It feels like just a few weeks ago that we were sitting down to write our review of 2024, and now here we are looking back at 2025! Christmas is just two weeks away; winter weather has already delivered a dusting of snow to Thorpe Farm and we’re more than happy to be tucked in the warm for a few minutes to write the blog. Here’s everything we’ve been up to this year and, of course, we couldn’t do any of it without you, our loyal customers and followers.
This summer saw three big additions to our offering – we launched the Thorpe Farm Racing Club and unveiled our self-drive luxury motorhome and horseboxes. With Tommy’s family background in racehorse training, the racing club was an exciting step for us, and we’re delighted to be sharing the journey with our members. The first horse – Jump the Sharky (or ‘Sharky’ at home) – ran at the Border Point-to-Point at Hexham a couple of weeks ago but sadly the ground really wasn’t to his liking. He runs again at Alnwick this month so keep your eyes peeled for how he gets on! Our racing club members can come along to watch, so if you fancy joining up and in, just get in touch.
We’re thrilled with how popular the horsebox and motorhome hire has been since we launched it in the summer, and love hearing about the adventures and achievements you’re racking up when you use them. We’re already taking bookings for 2026, so if you have a competition or clinic, you need transport for, get that date locked in now! And why not see what motorhome dates are free and use some of the Christmas holidays to plan some trips next year? If you’ve always dreamed of camping at your favourite three-day event and being able to enjoy every moment of the action, this could be your chance.
We’ve been booked with rehab and holiday livery horses and ponies throughout the year, and the 2026 diary is already filling up. If you’ve had the disappointment of your horse being injured and you’d like to support their recovery with a stay with us where they benefit from all the therapeutic tools we have, drop us a line. Or, if you’re planning a winter to spring fitness and schooling regime for your horse ready for next season but you’d also love to jet off for some R&R, drop us a line to ask about holiday livery. Our core service offerings, the gallops, water treadmill, salt therapy chamber and Thera Plate, have been busy all through the year, and we’re proud to see horses looking so well from their visits.
What does all that look like from our end? It means getting outside in all weathers to hop in the tractor and harrow the gallops every day. We’re also topping the cross-county field during growing season and monitoring the ground, especially on take-off and landing areas around the fences. The field was usable until the 4th of December this year, not bad at all and a great facility for those of you competing in arena eventing or wanting to bring on youngsters after the eventing season came to a close.
We’re very conscious of bio security with horses coming and going nearly every day to use our facilities, so you’ll find one of us out with Equine BioGenie nearly every day. We use it throughout the yard, including on the water treadmill, in boxes, on the walker, in the salt chamber and in our rental truck, to make sure every surface is clean and safe for the next horse to use it. There are also maintenance and deep cleaning chores for the water treadmill to make sure that it’s safe and ready for the next horse who visits (and that reminds us – please, please make sure legs and hooves are clean before you arrive, and check them again when you unbox!). Finally, we’ve been kept busy cycling through piles of rugs for our rug washing service!
In between all that hard work, training the Thorpe Farm Racing Club Horses, taking care of our daughter and the admin that comes with running a business, somehow, Amy found time to get back in the ring showjumping! This superstar qualified for and competed at the British Showjumping National Championships – well done, Amy!
And that’s our year recapped in just over 800 words… Thank you for taking the time to read our final blog of the year and a big thank you to everyone who has supported us in 2025. We all wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy and healthy new year!