Dear Campers
What a great camp we have planned this year and we are delighted that you have decided to come. Please find below everything you need to know – please do make sure you read thoroughly and contact Sue Leach on or 07968 808360 if you need any further information.
Pre-Camp Rally
This will take place at Godington on Friday 14th of July at 6.30pm – book on online. Please arrive promptly and you MUST bring your pony’s passport showing evidence of vaccinations and a wormer. If anyone is unable to make this rally please do contact Sue Leach as soon as possible so that we can take the necessary action. Please note that we CANNOT allow any pony without a valid vaccination into camp – there will be no exceptions.
Set Up Day – Sunday 30th July 2017
Plans this year are a little different because we are asking you to arrive WITHOUT your pony but WITH all your kit including tack and, if you are a Senior, your camping equipment and clothing for the week.
You will be able to arrive from 4 pm in order to pitch tents, organize your kit in the tack rooms and make sure that your stables are ready and waiting for your pony’s arrival on Monday morning. All rides and instructions will be posted on the noticeboards in the marquee and Helen and Sue will be on hand to answer any questions.
Please do bring a picnic tea as we would like all parents and children to get together at 6pm for a bit of a social once everyone is installed – it will also give us a chance to brief everyone (including parents) on the weeks itinerary.
Anyone who has been to camp previously will know that arrival can be hectic and we are trying something different this year to see if it makes things less stressful – please do feel free to give us feedback!
Please hand any medication, inhalers etc. over to Sue Leach on arrival – make sure they are named.
ARRIVAL DAY – Monday 1st August
Seniors arrive at 8 am – ponies will be trotted up, passports handed in and members need to be ready to ride at 9 am. Parents please leave as soon as ponies are unloaded – we are anticipating that this will be swift as all tack and equipment should have been delivered on Sunday.
Juniors arrive at 9.00 am – ponies will be trotted up, passports handed in and members need to be ready to ride as soon as possible after trot up.
Parent Rota, Set Up and Strike Down
Thank you so much to everyone who has volunteered to help so far but we need more support if the week is to run smoothly. Please find attached a parent rota – it would be very much appreciated if you could contact Sue Leach and let her know if you are able to fill one of the slots. We will have a PC committee member on site at all times but need at least two parent helpers to fill each slot on the rota.
Night time cover is especially important. This year we are delighted to have a group of boys at Senior camp but this does need that we need both a male and female adult to stay over each night. We will be well covered for the girls but if we cannot find a man to help out each night the boys will have to go home which would be a shame so ,Dads,please do volunteer if you can.
Set up and strike down are always particularly busy times and often result in a small group of people doing a huge amount of work. In addition to the slots on the rota this year we are asking for a ‘heavy duty’ team to set up Sunday and strike down on Friday specifically to help with the heavy lifting i.e. setting up of jumps and cooker and fridge in the marquee. If there are any Dads who are able to give their time from 12 pm to 4pm on the Sunday and 3.30pm to 6 pm on the Friday it would be very much appreciated.
Catering
Paula Corkett has very kindly offered to co ordinate the catering for the Seniors this year and we are extremely grateful. A full menu will be sent to each senior – please fill out and return to Paula as soon as you receive it.
The Pointer Pub in Brill has very generously agreed to donate sausages and bacon for breakfast and will again lend us their fabulous cooker for which we are again very appreciative as it will make life much easier than in previous years.
We are asking volunteers on the morning shift to cook breakfast so please do bear this in mind when picking a spot on the rota !
We also need lots of cakes and biscuits to keep everyone going over the week – please do feel free to bring as many as you can !!!
Camping/Lorries
Hopefully your child will have hooked up with others at Camp to share a tent or lorry. If not, please let me know. There will be no electricity available to tents or lorries, so please make sure that Campers have sufficient battery power!
Daily Activities
As last year, there will be a notice board, which will give details of daily activities, so that you know where you should be and when.
Dress Code
Arrival day, Sunday 31st July –Casual
Other Days – We will be providing camp T Shirt and PC polo shirts are acceptable, however we strongly suggest everyone rides in long sleeve white shirts ( ties not necessary) in order to protect against the sun. Beige, cream, white or dark jods all fine.
Test Day, (if you are taking a test, not everyone does) Thurs 4th Aug - white long sleeve shirt, Pony Club tie, cream/beige jodhpurs, hacking jacket,
Ride to hounds/hack - white long sleeve shirt, Pony Club tie, cream/beige jodhpurs, hacking jacket.
Final Day (for display) - white long sleeve shirt, Pony Club tie, cream jodhpurs, hacking jacket.
If you do not have long sleeved white shirts, they are very inexpensive to buy from places like BHS, Tesco etc.
NB please do remember sunhats and suncream as well as waterproof clothing in case of inclement weather! Sue will be doing a laundry run each day if wet but please supply as many pairs of spare jodhpurs and shirts as you can.
Final Day – Friday
Parents are warmly invited to join us in the afternoon from 2.00pm for Senior displays. Displays for Juniors will be at 2.45pm. Prize Giving will take place at 3.30pm
We will be giving the parents of each ride specific jobs to help with strike down this year so suggest you arrive at 1pm in order to pack up as much as possible before the displays start. Passports willn ot be returned until stike down jobs have been completed and stables are clear.
Again we really do need a heavy crew so a team of Dads would be very much appreciated.
Protocol for leaving Stables clear
Each Camper will be responsible for clearing their stable at the end of Camp.
They must be left immaculate !
Forms to return
Included with this mail are the following forms which must be printed off and returned to Sue Leach at Hillside Farm, Oakley Road, Brill, Bucks , HP18 9SH
Code of Conduct Form
Camp Information Form (No need to resend if you paid by cheque and have already sent)
Kit List
A kit list is attached. If you need anything for Camp, Country Equestrian, Home Farm, Poundon, OX27 9AY, telephone 01869 277742, have kindly offered a 10% discount to anyone buying the things they need for camp – just give your name when you pay – they have a list of Campers!
Water Bottles
We have found that the best way to keep children hydrated is to send each ride out with a bag of water bottles. Please make sure that you send NAMED water bottles for your child – re-fillable or disposable bottles.
Horses
· Medical
Please hand any medications for the horse over to the stable manager on arrival on Sunday, clearly named in a clear plastic bag.
· Feed and Bedding
Hay and shavings will be provided. If your horse does not usually have hard feed, I suggest that you do bring some chaff, just so that he/she can have something at the same time as the others at feed times.
Please make sure you have sufficient feed for your horse for the week. It is easy if you bring the food pre-bagged for each feed.
· Passports
No horse will be allowed to Camp without a passport and your horse must have a valid Equine Flu vaccination.
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· Worming
All horses and ponies must be wormed prior to camp
· Fitness
Your horse will be working hard at camp – make sure that he/she is fit enough to be worked up to three hours a day.
· Tack and kit
Ensure that your tack is in good repair and well fitting. Check stitching on straps and ensure that if you have a plastic girth, it is not cracked, as this can cause pinching.
Hats must be tagged and back protectors must meet the current standard. No plastic girths please and do make sure that stirrups have a 7mm gap on either side of the foot – this is important and you will not be able to ride if stirrups are too narrow.
· Shoeing
All horses must have seen the farrier for trimming or shoeing within 2 weeks of the beginning of camp. All horses will be trotted up and checked for soundness on arrival at camp.
Any horse found to be unsound is liable to be sent home.
Medical
It is the parent’s responsibility to notify Camp Organisers of any medical requirements that have not been declared on the Camp Application Form. Any inhalers/medicine etc must be clearly labelled and handed to Bridget Evans on arrival, along with any relevant information.
Liability
The Committee of the Bicester and Warden Hill Pony Club have taken all reasonable precautions for the safety of your child, horse and property. For these precautions to be effective all rules and instructions given by the organising committee or their representatives must be followed. The Bicester and Warden Hill Pony Club, Pony Club Headquarters, the landowners accept no liability for loss, damage or injury to persons, property or livestock however caused.
Insurance
You are responsible for the insurance of your horse, tack and property whilst at camp. There is no provision to lock tack and equipment up.
Visits by parents
Any parent who wishes to see their child during camp MUST first obtain prior permission from the relevant Camp organiser or District Commissioner. These visits should be kept to emergencies only. Please contact Sue Leach on 07968 808360, Helen on 07725 591676 or Clare on 07866 493212.
Mobile Phones
Please encourage responsible usage. Inappropriate use will result in confiscation. Photographs should not be posted without permission and phones must not be used after lights out at 10pm. There will be very limited opportunities for charging and please ensure your child knows that if they have any kind of worry or problem, they should talk to a supervising adult, rather than ring home in the first instance.
Please do not bring valuables to camp.
AND Finally ….
We wanted to inject even more fun into camp this year and Helen has come up with a lovely idea so …… we are inviting all Juniors ( and Seniors if they fancy it ) to enter into a Design a Hobby Horse competition – the Hobby Horses will be judged by a guest on the final day of camp and a prize awarded to the most creative and beautiful !
We will also be running some Hobby Horse Showjumping and Dressage Competitions during the evenings for fun and again prizes will be awarded … !!
That should be about it but if you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us !
We are very much looking forward to what we hope will be a thoroughly enjoyable week for all
Best Wishes
Helen and Sue
Sue Leach (Seniors) 07968 808360
Helen Day (Juniors) 07725 591676