Hi All,
As you all know Covid-19 has had massive effects on Diamond. Throughout this tough time, we have all had to pull together to try and keep Diamond going in the absence of our volunteers and riders.
When lockdown first happened, it was a very strange time for everyone. Due to furlough, there was a reduced number of us working with no one in the office. Times did not feel normal as the yard was quieter than it has ever been. One of the main things that kept us smiling was the arrival of a new four-legged orange creature called Chilli – our new yard dog who belongs to Maz! During this time, we found new hidden talents that bulked out our CV’s. Who knew we were so versatile that we could be cleaners, painters, gardeners, fence fixers, light changers, tree surgeons, farmers, treat givers and general busy bodies?
The horses all enjoyed a lovely break, out in the fields during the first few months of the pandemic. Some of our horses are still enjoying a longer break (which we think is well deserved?!!!). Some have gone rather feral, with wild hairdo’s, mud everywhere and knotty feathers. They however have all had lots of cuddles and treats from us. In June, we began to bring a few back into work, with the hope that things could get going again and fortunately for us they did. During the summer we started running a few volunteer lessons in the field which helped to school the horses ready for RDA to recommence.
At the end of August, we brought 9 horses’ home, and slowly welcomed people back to The Diamond Centre. This introduced a bit more normality back into our routine. The yard was not feeling quite the same as before, but the horses were back poking their noses over the doors.
During September, those RDA riders who could be, where invited back to ride with the new restrictions in place…. we think the horses had missed them as much as the riders had missed the horses, they all seemed very happy to be back.
After a very bizarre year its nice to see that a few things are very slowly returning and we hope to see everyone as soon as the things improve.
We hope you are all keeping safe and well and we would like to thank you all for your ongoing support and donations in these tough times. The horses would also like to thank you for all the treats that have been left at the main gates for them to be dished out to daily.
Lots of Love
All Diamond Staff x