Launched in 2015 our Young Equestrians Club is part of a national riding club for teenagers set up by The British Equestrian Federation's Legacy programme and is delivered in partnership with The Pony Club UK (pcuk.org) in order to provide social, informal activities for young people, as well as offering riding and training opportunities.
Our Valley Farm Young Equestrian's Club could be for you if:
New members are welcome to join at any time. Simply register at Valley-Farm.ecpro.co.uk and book online or register and call 01728 746916 to book and tell us a bit about yourself, or you can visit the yard and meet us beforehand.
If you wish to, you can book an individual assessment lesson with us to help us decide which horse to pair you up with to begin the group sessions. Members are also welcome to bring their own horse (if they have one).
At Valley Farm the young equestrians are encouraged to work together and to take responsibility for their development by choosing appropriate topics to cover during sessions and to decide what activities they would like to do, and we then provide the opportunities. For example, they can choose to work towards pony club badges during their stable management sessions, or they could design a dressage test, or horse agility test or musical ride and then practice for it during their riding sessions. They could organise competitions and events, such as gymkhana, or TREC to be part of their riding session.
The Young Equestrians Club is designed to support the ideas created by the membership, so you make it your club, and you do what you want to do!
At present the Young Equestrians Club runs alongside our Pony Club weekly on Saturday afternoons from 1.00pm - 4.00pm, and is open to Pony Club members, Valley Farm livery owners and loaners, and anybody between the age of 12 and 18 who is motivated to come up with good ideas, and would like to take more a more grown up step towards taking responsibility for their own learning. Ideal for teenagers who may be bored with riding their own horse alone at home, or teenagers who want to do more than just lessons.
It costs £57.00 (inc VAT) for the 3 hour session. (Reduced rate for Valley Farm livery owners and loaners and for those bringing their own horse for the riding sessions.) This includes one hour stable management, working towards pony club tests and badges. One hour practical Young Equestrians Club time, where the group decide what they want to do for their riding session, and then set up the equipment and get their horses ready, and one hour riding activity which will vary from week to week depending on what the group want to do.
There is no obligation to come every week, but the more regularly you attend, the more you will get out of it. All participants progress at their own speed so don't worry if you haven't done much practical horsecare before or you think your riding might not be as good as some of the others. The groups are structured so that there will be ability appropriate challenges for everyone, no matter what your present level is. We do reccommend that members are confident in canter before joining the group, so if you are unsure, you may like to book some private lessons to allow us to get to know each other and ensure you have the skills you need.
Young Equestrians Leaders Award
Also available to those aged between 13 and 25 is the Young Equestrian Leaders Award (YELA). This is an award scheme for the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) designed to recognise the time and effort young volunteers give to equestrianism and shape their experience, so they become equestrian leaders of the future. YELA runs over 3 progressive levels, Bronze Silver and Gold. At Valley Farm we provide the opportunity for students to complete YELA if they wish to.
More information about YELA, how to get your starter pack, and costings can be found on their website www.yela.co.uk
Training and Qualifications
If you are interested in gaining equestrian qualifications for a future career, to add to your CV or just for fun, ask your coach about the options available. We are able to offer training for British Horse Society pathways, ABRS and Pony Club. Learn more on our Pony Club Page Pony Club | Valley Farm
Updated March 2025
