Braveheart you are like no other!

Any of my handy dandy students able to help me out this afternoon? I booked my lessons rather tightly, and could sure use a hand in tacking up/untacking between riders, from 3:00 to about 6:30? Send me a text if you're available and want some extra pony time, happy to trade for lesson discounts too :)

Hey GPE Riders! We are starting spring scheduling... please get in touch with me if you would like to be in the Spring Schedule! Thanks :)

Stable management tomorrow! Sunday jan 31 at 3:00... tomorriws topic will.be feeding and nutrition! If we have lots of keeners for this one we can do a second group at 2... please rsvp asap!

Guys, I'm having a COVID burnout day. Sometimes it's hard to find silver linings. Post a pic and tell me something that happened last year that you were proud of, or really loved doing, or something you did that you never thought you would do. I need a good appreciation post :) Mine... is that I appreciated having a low-pressure year in terms of competition... I think my girls and I grew as teammates last year, and I feel like we are coming into 2021 better horses and a better rider for it.

TENTATIVE Dates for 2021! I know everyone is excited for the season to hopefully start... many facilities still don't know if they will actually run, or what the dates are, so please be patient. I am sure there will be more to add, but right now, this is what I have penciled in ;) March - Regular lesson resuming at GPE Wed Evenings in April : Ladies night at GPE... April 24, 25 Maeve Drew Clinic at Woodcreek Equestrian Salmon Arm May 1,2,3 Summerland Rodeo Grounds Jumper/Dressage Show May 15, 16 Horses that Work Clinic, Summerland (also Sabrina Glaser at woodcreek equestrian, salmon arm) May 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 - Chase Creek Back to Back HT June 12, 13 - Holly Jack Smithers clinic Summerland End of the Road farm June 24-27 Kootenay Clinic/Derby July - tbd - kids camp at GPE July 17-18 Kelowna Derby OR CVES Almost an Event (Langley) (also horses that work clinic, End of the Road Farm, Summerland) Aug - tbd - kids camp at GPE Aug 13-15 Campbell Valley HT (Langley) Sept 3-5 Island 22 HT (Chilliwack) Sept 19 CVES 2 phase? (Langley) See more

This clinic will fill FAST! If you're interested, please contact Janine Sentes asap! I'm looking at YOU, Shannon Barnes, Laura Safarian, Leann Robbins, Jennifer Seminoff , and I am sure I'm missing a bunch of yall too. Dont wait! Absolutely a kid friendly event too.. great for relationship building! Joan Yaeger Policicchio the girls would LOVE this.

Stable Management Sunday! Tack and fitting! 1:00 Group 1... 2:15 Group 2 This week, we will offer 2 groups of 6, depending on how much interest we have, we may do junior/senior or beginner/intermediate or 2 intermediates. Let me know as soon as you can if you would like to come :) $20/person, 1 hour sessions. Mask and gloves required. Dress for the outdoors!

Did your new years resolution include getting fit to become a better rider? Do you struggle with side to side evenness and balance? Do your thighs start to whimper when your coach says "no stirrups!?" Everyone, there is no better time than NOW to kickstart your rider fitness. Use your off season to work on your body, and I guarantee your riding will improve dramatically. Kelsey Jones is both a student of Golden pony and also coaches me in my personal fitness development. As ...both a rider and a fitness coach (and kinesiologist) Kelsey brings a unique approach to your workouts to specifically benefit your riding AND your day to day life. Give her a call, she is FANTASTIC at what she does. She will be excited to help you reach your goals and have fun along the way!

Hey Everyone! If you are interested in owning a beautiful keepsake made with your own horse's hair, give Lilah Policcichio a shout! $35 for a bracelet made to order.

Hey Everyone! Ride, Rinse, and Return will be making a pick up here on Tuesday...they are a pick up/drop off horse blanket laundering business. Please drop off your blankets here tomorrow if you want to be included in the trip :) Check out their FB page, here are the prices too.

Hehehe the horse should be golden, but I couldnt agree more :)

Good Morning all!! The week's forecast does look encouraging for lessons, however we do have a few new changes in place to adhere to current COVID-19 orders and requirements. - all students must wear a mask upon arrival to the barn, and when in close contact with the coach, ie. Mounting up, tack check, etc. Once we are riding and moving, students can remove their masks. - no spectators allowed. You will need to drop off your child and either stay in your vehicle or come bac...k for pick up. - reminder that gloves ARE mandatory, and have been for some time... your child will not be able to ride if they do not have them. - even if the rider is not displaying covid-specific symptoms, you must stay home if you are anything less than 100%. Let's finish the season strong and healthy everyone!! Thank you for your cooperation.

We at GPE wish all of you a holiday of peace and warmth... while it might look a little different for some, it gives us a chance to be grateful for what we do have... family and friends, whether together or apart, and the support of an exceptional equine community. This year there were no summer camps, but we did a LOT of regular lessons. We had fantastic helpers in Skylar, Kaydence and Prince, which was critical to being able to get as many lessons done in a day as we did! ...Thank you, GPE staff!! We are grateful to Mikheala who was kind enough to lend us her good boy Legs, and we are grateful to Robin and Ayla who grant us the ongoing use of everyone's favourite Smokey pony. We are grateful to Shannon and Naomi who let us use their lovely Foxy too! My parents are truly the most under-recognized but highly appreciated backbone of this operation. Most of you have met Darlene and Greg, they provide background support in SO many ways from day to day care to arena and farm maintenance, we truly could not operate without them. We are grateful for our partnerships with Ez acres, 4S ranch, Tipton Horsemanship, the Dixon Family, Wildhorse Mtn Ranch and Big Top Equestrian. We are grateful to all of the coaches and clinicians and organizers who have helped us reach our goals and strive to be better every ride. This fall in particular was a tough one, we lost our very good boy, Mac, who was special to so many of us. Ellie and Pidgey both had surgery this month, Ellie to remove a pesky tumour and Pidgey to relieve an abscessed molar. We are so grateful to have a pro team at Wales Equine to ensure our friends get the absolute best care. We had challenges this year for sure, but we have SO much to be grateful for. If I missed naming you, I apologize, but know I am grateful anyways for your help this year! THANK YOU all for a memorable 2020, and I look forward to horsing around with you all in the new year!!

Hi Everyone! As we move into our fall schedule, a reminder of a few of our House Rules and a few of our COVID Rules... Please take a moment to refresh your memory :) - All riders must have their own ASTM/SEI certified and current riding helmet. - All riders using school horses must have gloves. At this time, masks are not required, but may be in the future, particularly in close contact situations such as grooming/tacking up. - Riders may have one parent or guardian accompa...nying them to their lesson - please leave "extra" bodies home. - Riders and family members are asked to utilize the Hand Sanitizing stations located at the arena entrance and the white gate by the barn. - If riders wish to assist in the grooming and tacking up of their school pony, they are required to purchase their own grooming kits. The grooming process is a relaxing opportunity for students to interact with their school pony on the ground, and has been sorely missed by those who appreciate regular face to face pony time. Respecting physical distancing and doing our best to avoid multiple contact points will allow students to enjoy this important part of riding lessons again. - No dogs - Younger siblings must be closely monitored and kept close to parents, or alternate care should be sought. - No smoking - 24 Hours notice required for penalty-free cancellations, otherwise lesson price will be billed in full. - Riders are encouraged to obtain Horse Council BC insurance. HCBC is required for all Rider Levels or riding off-property. (*Note - this will be a requirement for ALL 2021 GPE students!) - Close all gates behind you - Be kind and respectful to your horse, coach, family, and fellow riders! - No Lungeing in the arena - No jumping unless directly supervised - Do not feed any horses unless specific permission has been granted by a GPE farm owner. This includes treats and grass! Thank you everyone for your cooperation in keeping us all safe and healthy this fall! Be on the lookout for information packages to go out to all GPE parents this fall with a review of these rules, as well as some further information on HCBC and available Rider Programs for the fall/winter. We had the busiest summer on record, and I am so excited to continue the momentum into fall with you, and welcome all our new riders too. It is my hope we can have a good socially distanced End of the Year get together before the snow flies!

Not JUST kids who have all the fun around here! Shannon and Grace can spear a ring with the best of 'em!!

Iiiiiiiiiiits heeeeeeeeerrrrrrrreeee!!!!! No Stirrups November had arrived!!!!! Stay tuned for a special Golden Pony No Stirrups Challenge!!!!

Why, hello snow!

Lengthy read but very true. Above all, we must protect our friends' welfare.

Great day of Rider Testing today!! 8 riders testing levels 1 and 2 today, everyone was successful and enjoyed a beautiful day on horseback!! What could be better??

We had been having some pretty lovely sunkissed days before this blast of winter hit! Heres a few highlights :)

STORY OF THE DAY: If you give your child a pony, they will want to ride. You’ll buy them the best pony you can find, followed by a helmet, boots and all the ot...her things pony. You look for a local barn to ride at where you start to socialize with the equestrian communityAnd then life as you know it, will end. Before you know it, they want to show so you find a circuit ..There will be no more lazy weekends watching tv. You will see more sunrises than you ever thought possible. Every spare minute of your time will be spent hauling campers, horse trailers and horses and enduring a crazy addiction to practice for the next show. Your house may be a mess, and your car will be dirty. All because you gave your child a pony. Your weekends will be spent freezing or burning to death on a fold up chair. And their weekends will be spent gaining confidence and friends, learning new skills and having fun and getting dirty!!!! You will be there the day he or she takes the first few steps of canter, the first taste of a jump, first ribbon, first championship. And they will make you SO proud. Other parents will congratulate you, but you feel weird saying thank you because it's not you on the pony, it’s your child. It's everything that they did, they achieved. And right before your eyes, your little boy/girl will be transformed from the baby who bounced around on their rocking horse into an exceptional young horse enthusiast on the hunt for the next pony finals or maybe even the Olympics! When you give your child a pony , you give them more than just something to ride. You give them a sport, a talent, hope and dreams. Friends, a new family, a place to learn about life, room to grow as a person where they can push their limits, and bravery, and courage, and memories. And they will have ALL of these things, simply because you gave your child a pony. Because you gave your child a pony, you too will develop new/lifelong friendships, developed solely from the same passion for the sport. You will have a equestrian family because you gave your child a pony. Then one day, many years from todaythey will be in their room and a certain trophy will catch their eye. And they will pick it up and realize instantly that when you gave your child a pony, you also gave them a childhood that they would never forget, at this point, you realize that everything you gave up along the way and sacrificed was totally worth it.. All because you gave your child a pony Copied from a friend. Powerful

Hey super students!! Looking for some poop scoopers today and tomorrow... cash or trade for lessons. Any takers?

Well, it's a wet one out there today!! Lessons will likely cancel, as this heavy wet snow on top of the already wet footing is making for a pretty soggy squishy atmosphere around here. As for tomorrows testing.. guys, I wish I had a magic ball, but I dont, so its gonna be a wait and see kinda weekend!! Likely we will have to postpone to next saturday.

Good Morning!! Many of you have been asking what the plan is going to be for winter riding... we have decided that after what was our busiest summer EVER, we will be closing for the month of December for some much needed RnR for both ponies and coach! However, we will have some special events happening, including a cool partnership with Alexandra's Equine Photography, and we will hopefully figure out a way to offer our usual stable management classes throughout January... covid guidelines allowing, maybe even indoors ;) Looking forward to squeezing out the last of the season with you all in No Stirrups November!!

I DID NOT KNOW... I did not know a horse could bring people into your life that end up meaning the most to you. I did not know a horse could make the hardest ...days of your life bearable. I did not know a horse could teach you to put others first. I did not know a horse could remind you time and time again that your gut is always right. I did not know a horse could break your heart. I did not know a horse could pick you up when you have fallen apart. I did not know a horse could teach you to dream again, after you thought it was not possible. I did not know a horse could make you believe in yourself. I did not know a horse could teach responsibility, work ethic, and dedication. I did not know a horse could make you believe in something when no one else does. I did not know a horse could make you learn to forgive and forget. I did not know a horse could humble you faster than you can say humble. I did not know a horse could make you a winner. I did not know a horse could also teach you how to lose gracefully. I did not know a horse could instill patience in you. I did not know a horse could make you listen better. I did not know a horse could give you their heart. I did not know a horse could change your life. I did not know a horse could do all these things... but now I know. Written by Alissa Kelly

If you are planning to attend Rider Testing saturday Oct 25, please let me know asap if you havent already!

Dont forget, Rider testing is coming quickly! Time to start brushing up!

Today my friend gained his wings. Mac was everything Golden Pony embodied... he was the most tenacious horse I know... always committed to snacking under all circumstances. Mac was cherished on this farm, and will live on in the hearts of the many riders he taught. For me, he was a very special friend, and words simply cannot express what he meant to me. I am devastated tonight at his loss. Please share your photos and memories of Mac... we will miss him so greatly.

I was scared today. I was scared to get on, scared to walk out the yard because I had a bad ride the day before. One bad ride, and it made me scared. I didn’t... know why. I’ve had 1000 bad rides. I’ve had 1000 falls. I’ve broken bones and bruised my pride on countless occasions, but today I was scared. Why? Because confidence is fragile. It takes months and years to build and seconds to lose and yet we are so careless with it. When we get on a horse, we wear a hat to protect our head. We wear body protectors, gloves, boots... We pay so much attention to protecting ourselves physically, we forget that our minds are not invincible, and our confidence certainly is not. Your bank of confidence needs regular deposits, not just from others... but from you. Self confidence is the most valuable currency in life. When you go to get on, and you hesitate, you falter and you start to ask yourself can I do this?, chances are, your account is almost empty. Every time you laugh and say oh no, I’m no good or so and so is 10x better than me, you make a withdrawal from that account, and before you know it, your account is empty and you’re scared to get on. But every time you say I’m really pleased with how that went or I think I rode that really well, your balance increases. We need to learn to give ourselves a break, pat ourselves on the back and allow ourselves to feel proud of where we are - after all, most of the time we’ve worked bloody hard to get there! Recognising your strengths is just as important as recognising your weaknesses. Never allow yourself or anyone else to empty that account. Confidence is valuable, don’t bankrupt yourself.

Just for those who still don’t get it. This is a good outline for a young horse starting under saddle. No fancy moves, no influencing this and that body part, n...o training for a show or competition, just simple and large lines, boring trots, and time. Time to build balance, time to build trust, time to build muscle. Good starting is not how many ‘buttons ‘ you can install in little time, good starting is getting out of the horses way, letting them move freely and assisting them to find that new balance See more

Ahhh Monday. Fresh face for the arena. This week is Dressage Week!!!

Riding and show shirts - Women's small White/black full seat jodhs - 24 waist