The Riding School is a long established, successful equestrian centre run by the Pedley family. The impressive Julie Pedley heads up the operation and the instruction of our young riders at Follifoot. Julie is also on the committee of the Association of British Riding Schools and holds the ABRS TC, Principles Diploma and BHS AI status.

Lessons are from 09.00 o 12.00 on Monday to Friday. On the first morning the group will be divided so that some campers will be introduced to the stable and the impressive Follifoot facilities whilst the others will set off for the first lesson. Midway through the morning after a 15-minute break the order is reversed.

For the beginners and less experienced riders the time spent on horseback will be about one hour each morning at the start and as the course progresses riding time will be increased. For more experienced riders the aim will be to spend about 90 minutes actually riding.

With the guidance of the team of instructors, riders of all abilities will make steady progress with beginners and intermediates walking, trotting, cantering then jumping logs and eventually small fences. As a break from lessons, campers will enjoy fun competitions and ‘pony games’! Experienced riders will be taken through a more advanced programme. In addition to the riding instruction, campers will also learn about the care of horses, tacking up and stable husbandry, all essential elements of this comprehensive course. On the last morning, a highlight of the course will be the Village Camps Gymkhana with fun individual and team games and competitions followed by the presentation of rosettes.

The facilities at Follifoot include:

 a spacious indoor arena with a sand and rubber surface, sprinkler system and a viewing area
 an outdoor floodlit manège with a sand and rubber chipping Charles Britain all-weather surface
 a spacious paddock
 access to country trails
 horse-walker for 4 horses
 an on-site working forge

The Stouse is a room where riders can relax. However, its main purpose is to house the amazing ‘Stan the Mechanical Horse’! Stan is a life size mechanical horse used by the instructors. A large mirror enables the rider to see any problems spotted by the instructors.

On the penultimate day of the course, an external, independent examiner will test each rider and give an official grading. Shortly after Camp an ABRS Certificate will be sent to the camper confirming the grade attained. Riders returning in a subsequent year will be eligible to take an upgraded assessment test to improve their grades.

Please Note: Early booking is recommended for this course which often becomes full as numbers for each session are limited to about 20 riders.

The Village Camps site, Queen Ethelburga's College, provides an exceptional standard of state-of-the-art accommodation. The Camp has an impressive range of leisure and sports facilities all in the glorious 'parkland' setting of the green Yorkshire countryside. Highlights include a full day excursion to Manchester with time for shopping and planned leisure activities in the impressive Trafford Centre as well as a half-day excursion to the historic, walled city of York. Here there is time to visit the famous York Minster and other major points of interest. In the afternoons and evenings, campers at York enjoy an exciting range of activities. Highlights are the fun team competitions on BIG Night, International Night and the Talent Show.

Further details about the excursions and activities can be found in the "Country England Overview Pages".