Forest School were very excited this week to be visiting Oxleaze Stables in Filkins. As we drove up to the farm we were able to spot a number of cows and horses in the fields and identify wild flowers by their colour. Josh’s mummy met us as we drove in through the gate and she made us all some hot chocolate with mini-marshmallows!!
As Josh and Sian showed us around the stables all the children were really quiet and we were able to meet some of the occupants. Having heard a lot about Josh’s pony Teddy it was great to get to meet him at last. We then set off for a walk around the paddocks where we saw some very deep hoof prints and really deep tractor tracks left in soft mud. There were lots of horses in the paddocks, some of which came over to say hello to the children. Some of the horses were a little startled when Forest School children came towards their fence and kicked up their heels to canter away.
One of the highlights of our visit was watching Josh ride Teddy. He very proudly showed us how he and Teddy go over a series of trotting poles and over a jump! After lunch the children worked together to assemble an obstacle course using the trotting poles and stands.
All too soon it was time to return to the minibus and Pre-School. We had a fabulous visit, thank you so much to Sian for making us all so welcome.