About Random's Retreat
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We are a family run non-profit Community Interest Company set up to give the opportunity of meeting our herd and small animals and learning among them to those around us.
We have an amazing support network of friends and volunteers that allow us to open our gates and invite you in to join us. We have had ponies since 1997 and always invited friends and family to come and enjoy them with us. Our ponies have given riding and petting experiences to many adults and children who had never been near a pony before. With their quiet nature, loving personalities and good manners everyone who meets them falls in love. Many years ago a family friend said we should set up a petting farm or pony club. This idea was laughed away and we continued to love our pets as always. I never saw how they supported us, related to our moods and needs, gave us 100% more than we could give them, to us it was daily life enjoying our pets. 
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As my daughters grew into teenagers, they lost a little interest in their ponies meaning they were ridden less and I spent more time with them completing daily tasks, watching as they interacted as a herd. I began making positive changes to their lifestyle and within 6 months they were living an almost completely holistic lifestyle and showing how happy and healthy they were for it. I have always been interested in track-life, paddock paradise and holistic living. I had spent many years watching others establish this lifestyle for their horses, researching techniques & visiting other systems so I began implementing ours.
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This time also opened my eyes to how much of a positive impact our horses had on us as a family. As my daughters spent less time around the herd I saw a difference in their attitude, personality changes, more stressful, argumentative, even signs of anxieties.
Being around our herd helped us, I realised we could offer that to others. We were ready to evolve.
I began completing short courses in peer support, volunteered with Forest School Practitioners and spoke to others who wanted to join us.
Ian came along and helped me to plan a Young Rangers Group. Honor & Dean, who were good family friends of myself and our herd quickly joined us too. We completed our DBS checks, I registered as a CIC and took out our insurance, we compiled a health & safety policy, child protection policy, consent forms and membership pack and we asked friends and family if their children would like to come along and test our ideas.
In 2018 Random's Retreat was born.
Being around our herd helped us, I realised we could offer that to others. We were ready to evolve.
I began completing short courses in peer support, volunteered with Forest School Practitioners and spoke to others who wanted to join us.
Ian came along and helped me to plan a Young Rangers Group. Honor & Dean, who were good family friends of myself and our herd quickly joined us too. We completed our DBS checks, I registered as a CIC and took out our insurance, we compiled a health & safety policy, child protection policy, consent forms and membership pack and we asked friends and family if their children would like to come along and test our ideas.
In 2018 Random's Retreat was born.
We are developing a track hybrid system for our herd to live on all year round. We are planting hedges, sowing wildflower meadows, growing healthy grasses, herbs and flowers for self selection. We have built shelters and scraped the ground to prevent mud during bad weather... our system will continue to grow as we re-wild our land.