Young Equestrians Launch at Lodge Equestrian
Teenagers swapped their riding boots for trainers and prepared to Zumba at Lodge Riding Centre in Tarbock, Merseyside on Saturday Lodge Riding CentreFebruary 21st 2015, to mark the beginning of a new riding club with a difference!
A mix of social and skills-based activities for young people, Young Equestrians offers 13-18 year olds the chance to connect with equestrian sport through a fun and informal hub offered at local riding schools. Originally developed by Hoof, the British Equestrian Federation’s (BEF) participation programme, the Young Equestrians scheme is being delivered through The Pony Club and provides participants with more choice and freedom in how they take part in equestrianism, as well as providing a focus on skill development
Lodge Riding Centre’s Young Equestrian Group enjoyed an initial nine participants, who kicked off with a Zumba session led by riding instructor and Young Equestrians coordinator for Lodge Riding Centre, Jade Taylor. Jade, 27 said the Sport England-funded Young Equestrians initiative was all about keeping riders riding and active at a time many dropped out of the sport. “They’re at that age when everything’s changing,” said Jade. “It’s important for us to do things that are a bit different. Zumba helps with fitness and body awareness which they need in their riding, but it’s also about confidence which they need too.”
Leigh-Ann Armstrong, 14, from Runcorn said the Zumba session had definitely improved her riding and also was excited about being a part of Young Equestrians, commenting “I like different experiences and trying different ways of doing things”.
Following on from the high-energy exercise session, focusing on how a rider’s skeleton moves, participants then saddled up for a riding session to put some of their newly learnt skills into practice, with Daisy Green, 14, commenting “Using Zumba, you learned how your body works and that you can control your horse just by moving your body.”
“It was a fantastic start to our Young Equestrians group” commented Debbie King, Coordinator at Lodge Riding Centre. “It focused on the fun side of riding and on a rider’s relationship with the horse and I think that’s what’s so exciting about Young Equestrians; the emphasis is on enjoyment of exploring new activities with horses and with others who share your interests.”
All the day’s participants agreed the session had been fun and joined in enthusiastically when it came to suggesting ideas for future sessions, which included Polocrosse, Endurance riding, Pony Racing and horse painting!
Young Equestrian’s 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. Riding schools who deliver Young Equestrians are given access to virtual tools to help them establish their group, including 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.
