Local Star Lucas Set is Muse of Charity Sculpture Trail
Charity, World Horse Welfare, which helps horses both in the UK and across the globe is this year launching a series of horse sculpture trails around the country and local rescue horse, Lucas, is the inspiration behind the trail!
World Horse Welfare Lucas was rescued by the charity as a yearling from a freezing field in January 2013, where he was living with his mother – both of whom were fighting to survive the harsh winter weather. Lucas was nursed back to health and was soon ready to find a new home as a youngster with a bright future ahead of him.
Colleen Macrae wanted to take on a youngster and knew about World Horse Welfare as she’d fundraised for the charity in the past. She said:
“To be honest, it was love at first sight! I was searching for a horse that would be a general allrounder and happy to compete across various disciplines. In order to do that, I wanted a youngster who seemed bright, curious and willing to learn. When I first went to visit Lucas at Hall Farm, we walked a little around the field together, getting to know one another. He was completely obsessed with my gloves, so I took one off and threw it about 20 metres away from me. Much to my surprise, he went trotting off to go and fetch it, and we repeated it several times as if he was a Labrador! After that, I knew he would fit into our family perfectly!
“Lucas’ real enthusiasm lies with his jumping! He’s a very confident ride both Showjumping and Cross Country, with an impressive amount of scope for such a little horse! I’ve always loved Showing and Dressage, so Eventing and Working Hunter has become our middle ground. Lucas and I take part in everything; he’s been very successful in the working hunter ring, always jumping fabulous clear rounds!”
Lucas was live sculpted for the horse trail by acclaimed sculptor, Judy Boyt (who crafted the famous Badminton Horse Trials trophy) in late 2018 and his 11hh sculpture has now been used to create the mould for production of the 40 fibreglass horse trail sculptures.
The 40 horses will be a combination of 11hh sculptures and miniature maquettes standing at around 35cm high, with each one designed and painted by a leading artist, equestrian personality or celebrity.
The World Horse Trail will be on display across the town of Windsor in April before moving on to the King’s Road in Chelsea, London. There will also be a travelling trail which will begin its journey at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in May where World Horse Welfare is Charity of the Year and where Lucas will also be competing.
There will also be a miniature trail on display at World Horse Welfare’s Belwade Farm near Aboyne, Aberdeenshire and visitors can see this throughout the Summer months.
Find out more at: www.worldhorsewelfare.org/world-horse-trail
Watch Colleen and Lucas promo film here at Lindores Equestrian in March 2019 on social media:
Lindores Equestrian in Fife, Scotland has been awarded Equestrian Business of the Year 2019 at the horsescotland National Equestrian Awards 2019. The family run business, which marks its 30th anniversary this year, is steadfast in customer care, collaboration and re-investment.
Grant Turnbull, Chair of charity horsescotland said “Lindores Equestrian has supported not only the equestrian community but also Scottish tourism. They have listened to demands and needs and continually develop the business in response. Their focus on customer care is exemplary.”
What makes Lindores unique is that it has evolved by listening to customer feedback and it has kept the same friendly and welcoming family values throughout its 30-year life. Lindores Equestrian has grown and invested on what the domestic equestrian market and the international tourism market demand.
Frances Black who established the business in 1989 was the first person to set up a cross country training course in Central Scotland. Frances built up a strong Scottish customer base and recruited top trainers like Ian Stark OBE to coach local riders.
Now, the business is managed by Anna Black and offers customers all year training and horse holiday experiences for all budgets and standard of horse and rider.
Anna Black said ‘we’re so delighted and honoured that Lindores Equestrian has been recognised by the industry. We put our heart and soul into the business, always innovating and pushing to do better. We cried with delight when the award was announced!’
The business now collaborates with a large number of riding clubs, charities, and qualified instructors to provide safe and friendly kid and adult training camps or day experiences.
Lindores Equestrian has also collaborated with Wilder Ways Adventures to offer people who can ride but don’t have a horse a sporting experience. Riders can book to trek, show jump in the new Olympic sized arena or even experience the jumps in the famous cross country course which is the size of 80 football pitches and has 125 horse jumps. This collaboration has now attracted international guests fly to Scotland and experience Fife.
The appeal of Lindores was only heightened when in January 2019 the business released a clip of world famous mountain biker Danny MacAskill racing top British event rider Louisa Milne Home. The fun and entertaining bike v’s horse video was watched online worldwide and again put Lindores firmly on the map as a place to stay, ride and relax.
Lindores Design A Fence Competition Winner’s design is more than a fence!
What an achievement to everyone involved!
When Lindores Equestrian opened up entries to their 2018 Design a Fence Competition never in their wildest dreams did they expect the winning entry to be as wonderful as it is!
Riders of all ages and artistic abilities were welcomed to enter into the 2018 competition but Scottish rider Dorothy Drury’s Wobbleberries Challenge inspired fence was a clear winner for the judges.
Dorothy Drury’s winning entry was supplied in 2D and 3D designs and inspired by Wobbleberries Challenge…
The standard of fence design entries were impressive but the judges felt that this Wobbleberry design had the edge over the other great entries because it had great profile, colour palette and the judges really related to the charitable theme.
Lindores Equestrian is a popular venue for Wobbleberry Challenge riders training or attending residential camps and the team felt the Wobbleberries fence would bring a smile to riders faces and continue to encourage them to keep training and fundraising.
Primarily, the Wobbleberry challenge is a fund raising initiative for horse riders to raise money for Hannah’s Willberry Wonder Pony Charity. The “Wobbleberry Challenge” was set up because the founders were inspired by the young event rider Hannah Francis who sadly lost her battle against a rare form of bone cancer called osteosarcoma. Hannah was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 17years and demonstrated extraordinary courage and dignity while enduring painful and debilitating treatment. Hannah’s sheer determination defied all medical opinion as she continued to ride right up until her tragically early passing at only 18years of age. The founders of the Wobbleberry Challenge wanted to raise money for Hannah’s fantastic charity, where every penny will fulfil two principal objectives – to fund research into osteosarcoma and to provide equestrian experiences (“Willberry’s Wishes”) to seriously ill people.
The Challenge has run for a year so far, raising over £269,000, with over 1,200 people initially signing up. This is not about a few people raising vast sums of money – it’s about what a group of normal people can achieve when working together. There is no competitive element – it is all about supporting each other. Lots of new friendships have been made because of the Challenge and people have done things they never imagined they were capable of. There are no failures – people celebrate every step on the journey.
People who take part in the personal challenge aim at completing a BE80(T) event, having never completed one previously with their equine partner. This has proven to be an effective balance between a proper challenge and one that is achievable by ordinary people, riding ordinary horses. It has encouraged fantastic feats of fundraising and sponsorship and created a real sense of achievement when completing.
BE Course Builder David Wilson… Genius!
British Eventing Course Builder David Wilson regularly course checks and builds fences at Lindores Equestrian and his talents and attention to detail have prevailed again! David Wilson spent over 5 days carving Willberry, building and painting the Wobbleberry fence. Willberry the enormous wooden ‘pony’ is utterly adorable! He is carved from one piece of a tree, he alone weighs 1 tonne and is an uncanny resemblance to Hannah’s Willberry pony. The fence profile is as per Dorothy’s entry vision with a 70cm and a 90cm fence height which can be jumped from both directions. The fence colours, stars, scarf are all painted to absolute perfection and the hashtag is a reminder that Lindores Equestrian is right behind #kickingcancersbutt
Dorothy Drury the entry winner said ‘I really like drawing and as a rider myself I just wanted to design a fence that offered lots of different options to train over’. Lindores Equestrian are delighted to add this latest fence to the existing 125 cross country fences available to train over 7 days a week.
Lindores Equestrian is ideal for riders and horses or all abilities wanting to practice cross country, dressage or showjumping for an hour or as part of a camp experience. With 30 stables, 3 luxury holiday houses, campsite with showers, Bothy, 2 grass show jumping paddocks, brand new 60m x 40m outdoor arena, hacking and stunning countryside views. Lindores Equestrian is hugely popular and always welcoming new riders, instructors and clubs to train, host events, clinics and camps.
We want to see you jumping this new Wobbleberries fence so please tag all of us in all your photos! We’ll give you updates from us on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
For the first time ever, award winning hosts Wilder Ways are joining forces with Lindores Equestrian for a totally immersive week of horse riding, adventure, history, countryside, hot tub, cocktails, laughter and luxury accommodation.
This is your chance to try a blend of trail- riding Wilder Ways style with riding the Lindores fabulous and very accessible cross-country course and show-jumping arena. Enjoy treating one of the adorable Wilder Ways horses as your very own all week and bond over a range of activities and natural horsemanship games.
Wilder Ways horses are extremely safe and experienced. Nikki and Cara who run Wilder Ways have a herd who are extremely special and well looked after and have safely served as faithful companions for many guests experiencing their own trail- riding experience. If you want to find out more about the horses in the herd then please visit the Wilder Ways and get in touch with Cara and Nikki your friendly hosts!
Lindores is set in the hills near the beautiful Tay valley and during six days of horse riding we’ll explore along the River and surrounding hills. This is a beautiful open landscape with sweeping views, tracks and open fields. As well as being steeped in all things horse for the week, we’d also like to spoil you in one of Lindores fabulous new Lodges complete with private hot-tub and stunning views. The week includes 7 nights’ accommodation and full board, plus an afternoon visit to Lindores Abbey Distillery where William Wallace rested after battle – the visit including a distillery tour and cocktails.
This horse riding holiday experience is for horse riders of varied abilities who want to immerse themselves in the Wilder Ways way of life for a whole week. Utilising the fantastic equestrian facilities on offer at Lindores, exploring this wonderful landscape and its cultural delights and enjoying the company of a new equine companion, whilst indulging in a little luxury in the evenings with like-minded folk.
For a fusion of fantastic facilities and experienced steeds. Join us! This week is limited to six places so book now to avoid disappointment.
Package: £1,950 pp including 7 nights at Lindores Luxury Lodge, full board, horse hire for the week, the use of all facilities plus a tour of Lindores Abbey Distillery. This adventure is also available for riders wanting to bring their own horse.
The week runs Monday Sept 24th – Monday Oct 1st 2018
At Lindores we offer a range of holidays with your horse to suit all budgets, with prices starting from £30 per night.
Why come to Lindores?
Everyone loves spending time with their horse / family / friends, so why not bring them all with you to Lindores? We are situated just outside Newburgh in the stunning Fife Countryside and offer the ideal retreat for you and your four legged friend(s). There is plenty of hacking / walking around the farm with stunning scenery, we have a large enclosed grass paddock for riding in (complete with a course of show jumps), 30 stables, sand-school, a tack room and an awesome cross country course with fences ranging from 30cm – 1m+.
There are a number of local instructors who visit Lindores, who would be happy to help should you want to fit ina lesson during your stay, we recommend you book direct and have a list of local instructors atwww.lindoresxc.co.uk/instructors/.
In addition Howe Country Centre hosts has a full competition and training schedule and is a short (12 minute) drive away. For those who wish to travel slightly further afield then over five miles of sandy beach awaits you at St Andrews West Sands and Tentsmuir Forest. And for when you are off your horse there are a huge number of local places of interest to help you relax and enjoy the area.
Only a short drive away you could experience the brand new Lindores Abbey Distillery with bar and café or visit Perth, St Andrews, Falkland and much more. For ideas on things to do visit https://www.lindores.co.uk/relax/
Our friendly family farm offers the ideal place to come and have fun with your ponies or horses and we are also dog friendly too. Horse holiday stabling costs start from £20 per night and you can choose to buy hay, straw, shavings whatever suits your horse and makes them feel at home.
Hacking around the farm is welcomed and riders can make use of the cross country course, sand school and grass show jumping paddock which are available to hire from £20 per horse for an hour. Body protectors must be worn when on the cross country course and you must be accompanied by someone on foot or horseback for safety. We take safety seriously which is why our facilities are
Accommodation
There are a number of accommodation options available:
1. Luxury homes to accommodate all party sizes only a short distance from the stables and boasting stunning views, en-suites, comfy beds and private hot tubs to really help you unwind. Lindores Lodge – a self-catering luxury lodge which sleeps 6+2. In addition we also have ‘The Arches’ a luxury couples retreat, and new for 2018 ‘The Glasshouse’ which sleeps 4+2. Book online www.lindores.co.uk.
2. Pitch your tent – We have a grass campsite to cater for a small number of tents, with toilet, shower and catering facilities onsite. Campers are welcome to use the Bothy which is a converted barn shed with wood burner, small kitchen and fridge. Pitch price is £10/night for 2 people and £5 per person thereafter
3. Bring your caravan or horsebox – We have hard standing for caravan and horseboxes and also have electric hook up points. You are of course welcome to use the shower and Bothy. Lorry parking from £10 per night for 2 people and £5 per person thereafter.
4. Local B&B’s – there are a number of B&B’s available locally Please book these directly, for more information google accommodation near Newburgh.
Booking
Please contact Lindores direct to check availability for stables / tent pitches / horsebox pitches and for customers wishing to stay in the luxury accommodation its worth checking availability online at https://www.lindores.co.uk/stay/ .
Booking early avoids disappointment but we will do our best to accommodate. We look forward to seeing you soon!
British Eventing Course Builder David Wilson regularly course checks and builds fences at Lindores Equestrian and his talents and attention to detail have prevailed again! 
Our friendly family farm offers the ideal place to come and have fun with your ponies or horses and we are also dog friendly too. Horse holiday stabling costs start from £20 per night and you can choose to buy hay, straw, shavings whatever suits your horse and makes them feel at home.
which sleeps 6+2. In addition we also have ‘The Arches’ a luxury couples retreat, and new for 2018 ‘The Glasshouse’ which sleeps 4+2. Book online 
2. Pitch your tent – We have a grass campsite to cater for a small number of tents, with toilet, shower and catering facilities onsite. Campers are welcome to use the Bothy which is a converted barn shed with wood burner, small kitchen and fridge. Pitch price is £10/night for 2 people and £5 per person thereafter