Saturday 3rd January saw the launch of the latest Young Equestrians group at Nine Acres Equestrian in Mattishall, Norfolk. Designed to offer a social and training programme, Young Equestrians aims to give the opportunity for young people aged 13-18 to connect and re-engage with equestrian sport through a fun and informal hub.
The Young Equestrians group at Nine Acres Equestrian is coordinated by proprietor Hazel Heaton, who welcomed an initial eleven participants on Saturday to take part in a riding session, a talk on saddlery, a creative session involving quarter marking the ponies with paint and even some zumba!
“I really enjoyed the day and all of the activities” commented Georgie who took part in the inaugural session. “The practical session on quarter marks and the talk about saddles were particularly interesting to me. I’m really excited to be involved in Young Equestrians and look forward to future sessions”.
Participants can log their sessions at www.youngequestrians.club, where they can record their activities and achievements as well as access training materials offered by The Pony Club.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to be involved in Young Equestrians, and even more so at the success of our first event, which received positive feedback from all those who attended” commented Hazel Heaton. “Nine Acres Equestrian is really passionate about offering opportunities to all abilities, so Young Equestrians feels like it fits nicely in to our vision for the future. It’s great to be able to offer such a wide variety of activities to participants, and they have already put forward a host of ideas that they want to organise for forthcoming events”.
Originally developed by Hoof, the British Equestrian Federation’s (BEF) participation programme, the Young Equestrians scheme is being delivered through The Pony Club and will target riding schools across England. Thanks to Sport England funding, Young Equestrians will provide participants with more choice and freedom in how they take part in equestrianism, as well as providing a focus on skill development.
Riding schools who deliver the programme will be given access to virtual tools to help them establish their Young Equestrians club that include example session plans, marketing materials and a host of different ideas on how to retain teenagers in equestrian sport.
If you are a riding school or young person and want more information on how to get involved in the programme please visit www.youngequestrians.club.