3 minute read
Riding Jane Paterson
Pony Stars, Changing Lives and keeping sane
SOmany people have said that their horses have kept them sane during Covid. Having to keep to a routine of caring for them has meant that whatever rules and restrictions have been introduced, their horses have been blissfully unaware of the fact that most of the world has been in a state of anxiety. Routine has helped people to stay grounded. At a time when the British Horse Society (BHS) is trying to encourage more people to become involved in the sport, its new initiatives could not be more welcome. Learning to ride and knowing where to go for lessons can be a minefield.
Many centres have closed their doors recently owing to a variety of issues, but one riding school in the Mendip area which is going from strength to strength is Divoky Riding School near Shepton Mallet, owned and run by Pat Bishop.
I was intrigued to know where the name Divoky came from and Pat told me it is Czech for “wild”, in the feral sense. Pat once worked with a Czech girl who described her as being “divoky” and it stuck! I found nothing wild about the school. It oozed a feeling of calm and contentment, which came from the staff and pupils as well as from the horses and ponies.
Divoky is a BHS approved riding school which has gone full pelt into setting up new initiatives from the equine charity which offers support, training and education. You can learn to ride at any age, but for young would-be champions, the BHS Pony Stars challenge is a great place to start, and you don’t have to own your own pony.
The challenges start with Shetland Striders, moving up through Dartmoor Dazzlers and Welshie Wizzers to Connemara Champs, in manageable stages. Supported by BHS approved coaches, many of whom have been with Pat since they started riding themselves, children can start around five years of age and come for an hour a week for lessons which involve pony care, stable management and riding. At Divoky there is plenty of room for parents
With JANE PATERSON
to relax while their children are learning and the children have a superb classroom where they fill in their books and gain stars and stickers for their achievements as they move up the Pony Stars pathway. Written work done, they head out to the school for mounted instruction on carefully selected ponies who allow them to follow their dreams. Situated in stunning countryside, and set around an old Manor House courtyard where there are tubs of flowers and herbs, an aviary, and plenty of hens, tuition encompasses learning not only about riding and pony care, but also about plants, biodiversity, and even climate change, all in a natural way which comes from being encouraged to become observant and being surrounded by excellent resources. Another of the BHS initiatives is Changing Lives through Horses. Pat takes a variety of young people for this Pat Bishop programme. Some are troubled youngsters who may be “school refusers”, or children who have been excluded from school, or they may be young offenders. Whatever their problems, they can be given a chance to wind down and engage with horses for varying periods of time, and this can have an amazing effect on their behaviour. The results have been astonishing and have confirmed undoubtedly that being around horses and caring for them can be therapeutic on all sorts of levels. All children in education can be funded for alternative programmes if school is failing them for some reason and the mission of Changing Lives sets out to give young people, regardless of their background, the opportunity to develop their skills, enabling them to return to education or employment, and reconnect with society. To do this at Divoky riding school must be absolute heaven for young troubled children and the staff seem to have a natural empathy and understanding that is reflected in the atmosphere and ethos of the school. As one young person on the BHS video about Changing Lives said: “It didn’t change my life, it saved my life.” That in itself is one good reason to keep supporting this charity which does so much for people from all walks of life.
