Terms and Conditions

From January 2019

New clients must have completed a Rider Registration Form before riding a horse. This will be countersigned after the lesson by an instructor. Resubmission may be required if you haven’t ridden with us for over a year or any if your details change.

It is the responsibility of the Parent/Guardian to sign the Registration form if the child is under 18. It is also required to attend a mandatory Assessment/Introduction Lesson before being allowed to book/ride another lesson. This allows us to ascertain your riding level and get to know your needs and aspirations.

CRS reserves the right to change any instructor and/or horse/pony when necessary. Please that ponies and instructors may be requested. As it is not always possible to guarantee availability, we understand the need for continuity and consistency, and will try to accommodate where possible. You have the right to request another Instructor subject to availability.

Punctuality and Arrival Times:

Our lessons run to a tight schedule and therefore we kindly ask you to plan your journey and allow plenty of time to ensure your lesson starts on time. Please note that mounting, dismounting and adjustments of tack to suit each rider is included within this time. During lunge lessons, warmup of the horse is also included in the lesson time.

• New clients: Arrive 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time of your lesson to allow for hat and boot fitting and completion of a Rider registration form
• Returning clients: Arrive 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start of your lesson
• If you are running late, please call us to let us know at least 30 minutes prior to the start of your lesson. This way we can ensure your horse and instructor is ready and waiting for you on arrival.
• If there is no answer, this is because our receptionist is busy so it is important that you leave a message stating your name and scheduled time of your lesson.
• If you arrive up to 10 minutes late for your lesson, the lesson will finish at the scheduled time. CRS reserves the right to refuse access to you joining a lesson which is in progress without refund due to health and safety considerations.
• If we are responsible for your lesson starting late, CRS will make up the time either in that lesson or a future lesson depending on our schedule.
• If you arrive over 10 mins late for your lesson, CRS reserves the right to refuse access to you joining a lesson which is in progress without refund due to health and safety considerations.

There may be occasions where you are legitimately unable to provide notice of non-attendance or lateness which may result in refusal including sudden emergency, pregnancy or breakdowns. Should this be the case, we kindly ask clients to contact us via our email address ([email protected]) and we can review your case.

Safety

Although safety measures are put in place at Cheshire Riding School, riders should be aware horse-riding is a high-risk sport, horses can be unpredictable even though they are carefully assessed and monitored and injuries can occur. As a result, we will not be held responsible for any injuries or losses sustained whilst riding at this establishment unless such injuries were caused by demonstrable negligence. We have an excellent safety record and are fully licensed.

Weight limit

The current weight limit for riding lessons and hacking is 13 stone (76kg) including clothing and full riding attire. CRS reserves the right to weigh clients prior to lessons to ensure weight limits are adhered to. CRS reserves the right to refuse clients who are not in accordance with weight limits.

Riding Attire

If you do not have riding attire please see below for suitable clothing, we can provide boots. All hats please must conform to the current safety standards.

We advise that you wear:

• Full length comfortable trousers (avoid jeans), Leggings, tracksuit bottoms, boots / shoes with small 1/2-inch heel and smooth sole. Wellington boots are not acceptable.
• Wet weather clothing may be required i.e. raincoat
• Body protectors are provided and are advisable when jumping (but are not compulsory). Air vests cannot be worn without being risk assessed for the activity in which they are being worn by a rider.

We advise that you don’t wear:

• Shorts, 3/4 length trousers (legs must be covered), Vest tops (shoulders must be covered)

Unacceptable Footwear:

• Sandals, open toe shoes, Flip-flops, heels higher than 1 inch or no heel at all i.e. pumps, trainers
• We advise you wear minimal jewellery. Receptionist will look after car keys for riders if they may pose a safety risk to a rider.

Photography / Recordings (camcorders)

Please note that NO photographs / videos are to be taken if any child is in the frame/shot unless a written agreement is signed by parent / guardian due to current child protection act legislation. If this occurs without permission, CRS cannot be held responsible for any photographs taken by others without our knowledge.

Weather

Riding lessons continue in almost all weather conditions in our indoor schools. (Hacks will continue at our discretion). Suitable clothing must be worn as necessary.

Payment

Payment - We accept cash and credit/debit cards. Pre-payment is required to secure your booking.

Cancellation Policy

You have the right to cancel your lesson without charge with at least 48 hours notice. If less than 48 hours’ notice has been given, a £5 fee will be charged. If less than 24 hours or no notice is given (including illness) the full fee will be charged. We will try to move or transfer any bookings cancelled within 48 hours to another slot later that day or week. We restrict the number of riders in each lesson to keep our classes small and therefore we are able to provide better quality lessons. To enable us to continue providing this service please ensure you cancel any lessons (whenever possible) at your earliest convenience so we can offer the available slot to other riders. All Deposits and Pre-Paid Lesson Fees Are Non-Refundable. Any Credit which is provided as part of a lesson cancellation (at our discretion), will expire 6 months after the original booking date. By making a booking you are agreeing to all of our Terms and Conditions. We welcome feedback with any comments or concerns. In order for us to continue to provide our clients with an excellent and consistent service all correspondence is treated confidentially and is greatly appreciated. This helps us to continue to provide a happy atmosphere and a friendly and welcoming place to ride/work for everyone.

Other Terms

Pre-paid Tickets

Pre-paid ticket fees & vouchers are non-refundable, non-transferable and cannot be redeemed for credit or cash. Vouchers must be used within 12 months from the purchase date. Expired vouchers cannot be refunded or claimed. Pre-paid tickets must be presented at arrival of all lessons. Failure to do so may result in that lesson being paid for in full. Cancellation policy remains the same for pre-paid ticket holders. Any additional cost which exceeds the value of a voucher shall be paid by the redeemer when the voucher is used.

Activities

Activity day bookings are processed on a first-come first-served basis. Full payment is required at time of booking, apart from Pony Camp which requires a deposit and full balance due 2 weeks prior to camp. All prices quoted include a 20% non-refundable deposit. In the event of a cancellation of an activity day, 48 hours’ notice is required. If less than 48 hours’ notice is given, full payment will be charged. Any credit which is provided as part of an activity cancellation will only be offered as a physical voucher and cannot be held as a cash value credit.

BHS Transition Fund vouchers

BHS Transition fund vouchers can be used for BHS training sessions in part or in full.

Group Sessions

Group sessions involving four or more clients are scheduled for a complete one-hour duration. To ensure the well-being of the horses and to effectively manage their workload, in cases where a group lesson has three reservations, the session will be conducted for a duration of 45 minutes. Similarly, if the group consists of two or only one rider, the lesson will run for 30-minutes.