Five year old Frodo truly was the ‘Lord of the Ring’ when he competed at the Ellen Valley Riding Club Showing Show at Newton Rigg on Sunday 23rd September.
As a resident at Oak Tree Animals’ Charity he really proved how fantastic rescue ponies are, being made Reserve Champion of the rescue horses and a 3rd and 5th place. Frodo didn’t only achieve physical awards but also made a huge leap in his education proving he is a quick learner and can adapt to new situations quickly, a fabulous trait to add to his already amazing personality!
The show at Newton Rigg was hosted by Ellen Valley Riding Club, raising money for Oak Tree Animals’ Charity and was attended by horse owners throughout the county. For the Oak Tree equine team it was a chance to introduce Frodo to a new environment and provide an opportunity to prove how rescue ponies have a lot to offer our equine community.
Amy Brennan, equine carer at Oak Tree said “Frodo enjoyed looking at himself in the mirror for the first time, and he took the opportunity to check his grooms hadn’t missed a spot before his class! Little bothered him when in the show ring and he seemed to enjoy showing off his flowing mane and tail; he stood beautifully for the judge just like he has been practicing for the last few weeks. Often horses come in to Oak Tree through no fault of their own needing to find a loving new home, many of these have potential as companions, project and ridden ponies and it’s really great for us to be able to showcase how fabulous rescue ponies can be and the opportunities they can give to potential new owners.”
Rescue horses and ponies from Oak Tree have had a really successful season at shows throughout Cumbria with Shetlands Toby and Hoish Kato competing at Skelton and the Cumberland Show and Ardennes William showing off his wonderful paces at shows throughout the county, as well as being broken to drive this year.
Caroline Johnson, General Manager at Oak Tree said “We see more and more equines needing to find new homes as owner circumstances change and children outgrow ponies and move away. These wonderful horses and ponies have so much potential and our equine team staff and volunteers work tirelessly to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome these horses to allow them to flourish. We are currently crowdfunding with Donr to help us create more intake spaces for horses that desperately need our support and we would like to thank Ellen Valley Riding Club for organising the show at Newton Rigg to raise funds for Oak Tree.”
For further information about rehoming a cat, dog or horse from Oak Tree and to find out how you can donate to the intake stable fund or to learn about the Charity’s work please visit www.oaktreeanimals.org.uk or the Charity’s Facebook, Instagram or Twitter pages.