Lessons at Bulby
Riders of all abilities and ages are welcome at Bulby. Lessons run during the week and at weekends from morning through to the evening. Group lessons (30, 45 or 60 minutes) or private lessons (30 or 45 minutes) are available. If you are new to riding we suggest you book a 30 minute private lesson with hat hire.
When children are learning to ride, parents are required to lead their child's pony unless we have Saddle Clubbers age 13 yrs+ available to help. Support and guidance will be given to parents.
Booking online allows clients to choose their preferred type of lesson, check the calendar for availability and select and pay for their ride.
If you cannot find something that suits, please do message or call the yard to speak to a member of the team.
Care and Ride
This is a 30 or 45 minute session with a mixture of riding and horse care. Spend the first part grooming and tacking up your allocated pony before mounting to enjoy a ride in the arena.
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Parents of children who are on the lead rein who want to share in the learning experience may join the training on the yard and assist in the arena.
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This is a great chance for parents to gain confidence handling and leading ponies and to spend quality time with their children. It will make it possible when parents have the skill to lead their child's pony for them to join in with group lessons.
Saddle Club
Children age 10 yrs+ can spend half or whole days at Bulby helping out on the yard, learning practical skills, making friends and spending time with the Bulby horses and ponies.
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Check out the Saddle Club Page for more information.
Chrysallis Club
Children age 8 yrs+ are able to have closely supervised time on the yard from 1-3pm on Saturdays learning all about horse and pony care and gaining practical yard skills.
This is perfect preparation for joining Saddle Club and is aimed at those who attend week day Pony Club Badge Nights or older children new to horses who want to learn about practical horse and pony care and management.
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Check out the Saddle Club Page for more information.
Pony Club Badge Nights
Children age 5 yrs+ can join Pony Club Badge Nights on Monday, Wednesday or Thursday evenings on the yard and/or in our classroom for a six week block during each of the six school half terms.
Sessions are 90 minutes long and children work towards earning Pony Club Badges which cover a wide range of horse and pony care and management skills.
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Check out the Pony Club Page for more information.
Pony Days
Pony Days take place during school holidays and are a great way for children to have fun riding, helping to take care of the ponies and bonding with other children who have a passion for horses.
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Sessions are typically 2 or 3 hrs long depending upon the target age. Check out the What's On Page to find out when our next Pony Day is taking place.
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BHS Training
Led by BHS Stage 5 Coach, top FEI dressage judge and 2018 Pony Club Coach of the year Linda Pearce and our three other massively experienced BHS coaches, two who are Stage 4 Coaches Alex and Rachael, one who is BHS. Stage 3 coach Helen, and our home trained Stage 2 Coach Sarah we have, at Bulby. a strong team to deliver BHS training, helping staff and clients achieve regular successes.
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Veterinary students are welcome to train to aid veterinary school selection, enhancing experience and qualifications to stand them in good stead in their future careers. We have one veterinary student who has gained her BHS Stage 2 and her lunge test, having started as a volunteer and then progressing to become a member of staff before joining university.
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Contact us for bespoke private and group training.
Horse Owners'
Training
Those aspiring to own a horse are welcome to train at Bulby to prepare by theory and practical training in care and riding so that they are ready to take the next step. Established horse owners are also welcome for lessons on their own horses. These can be part of private tutorials or when there is demand as a group.
Taking part in Fieldfare Club, the adult version of Saddle Club allows hands on experience to build practical skill and confidence around horses and ponies and is a great way to augment training.
Adult Training
Popular with adults, our week day BHS training offered by Linda, Rachael and Helen offers stable management sessions and rider training, allowing clients to progress toward their Progressive Rider Tests and BHS qualifications.
Adult Hack
For those with a more relaxed approach and a desire to hack out we have a range of hack routes from 45 minutes to 2 hours on quiet roads and routes which stretch through woodland. To request a hack please send us a message via the contacts page.
For those who want to stop at our local hostelry, the Griffin Inn, we are happy to tailor the ride to include a break for drinks and a snack.
All hacks off the lead rein require new clients to have a short assessment in the arena for an additional fee of £15 per person.
Child Hack
Hacks for children range from 15 minute sit ons for ages 4 and under up to 2 hour hacks for competent riders who can walk, trot and canter independently (off the lead rein and without a runner). Lead rein hacks can be booked on line otherwise to request a hack please send us a message via the contacts page.
45 minute splash and backs to the ford and Badgers Wood hacks are a popular way to explore outside of the arena either on or off the lead rein.
All hacks off the lead rein require new clients to have a short assessment in the arena for an additional fee of £16 per person.
Disabled Riding
We have a range of disabled riders (both adult and children) who enjoy riding at Bulby. We do our best to make all clients welcome at the yard and tailor what we provide to meet their needs.
We have quiet country roads and acres of beautiful grassy farmland and woodland with a huge amount of wildlife to enjoy.
Please contact us to discuss your needs.
What to wear
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Riding hat - we have hats for hire. Hat hire can be booked online.
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Hats must meet BHS safety standards, see BHS link
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Vouchers for a 15% discount for hat purchases from Chandlers at Barnack and Belton are available. Please ask a member of staff for a voucher if you decide to purchase your own riding hat.
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Hair is to be tied back with band or scrunchie or rolled into a bun with a hair net.
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Foot wear - smooth soled shoes or boots with 1/4 " heel are required. Cleated soles are dangerous. Wellies and baggy boots are not good for control. Trainers risk the foot slipping forwards through the stirrup.In this situation we provide stirrups which have 'DAPS' to stop the foot slipping forward and through the stirrup. Riding boots, if we have the right size for the rider, can be borrowed from the yard free of charge.
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Close fitting trousers - preferably without an inside seam. Leggings/joggers are ok for beginners.
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Close fitting long sleeved tops - avoid baggy clothing and hoodies to reduce the risk of getting caught up on tack e.g. buckles.
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Jewellery - please avoid. If wearing rings, please wear gloves.
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Gloves - close fitting. Optional but for comfort, especially in cold weather.
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Waterproof clothing - we love our British weather but it is unpredictable!
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Please avoid wearing underwired bras - wires can cause severe injury.
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Body Protector - for jumping and hacking, we advise clients to wear a body protector. We are able to lend these to clients for jumpiing lessons or hacks. For examination assessments, clients need their own body protector which must meet current safety standards, see BHS link.
What to do when
you get to the yard
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Cars may be parked in the car park area, at the car owner's risk.
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Bring your registration form with you if it has not already been completed and sent back to us via the website contact page or via yardstaff@icloud.com but our preference is to have work or pdf document emailed back to us, Failing that please complete a form upon arrival.
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Arrive ten to fifteen minutes before your lesson to prepare for the lesson so that you are ready to mount five minutes before your lesson
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Attend the office area if you are hiring a hat to fit it. If boots or body protectors are to be borrowed attend in good time to avoid wasting lesson time on the pony.
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When ready stand near the mounting block are to wait for your mount.
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If no-one is attending to you please ring the bell which is located by the mounting block.
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If a parent or guardian is unable to stay for a child's lesson (defined as under eighteen) a member of staff must be notified and contact details confirmed.
Yard Rules
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Riders and their parents/guardians/supporters may not go onto the yard without specific permission of a member of staff. This is a bio-security and safey requirement.
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Children must have constant supervision from adults unless agreed with staff.
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Dogs must be kept on leads and under control at all times. Any dog mess should be cleaned up p and taken home.
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For health and safety reasons, it is recommended that clients have up to date tetanus immunisations.
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Do not feed tit bits to horses or ponies
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Parents/guardians/supporters are welcome to watch their child's lesson in arena, and viewing can be done using the bench on the north side of the arena or using the viewing box at the west end of the arena.
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Clients should avoid frightening horses.
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Do not walk around or inside the bank of the arena.
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Do not put up umbrellas near to arena to avoid spooking mounts and causing a fall.
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Do not use flash photography to take photographs.
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Do not take photographs of children who are not your own without permission from their parent or guardian.
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Riders should comply with any request made by an instructor, and spectators must respect the decision of staff members.
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Clients are not permitted in the stables except when supervised for Saddle Club, Feildfare Club and Owls Club
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Cars are parked at the owners' risk.
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With less than 72 hrs notice of cancellation lesson fees are forfeit and lessons will not be resheduled unless another client books the vacated slot.
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For lessons cancelled with more than 72 hrs notice rescheduling is free of charge but a refund request incurs a cancellation fee which is deducted from each of the refunds due..
Weights and Pony. Selection
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We are keen to that riders develop by riding horses and ponies which can carry the riders weight.
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We endeavour with the help of registration information and lesson feed back from instructors to select ponies which are suitable for the rider's skill level.
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Allocation of horses is focused around safety of the rider and the welfare of the horses.
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Riders are requested by staff to use the weighing scales at the yard which indicate which horses can comfortably carry them. The scales do not show the riders weight, they only show the range of horses which are eligible as mounts for the rider.
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Within the constraints of safety and welfare parameters and if pony/horse allocation patterns allow, clients can request a specific horse or pony for an additional fee of £10 for the lesson to secure that mount. This horse/pony selection fee, as with lesson fees, needs to be paid in advance.
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Our current weight limit is 13.5 stone on a forward going cob, and our weight for a novice rider is 12.5 stone.
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Risk of riding
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Riding is a risk sport. Your choice to ride is voluntary. We take care to provide suitable and safe horses and ponies for our clients but all animals can be unpredictable. We strongly advise clients to take out full personal accident cover.
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You must complete and sign or complete and email the Rider Registration Form before you ride with us. You must bring to our attention, via the website booking system message function, any change in your health status that may affect your riding and attendant risks.
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All riders under the age of four must be accompanied by an adult who is physically able to assist the child as may be required, for example to pluck the chidren from the pony should it spook, and. an additional adult family member is required to lead the pony. In a family lesson it may be agreed that the instructor will walk beside the child riding that is under the age of four, with the family accepting that this may impair the supervision and instruction that can be provided to other family members. This does not negate the need for the famiy to provide a leader of the pony.
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Parents need to be willing to lead the pony otherwise they should not book a lead rein lesson without prior consultation.