6 confidence-boosting outings to try with your horse

Whether you want to boost either your own or your horse’s confidence (or perhaps both), there’s plenty of competitive and non-competitive events on offer for you to try out in zero pressure atmospheres. Here’s a selection of what’s on offer.

Three-day luxury confidence camp

Date: 30 September
Venue: Penycoed Horse Riding Centre, Oswestry
Details: “A weekend focused on building confidence, overcoming riding fears and having fun. Riders stay in luxury log cabins with a private hot tub, plus stables provided for your horse. Ridden and non-ridden sessions including confidence talks with trainers skilled in boosting confidence.”
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Nervous and novice unaffiliated showjumping

Date: 1 October
Venue: Milton Equestrian Centre, Worksop
Details: “Classes for juniors and seniors available from clear round to 35, 45 and 55cm.”
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Fun weekend camp

Date: 21-23 October
Venue: Centyfield Eventing & Dressage Academy, Exeter
Details: “Super friendly hosts and fabulous facilities for cross-country, dressage and showjumping. Small group size of six-eight maximum ensures personal attention and individually tailored programmes. It doesn’t matter to us whether your goal is to jump 1m or trot over a pole on the ground — we’ll help you have a go!”
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Enjoy your horse flatwork clinic

Date: 21 October
Venue: Sheepgate Equestrian, Boston
Details: “A clinic with BHSI and List 2A dressage judge Sarah Payne, designed to help you gain more from your horse or pony.”
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Clear round showjumping

Date: 22 October
Venue: Diamond Equestrian, Leicester
Details: “From 10am-7pm. Arrive before your time slot, tell a BHSAI instructor the height you wish to jump, warm up, jump one round over the course and then have a chat with the instructor for feedback. Then jump around the course again, and if you jump clearyou will get a rosette.”
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Nervous dressage

Date: 6 November
Venue: Ladyleys, Aberdeenshire
Details: “Warm up in either indoor school for 15 minutes then ride a dressage test of your choice without having to leave the arena.”
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Gemma Redrup

H&H features, racing and point-to-point editor

Gemma is an experienced journalist, having been part of the H&H team since 2014, who is passionate about all equestrian sports, including racing and point-to-pointing. She has enjoyed riding out for top trainers Nicky Henderson and Charlie Appleby and took part in a charity Flat race at in August 2018. Gemma’s reporting talents have taken her to numerous five-star events around Britain and Europe, as well as European championships.