RIDING AT HILL TOP
Contact Information
If you have any enquiries about Hilltop, please feel free to contact our Hilltop Rep, Kiah Johnson, at <kj378@cam.ac.uk/Whatsapp number: 07498318843>.
Riding Standards
Currently, Hilltop only offers lessons for riders who are considered at intermediate and advanced level. Please refer to our website here for what this means.
If you are unsure, it is recommended to start at Springhill then move to Hilltop if you find it would be more suitable for you.
If you consider yourself transitional, we suggest you try and sign up to the lessons on Wednesday evenings. However, most lessons are open order so mixed ability classes tend not to impact on the lesson – the instructor can help you as much as you need.
Your first lesson at Hilltop must be a dressage lesson.
Please send your height and weight to our Hilltop Rep before your first lesson.
Required Equipment
- Helmet – Hilltop will provide helmets, but you may wish to purchase and bring your own helmet. Your helmet must be of an approved standard – more information can be found on our website, here.
- Boots – Any shoe with a small heel. No trainers.
- Clothes – Appropriate clothes for exercise and possible cold weather.
- Others – Body protectors are optional and all equipment for the horses will be provided by the stable. Crops are available to borrow at the stable, if you need one.
You can buy equipment online (though it is highly recommended to buy a hat in new condition rather than second-hand!) or in shops such as Decathlon.
Signing Up (Term Time)
Every Thursday, a signup sheet will be emailed to the mailing list. Below is an example:
I will fill in the day/date/time, and if the lesson is dressage only or if it is jumping or dressage. If the lesson can be jumping or dressage, the first driver to sign up gets the overall decision. If you are not a driver and have a preference, you could always mention it in the space on the spreadsheet! Sometimes I may not have confirmed the type yet, in which case please put a preference so I know what I need to check!
To confirm your lesson, you must book and pay on BookWhen (details TBC). Every Friday at 5pm, the lessons for the following week are made available to book. If you decide to cancel your lesson before officially booking it, please remove your name from the sign-up sheet. If you decide to cancel your lesson after paying via BookWhen, please contact our Hilltop Rep.
Signing Up (Holiday Time)
A spreadsheet in similar format to above will be sent at the beginning of the vacation, but with all of the vacation lessons available for signup.
You can continue to sign up to lessons throughout the holidays. The deadline will be the same each week – midday Saturday. I will lock the appropriate section of the spreadsheet each week but the rest will remain open.
Getting to Lessons
Address: Hill Top Equestrian Centre, High Street, Yelling, Cambridgeshire, PE19 6SD. Hill Top is too far to cycle, so you will need to drive/get a lift/share a taxi. The club cannot subsidise taxis.
If you have a car available and you are interested in bringing it to Cambridge to help drive to lessons, please email our co-presidents Izzie, Millie and Ruxi at curcpresident@gmail.com and they will help you with a letter requesting permission to have the car in Cambridge.
Paying
Dressage lessons cost £33 and jumping £40.
If you accept a lift to the lesson, please pay your driver £3 by cash or bank transfer.
Payments are made via the BookWhen system. Details TBC.
A booking fee of £1.33 applies.
Cancellations
If you need to cancel or change a lesson before the sign-up deadline, then please take your name and all details off the spreadsheet to give other riders a chance to sign up. Please be very careful when you remove your name to not remove any other riders.
If you need to cancel within 24 hours of your lesson, you will still have to pay. Please tell me and your driver/riders you’re driving if this happens.
To allow fair time for me to respond to your cancellation and tell the stables in good time, if you know you have to cancel please let me know no later than midday the day before your lesson to avoid losing your money.
This applies to both termtime and holiday lessons.
SUMMARY OF WHO TO CONTACT
| What has happened? | Who do you need to tell? |
| You need to cancel your lesson | Email the rep letting them know you can’t make it, so the lesson can be opened up to other riders. However, if you cancel less than 48h before your lesson, you must still pay for your lesson unless someone else takes your slot. If we find that you are repeatedly cancelling lessons last-minute, or not paying for a lesson cancelled less than 48h before, we may be forced to remove your riding club subscription without a refund. |
| You are running late | Your driver – find their number on the spreadsheet. If you are the driver/there is no driver, contact Sharon at Hilltop directly: 07542734987. Please try not to be late as lesson time is very valuable and other riders who didn’t manage to sign up, could be riding during the time you’re late! |
| Someone else does not turn up for the lesson | Contact the missing rider
Then myself, if the wait time has passed (suggested 10 minutes) and you have left for the lesson |
| Someone unexpected turns up | Myself
If you know there is space in the lesson and you can get in touch with Sharon/Hilltop then you can directly ask if they can be added to the lesson, and let me know later. If there are already 4 riders signed up then they cannot ride. |
| You or someone else has had an accident/injury/incident/etc. while at Hilltop | Myself
Please report these so we can follow the appropriate procedures as a club |