Raven is forest bred and ran on the forest up until the time he joined our family in 2022, as an unbroken 4 year old. Raven was not really what we were looking for, being young and not ever having been ridden, however he turned out to be exactly what we needed! I broke him in with the help of a friend and as we have no facilities, it was just done in the field; we took our time and did it slowly over a few months and to be fair, he was very straightforward.
Our children both have additional needs…Jessica, who is almost 9, happens to have down syndrome and Ben, who is 7, has cerebral palsy, is non verbal and has autistic tendencies. From the very start both children bonded with Raven, he has an incredible temperament and seems to know to take extra care and be gentle around them.
In the 3 years we have had him they have done so much together, particularly Jessica. They have been to shows, taken part in fancy dress, got involved in local riding club children’s days and of course enjoyed everyday riding adventures or just time hanging out together in the field. Every weekend Jess asks to ride Raven and Ben often asks too, using his communication app by touching the ‘horse’ button. We have a lot of fun with Raven…blackberry picking in the autumn (of course Raven takes part in this!), practicing gymkhana games, trotting poles in the field or even just going for a walk to spot the local wildlife. Raven is such a level headed pony and just takes everything in his stride. He has helped Jessica to gain confidence in herself and the physical exercise of riding and helping with the jobs is brilliant for improving both our children’s core strength and mobility, something they both find challenging. The benefit of being around and riding is not to be underestimated and Raven is the absolute perfect pony friend for them.
A massive bonus recently, following me having to retire my riding horse, is that it turns out Raven is a perfect mother and children share! I have started riding Raven and the benefit of this is that I can expose him to more new situations whilst getting my riding fix!
The New Forest breed is so versatile and Raven is our one in a million pony!
Michelle Burgess
Matley Raven II G62/014 2018
(Sway Scrumpy Jack / Matley Sky by Limekiln Endeavour)
Forest bred by Mr L D Mansbridge
Owned by Michelle Burgess.
