School holidays, ages six to fourteen: a day of riding, grooming and stable management, 9:30 to 3:30, £85
Pony days and holiday camps
In the school holidays: pony days from 9:30am to 3:30pm for riders from six to fourteen, with a riding lesson, a hack or a games session, grooming, feeding and mucking out, and a quiz on the bench at lunch. £85 a day or £375 for a five-day camp week.
A pony day is what a lot of us wanted at ten: a whole day at the yard, a pony of your own until half past three, and coming home smelling of horse.
Pony days run every weekday of the school holidays except Mondays and bank holidays, for up to eight riders aged six to fourteen who can walk and trot on their own. Each rider is given a pony for the day in the morning, and the day goes: catch, groom and tack up; a riding lesson in the arena; lunch on the bench by the barn; a hack round the farm or a games session (bending, sack races, the egg and spoon); then untack, wash down, turn out and the end-of-day quiz.
Five days in a row become a camp week, and the week builds to a small show on the Friday afternoon with rosettes, a clear round jumping class and a best-turned-out pony. Parents are invited at 2:30 to watch. Riders on a camp week also work towards the Pony Club stable management badges, which our instructors can sign off.
Two instructors and a helper are with the riders all day. Bring a packed lunch, a water bottle, sun cream or waterproofs, and clothes that can get dirty. Body protectors are provided for every rider under fourteen and worn for every ridden session.
What is included
- 9:30am to 3:30pm, ages six to fourteen
- Eight riders, two instructors and a helper
- A pony of their own for the day
- A lesson, a hack or games, and stable management
- A Friday show with rosettes on camp weeks
- Pony Club badges signed off by our instructors
What it costs
£85 a day, 9:30am to 3:30pm, lunch brought from home. £375 for five days in a row. Siblings £10 off a day. The lesson finder suggests the right lesson from the rider's age and ability and shows the next day with a place; the livery page shows the stables free now.
Questions about pony days and camps
Can a complete beginner come?
Pony days need riders who walk and trot on their own, because the hack and the games are in a group. A beginner can book a lead-rein morning (9:30 to 12:30, £50) in the same holidays instead.
What happens if it rains?
We ride in the covered school, and the stable management happens in the barn. Only lightning stops riding, and then there is a quiz and a lot of tack cleaning.
Can they come for one day?
Yes, at £85. Most children book one to try and then come back for a week.
Find the lesson, then book the first one.
Tell us the rider's age and what they can do now and we suggest the lesson and the next day with a place. Every new rider starts with a private lesson so we can choose the right horse. Or ring Sian in the office.