META AUTUMN-WINTER RESUMÉ

At last we’ve managed to give you, our Blog followers, the run-down of META Autumn/Winter Events 2011 with first and foremost the Halloween Show.

Our Halloween Show always seems to be the best of the year and this Show was no exception.

Veronica organised a Pre-Halloween Camp to get things ready and so that our young riders could make their Halloween Fancy Dresses.

First on the programme as always, was our Halloween Fancy Dress Parade. For once I managed to wear an elegant outfit – White Witch Dress which was a presie from Leah who went as Tinkerbell – a very interesting Fancy Dress!

Emma, Becky, Leah, Ellie and Rafa rode their horses in an exciting Jump Off.

The younger pupils had great fun with their Gymkhana Team games.

The META BBQ went down a treat. A great day was had by all!

Warm up to Christmas 2011 was Amazing, an influx of new pupils, others moving on from canter to Jumping and some preparing their Gallop Exams and Competition Debuts for January 2012.

Early in the morning of Thursday, 8th December, still dark in fact, the most spectacular Horse Transport truck drove up the lane lights blazing, looking more like a spaceship coming through the blackness of the lemon groves, to drop off 2 horses sent over from England, Equitack Libby and her companion, Blue.

Two drivers were in charge of the truck, one of whom is in actual fact one of the 5 drivers who transport the Queen’s horses. It was all very exciting.

Libby and Blue will be with us for 2 months until their owners have completed their removal and have settled in to the new house they have bought not far from META Riding Centre.

That very same morning we were due to hold our Christmas Fayre so we were dashing around putting up decorations and setting up stalls whilst trying to feed horses, muck out and make Libby and Blue feel at home – talk about STRESS!

We had a great turnout though, a lovely variety of stalls with, of course, Piccadilly Coffee Company and Ruben mixing delish coffees and hot chocolate to keep our stallholders warm inside and out during the cold hours before the sun came around to shine down bringing the people who came along to shop for stocking fillers. And what about those yummy muffins!

Many thanks to all the stall holders who helped to make the day such a success – more or less in alphabetical order –
ANNIE’S COSMETICS
BEZZY AND JOHN
DAN AND LESLEY
GLITZY BITS
HUMANIST PLANTS (who gave all their takings to AMTE Riding for the disabled)
MAL (with her beautiful ceramics)
PAMELA’S CRAFTS
PAWSON’S ICE CREAM VAN
THE OLIVE TREE
SUSIE AND BECKY (The Bead Bar, Fiesta Faces, Pinkies Nail Technician)
Mr WOOD (General Electric- plugs and appliances)
AND MARCO (Objets d’arts and antiques)
THE META STAND
AMTE (Asociación Murciana de Terapias Ecuestres) RIDING FOR THE DISABLED

First of all many thanks for coming and making the day so special and secondly for donating such lovely prizes for our Christmas Raffle.

We had a few Pony Rides, our famous META BBQ (people come to our events just for a META Sausage Sandwich!!)

Father Christmas didn’t arrive until all the small children had already gone home but he did collect the letters that were left for him.

Next year’s Fayre will be even bigger and better. Some stallholders will be coming to our mid-year events too. We look forward to seeing you all at our next Event. Watch out for our Calendar of Events 2012!

Sunday 11th December was our annual Christmas Show. The morning started off with rain and it was a bit cold and miserable but not enough to dampen spirits. It soon cleared up and the sun came out. That was good for the Ice Cream Van as they actually managed to sell some ice cream.

Rafa, riding Tango, and Ellie, riding Golfo, did a tremendous show jumping display. Our younger, newer pupils battled it out in team games that proved to be great fun.

Mollie and Magic gave pony rides as usual and just before everyone went home Magic helped Father Christmas to bring surprises for the children

HALLOWEEN SHOW 2011

Join us on SATURDAY 29th.

Get ready for our scariest show of the year. Put on your fancy dress and come and spend a great family day out.
Fun, games, pony rides and BBQ for everyone!
Our pupils will take part in a competition where there will be lots of show- jumping, dressage, gymkhana, horse in hand, and a great fancy dress parade.

Starting at 10 : 30 there will be lost of prizes. Entrance fee only 1€ and you get a raffle ticket. You can win free riding lessons and lots of discounts!

Don’t miss out on the best show of the YEAR !!

GOLFO’S FIRST SHOW OUT WITH THE GIRLS:

Last Sunday our pony Golfo took part in his first show-jumping competition out of META with Emma and Bekki, our most experienced pupils.
They both took Golfo out in 50 cm and they did fantastically well! Golfo wasn’t very happy loading in the trailer but we have never taken him out so he must of thought that we were going to send him away or even sell him!
When we got to the Carrascoy club where the competition was taking place he was much calmer.

Bekki was the first to go out. She warmed him up really well and showed him around so he was nice and calm. Their total score was 4 points so to be the first time for both of them together it was great!

Emma was next, and once Golfo new the course they did really well with a clear round!
Now it’s time to continue working him so we can get ready for the next show at META with our famous Halloween Show.

Well done Golfo! Congratulations girls! Well done META team, thank you very much!!

SUMMER 2011

September’s here already, summer hols are over, it’s back to school for some, Uni or College for others and META is running the last of its Summer Camps.

We had a fantastic time with Vicky from Granada and Veronica from Barcelona, who spent the first 2 weeks of August with us. They made great friends with our META helpers. New helper, Nick, joined the crowd and Nathan and Asher, who were here almost all the time, became META residents.

After 4 years of patiently going through walk and trot with an occasional mad gallop on Magic, Nathan has finally grown enough for his legs to reach below the saddle flaps and he finished the summer cantering nicely on Mollie.

During the second week of August Nuria, Nieves, Rebeca and Patricia stayed over – the crowd just got bigger and bigger.

Our younger nephew, Moises, moved up from Magic to Lily and was doing some good control in walk and a balanced rising trot before he went home. Samuel, his older brother and our Nº 1 helper, was here the whole month of August mucking out, feeding and generally organising the stable work. He is now cantering, back in Barcelona with his studies to be an Architect, and hopefully with us again next summer to lend a hand and to progress with his riding.

There were several visits to Murcia for a Capriccino at the Piccadilly Coffee Company. And to celebrate the end of the August camp, Veronica and Ruben took helpers and campers to Aqualandia for the day out.

Next we had Ana, a Spanish girl, who hit it off really well with Beth and Grace and was struck by META Horse Riding fever.

Language learning was brilliant. Great friendships were born and everybody turned completely META Horse Mad.

We can’t fotget about our Pony Club mornings, this summer they were amazing,with old friends who have been coming to us since we opened in 2007, for example Asher and Nathan and Alex and Zara.

Then we had other friends like Abigail and Amy who always come to ride with us whilst they are on holiday.

Newer Pony Club regulars are our Norwegian sisters, María and Frida and our Scottish Pony Club members, Kristin and Caitlin.

And this year we are happy to say that we have had a good number of Spanish children at Pony Club – a whole new experience for them. The great thing about Pony Club is that we all get together, make friends and language isn’t a problem.

Our Champagne hacks were great fun. Everybody enjoyed them.

Also great success this year with the excursion groups from the German Cruise boats that dock in Cartagena.

This summer has just been the best!

Keep posted for our newest activities: 2 mega important projects. Veronica will be posting info’ about a new Club. Kids, you’ve got to get the gen about that! It’s going to be THE horse and pony club of the moment and you’ll want to be in on it! Don’t miss out!

Julie, on the other hand, will be sending out info’ and subscription forms for the META Colts ‘n Fillies Social Club for our more mature horse-minded, horse-mad META fans.

As per usual keep your eyes on the Blog for news and up-dates .
(Fotos will be posted in a couple of days)