At Russells we believe that riding should be fun for children as well as teaching them the skills of riding and horse care.
We run ‘Own a Pony’ Days when children can experience what it is like to have their own pony, whilst improving their riding and stable management skills as well as meeting other children who are pony mad!
Sessions run 10am-3pm every Friday during school holidays.
We are a centre for the National Pony Club with weekly sessions on Saturday at 1pm (Juniors) and 2pm (Seniors). We also run annual Pony Club camps in the summer when children can enjoy a whole week of training and working with the ponies. On the last night there is an opportunity to camp on-site.
Riding should be seen as an accomplishment not just an activity. Riding horses that just follow other horses is passive riding and can be the cause of accidents. Children who learn correctly will know the joy communicating with a horse – not just making it do stuff (which can become abusive if a child is frustrated!) If horses are working to a pattern they have done hundreds of times the rider will struggle to know if they are giving the correct signals or not. When they try to ride outside the school the result can be a disaster. We aim for our riders to develop the skills to cope in any situation.
At Russells we have a wide range of activities, including::
Horses and Ponies on loan – see www.theeponatrust.com
Pony Parties– £30 per pony (minimum 5 ponies) per hour. £35 per pony with rosettes.
Pony experience sessions – riding and grooming taster for individuals, school groups, Guides etc. (please phone to enquire)
Own a Pony days (Fri of school holidays) – £50 per day
*There are many training opportunities available for adults too (see our Facebook page), as well as the chance to take ABRS+ weekly riders tests and ABRS+ exams.
Correct tuition is a gateway to all the different disciplines of riding – Dressage, Show jumping, Eventing etc. It is also the safest way of riding horses. The principles we teach are not new – they have been known for over 2000 years, but we make it modern and fun!