Meon 3-day Camp – Bovington 8th-10th May 2026
Prior to settling in to read this one, grab a cuppa, put your feet up and get ready for some giggles! Here we have 3 reports in 1 to grasp the views of each of the 3 groups!
Firstly, let me express a MASSIVE thank you to Shirley, who not only organised Camp spectacularly but also provided some of the biggest giggles on her rather affluent Tigger – sooo aptly named!! Another, huge thanks to our superb instructors, David, Roland and Ben. And of course, the wonderful Tammy who managed to capture some amazing shots 😊
PING!!! But no spoilers here… you’ll have to read on to find out more!!
90 Group by Jo Young
There are riding weekends… and then there are riding weekends where you come home with aching muscles, questionable dignity, new card-game addictions, and blisters in places you didn’t know could blister.
Huge thanks to Shirley and the entire team for organising such a fantastic camp at RAC Bovington. The whole thing ran brilliantly from start to finish, and the facilities there were exceptional. Good stabling, great riding, lovely surroundings, fab company and really helpful instruction made it a superb few days.
We arrived and set our stables up – and then the afternoon was ours to fill. In hindsight, a mass outing to the ford might have been a tad ambitious for the first day but we all survived – mostly – although Tigger’s inadvertent head-butt did create some interesting bruising for “Hitler” Medgett…!
Roland was fantastic with our group throughout the weekend. We all learned a huge amount across all three disciplines, and by the end of the trip everyone had noticeably improved in both confidence and riding ability. Roland’s real skill was being able to pinpoint the tiny adjustments that transformed things, often with deceptively simple advice that suddenly made everything click. He tailored his teaching to each horse and rider combination brilliantly.
By day two, I had developed blisters on my bum substantial enough to qualify for their own postcode. Every transition became a negotiation between determination and self-preservation. Elegant riding was replaced by the subtle athleticism of trying not to sit down too quickly.
In the spirit of friendly completion, we played several rounds of Spite and Malice in the evenings, after a delicious trip to the pub. This sounds charming but is essentially a structured way to destroy relationships with cards. Just as everyone thought things couldn’t possibly become more violent, we escalated to the blood sport known as Spoons, where friendships are tested, reactions become feral, and basic human decency rapidly disappears the moment cutlery is involved.
And just when I thought the weekend couldn’t get any better, my son rang to say he’d got engaged! Nothing says “memorable trip” quite like combining horses, card-based violence, near-death experiences at a ford, and a family engagement announcement.
All in all, it was a brilliant few days filled with laughter, learning, excellent company, and just enough chaos to make it unforgettable. Massive thanks again to Shirley and everyone involved in making it happen. I think most of us are still recovering slightly, but absolutely ready to do it all again.
80 Group by Georgia Norton
After months of looking forward to it, Riding Club camp at Bovington finally arrived — and it certainly didn’t disappoint!
I had wanted to go to camp for years but always felt too inexperienced to take the plunge. Then, just as I finally got brave enough to book on, my pony picked up an injury. But this year we finally made it to our very first camp… and honestly, I don’t know why I was ever so worried!
Things got off to a slightly unexpected start when my trusty sidekick (Mum) had a nasty accident and was suddenly unable to drive me. However, the powers of Meon Riding Club soon worked their magic, and the lovely Jo — who I’d never even met before — immediately offered to pick me up and bring me home afterwards. What a star! It perfectly summed up just how supportive and welcoming the club really is.
Members and horses enjoyed a busy few days packed with lessons, laughs, and just the right amount of chaos that always seems to come with camp life. Day 1 saw us head off on a group hack down to the local river for a paddle, working together to open gates and navigate the route while having a good chat and getting to know one another. To say my pony was excited by the occasion would be an understatement — I’m not sure we walked a single step the entire way! Meanwhile, nearly everyone else stayed impressively cool, calm, and collected.
Day 2 for our 80cm group included two hours of cross-country and two hours of dressage. It quickly became obvious that we all had our moments in the cross-country, with plenty of stops along the way, but every single rider was keen to learn and improve. Ben, our instructor, was incredibly supportive and took the time to work with us all individually despite us being in a group setting.
There were some brilliant moments throughout the day. Sharon fell in style but got straight back on for round two and absolutely smashed it. Mollie showed incredible patience with her beautiful coloured horse, who perhaps decided camp was the perfect opportunity to test her. Lucy and her horse flew around looking like they had absolutely no intention of touching a fence, while Aimee’s lovely pony gave her confidence a huge boost throughout the sessions. As for my boy… he definitely tested me at the start, but eventually we got into the swing of things, and by the end I felt so much more confident.
After a well-earned lunch and tea break with the instructors, we headed off for dressage, where all the ponies worked beautifully. In fact, we even finished slightly early to save them for the following day.
That evening we all headed to a fantastic pub just down the road for dinner — quick service, lovely food, and great company; what more could you want? Then it was back to camp for a glass of wine and some card games, which may well have been the most competitive part of the entire weekend! I even learnt a few new games that I’ll definitely be taking along to future adventures. After one final check of the ponies, it was finally time for some sleep before the next day’s excitement.
Day 3 brought showjumping followed by another round of cross-country. We all absolutely smashed the showjumping session, tackling doglegs and eventually putting full courses together. Ben was brilliant throughout, asking each of us what we personally wanted to achieve and helping us all finish on a high — even if that meant doing slightly different exercises. I’ve honestly never felt so confident showjumping before, and I know the rest of the group felt the same.
Then came cross-country… WOW. What a feeling! Everyone came out with so much more confidence, and the partnerships between horse and rider were really beginning to shine. We all completed an individual mini cross-country course and, honestly, I felt like I was at Badminton! Sixteen fences later and we flew around without a single stop. Considering my pony had stopped at nearly every fence the previous day, I genuinely couldn’t have been prouder of him. I was absolutely beaming — and I think the whole group was floating around on cloud nine. The encouragement and support between everyone all weekend was just incredible.
Before heading home, we all gathered together one final time to thank the instructors, organisers, and everyone who helped make the weekend such a success — especially the fabulous Shirley for organising it all so brilliantly.
Each instructor also presented an award to one rider in their group, and our group’s award went to Mollie, which was so well deserved. Watching her and her horse grow in confidence and partnership over the weekend was lovely to see. Despite a few well-sat stops and some testing moments, her patience and determination paid off, and by the final day they were flying. Having never met them before — and with them travelling all the way from the Island for camp — I can’t wait to follow their journey throughout the rest of the season.
After one final group photo, a quick tidy-up, and lots of goodbyes, we all headed home tired, happy, and already talking about next year.
Camp was a brilliant reminder of why we all love Riding Club so much — great horses, great people, endless support, and plenty of fun along the way. It really showed that no matter your age or experience level, you absolutely can do it with the right people behind you.
Roll on the next one!
70 Group by Grace Woods
Wow, what a weekend!
Firstly, I’d like to thank David Thomas on behalf of the group for being such an incredible instructor. Your encouragement and support made such a difference, and we all had an amazing time during your sessions.
The 70cm group brought together a range of riding abilities, along with both younger and more experienced horses, which certainly made for an entertaining and rewarding weekend!
First up was Shirley on the aptly named Tigger. Although Tigger enjoyed throwing in the occasional buck and leap (which Shirley did brilliantly to sit through!), they made huge progress together. Over the two days they built confidence in their jumping and developed a stronger connection on the flat, earning David’s first Special Mention award!
Next, we had the dynamic duo, Sara and Tango. What a pair! Tango made everything look effortless and absolutely jumped his socks off. They tackled the cross country with confidence, clearing everything in their path, although Tango did briefly forget he was meant to leave the water, not play in it!
Then there was Tiff and the young Forest. These two had a fantastic weekend, improving day by day. Tiff worked hard to build Forest’s confidence both cross country and in the showjumping, and it really paid off, he was an absolute star and flew round each course.
Dot and her lovely Penny also made brilliant progress over the weekend. It was wonderful to see them overcome challenges and grow in confidence together. Their hard work on developing a balanced connection on the flat and strengthening their partnership over fences earned them a well-deserved Special Mention award for their resilience and improvement.
Finally, it was me, Grace, riding the handsome but cheeky Gomez. In true Gomez style, he didn’t make the first day easy, but we had a lovely flat session and an energetic afternoon jumping. Sunday was a different story altogether; he was phenomenal, and we produced some of our best jumping yet. I couldn’t have been prouder of him.
As a group, we had so much fun over the weekend. It was fantastic to support one another and watch everyone progress and achieve their own goals.
Once again, thank you to David for all your support, and to Shirley for organising such a wonderful camp.
Roll on Meon Camp 2027!
