Seaford College had a very special visitor to the Prep School a few weeks ago. A miniature donkey called Mr Kipling from Pony Pals Therapy Ponies came to see the children from years 2-5 for a reading hour. He also bought his friend Morris the guinea pig with him.
The children were split into small groups and sat in a circle taking it in turns to read a donkey story to Mr Kipling. Their reward was a cuddle with the donkey and the chance to lead him round the Hall. Mr Kipling, who wore special trainers so that he didn’t slip on shiny floors, and is house trained, was extremely well behaved and seemed to very much enjoy the stories and attention.
There was a special request by the Prep School’s Deputy Head, Julian Hart, to see the donkey, so Mr Kipling also joined the Geography A Level class for a short time too.
It was good to see the children reading out loud to the donkey and even the most reticent pupils were soon eager to have a go. As one of the seniors who was passing through the Prep School said, “If this doesn’t get them reading nothing will!”
At the end of the session Mr Kipling was presented with a large bucket of carrots and apples to share with Morris and his miniature Shetland pony friends back at his stables.
