Good afternoon,
My 9 year old daughter lives in Tuzie in the Charente department and it is her Birthday soon in May.
I would like to arrange horse riding lessons for her, can anyone recommend somewhere close to where she lives?
Thanks
If you google “Tuzie Equitation” you may find something that suits
Riding lessons in France are much more structured, from what I’ve seen, than they are in Britain. Pupils are taught according to a programme, and they progress through tested grades as their abilities grow; this is hardly surprising as riding is an approved subject as part of a pupil’s Bac.
So, it would be sensible to observe likely ecuries in action, if you can, to get a feel for the atmosphere and how much the kids enjoy their lessons, because it will vary quite a lot. On this point, I imagine there are other horsey parents here who can advise further.
I hope your daughter has a great time and she’ll be acquiring a tremendously character-building skill, as well as getting so seriously fit you’ll be quite envious!
That is very rare.
You do your galops the way you do your pony club tests and bhs tests - not really very different. If you just want to go for a hack you can too.
That’s interesting. Obviously not being a child myself, I don’t have direct experience, but the stables that I’ve visited and the Mums that I’ve talked to gave me the impression of much more structured learning. And I do know people who’ve included it in their Bac, wish I could have done that!
Indon’t know what you mean by ‘more structured’ there’s theory as well as practical knowledge wherever you are, if you do your pony club and BHS tests that is pretty structured too - the hours that you spend eg going over cavaletti with no stirrups and your arms folded or in a manege practising leg changes are probably equivalent! There are a few lycées which specialise in riding and horse stuff just as there are some which specialise in rowing etc. Any sport offered by a lycee can be one of the 3 which count for the Bac and you can do sport as an extra option as well, but it depends on having the staff to do it.
I did most of my pony club badges at prep school in Scotland where we had riding lessons 3x a week (and rode illicitly most days).
You’re obviously still involved, Vero, so your knowledge is more extensive than mine. I know little about pony-club and can only compare what I’ve seen here with what I was used to seeing in children’s lessons at my old stables in England. They were BHS approved and well-regarded, but for most pupils it was about learning practical riding skills, rather than passing the various exams. Those who were interested in the exams were quickly shanghaied onto the weekend staff as a quid pro quo!