Heavy Horse Camp

Thursday 29th April to Sunday 2nd May 2027

BOOKING OPEN!

Thursday 29th April - Arrival after 4pm

Friday 30th April - Training Sessions

Saturday 1st May - Training Sessions

Sunday 2nd May - Show Day and departure around 4pm

Heavy Horse Camp, although Hosted by The Shire Horse Society, welcomes all purebreeds of heavy horse and is aimed at owners of all levels, from grassroots and novice to those more advanced.

It’s a great learning environment and we all take something away with us.

Each Camper can individually tailor the sessions that they would like to participate in during the two days of training sessions.

Day three is a show day, where you can put into practice all the new skills that you have learned (with a little help if needed)

Prior to camp you will be able to choose the sessions and topics that you would like to learn and participate in.

The Venue

Pickering Grange Equestrian

Ellistown Terrace Road

Ellistown

Leicestershire

LE67 1EZ

We are very excited to invite you all to join us at Pickering Grange, located just off Junction 22 of the M1 motorway in the heart of Leicestershire. A professionally run, friendly and modern equine facility set in the heart of The National Forest.  The site offers two indoor arenas and two all weather outdoor arenas (100m x 80m and 60m x 30m) with a free schooling/lunge arena and miles of off road hacking adjacent to the centre. Dedicated warm water wash-out areas.

On site catering and all meals included, toilet and showering facilities, large areas of hard standing for campers in horseboxes, trailers, campervans or caravans with optional hook up (extra charge and pre booking essential)
Tents will be on grass pitches. Wi-Fi, classroom and Bar.

Your horse will be stabled and a field will be provided for hand grazing of horses, as the owners would prefer that the grass verges around the site are maintained by their ground crew and not horses.
Dogs are welcome, but they must remain on a lead at all times, and please pick up and bin appropriately.

Ahead of camp we are on hand to help you get organised, we'll confirm your session choices, your meal choices, any clothing, bedding or hook up requirements. 
You'll also receive a campers checklist and helpful feeding advice for before and during camp to help you to prepare for your stay.

You are encouraged to join us between 4pm and 6pm on Thursday 29th April 2027 (No earlier please)

We'll be waiting to meet you, direct you to your parking area, and help you find your stable.

The welcome meeting is very important, it’s a great opportunity for us to meet you and for you to get to know all of our presenters and directing staff. We'll help you to understand the layout of the venue and allay any of your fears/worries.

Stallions/colts are welcome. They must be handled with a bit/bridle when out of stables and have a stallion bridle marker on. Please let us know in advance if you are planning to bring a colt so that appropriate facilities/stables can be provided for them.

If you have a horse who is difficult to load, please let us know in advance. We'll make sure we have experienced people on hand to assist you at home time.

We've listened to your feedback...

    As many of you will know, after our previous camps, we undertook an online survey and feedback exercise with both campers and presenters.  Our goal was to ask you what you would like to see and experience at camp.

We’ve studied your responses and we've made adjustments to reflect these at camp 2027

2027 SESSIONS

Leg & Feet Care: Learn essential best practices for maintaining healthy legs and hooves in heavy horses, including hygiene, feather care, conditioning, and preventing common ailments.

Mane braiding: Master traditional heavy horse mane preparation, covering plaiting techniques and turnout styling for in hand and ridden showing.

Tail Plaiting: A hands-on instructional session covering traditional tail braiding, long tail styling and ribbon presentation.

Equine Nutrition: Gain valuable insights into heavy horse dietary management, body condition scoring, feeding for workload demands, and overall digestive health.

Harness Cleaning & Maintenance: Discover proper methods and products to clean, condition, and preserve leather and working harness equipment for safety, durability, and a show-ready shine.

Harnessing Up: Step-by-step practical instruction on correctly and safely fitting, adjusting, and putting on heavy horse harness.

Putting a Horse to a Vehicle: A safety-focused walkthrough covering the proper sequence, safety procedures, and techniques for hitching a heavy horse to a vehicle or cart.

Long Reining: Learn essential ground work control, steering techniques, voice commands, and training exercises using long reins.

Driven Demonstration: Watch a live demonstration showcasing driving techniques, turnout standards, carriage control, and rein handling.

In-Hand Showing: Master handler positioning, ring etiquette, turn-out, and movement presentation to display your heavy horse to judges with confidence.

Ridden Coaching (Group Sessions): Tailored ridden instruction focusing on rider position, responsiveness, ring control, and achieving individual ridden goals.

Ridden Tack Fitting: Understand saddle and bridle fitting specific to heavy horse anatomy to ensure maximum comfort, freedom of movement, and performance.

Ridden Ring Craft: Polish your ridden performance with training focused on ring spatial awareness, how to ride in the go around, what to expect in a class with a ride judge, and how to present a flawless individual show.

"You Be the Judge...!": An interactive and fun session where participants step into the judge's boots, evaluating horse conformation and movement while learning official judging criteria.

Show Prep Tips: Insider advice and practical strategies for getting both horse and handler ring-ready, from bath-day routines to final ringside touch-ups.

Show Entry Form Session: Step-by-step guidance to assist participants with completing show entry forms, selecting appropriate classes, and understanding competition rules.

Stable Care: Dedicated daily time slots for participants to groom, feed, water, and care for their horses.

Show Day!: The exciting culmination of the weekend where participants showcase their skills in competition classes.