What I like about social media is the way you can make connections and learn about the amazing things that other people are doing out in the big wide world. I came across Cuddly Pony Party on Facebook via a childhood horsey friend, and I absolutely love the idea. and wanted to know more. So I contacted Karen Perry, an equine and canine therapist who started it all and asked her some questions. If only Cuddly Pony Parties existed when I was growing up!
Tell us about Cuddly Pony
Party - where did you get the idea, and how did you make the idea a reality?
We moved
to our dream property, an old brick 1950's house, not very inspiring in itself,
but the view from the bathroom window took our breath away; five acres and a
dreamy orchard. I knew Daisy had to grow up with ponies! She was 6 months old
when we moved in, my imagination went into overdrive, and Cuddly Pony Party was
born!! I've worked within the equine industry since 1982 as a groom, manager and instructor, and have run my own equine therapy business since 1995. Cuddly Pony Party is a family run business. My mum, chief assistant, is a retired primary school teacher and my dad, also a retired school teacher, is our photographer. And my 6 year old daughter Daisy helps care for the ponies at home and at the parties! We bring the ponies to children's parties, where they can groom, cuddle and fuss the ponies. They can brush their beautiful blonde manes and tails, and decorate them with sparkles and glitter and ribbons! Then they can each have a ride on their favourite pony, supervised at all times by experienced handlers. The birthday boy or girl will receive a birthday card and rosette from the ponies!
Did you encounter any
challenges?
Getting
insurance was the biggest challenge. Most insurance companies said, “Ponies? Children?
Parties? On your bike!” Thankfully, I persisted, and eventually found a company
who took the risk.
Also,
finding ponies who looked cuddly and adorable but had the right temperament.
Not all ponies love children......! Twinkle was first to arrive and was totally
well behaved when I tried her. Got her home and she trampled chickens and dogs
who dared venture into her field and bit Daisy! Luckily, we persevered, and now
she is THE most amazing pony and Daisy’s best friend! Bubbles we found in a
riding school near Peterborough. We liked him as he whinnied to everyone and
was used to kids and dogs all over him. He did come with bad riding school
habits, he has to stop for many toilet breaks, and he hates going away from the
other ponies, but he fits in really well here and adores being adored! He is
always the first to speak to me when I open the back door in the morning!
Can you tell us about the
ponies?
The tiny
guys, Nutkin and Scrumpy, have only been here 18 months. I bought them unseen
from their lovely breeder in Berkshire. They arrived on a racehorse wagon in
the dark and sleet two days after Christmas. We shuffled them into their
field, only to find they had escaped by the morning! Tango, our Belgian Shepherd, was delighted; he
seriously thought I had bought him a sheep for Christmas,(Scrumpy was
small, white and fluffy) and he herded them back into the field and has
stalked them ever since! It has taken them a while to grow into their role as
Cuddly Ponies, although Nutkin was always over friendly and sitting on our
laps! She was the first to enter the house and join us for breakfast! Scrumpy was
wild and scared for the first year, and I despaired of ever finding a role for
him, but he clicked this year and at Belton Horse Trials he met the public like
an old pro, kissing small girls and falling asleep whilst having his mane
plaited! We couldn’t do without him now, and yes, he has been in the house too.......!
Have you always been a pony
lover?
I have
always been pony mad from an early age. My parents are unhorsey and we lived in
a suburb of Nottingham, so having a pony was never an option. I couldn't even
have regular riding lessons until I was 12! To get through this pony-less
existence, I used to write madly, bashing away at on old typewriter, in a
totally different world! On paper I could be Lucinda or Henrietta, who lived in
the country with any number of horses and dogs around me. I must have written 8
or 10 "books" like this, but I hated people to read them; it was as
though they were prying into my private thoughts. I am lucky enough now to be
living my dreams for real!
Has social media helped
with your marketing?
Word of
mouth is always the best form of advertising but Facebook has been amazing. I
am a technophobe, so I have been slow to catch on! I try to update the ponies’
Facebook page once or twice a week and I know I have a lot of young Cuddly Pony
fans who regularly check out what the ponies are up to and where we are going
to be next. It’s a wonderful way to keep in touch and advertise what we are
doing. I also have a fantastic web site which one of my equine therapy clients
designed for me, with purple stars tumbling down the page. They magically turn
to snow in the winter months! I have yet to discover Twitter.......!
And when it comes to books,
who/what do you like to read?
I am an
avid reader, although I seriously struggle for time these days! Even now my
favourite books have an equestrian link somewhere! You can’t beat a good book
for decent escapism, and thankfully I never want to escape too far from horse
and pony chaos! All my life my favourite author has been KM Peyton, who wrote the fabulous Flambards trilogy. She was instrumental in my childhood escapism,
as some of her books about horseless children seemed to totally be made for me.
Even now, her books like Fly By Night
and The Team are brilliant reads.
I also
love Fiona Walker, author of great
big horsey and doggy romps, ideal for holidays! And I am hugely enjoying, for
the second time, working through the Stephanie
Plum series by Janet Evanovich, a
very funny crime writer. Laugh a minute and not a horse in sight, who would've
thought it?
Links for Cuddly Pony Party
Bio
I’m Karen
Perry, somewhere in my forties, equine and canine therapist by day, carazy pony
lady at weekends!! Live in a 1950's building site with 5 acres in the beautiful
Vale of Belvoir! Dependents - Daisy, my gorgeous 6 year old daughter, not only
the inspiration for the Cuddly Pony Venture, but also a huge part of it! She is
up at 6.30am with me to help work the ponies, she rides and shows Twinkle and
she is brilliant helping the children at parties! Also Tango, our faithful
Belgian Shepherd. Nearly 12 now but always our shadow, eager to help lunge
ponies, hoping one day we will buy him his own sheep......!
