XC courses for training in east anglia

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fornema

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What are the best XC training courses, and contact details, the closer to cambridge the bettter and what are they like ie for just me going on my own?
Also do you book for certain centres. Ive tried finding contacts for potton, is that a good training centre and also how to get in contact. Ive been to Ely EC but they seem to be quite bad at getting back to me with a reply :(
 
Hi, i posted on here a while back with the same question and got few good recommendations ... didnt know which to try so did them all !!

Ely EC i have not done, but i also did not get much of a response and after 5 polite messages and emails i went elsewhere...this seems to be same case scenario with several other riders also ..so not just us :)

Blackwater Farm is a trek from Cambs but really is the best ( its Great Witchingham )..was really impressed with lay out , the ground is amazing and real variety of jumps. You call them up , book your time and stay i think for as long as you want ( well i did ?! ) . There where other liveries on the course but it really is big enough to avoid head ons!! Really, really nice course .

Not sure what size fences you jump but i really like Elveden Team chaser course in Thetford..I take my very wimpy youngster there a lot to get him going as the fences are small , friendly ( just mainly logs !! ) but also has bigger ones inc steps, a pit, coffin etc..water is not good there tho ..just muddy hole in ground !! But i like it and as its really well thought out with regards to little touches such as an enclosed paddock for parking trailers away from the public. Its a bit more money £20 and may not be for every one but you just roll up and off you go..Its nice one to make a day off so take picnic if you go as shop is soooo expensive !!


Sussex Farm at Burnham market is lovely but i find it a bit to big for me ...i went alone and i think i would of enjoyed it more if i had a lead over some of the fences as felt there was not much i could jump ( for me anyway ) But owners are lovely - you need to book it but they are relaxed about how long it takes you to get round.

Horse Shoe farm is only £5 the course is ok ...the fences seem to have tight turns into them and i found the going not very good...personaly i doubt il go back ..not because it was bad - people very nice - its just i preffered the other courses.

I am in the same boat and have to go alone ( would love to take some one out with me but no volunters ) so i preffer Black water and Elveden..Good luck have fun :) x
 
Keysoe,Little Downham (Ely EC), Gt Witchingham (bit further), Milton Keynes. All need booking. I'm sure there are some other really obvious ones, but I can't think!
 
Home Farm, Alconbury. I think they do schooling. Fences are small to 3ft 6 - the water is quite unpleasant though (in a smelly sense)
 
Another vote for Great Witchingham! It's lovely there, and such a massive range of jumps! I also really like Poplar Park near Woodbridge. Been to Herringswell as well, I think it's near Newmarket/Burt St. Edmunds :o which was nice for schooling and the water is quite good! Ickworth Park near Bury also has quite a large range of jumps up to about 3ft9. :):)
 
fornema said:
What are the best XC training courses, and contact details, the closer to cambridge the bettter and what are they like ie for just me going on my own?
Also do you book for certain centres. Ive tried finding contacts for potton, is that a good training centre and also how to get in contact. Ive been to Ely EC but they seem to be quite bad at getting back to me with a reply :(
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If you can get them to reply, then Ely is apparently nice (someone on my yard went there several times to school last year), and we really wanted to go to the chasers this year but her horse is broken :(

.....so if you don't want to go on your own (and would like to split the cost of transport!) pm me, because I'd love to go out for a schooling run. Feel I should add to that neither the horse or I have ever been XC so we would probably just pootle round and pop whatever's smallest. This does however mean we could also act as photographer! :D

ETA. Horse is stabled in Girton.
 
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How about Harlton? I don't know anything about it apart from the fact that the pony club use it, but it's very close to Cambridge. It's just about hackable from where I am (Trumpington).
 
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Ickworth Park is lovely, just outside of bury st edmunds - my old PC haunt and they have a range of jumps going from tiny tiny to 3ft6 - 3ft 9 ish. Also, they have a wide variety of fence at each height. They also have water, ranging from a splash to drop in to log roll in, a little forest area to get your horse practiced with shaddows as well as every kind of fence you could want. I do most of my xc schooling there, it is £15 which I think represents really good value for the quality of course and the fact that you can spend all day there if you want, plus usually you will have the park to yourself!!!

Gt Witch is lovely too - again, it has a wide vairety but is over more acreage than Ickworth and I think that the fences can be larger and more complex (if you want them to be!). They also have a good water combination. I dont know what they charge.

Burnham Market is up in Norfolk (dont know how far that would be for you) but it is one of my favourite BE courses. If it is too far for a day trip, we make a weekend out of it and stay up there with the horses in a lovely B&B. Not only is the course to a very high standard, but the area is lovely. I'm not sure how small the jumps go though - I have only ever taken a more experienced horse as I prefer to keep the youngsters more local.

Stratford Hills is local to me - dont know how far it would be for you... again, a PC venue with a large range of jumps plus, you hsve the added advantage of it being run over hills which is a novel thing is EA!

I havent been to elveden in years, but when I did last go it was a bit of ''how many different ways can you jump a telegraph pole'' with little variation. This may have changed now though.

Poplar Park is another favourite of mine - it is run on sand soil, has 3x water complexes and is a really lovely place. They have huge veriety too and the course is of good quality.

Good luck picking!
 
fornema said:
What are the best XC training courses, and contact details, the closer to cambridge the bettter and what are they like ie for just me going on my own?
Also do you book for certain centres. Ive tried finding contacts for potton, is that a good training centre and also how to get in contact. Ive been to Ely EC but they seem to be quite bad at getting back to me with a reply :(
Click to expand...

I think people get confused about EEC and "booking" because of the simplicity of the system!

Basically you just turn up. If you email with a date and there is a problem then they will get back to you but the course is only closed for a couple of weeks in June and October before their BE events.

You should just call the day you are going in case there's a problem but it really takes something exceptional to close the course.
 
Thistle- I'm pretty sure you have to go through the Suffolk Hunt PC to get a schooling pass. I think details are on their page on the PC website
 
Just what i was wondering about Ickworth. And with EEC how do you pay laast time i went it was great but someone who i went with sorted that side of things also if i brought the companion horse (unridden) would i get charged for her being on the course?
 
I don't know the answer to your question but if you're looking for someone to go with you I have a big brown horse who'd love to go x country schooling if you've got the transport :) We're in Cambridge too but we don't go out so much as I haven't taken my trailer test yet.

FWIW I'm originally from Norfolk and Gt Witchingham is lovely. (Those were the days when the mother ship still took me) It's a bit of a haul from our neck of the woods but probably well worth it.
 
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