Simon is a leading show rider who has won numerous championships at top level. He has won at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) on several occasions and took the supreme with Hallmark IX in 2013. He has also won the supreme at Great Yorkshire twice.

As a producer I take it upon myself to get to know each horse I have inside and out. As good as your staff may be, it’s your responsibility as a trainer and rider to get to know each horse.

Once, this was put to the test when my dad and sister had gone to the sales and left instructions for my brother Crock and I to work the horses. The instructions then said to ride “the grey horse”. Now, there were two grey horses and unfortunately for us we didn’t pick the right one.

The Wachau Wachau Cultural Landscape is an Austrian World Heritage Site location along the Danube River approximately between the towns of Krems and Melk. It is one of the most popular world heritage sites in the country attracting thousands of riverboat passengers each year, as well as visitors from the nearby capitals of Vienna, Bratislava, …

Read moreVisiting the Wachau Cultural Landscape, Austria

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It’s been a really crazy week, hasn’t it? All we can do is pray that this is over sooner rather than later and ask God to help us through the mess that is happening at the moment. Life as we knew it has come to a halt and we must endure and persevere. Hang in there with me as we all navigate this path. 

Today on Home Style Saturday, there’s a lot of different inspiration for you from home tours, to spring ideas and more, so hope you enjoy this little bit of happiness from my friends and I! 

The post Home Style Saturday 183 appeared first on Southern Hospitality.

Equine charities are among those to feel the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, as they are forced to close visitor centres and cancel events.

Charities have said while their main priorities are keeping staff safe and looking after the equines in their care, they do still rely on the public for donations.

Horse Trust chief executive Jeanette Allen told H&H the charity is having to plan for “numerous potentials scenarios” around the number of staff available.

“All those who normally mostly drive a desk are competent and trained to help with the horses, so everyone has their boots and hats on standby,” she said.

“Living on site means I can be called upon to help out at any time. There is of course also morale to consider when making any decisions affecting the way people are asked to work.”

Ms Allen said the charity’s site could be closed to the public for up to four months, meaning it will lose income from visitors attending the centre, tea room, barn venue and open days.

“Along with income from stands at cancelled shows like Royal Windsor, we are looking at a sizeable hole in our revenue,” she said.

“This is a significant concern and we will be asking our existing donors and the wider horse-loving public to consider helping us at this time.”

Ms Allen added on a positive note, if the charity’s team numbers are not too badly affected, they plan to undertake more training and give their equine residents more one-to-one time.

“We are also ensuring team training opportunities are available online should any of the team be required to isolate, but not be unwell,” she said.

“The truth is, we don’t really know what is coming so need to plan for lots of eventualities; schools being closed may well bring challenges for parents who work, plus some of us are also caring for older parents in isolation. If we struggle with numbers of staff, then planned admissions may have to be paused and we will have to take extra care of those perhaps carrying a heavier burden.”

Lynn Cutress, chief executive of Redwings Horse Sanctuary which has 1,500 equines in its care, said the charity had been doing its best to continue “as normal” but said all five visitor centres closed to the public from today (20 March).

“We had hoped to be able to keep our centres open on a very restricted basis to provide a free and safe space for families to enjoy fresh air during this difficult time, but the announcement to close schools has caused us to reconsider,” she said.

“With about a fifth of our staff being parents themselves, including some of our vets – and with vets and animal care workers not on the government’s key workers list – the existing pressures on our teams have now intensified. We need to ensure all those still able to work can concentrate on the care and welfare of our horses. Sadly, this does mean all events due to take place at our centres have been cancelled or postponed until further notice.”

Ms Cutress said the charity relies 100% on donations from the public.

“We have always been very prudent with our finances but with our visitor centres no longer open, this will naturally impact on the funds we can raise towards the care of our horses,” she said.

“While these are uncertain times, the one thing that does not change is our responsibility to our animals. Therefore, we are appealing for anyone who is able to consider making a donation, to ensure we have the additional funds we may need over the coming months.”

Ms Cutress added the charity’s welfare telephone line remains open for anyone wishing to report concerns.

“Our field officers will continue to investigate those reports where possible. We will also endeavour to continue with our rehoming scheme, subject to considerations over social distancing,” she said.

A spokesman for The Donkey Sanctuary said its five visitor centres are closed to the public.

“The safety of our visitors, staff and donkeys is paramount and is an overriding factor in our decision-making,” he said.

“We have comprehensive contingency plans in place which ensure that our resident donkeys are not affected by this closure, and they will continue to receive the highest level of care by our dedicated grooms who will continue to work as normal.”

Continued below…

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H&H has put together a Q&A to help with some of the questions those living and working in the equestrian

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The Gloucestershire five-star has become the lastest high-profile horseworld casualty, with the five-star and Science Supplements Cup cancelled

Sue Burton, founder of Essex-based Remus Horse Sanctuary, said the charity is in a very “worrying” position financially after having to cancel fundraising events.

“Remus still has animals at the sanctuary to feed and care for. The staff are hoping that its suppliers can still supply the quantities of feed, hay and straw required,” she said.

“I know times are hard for everyone at the moment but if you can do something to help us during the coming months, we really would appreciate it. With your help and support, we will get through this and come out the other side.”

Tucson is a lot more than a warm place to visit in the winter. Its location in southern Arizona in the Sonora desert makes it the best spot in the United States to learn about several aspects of science, history, technology, and culture. Tucson is a lot more than a warm place to visit in …

Read more5 Educational Day Trips From Tucson, Arizona

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The Major Mining Sites of Wallonia is a UNESCO World Heritage Site established in 2012 which preserves the heritage of coal mining and early industrialization in Wallonia. The site consists of four different properties: Grand-Hornu, Bois-du-Luc, Bois du Cazier, and the Blegny-Mine. It is one of 12 world heritage sites in Belgium, and also on the European …

Read moreVisiting the Major Mining Sites of Wallonia

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This is a repeat from a Feature Friday from 2014, but since we can’t go to the beach right , I thought you’d enjoy this virtual cottage style beach house at Tybee Island that I visited back then with some blog friends. Enjoy the tour again and let’s all pretend we’re at the beach right now! 

The post Whitecaps Cottage on Tybee Island appeared first on Southern Hospitality.

The Pont-du-Gard is the remains of a Roman aqueduct that delivered water over 30km to the Roman colony of Nemausus, what is today called the modern city of Nimes. It also holds the distinction of being the highest surviving Roman aqueduct in the world. Overview The aqueduct was used as a bridge across the river …

Read moreVisiting Pont-du-Gard, France

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This week Jen Leo, Spud Hilton, Chris Christensen and I talk about the Coronavirus Covid-19 and its impact on life, travel, and the travel industry. This Week’s News: Impact of coronavirus on the travel industry Coronavirus and the travel industry CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Could Royal Caribbean Stock Double After Coronavirus? COVID-19 …

Read moreThis Week in Travel – Episode 261

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Posted: 03/18/20 | March 18th, 2020

Since mid-February, Coronavirus has spread uncontrollably around the world. Many countries are on complete lockdown. People are quarantined in their homes. We have an unprecedented shutdown of human movement around the world.

This is a “Black Swan” event, an unpredictable turn of events that will undoubtedly change the world. It’s going to leave a mark on society and reshape how we interact, work, and conduct ourselves (maybe people will finally start washing their hands more).

One of the (many) direct consequences of this rapid spread to Pandemic levels is that it has shut down the entire travel industry, an industry that relies specifically on the movement of people to exist.

Right now, no one should travel. We need to flatten the curve, reduce the transmission of this disease, and ensure we do not overwhelm our healthcare systems.

No country can afford to repeat Italy’s experience. We must all do our part, no matter how hard it is.

The world will be waiting for us when this is all over.

But, like everyone else in travel, we have been hit really bad. The team and I become increasingly worried as the days go by and our traffic and revenue fall to zero.

These are dark times.

And we have you.

And want to turn to you, our beloved community, especially as a number of you have asked how you can support the site during this time of uncertainty.

Today, we have a way:

We are launching a Patreon!

A Patreon is a members-only subscription service where you’ll get exclusive perks like Q&As, signed books, access to all our events, calls with me, postcards, calls with the team, and even private Instagram postings and blog posts. You’ll get behind the scenes access and content exclusive to you.

We have a variety of monthly subscriptions at varying price points ranging from $1 to $100 USD per month that will get you behind the scene’s access, all our guides, exclusive Q&A’s, one-on-one planning calls, free tickets to events, all our guides, signed books, postcards from my trips, and a lot more stuff!

Just go to our new Patreon page, pick your subscription level, and you’re in!

We’ll start sending messages and arranging everything this week. (And, yes, we’ll keep this going even after the crisis has subsided.)

Situations like this make you look at things differently. We were already moving towards a more community-centric model with our events. The Coronavirus is just expediting that process and this new membership program is the next phase of that.

These are really hard times in the travel industry. This are really hard times for us.

But we have you – and that’s what matters. The team and I really appreciate anything you can do to help us ride out the storm. We’re going keep trucking on and creating content that you can use for when we can travel again.

Thank you so much for everything and for helping us get through this weird period of time!

– Nomadic Matt

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