Grantham residents left 'gobsmacked' when lollipop ponies visit Royal Windsor Care Home

Care home residents were left “gobsmacked” when miniature horses came to visit them at their home.

The residents of the Royal Windsor Care Home, Harlaxton Road, were visited by two miniature ponies, Lollipop and Tinkerbell, from the Lollipop Pony Parties in Birmingham.

Jess Knowles, activities coordinator at the care home, organised for the ponies to come in and said it gave “the residents something to look forward to.”

She added: “We were trying to do something different for them [the residents].

“We have quite a few residents that love horses and it is the fact they can go into people's rooms where they can interact with them and feed them.

“It is therapeutic, a bit of fun and something different.”

“They [the residents] were quite gobsmacked when they were told they were coming in.”

Smiles were a common sight when the horses arrived and “this is something you never want to see go out of fashion”, said resident John Bartlett.

He added: “Just look at the smiles they [the horses] have put on people's faces. The horses are beautiful.”

Residents gathered in the lounge to greet and pet the horses and then Lollypop was taken around some of the residents' rooms.

Lollipop Pony Parties is a family run company which has owned horses for over 15 years. Alongside taking the ponies to care homes, they also hold pony parties where they are dressed up as either princesses or cowboys.

When visiting the care homes, residents “get a lot of pleasure out of it”, said Karen Glynn, owner of the business.

She added: “I think it’s really good for the residents, particularly the ones in their bedrooms because obviously they can’t do as much activities.”