Pony party

For the last couple of years we've given parties at home for Louka's birthdays, but she really gets on best with just a couple of friends so it seemed like a good idea to give her something for her three best friends. Graham suggested, among other things, a pony party. Louka had really enjoyed her previous horse-riding experience (though it was a few years ago). So I web searched and rang around a few places. The difficulty was that while two of Louka's friends are already 7, one is only 5 (and small for her age). Generally under 7s just get short pony rides while older kids get a proper one-hour lesson. But the Shellby Equestrian Centre people said they were sure they could accommodate the 5-year-old (and were very nice to talk to into the bargain) so I booked the party with them.

It had been horribly windy and rainy the previous few days and I was concerned we'd have to postpone the party. (The Shellby people assured me they could do a great fun party undercover but I was a bit dubious.) But despite a band of light rain on the radar it stayed dry, if a bit windy, so the party went ahead as planned. The girls had an hour's riding lesson, progressing as far as walking over poles with no hands and a rising trot. They walked the horses back to the stables and fed them carrots (we provided the carrots as suggested). Then it was time to return to the party deck.

Graham had also suggested an ice-cream cake. I'd done most of the ice-cream making but he wanted to coat it in chocolate and for that he was on his own. It looked rugged, but it was good as some kids liked ice-cream and some preferred chocolate.

I'd prepared a short treasure hunt because I knew they wouldn't sit eating party food for a whole hour. It was over a bit quicker than I expected and I was slow in placing the treasure in its place (under the table where they'd started off) but they did enjoy it - so much that one girl requested another treasure hunt straight away. I put some smarties packets in the girls' discarded shoes and wrote a few clues. That was good enough for them.