FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the minimum age to ride at Barnfield Riding School?
5 years old is the minimum age.
What is the rider weight limit?
78kg or 12st.
Do I need to bring my own hat and boots?
You may bring your own hat but we will need to check it is up to the BHS safety standards (BSI Kitemark or SEI mark). Alternatively you rent a hat and a pair of boots for £1 each. You are also required to ride with riding gloves which are available to purchase from the office.
If this is a one-off lesson, you may wear wellies however if you decided to take up riding regularly, we suggest renting or purchasing jodhpur boots or long boots. *Please note that we do not accept boots with a zip on the inside of the leg nor suede chaps.
What is your cancellation policy?
We require 48 hours notice of all cancellations/changes to bookings. If you cancel with less notice, for whatever reason, you will still be charged. Refunds will incur a 15% admin fee.
Special days such as clinics and pony days must be paid in advance and are non-refundable as these are reserved where there is limited availability.
What will happen when I attend the stables for the first time?
When you are booked in for your lesson, we will ask you to come 15-20 minutes before your lesson to fill out your new client form (this will need to be filled out by a parent if you are under 18). You will be fitted for a hat and boots if you are renting them from us, or we will check your hat is up to current safety standards. Once you've got your hat, boots and gloves on, you are ready to go on to your lesson.
Will I always ride in the arena?
In order to offer our students a fully rounded riding experience, lessons are taught in the arena, out on the road and on the horse simulator.
What is a horse simulator?
We are incredibly fortunate to have a horse simulator on the premises that allows us to help our students improve their position, their balance or work on specific areas (rising trot, transitions, balance in all gaits) using the data picked up by the sensors by the simulator. It is a very expensive tool that allows us to be far more granular and tailored in our teaching.
What progress can I expect to make if I ride regularly?
Everyone is different and learns at a different pace. Whether you are just wanting to ride for fun, aim to go out hacking in Richmond park, work towards your qualifications or compete, we are here to help you to reach your goals. With that in mind, we have designed our own continual rider assessment programme that allows us to keep track of your progress and to give you constant mini goals to work towards.