Junior Camp - Ashford Valley

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Dear Parents and Guardians,

Saddle up — Pony Club Junior Camp 2026 is almost here and we promised to stay in touch! We’re looking forward to welcoming your young riders for three action‑packed days of riding, learning and making memories on our little frontier. The committee has been working hard behind the scenes to prepare for camp at the ranch and now we need your help with the final preparations to keep camp running smoothly!

Please read this information carefully. It contains essential schedules, a few rules and a packing checklist to help ensure camp runs safely, happily and with just the right touch of Wild West adventure!

Your main contact for camp is our Assistant District Commissioner Sarah O’Neill: 07742864316

Camp Committee are: Sarah O’Neill (Camp Organiser), Tara (Stable Manager and Safeguarding), Elisha (Health and Safety), DC Darren Page (First Aid and Horse Passports), MaryJo (Food), Suzy Page (Prizes) helped by Cheryl and Kala. Adult and senior helpers are very welcome – please speak to Sarah.

🏜️ Camp Venue

Judd Wood Farm Tonbridge TN11 8AB

What3Words location: ///lend.steps.snow

Arrival time on Monday 8.30am and Tuesday and Wednesday is 8.45am (please allow plenty of time, it’s Monday morning traffic and many of you have stables to set up).

🌵 Essential Rules & Health Checks:

Strict Vaccination Policy Please email or WhatsApp a photo of your pony’s vaccination record to Darren Page by 4th August 2026 on: dc.ashfordvalley@pcuk.org or 07956501557. No pony may attend camp without up‑to‑date vaccinations. For Pony Club Vaccination rules, click here: The-Pony-Club-Equine-Influenza-VACCINATION-RULE.pdf

No Dogs are not permitted anywhere on the venue.

Child Safety Procedures:

> We ask that you ensure your ponies are being ridden regularly this last week before camp and used to riding in open paddocks, they will be so much easier for the children to manage at camp.

> All children must be signed in and out of camp each day. Each group will have a designated team leader escorting them around their camp activities and a first aider will be close to hand. When riding they will have a first aid trained person present along with their instructor who is also first aid trained.

> Children to wear hats at all times when around the horses (please prepare them for that)

> Any children with sickness or diarrhoea can not attend camp for 48 hours after symptoms have passed – the whole camp could be spoilt if a child is sent in sick.

> Children will allergies, medications or dietary requirements need them discussed with Darren Page: 07956501557.

> Please ensure you have completed a medical form for your child, if you missed the pre-camp rallies then you can complete one on arrival.

> No children to enter stables alone without a parent/carer/instructor or team leader present – ponies must be tied up when working around them, mucking out and tacking up. Please can you let your children know this, we appreciate many have a lot of freedom at home but at an event ponies and children can act out of character and we want to keep them safe and work within the Pony Club rules.

Our Health and Safety Officer is Elisha Poole and she will be happy to chat about any concerns you may have.

Pony Safety:

> We are aware of the hard ground and will adapt activities accordingly, we are grateful the sun is out this year and we will work with it. We might not be jumping high but we do plan to make the children smile and have happy ponies!

> Ideally ponies to have leather headcollars and be tied to quick realise lines when tied in stables.

> Any pony deemed unsafe or not fit for use – we will notify the grown ups.

> Please ensure ponies arrive fit and healthy to cope with the work at camp (they will have two ridden sessions a day am and pm).

Any worries please talk to Sarah, Tara or Darren.

Pony Plan:

Stable Manager and Pony Welfare is Tara Mitchell (supported by Sarah O’Neill and our team of helpers)

> On the first day please leave ponies on trailers until we show you your stable and check you in – then you can set your beds up and unload your ponies (unless you booked for your bed to be prepared by us – see below). Three groups will be riding first and we will tell you who that is so that you can help your child tack up. It is fine to be with them to walk them over to their first ride and ensure they are settled.

> Ponies are stabled on a do-it-yourself basis – you provide all hay and bedding, make haynets each day and help your child muck out in the morning and do tea time beds during our allocated mucking out times (8.50am-9.30am and 3pm-4pm). We have most of our committee staying over night and a late night check will be conducted and we will do lunch time hay.

Stabling Rules, Hay and Bedding

Please bring your own. Judd Wood currently only sell large bales so we would suggest you bring small baled hay or lots of haynets filled from home or order small bales from Broadfeed – hay can be stored on site easily. Shavings is prefered due to dust allergies but straw is allowed and again Broadfeed can deliver for you or please bring your own. Most stables are small 9ftx10fts, unless you have a large horse and will be allocated a larger stable. We are told 1 or 2 bales of shavings should be fine but take a judgement as you know your ponies and how messy they are and how deep they like their beds.

Anyone who has booked for the beds to be set up prior to arrival must order bedding via Broadfeed so that it is delivered or drop it to us at 4pm on Sunday 9th August at Juddwood.

Please bring your wheelbarrows and tools with you – brooms and forks, shovel or dustpan – name everything.

On the leaving day please do not leave until your bed has been signed off, beds need to emptied and swept out and any isles left clean. Anyone leaving a bed or any mess will incur a £50 club fine. Please remember this venue has allowed us to stay and we wish to leave it as we found it. On presentation day parents can arrive from 12 noon and start emptying stables prior to presentation afternoon (if any parents/helpers have time please offer to help our camp committee with theirs as they won’t have any spare time to get ahead in this way until they’ve waved everyone off from camp).

> For more information or if you have any concerns you can talk to Tara or Sarah

> Please ensure your haynets are filled ready for each day and evening, haynets can be labled with electrical tape as can any summer sheets.

> If there are any problems with your pony we will call you to site to attend to your pony and if they needed the vet we would call the on call vet and assist in anyway that we can – please leave your mobile phones on overnight.

> Please bring your pony’s passport to camp as this needs to be seen at check in by Darren.

> Camp Farrier is: Dave Sanders based in Goudhurst

> Camp Vet is: Bell Equine

> Scroll down for Broadfeed contact and bedding/hay list

🍎 Lunch and Snacks and Supper

Snacktimes: We are known for “Cake” at camp – please bring cakes for the cake table each day and any cake tupperware labled would be appreciated.

Lunch: Please provide a large lunch and bring a named drinks bottle. There is no refrigeration on-site for lunch boxes, so please pack lunches accordingly.

Supper:

Ranch Supper runs from 4pm: This is going to be a time to socialise so we encourage you to book in. Maryjo, Fleur and Cheryl are on camp supper. If you have not booked supper please contact Maryjo to be added to the list and arrange payment: 07733228549.

> Monday evening at 4pm: Pizza and Pasta Night

> Tuesday evening at 4pm: Sausage Sizzle

> The camp venue closes at 6pm and we ask that all children head home and leave our Committee Cowboys to relax before they are back on late night duty!

Kit List:

Pony’s may require: Fly Gel/Spray – Haynets – Feed Buckets – Water Bucket – Grooming Kit – Nose Suncream. Uniform: Navy, Black or White Saddle Blankets and girths. Saddle and Bridle, Optional neck strap/martingale. (this can stay onsite – at your own risk in the tack room). Optional rugs if required. Grooming Kit and tack cleaning set. Tools for mucking out. Clean Bucket and Sponge. Please name everything even your bridles and saddles (elecitrical tape on the saddle D-ring with ponies name is effective or tags.

Child Kit List:

Daily Requirement: Sun cream, Sun hat, spare set of clothes, waterproofs, trainers for on foot games, packed lunch and drinks bottle, shorts, named water bottle.

What to wear each day:

Day One: Camp T-Shirt (will be issued at camp), navy or black jodphurs, jodphur boots and clips, hair net, hat, gloves, body protector.

Day Two: Wild West Fancy Dress (for those children wishing to take part). Today we truly get into the Wild West Ranch Vibe! With fancy dress please bare in mind no guns or bow and arrows or weapons, nothing that drapes, no capes and nothing that will spook other ponies. We welcome ranch riders, bar tender, outlaws, native americans. Please bare in mind the child’s comfort all day.

Day Three: Show Day. They can start the day in their camp t-shirts and regular cream/dark jodphurs for the morning but in the afternoon we have our presentation rides and we encourage children to wear their best clothing with shirts and PC ties and if they want to wear a show or hacking jacket they can but this isn’t compulsory. Parents/carers will need to change children. This is our smart day for our Club Group photos but we will work with the heat, it may be far too hot for jackets!

Presentation Afternoon – We have a tea and cake stand and we would love your home made cakes please – all will be sold to help us to fund raise so please bring cash with you. We welcome your wider family to attend and watch your children at presentation afternoon – the rossettes are amazing this year Suzy has done a wonderful job. Our team of volunteers will have worked 4 days from set up day and so we would be very grateful to everyone to help us tidy up camp and pack away any jumps. Parents can arrive from 12pm to empty their stables (while children have lunch) and help children get changed and enjoy the final afternoon with us.

🎒 Pony Club Rules on hats and body protectors

Please ensure all items are clearly labelled with your child’s name.

Riding Hat:

Must meet current Pony Club standards with a visible PC hat tag. Fixed peak hats are prohibited for cross‑country. Hat rules: https://pcuk.org/media/3t2nxfnb/hat-rule-2020.pdf

Body Protector Must meet current Pony Club safety standards. Body protector rules: https://pcuk.org/media/hh4h35mb/body-protector-rule-2020.pdf

Our Instructors are:

Alex, Julie and Sophie

🤠 We Can’t Wait to See You at Camp!

We’re excited to welcome you all for a few days of riding, learning, and Western‑style fun. If you have any questions before camp, please get in touch with Sarah O’Neill on 07742864316.

Lastly please bare in mind this year is the first that AVPC has ever run a camp where ponies stay and the first using this venue for juniors, we will no doubt walk away full of ideas for how to do it next year and we would really welcome your support both setting up and taking down camp. If anyone wishes to be a camp helper please contact Sarah.

Best regards, The Pony Club Camp Committee

Bedding, Hay and Feed Deliveries:

Call Debs on: 07745437025

Deadline to order – Thursday 6th August

Broadfeed have sponsored events and donated gifts for our children in recent years and are now happy to deliver your supplies to camp. Place your order direct with them and make payment. Contact is 07745437025. If we are setting your bed up we are going to camp the day before from 4pm – please come and help set up and drop bedding off then or order from Broadfeed.

Our own broadbed small flake shavings £10 a bale

Bedmax £10.99

Littlemax £11.25

Small and natural flake jenkinsons £12.25

Aubiose £13.85

Sundown green £9.99

Sundown yellow £10.99

The only haylage in stock at present is horsehage

Blue and green £11.50

Purple ( Timothy ) £12.25

Hay bales £10

Welcome to Junior Camp Folks!

Camp dates: Monday 10th to Wednesday 12th August 2026 (3 full days)

Venue: Judd Wood Farm, Upper Haysden Lane, Tonbridge, TN11 8AB

Get ready to saddle up for the most rootin’ tootin’ adventure of the summer at Ashford Valley Junior Camp! This year we’re riding straight into the Wild West, where cowboys, cowgirls and pony pals can enjoy three jam‑packed days of excitement at the amazing Judd Wood Ranch! Campers will be grouped with pony pals of a similar ability and dive into riding lessons to include polework, jumping, cross‑country, hacking through woodland and farmland, mounted games, dressage to music, pony care badges and so much more! With friends by their side, brilliant Pony Club instructors, demonstrations and a big Wild West vibe at the Ranch Club House, it’s the perfect place to build confidence, make memories, and have a blast! So dust off their boots, grab their hats and join us for a Wild West adventure your young rider will never forget — Junior Camp is calling!

✨ It’s lively, it’s confidence‑boosting, and it’s seriously good fun — camp is always a rootin’ tootin’ highlight of the year!

Grown Ups scroll down for the finer details:

You’ll be pleased to hear we’ve got a fabulous camp venue with indoor stabling for the ponies comfort and to avoid daily travel stress, the children will enjoy two riding lessons a day with activities adjusted depending on the weather and the ground conditions, daily stable management, demonstrations and entertainment plus amazing prizes at our presentation day and a camp t-shirt all for £195 per child! With costs rising we are fund raising to make camp extra special and encourage you to help us really bring the Wild West to life! We appreciate Tonbridge is a little further to travel and so we are offering a camp supper and social on Monday and Tuesday and with many ponies staying over night this will mean your child will leave happy and fed and you just need to pop them through the sheep dip and to bed once you get home!

How to book: This is a special camp and stable spaces are limited so book early to avoid disappointment.

You have two options:

1) Pay the full amount and save on EM booking fee’s.

2) Pay a non refundable deposit of £95 and the final payment of £100 will be due by 1st July.

CLICK TO BOOK HERE from Saturday 16th May 8pm.

Organisers: Sarah O’Neill our Assistant DC is your point of contact this year and on the camp committee we have cow girls Elisha, Tara, Suzy and MaryJo. Please feel free to contact Sarah with any questions on smuir67@hotmail.co.uk or 07742864316.

Ponies need to be VACCINATED as per pony club rules, click here.

More Camp Details Below…

The Judd Wood Ranch…

We’re incredibly lucky to have exclusive use of the amazing Judd Wood venue for all three days of camp. It’s a true adventure playground for pony‑mad children, packed with brilliant facilities to explore. Riders can enjoy farm and woodland hacking, a fantastic cross‑country course with water, steps and even a fun mini jumping track for our younger riders with every level of rider being catered for.

There will be grass arenas, a small indoor school, plenty of show jumps, and our very own Wild West Clubhouse complete with a working kitchen for our pizza and sausage sizzle suppers! On site you’ll also find toilets, a brand‑new tack room, hay and straw available to buy, water on tap and a huge all‑weather parking and drop‑off zone to make arrival smooth and easy.

Ranch Services:

We are fund raising for camp and are offering to set your stable up for you for a small donation. You provide the bedding and we’ll do the rest. Prices TBC and will be circulated. Alternatively you can set your stable up on arrival on Monday morning but it will be very busy with check in’s and children and ponies getting settled. Ponies are stabled on a DIY basis and parents are asked to help with mucking out and evening duties and all haynets but you can leave between 10am and 3pm unless you become a Camp helper and are happy to be assigned a job – speak to Sarah if that applies to you.

> Ponies, Trailers, lorries, hay, feed, tack can remain on site at your own risk.

Morning and Late night hay/feed: We will give breakfast hay/feed and a late night hay and water check is offered by our stable manager at £2 a day, all proceeds go to camp. Ponies will have your details attached to their door, any problems you will be called.

Further Info:

> Hay, Straw and Shavings you provide but we will share a local shops contact details who will deliver.

Ponies going home each day will still be issued a stable and require bedding and hay.

Parents and Carers Ranch Info:

Please send your child each day with:

1) Lunch and snacks

2) Drinks bottle

3) Cake – Our famous cake table will be running as usual!

4) Spare clothes

5) Water proofs trousers and riding coat

6) Sun cream and sun hat

A comprehensive kit list will be issued in the coming weeks.

Drop off/collection arrangements:

Each group will have an adult Team Leader who will guide them through their camp day and be your point of contact. Please report to the Ranch Club House for Registration at 9am and dismissal at 4pm each day.

The camp day runs as follows but is subject to change:

MONDAY:

Dress Code, Camp T-Shirts will be issued at check in to wear, cream/dark jodphurs, pony club jumper if needed, hairnet and band for long hair, hat, gloves and body protectors for XC and Arena Eventing.

CHECK-IN: Parents we will be ready to check your horses in from 8.30am, please visit the check in desk by the stables for your passport/vaccination/hat check. Your ponies name will be on their stable door with your contact information. (Stables can be set up by us ready for your arrival which we recommend to save time and mess on check-in day – book on EntryMaster when booking camp) Or you can set your stable up immediately on arrival while your pony remains on the trailer, no ponies to be left tied to trailers unattended please. Before leaving please register and hand over your child to their dedicated adult team leader and leave by 10am for camp fun to begin! On collection at 4pm we will be running our ranch supper and social at the club house, again please book your spaces, supper is fun and ensures you take your child home happy and fed, parents and siblings are welcome to participate. Supper is £4.50 a head – All campers to leave by 6pm so that the children and ponies can rest.

TUESDAY:

Dress Code: Fancy Dress in the theme of the Wild West and needs to be safe to be able to ride in and wear all day bearing in mind their body protectors must be worn for certain activities. No capes for safety, no items that may spook other ponies please.

WEDNESDAY:

Dress Code: Smart Show Dress – Hacking and Show Jackets, shirt and tie, cream/dark jodphurs, hairnets, gloves. Ponies can be plaited today so please supply plaiting bands. Today is our Big Pony Club Camp Photo and we aim to look really smart! The final day of camp is presentation afternoon with parents and carers returning for our 1pm presentation and award ceremony. We will be selling burgers and hotdogs so please bring cash, all funds go to the club. Friends and Family are welcome to attend. All parents/carers to help with packing up camp. Camp is run by a team of volunteers who will really appreciate your help to tidy up after 3 long days of entertaining your western ranch riders!

RANCH SERVICES:

We have kept camp prices the same to help make it more affordable but we need to raise some much needed funds…

We are offering to prepare your stable ready for your arrival for just £5 per stable.

We are offering to do late night hay/feed/water and morning hay/feed for just £4 for camp.

We are asking for an optional donation when you checkout on Entry Master of £5.

All proceeds go to camp!

We know there will be lots of questions and so please feel free to drop Sarah O’Neill a line: smuir67@hotmail.co.uk or 07742864316