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Themes with Hospitality

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Good thing I’m cutting down on jobs next year!  I went to my third Christmas party last Sunday and still have another work one next weekend.  I’m very glad that I went to this particular party though as it was housed at the ex horse stud turned winery, Box Stallion Winery.

The stables that used to house Thoroughbreds are now set up as individual stalls housing all sorts of cooking and dining implements.  The breezeway is actually where tables and chairs are set up and you can dine.

Dining in the breezeway of a stable block.Looking around there’s horseshoes on each box, old saddles draped over surfaces and other odds and ends that add to the equine atmosphere.  The place is gorgeous and the food was excellent, too!

While in Ireland and South Africa I ended up eating at a couple of places that really played on the nautical theme with anchors and other odds and ends, particular colouring and beach and sailing photos about the room to really add to the feel.

Well why not with horses?  You don’t need to have a winery and a set of stables to dress things up. My boss on one of the horse studs I worked at had his laundry room covered in horse magazine articles and photos from ground to ceiling and it looked absolutely awesome.

Or what about a collection of horse mugs that customers get served with, competition ribbons used as curtains or draped over seats, trophies on display and old bridles hanging on the walls?

One of my horse mugs.How great would it be if your local coffee shop had a horsey theme and on those cold rainy days where you may not be able to muck around outside, you could go in, order a hot chocolate and snuggle up on a comfy chair (or a hay bale) with one of the many horse books or magazines that are available to read?

Hmmm, think I might be talking myself into this idea!  I’ll have to add a cafe to my growing library.

“That hoss wasn’t built to tread the earth, He took natural to the air, And every time he went aloft, He tried to leave me there.” – Tribute to an Unmanageable Horse

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Pony Parties

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Often as part of my teaching horse riding on the weekends, I’d find that I was to spend a couple of hours focused on half a dozen or so kids (sometimes up to ten) that had come along for a pony party.

Dependent on the age of the children, the size and number of your mounts and riding capabilities, you can generally cater for two types of parties:
– One where the time is split up between led pony rides – two ponies can be tacked up and the kids rotate around, getting a couple of goes on each – and where one to two games are played in between pony rides
– Another where the attendees are actually each mounted on a horse (this sort would require limiting numbers for safety) and get to play games on horseback where perhaps prizes are awarded

If you had a small amount of land in an area that was highly populated, I think this could be something horse related that would be a lovely little income earner on the side.

Group riding.

It’s easy to incorporate normal party games with a horsey theme between led pony rides; for example pin the tail on the donkey/horse, pass the parcel with horsey gifts, a colouring comp related to horses, word finds/cross words for the really horse mad, musical ‘horses’ and much, much more.  The imagination’s the limit.

It’s also relatively easy – especially for those who rode as kids or have kids that ride – to work out a list of different games on horseback that can be used for a birthday party.  Bending races, slowest/fastest pony, What’s the Time Mr. Wolf?, Around the World races and I’m sure plenty of others.

What would you need?
– Insurance
– Half a dozen ponies if you plan on providing parties where each child has a mount otherwise 2-4 would suffice.  Personally I’d be picking something cob like rather than the little grumps that are Shetlands
– A store of a dozen up to date safety rated riding helmets
– An arena or closed off area that is safe to ride in
– Large collection of prizes/party game props
– Whatever is needed for riding games – cones, poles
– A couple of extra hands to help with leading the ponies

Pony Parties are something that can be very popular, especially in suburban areas where horse contact isn’t common and perhaps it’d be a cheaper alternative for those who have only a small amount of land but want to work with horses and generate an income.

“Here is one little girl who would rather wear chaps than a party dress…”

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Coming Home, Heartland Series

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I’ve been swapping books with a friend at church once we discovered that we went to the same riding school and both had an addiction for equine related novels.

Having more than a few years on her, I thought I’d know most of the series available to the horse obsessed but it seems I’m not quite up to date on the current lot of books that horse crazy teens are reading. We did a switch and consequently I had in my possession the first couple of books of the Heartland series.

Heartland by Lauren BrookeA nice light read, the books have rekindled my interest in the Monty Roberts ‘join-up’ method and the idea of using this as the foundation to building a relationship with any equine.

Heartland is a place where horses with physical or psychological problems are taken in and worked with, a foundation re-established and sent back to their owners all the better for it. Amy lives at Heartland with her mother and has a passion that will see her spending her life with horses.

She has learnt and uses the methods taught by her mother. These include the use of herbal remedies to alleviate problems such as stress, nerves and other negative states in a horse. The focus is also on herbal remedies that encourage the body to heal at a quicker rate.

The first book focuses on Amy’s desire to rescue a horse left in a shocking state only to result in devastating consequences for her family.

Although written for teens, these books have some foundations that can be applied by all – if something goes wrong, go back to the basics, establish your foundation and start again. Some wise advice from an author with a story that is also informative and entertaining.

Author: Lauren Brooke
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/lauren-brooke/
Fiction
In my library? Not the first of the series yet but I’ve got others from the Heartland series and definitely plan on acquiring all that have been written! Also check out Chestnut Hill by Lauren Brooke.

“Silence takes on a new quality when the only sound is that of regular and smooth hoof beats…” – Bertrand Leclair

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Museum Work

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While in France I visited the Living Horse Museum (Musee Vivant du Cheval) in Chantilly.  I’d seen it advertised on Bred to Win and loved the idea of visiting a place that had been set up by a prince who was obsessed with horses, convinced he was to come back as one in a future life.

Perhaps I’m not as horse obsessed as I thought I was – this sure takes the cake.  I definitely wanted to see however a place that was set up on behalf of these gorgeous animals.  The result was a 32 room place purely dedicated to all things horses and hey, it wouldn’t be the Living Horse Museum without some actual horses now, would it?

Move on over to the Southern Hemisphere and in Australia there’s the Racing Museum in Melbourne, Victoria.  If you’re interested in the history of racing in Australia or just love racing in general, then it’d be worth the $9 fee for adults to take a look at current exhibitions.

The Irish National Stud have recently opened a museum to focus on the Sport of Kings and Ireland’s ‘long love affair with racing.’  As a student there in 2006 it was great to be around when the museum first was set up.  You can also check out the gorgeous stud, St. Fiachra’s Garden and the Japanese Gardens.

One of the many figurines on display at the Living Horse Museum.

The 5th Light Horse Museum in Gympie, Queensland, Australia works to preserve the history of the Australian Light Horsemen’s exploits in World War I, “for future generations to appreciate.”

The International Museum of the Horse at Lexington, KY displays breeds of the world that you can search by continent or name, the legacy of the horse, the horse in sport and recreation and a library and archives (can you guess what I’d be going to first? ;)).  It seems I’ve quite a few more to add to my horse library.   The museum also offers a wide range of educational resources.

If you have a love of the history of horses and their influence in our lives or your country specifically, perhaps pursuing something in a museum may be the way to go.  Whether it’s taking people on tours, researching information to be displayed or collecting pieces for display there’s a number of possibilities if this line of work takes your interest.

Employment:
Racing Victoria is offering two full time positions for a 12 month duration in Customer Service / Museum Officer.  Take a look at http://www1.racingvictoria.net.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=163.  Applications close this Thursday, December 11.

Other links of interest:
http://www.nhrm.co.uk/ – the National Horseracing Museum, Newmarket.
http://www.harnessmuseum.com/ – Harness Racing Museum, New York.
http://www.hkjc.com/english/ – the Hong Kong Racing Museum.

“The history of mankind is carried on the back of the horse.”

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Managing the Course

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Responsible for the management of race tracks, a racecourse manager is employed by the relevant race club.  When it comes to racing days, they are responsible for making sure that the track provides a fair and safe racing surface.  Generally experience or qualifications are related to horticulture to be able to carry out this role effectively.

Adam Ayre, Muswellbrooke racecourse manager said of his position that the “job involves maintenance of everything at the track, apart from the building housing the offices and members stand.”

Think of any racecourse – but perhaps one of the larger courses – that offers flat racing and steeple chases or a course that perhaps offers dirt and turf racing and accommodates trainers and their horses all year round.

The turf track at Chantilly, France.

The standard of surfaces provided for racing and training are the responsibility of the course manager and needs to be in the best possible shape year round for the safety of the equines that race and exercise on it and aesthetically pleasing to those that come to view these races.

Perhaps you have a goal to in the future be responsible for the likes of a country or city racecourse in your area.  It’d be worth checking out the tracks around you and keeping an eye on possibilities for employment that could get you into the industry and able to go from there.

Some links worth considering:
http://www.britishracecourses.org/ – lists the 61 racecourses in Britian and provides links to each of these.
http://www.racecoursemanagers.org.au/ – established in 2004, an association for Australian Racecourse Managers.
http://www.zerace.com/savoir/gerant.aspx – multiplayer simulation game on the management of virtual horse racing.  Test out being a racecourse manager.
http://www.sterilineracing.com/ – Article on 2008 Australian Racecourse Management Scholarship.
http://www.openpolytechnic.ac.nz/ – Open Polytech in New Zealand offers a couple of courses focused on Sports Turf Management.
http://www.sparsholt.ac.uk/ – Golf and Sports Turf Management at Sparsholt College, Hampshire.
http://www.iog.org/training-horse.asp – Horse Racing course at the Institute of Groundmanship
http://www.sportsturf.com.au/ – Sports Turf Consultants, Australia.

“Ascot is so exclusive that it is the only racecourse in the world where the horses own the people.” – Art Buchwald

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