By Rachel Allen
Pony Racing Camp Easter 2019
My incredible week at the British Racing School started on Tuesday 9th April.
Firstly, we settled our ponies into their airy stables which they all seemed to love, especially my pony who usually lives out! We were shown to our rooms before having a quick lunch and briefing with the parents before they headed home. We had a tour of the site and then headed back to the stables to tack up for our riding assessment which took place in the indoor arena to start, and then the outdoor arena. Everyone rode well and after riding, the ponies were put to bed and we showered and had dinner. The food was very nice and as a vegetarian (mostly..!) and there was a lot of choice. The boys went out to play football with the students before supper, which consisted of cookies and juice, and then bed.
Wednesday was our first full day and the early alarm call was well worth it – after morning stabled and breakfast, we were split into 2 groups and had our first session of simulator training/fall training. I was awful at fall training to begin with, just throwing myself on the mat…but I soon got the hang of it and it was a lot of fun! Jackie taught us really well and everyone could say that they knew how to professionally fall off a horse by the end! After that, we had our first trip out – a guided tour of the Rowley Mile Racecourse which was so interesting as I don’t come from a racing family or background, so everything was so new to me. Despite this, everyone at the BRS was so lovely and helpful so I didn’t feel out of place at all.