Three years ago a fairy godmother in the unlikely shape of Pete McCormack threw us a lifeline as we were on the point of eviction from Teddington, by offering the use of his wonderful stables at Manor Farm. This meant we could continue our work whilst eventually securing and then renovating Teddington, but last week we ran our last Petersham session.

Now the hard, tiring and messy business of packing up and preparing to return home is well underway. We’d like to say a huge thank you to members of the Savills team who have once again turned out in force to help out, just when we needed it most, making the gargantuan task feel it might just be possible. Most of our horses are on their summer break in the fields, and technically so are we – though we’re very happy to be spending it getting ready to move! As ever, our regular team of staff and volunteers have been amazing. We couldn’t do any of this without you all!

Signs of progress are appearing in Teddington

Two significant things happened last month. Firstly, the London Borough of Richmond have been adding ‘caution, horses’ signs to street furniture along the routes we take from the Stables in Park Lane. And secondly, our carriage-driving licence has come through, so Sam and our fabulous carriage are once more authorised to drive in beautiful Bushy Park.

We still need our riding permits to arrive before we can resume sessions out of Teddington in September, but in the meantime we have plenty to keep us busy. This has included a look at our annual review, although just reading the stats makes us feel tired. How did we manage to do so much in just a year? We’ve come so far since our early days when almost nobody beyond south west London had heard of Park Lane Stables.

 Here are a few of the highlights from 2023-2024

• For the second year running, we welcomed over 1,000 participants, with the numbers becoming regular visitors increasing.

• 59% of those were new to RDA this year. That’s 590 new people we’ve been able to help.

• We ran an unbelievable 6,978 sessions in 2023-24, an increase of 15% on the previous year. How is that even possible, especially when we were closed for 50 days (most due to Easter, August and Christmas)?

• Our busiest single month was May 2024, with 716 sessions.

• Following a successful equine therapy pilot project last year, we secured a funding grant to establish regular therapy sessions for referrals and identified participants alongside a fully qualified counsellor. With dedicated therapy space in Teddington this will definitely grow, and we already have a team of three in place. Watch out for an article about this later in 2024.

• The number of school visits continues to grow, from one school when we were in Teddington, to six this year.

• We continue to fund visits for charity and community groups, and to take our ponies to care homes, hospitals and even to private homes.

Can we continue to do all of this after we return to Teddington?

The honest answer to this is no, as the capacity is less. We are committed to providing sessions for those that need us most, and to carriage driving and equine therapy which are not widely available and affordable.

Working out the logistics for the autumn is another project for the summer, and we will share details once we have them.

Follow our socials and keep reading Pony Express for moving back dates, and about activities resuming in Teddington.

The support of Savills estate agents, both in fundraising and extra pairs of hands when we most need it, has been fantastic. Director Laura Lane says: ‘We are so proud to be a part of Park Lane Stables’. Find out why in Park Lane Stables is being supported by Savills