Zero to Hero

By the end of the month you will be competent at walk, trot, canter, jump, confident hacking over multiple terrains types, on roads, in woodlands and open spaces, and dealing with encounters with wildlife such as wild ponies and semi-wild cows, on occasion deer and boar. During this course you will establish enough knowledge and ability to be able to choose, buy and care for your own horse and be prepared to keep your horse at a livery yard. You will learn basic equine first aid, general equine etiquette and how to stay safe and keep your confidence.

Week One

The first week of this package is centred entirely around teaching you the basics. It follows a similar curriculum to the From Scratch course, but much more in depth as we prepare you for week two.

You will learn to walk and trot, and potentially canter depending on your progress. We have had some extraordinary individuals in the past who have gone from never sitting on a horse to the basics of jumping by the end of one week.

The first week also includes a substantial amount of horse care and etiquette. By the end of this week you will be capable of routine daily horse care, safely groom, feed and tack up, identify basic types of tack, identify basic illness and lameness, have an understanding of basic anatomy and gather enough knowledge to stay safe on roads and in open spaces.

During this week there is a trip to Newhunt Tack shop. Here you will be able to buy any equipment you need or would like. We will be there to offer advice on what you may need in the future. Due to their incredible range of equipment, we will teach you about different types of tack during this visit.

Week One

Week Two

The second week of this package follows The Microwave bootcamp. Since you are now walking, and trotting without assistance, we can double up the intensity and get you cantering in the arena and out and about in the woods.

This week is far more vigorous than the previous, and you will be feeling the change in your physique and fitness by this point. Muscles you never knew you had will be building up and you will be experiencing an increase in flexibility during this week. Your riding will be centred around improving your newly learned skills, balance, and finesse. You will learn how to prepare a horse for travel, safely load a horse and a pair of horses, and travel with the horse(s).

During this week we will also focus more on groundwork and exercises for your horse when not in the saddle. We will cover equine injury rehabilitation, fitness programmes, purposeful feed and care routines. We will also teach you about the procedure for buying a horse, what to watch out for and where to look. We will teach you the same about livery yards.

By the end of this week you will be very close to having gained enough knowledge and ability to choose, buy, care for a horse, and keep it on a livery yard that is right for you. Your riding skill will be dramatically and visibly improving by the day and you will be confident in the arena and in most hacking situations. You will also have learnt the basics of trick riding and driving.

Week Two

Week Three

On the third week you are at the summit, the hardest part has been accomplished. This week is based on a combination of the Canter with Confidence course, the Pro Hacker course and Jump for Joy, with specific jump lessons throughout the week. By this time, you will – hopefully! – have stopped aching and your newly established muscles will be used to this type of work. You should feel more supple and comfortable in the saddle, as if it is a piece of furniture rather than a first-time experience. You will be learning to feel the horse’s movements without looking and have gained a firm foundation to build on.

You will be part of the team by now, caring for our horses alongside us, and well-adjusted to the lifestyle. Your stable management lessons will focus more on equine biology and anatomy and you will learn how and when to clip horses. We will cover worming, shoeing, and vaccinations, dentistry, and other yearly routines. We will look more deeply into types of tack, bits, training aids and their uses. The hacking will be vast and varied during this week, you will be covering a lot of ground and on occasion, be in the saddle for up to 4 hours.

By the end of the week you will have had a substantial taste of a few disciplines such as dressage, show jumping, endurance and trick riding. At this point, it is time to pick your favourite to bring into week four.

We will have another trip to Newhunt Tack shop during this week to teach you about more complicated types of bits and training aids. There will be plenty of time to browse the shop, using the knowledge you have gained by now, to make informed decisions on your own about what you may need to buy in future. You are not compelled to purchase anything, but from personal experience we know how difficult it is to leave that shop without anything! We, of course, will be there to offer advice although you will need less by now.

Week Three

Week Four

This is your final week with us. You will have completed all 5 bootcamps in three weeks and it is time to focus on your favourite parts. This week is all about fun and finesse. One lesson a day is dedicated to things that need brushing up and perfecting, all other riding for the week is entirely your choice on what you would like to focus on and which discipline you would like to delve further into.

During Summer months, you will have the option to try Cross Country schooling. By now you will be perfectly confident jumping solid fences, jumping on grass and riding in large open fields. Cross Country schooling is the ideal opportunity to put all these skills and experiences to practise in one session, not to mention it is tremendous fun. Cross Country is mainly about jumping with less focus on speed.

During Autumn, you will have the option to ride with the local hunt. At this time of year, hound exercise and “autumn hunting” take place a few times per week. We must emphasise that this is not fox or hare hunting, or even drag-hunting, it is purely an exercise session. Hound exercising is relatively tame with a continuous steady pace, whereas “autumn hunting” is faster paced and much more exhilarating. These sessions contain more long and exciting gallops through the countryside with fewer opportunities to jump.

You will also have the opportunity to give competition show jumping a shot. Clear round jumping is a similar experience to competition jumping and is available all year round, although competitions are entirely subject to availability.

Week Four

Entry Requirements

- You do not need any previous experience whatsoever to enter this course.

- The minimum age requirement is 17 years, there is no maximum age limit.

- The weight limit is 16 stone.

We do occasionally make exceptions in certain circumstances, for example if the rider will be turning 17 within the week, if the rider is over the weight limit, or if you feel you have too much experience.

Please contact us before you book if you believe you would be an exception to the above requirements. We require all riders to bring photographic ID and be measured for height and weight during the induction on the first day. This is purely for security, insurance and licensing purposes and will be stored for up to 5 years in our business health and safety file only. Your data will never be misplaced or misused and is protected by the Data Protection Act 2018. If you are aware that you do not meet the requirements, please do not book without talking to us first as we may be obligated to terminate the course without refunding costs

Equipment Checklist

We are located 4.5 miles from Ross on Wye, and 5.5 miles from Newhunt Horses tack shop. If you are unable to acquire any of the following equipment, it will certainly be possible to do so while you are here. If you are not bringing your own transport, there is a reliable bus service to Ross on Wye from the bus stop opposite the yard, and we would be more than happy to take you to Newhunt Horses.

Horse riding boots

You will need to wear your own pair of purpose-made riding boots for this course. If you do not already own a pair, there is a wide range available online from around £20 to hundreds, we are happy to advise on brands etc. We would strongly recommend breaking in your shoes before your course begins as blisters and soreness may impede your learning.

Comfortable “old” clothing

You may get dirty and your clothes may rip or tear, please do not wear clothes you are hugely fond of just in case. The likelihood of clothing breakages is not high, although we do hack through woodlands and the undergrowth can get quite close. Snagging a sleeve on a headcollar clip, stable door, gate handle is also a fairly infrequent but possible scenario.

Weather relative clothing

Even if the weather looks brilliant for the week, it is always a good idea to bring waterproof clothing as the forecast is often inaccurate in this area.

Helmet (optional for the first week)

While you are more than welcome to borrow one from us, most people prefer to buy their own. If so, please use a tack shop with a hat fitting section, there should be qualified hat fitters to help you decide on a helmet. Ill-fitting helmets can cause more damage than no helmet at all, please bear this in mind when purchasing.

Muscle relaxant gel (optional but recommended)

During the first week you will likely discover new muscles and may experience mild pain in parts of your body you do not expect. The most common muscle aches are in the leg, shoulder and back and usually takes 12 – 24 hours before you start to feel it. Most people are relieved from this in a matter of days, but Neurofen gel and the like can be useful in the meantime! Ankle pain is also relatively common for a few days while learning to ride, but the good news is that while your ankles are adjusting to the angle, the discomfort will only be apparent while you are actually riding.

Equipment Checklist

About the Area

The Forest of Dean

The ancient and mystical Forest of Dean is predominantly known for coal mining from the Victorian era, and the filming of Harry Potter in more recent years. In medieval times it was a royal hunting forest, before becoming a source of timber for the navy's Tudor warships. The Forest is home to an abundance of wildlife, scenery, plant-life, castles and old buildings, ancient geology and fauna.

The Forest is also a popular film location, some of the major movies include Harry Potter, Star Wars, King Arthur and TV series such as Doctor Who, Merlin, and Sex Education.