Friars Hill Pony Club is a Centre Pony Club for those who don’t own or loan their own pony but wish to learn more about horses and ponies and have lots of fun whilst doing so.
Pony Club is a commitment here at Friars Hill Stables and members will work towards Achievement badges, Progressive Certificates and Efficiency Tests. Sessions consist of riding, practical stable management and theory sessions. Members should continue with their riding lessons alongside of Pony Club sessions if they wish to progress. We have found that those who only attend Pony Club and not regular lessons tend to struggle to keep up with those that do attend lessons and Pony Club.
We have a uniform here at Friars Hill Pony Club, just like you would have at school. This ensures that we are all looking smart and like a proper club. Sweatshirts are ordered through us. Ties are ordered from the Pony Club website. Members should attend Pony Club wearing cream/beige jodhpurs, Clean riding boots, a white shirt with collar, Pony Club tie and a Friars Hill Pony Club sweatshirt. Hat covers should be navy blue or black with NO pompoms! All long hair should be tied back and secured with a hairnet. Children should have riding gloves with them also.
Children are expected to be well behaved and for obvious safety reasons obey all instructions from their Instructor and Members of Staff. Bad Language and bullying will not be tolerated here and parents will be informed of any misdeeds.
Rides are grouped by ability and not whether their good friends ride in that particular session. As your child progresses, it may be that we will promote them to a more suitable ride. Your child will be allocated a ride and it is your responsibility to ensure that your child attends. We won’t be moving the sessions around to suit riders. Sessions will be held on Monday evenings and Sunday afternoons and riders will be allocated into rides to fit in with our busy schedule.
To attend Pony Club sessions you must book your child in using the EC Pro app, please ensure this is done at least 48 hours prior to the session. Non attendance at Pony Club for more than 3 sessions in a month will result in you losing your place. (Valid reasons will be accepted, such as broken limbs/digits).
Your child will be allocated by the Instructor a specific pony/horse to ride for your rally. Please Note: we do NOT do requests for riders to ride specific ponies or horses! Make sure that your child arrives at the yard 30 minutes prior to their Pony Club session start time as they will have their horse/pony to groom, its feet to pick out and to tack up the horse/pony. If your child doesn’t know how to do this then they should ask. Help will be given and the child will be taught how to do this but children should not expect it to be done for them and parents should NOT do it for their children. Being a member of Pony Club is all about this kind of thing.
When you have finished your session then you are expected to untack and brush/wash off your pony and put your tack away. Other jobs may be making sure your pony has hay and water available, sweeping out your stable, emptying and putting away buckets, filling hay nets, sweeping yard areas and emptying wheelbarrows, etc etc. Members are not permitted to leave until their Instructor says so.
To be eligible to join Friars Hill Pony Club, riders should be walking, trotting and getting canter independently and must be at least 7 years of age and should show a keen interest in wanting to learn more about horses and ponies, due to the commitment necessary.
You will need to get a Centre Membership which is £36.00 annually payable to the Pony Club HQ and your Centre would be Friars Hill Stables Centre Pony Club. Once you have received your membership, please email us friarshillridingstables@gmail.com and let us know. The cost of rides will increase to £25.00 per session once we start back in September. If you intend on joining Friars Hill Pony Club as a new member and fit the criteria mentioned above then please do drop us an email ASAP so we have an idea of numbers for September. It is hoped that all those wishing to join ready to start in September will have their memberships sorted by mid August to assist us with planning.
Sweatshirts - £17.50
Short sleeved polo shirts - £15.00
Jackets - £35.00
Sizes are: 7-8 years, 9-11 years, 13 years, 15 years, small adult, medium adult and large adult – please ensure that order the correct size for your child as we cannot return items which do not fit. All of the above items can be ordered from us, payment must be in cash in an envelope with your child’s name and the item and size required written on it.
