A very horsey Halloween
CHARTWELL – On 1 November Chartwell streets filled up with ghouls, vampires and... horses as riders from the Chartwell Stables participated in their annual Halloween ride.
Chartwell was a little spookier than usual on 1 November when a number of young riders from Chartwell Stables participated in their annual Halloween ride.
A total of 21 child riders, who take lessons at the stables, celebrated the holiday by dressing up in Halloween costumes (such as vampires, princesses and bikers) and taking a ride around the area with their trick-or-treat bags at the ready. Parents and other family members were positioned at about six spots along the route in order to hand out sweets, biscuits and other treats as part of a horsey Halloween tradition.
“We’ve been hosting this event for about 15 or 20 years now,” said Kelly Pretorius, the manager for Chartwell Stables. “We had 21 children participate in the ride, which was free, on horses and ponies from the stables.
“Everyone loves the tradition, and I can understand why – most of our riders were little girls, and little girls love horses and dressing up! Horse riding is also a great way to spent time outdoors and is a great sport to learn balance and to build strength.”
The ride took place mostly in an open field in the Chartwell area and lasted about an hour, although it was cut a little bit shorter this year due to a lightning warning for the surrounding area. Pretorius led the ride and kept an eye on all the children to make sure they completed the route safely, along with the help of her assistant Rianke Slingerland. The stables are owned by Shirley Sadleir.
“My daughter was so excited about participating today. She’s been asking all week when we’ll be going trick-or-treating,” explained Ashley Pledger, whose six-year-old daughter Caitlyn has been taking lessons at Chartwell Stables for about a year now and is mad about riding. “Today’s ride is a combination of everything she loves – sweets, dressing up and ponies!”
Ashley and her niece Sarah Wood, who was visiting from the United Kingdom, were amongst the family members who helped distribute the sweets to riders as they passed by.
Chartwell Stables focuses on teaching children to ride and offers a free trial lesson to children, visit their website for more details.
Details: www.chartwellstables.co.za
