W3J6PM Linton, Kelso, Scottish Borders, UK. 10th July 2019. The Duke of Buccleuch Pony Club hold their annual week long camp near Kelso in the Borders. The c
Pony Club camp is an enjoyable rite of passage for most young equestrians. Many of us at Horse & Hound have happy memories of our days at camp, even if some of the things that we got up to will have most likely been outlawed in these more health-and-safety-conscious days.
Here are some of our special memories of yesteryear…
1. Soaking our chief instructor in a water fight before he had the chance to remove his very expensive made-to-measure dressage boots – this one earnt us a serious ticking off so we don’t recommend it, although the look on his face was hilarious.
2. On the subject of water, if we refused to take a shower while at camp, then we found ourselves being rinsed under the yard hose instead.
3. Nightly exposure to mass catering custard means the yellow stuff still makes us want to gag.
4. But we learnt not to be daunted by washing-up on a huge scale — and importantly, that we wouldn’t be given clean hot water if we tipped half a bowl of leftover cocoa pops and milk into the tub at an early stage.
5. If you were clever, you worked out how to clean your tack to earn a 10 at inspection without showing the hidden bits a sponge. And how to tack up in two minutes flat, because the rest of the time you’d spent running around making sure the rest of your tackroom/team/ride was ready.
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
6. When you’re young, you don’t need much sleep and it’s easier to see in the dark — we had plenty of practice sneaking around after curfew.
7. Talking of which, some of us might be a little more light-fingered than we care to admit after slipping into the adult accommodation and helping ourselves to their alcohol.
8. The above played absolutely no part in us feeling decidedly green about the gills and falling off our horses three times the next day – the aforementioned chief instructor still made us get back on.
9. As payback, we worked out all the possible ways to deliberately sabotage his end-of-camp musical ride, by going freestyle and taking our teams with us, before rescuing it and making it look like that our deviations were actually part of his original plan – except both he and we knew they weren’t.
What are your special memories of Pony Club camp? Share them with us at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance to have your stories published in a future edition of Horse & Hound magazine.
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Carol is an experienced journalist and editor, who is also a passionate amateur rider and dedicated horse owner, having ridden since childhood. She has a particular interest in the emotional well-being and ethical training of horses, alongside veterinary matters, having garnered extensive first-hand experience of numerous equine health conditions through more than 30 years of horse ownership.
