Camp is a huge tradition in the Pony Club and we run three different ones every year.

For the younger members there is Junior & Starter Camp, which is non residential. In 2008 this was held at the RDA in Cranleigh, which has enclosed fields for riding outside and an indoor school. Ponies and riders go home each night and there is a fourth day of cross country schooling at Rogate for the Junior groups. There is plenty of time for rest and fun around the BBQ at lunchtime and trailers can be unhitched and left behind, giving somewhere to tie up the ponies for their lunch.

2009 Junior Camp Monday 27th to Wednesday 29th July, Thursday 30th July XC Day

XC Schooling, Rogate

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Our main camp is Senior Camp, which was held at Tweseldown in 2008. This takes place over six days and is fully residential for members and horses. We have 5 or 6 instructors coming in, who each take their groups for two rides per day. There is also a stable management session daily for each group, which enables Pony Club Tests to be taken if possible. We end the week with a ridden competition and there is also a competition which runs all week to find the best Section, which is marked on mucking out, tack cleaning etc. We have two full time Stable Managers, a Night Watchman, cooks and lots of helpers who come in daily or overnight, or stay the whole week. We have fun events every evening ranging from games to visiting speakers or demonstrations, and of course a wild BBQ on the last night and the now traditional Camp Song. Click here for the 2008 version!

2009 Senior Camp Friday 7th August to Thursday 13th August

Some thoughts on Senior Camp 2008

This year it was my first time at camp, but even not knowing what was happening I still managed to work my way through it. Camp for me was amazing, first it was great seeing all my friends and to catch up with stories in the dorms, and second, the reason why we were all there, our ponies and the riding of course! 

The instructors were fantastic and especially Hinda because she was mine. We all managed to have great fun in our ride, and a laugh making up names for each other and the ponies too! As well as getting on with some good work. (Of course!)

Lisa (the Camp Mum), Sue and Rosie (the DCs) and Ros were all brilliant and were always there if you needed anything. Also Kate Crosdill did the most exceptional cooking for so many people - it was fantastic!

As well as all the serious business, I also had a humorous time watching my brother Arthur getting a bucket of freezing water tipped over his head because he forgot to give his horse a drink! The evening activities were all really good ideas and I enjoyed them all, especially running round the cross-country course at Tweseldown in a treasure hunt!

Thank you to everyone who was there to help and make it such fun, if you haven't been yet DO because it was one of the highlights of my summer!

I have to say I can't quite choose whether the best moment was watching Simon humming Disney tunes to himself of numerous occasions whilst holding his glass of Pimms (!) or sitting in a wheelbarrow surrounded by a deep pool of whipped cream, apples, water, icing sugar and jelly babies. any way.. camp this year was wickedly fun and I can really only sum it up in two words.. MARVELLOUS DARLING!

I was expecting Senior Camp to be exactly the same as Junior Camp. But the truth is...it's not. The people at Senior camp are all so close, it almost felt like family. I made so many new friends, and on most occasions became really close, like we'd known each other for ages. In the beginning the early mornings were really tiring, mostly because we refused to go to sleep at night. But Denise always got you awake while you were falling asleep while mucking out your ponies. The true spirit of the camp got you working your hardest even in the things you most detested. Camp was great...tiring...but great

If you would like to see Denise Neil's brilliant photos from Senior Camp 2008,
please contact Lisa Rickenberg - there are too many to put online!

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New for 2008 was a Senior Team Training Camp, which was held at Easter for 10 invited Intermediate and Open Team members, who benefit from pre-season training and for whom the Summer Holidays are busy with competitions. We had three brilliant days with eventer Piggy French at the fabulous Hoplands Equestrian Centre in Stockbridge. We hope to do something similar in 2009 and hope that it will be something for our members to aspire to, if they are interested in taking their riding to this level.

2009 Senior Team Training Camp TBC

Piggy French Course Easter 2008