Berkshire Riding Centre LTD
Crouch Lane, Winkfield, Berkshire,SL4 4TN
Facilities
We offer superb facilities what ever you need, whatever the weather. This means you can do serious riding as you want to.
The Centre is also less than a kilometer from the nearest entrance to
State of the art reception centre and new training room:
Completed to a very high standard we now have two important new rooms. The reception centre, completed over a year ago and now the hub of the yard, and the training room due to be completed in February 2010. Come to the reception room, book your next lesson on our computerised system, watch through large glass windows your child or freind have their lesson or just chill out. Heated in the winter, large sliding windows on both sides in the summer. If you want a tea or coffee, do come in, an honour bar system operates. Allternatively enjoy a cold drink from the vending machine just outside.
We have now completed the new training room with internet, audio visual facilities etc, ideal for the training programmes we run. This will be a growth area for the business so watch this space for information on training programmes that may appeal to you.
All part of our attempt to make your BRC equestrian experience great!!
Hours of Opening: The Centre is open from 7:30am to 8pm 363 days a year (we are closed on Christmas Day and on New Years Day.) We ask that clients are off the yard outside of these hours and have to be strict on implementing them for your safety.
Stables:
We have 36 large boxes. Most are 3.6 metres square and some are pony boxes. All have automatic watering and a “haybar”
for healthy hay feeding. All are separately lit with wiring to latest EU standards, have rubber matting and are bedded on shavings.
Last year we refurbished the annex to the barn. As you can see from the pictures these are from the Monarch range - Victorian style. As other stables they all have automatic watering, a Haybar and rubber matting. Also included in the rebuild is a tack room, wet area and storage.
Riding surfaces: We have three in all, each with a surface tailored to your needs. Importantly they do not suffer from flooding nor freezing problems you may have experienced elsewhere. They have just (October 19th - 21st 2009) been upgraded, surface technology changes all the time and we use the UK's formost surface experts, Equestrian Surfaces, to advise and implement changes we make. Come and see for yourself.
I. Indoor school: is fully illuminated and 55 meters by 22 meters in size. It has the latest silica sand / premier stabilizer surface and is surrounded by mirrors on two sides so you can check your own performance
II. Main Outdoor school: Is 70 meters by 30 meters, with an Astroturf all weather surface. It is floodlight. This is often set up for dressage or jumping.
III. Small Outdoor school: recently renovated 36 meters by 18 meters in size. It has the latest silica sand / premier stabilizer surface.
We will shortly be adding rubber to this surface to improve it further.
Car parking: We have two. One at the front is for cars only. This is convenient for the stables and has easy access off
The other car park is off
Both have hard surfaces, covered with pea shingle.
Paddocks:
We have seven paddocks extending to ca 11 acres, fully post and railed with metal gates to each. There is automatic watering in all fields. The paddocks are carefully rotated to ensure good grazing. Using our “Predator” vacuum muck collector they are kept clean on a daily basis. They are also looked after by Hindhay (Derek Potter) agricultural specialists.
We are able to give year round turn out either in the paddocks or in one of the three surfaces, above.
Turnout is geared to the horse in question with no more than 2 horses per paddock so each horse has its own consistent “playmate”. This helps prevents stress and the temptation to jump out.
Cross Country / Show Jumping:
We have a cross country schooling field with banks, ditches and solid fences. This is supplemented in good weather with a show jumping course. We have a full set of BSJA show jumps, which are set up regularly for schooling. Rosie is an approved BSJA course builder.
Tack and rug rooms: Both are on the yard. The main tack room is double locked and alarmed (Secom) when not in use. The secondary tack room is within the barn and locked out of normal hours. All have heating if needed.
Security: Whilst we have not had any problems we do take this seriously, so you do not have to worry. This includes Banham’s digital CCTV, dawn to dusk on yard lighting, staff on premises, Secom alarmed tack room, etc
Haybarn new build - We have erected a new Haybarn in the corner of the field alongside the car park. This is designed to hold a years supply of hay to ensure a) we have the supply we need and b) have hay of a consistent quality. This is now full of hay. For safety reasons the barn is out of bounds and we would ask all visitors to ensure they and their party respect this. Hay will be moved to the old barn annex for weekly needs and bales must not be opened in the new barn. In the following months the old wooden structure behind the new barn will be taken down and landscaping will be planted along the barn side visable from Crouch Lane.
General: Facilities are always being reviewed and updated. We take health and safety seriously. Risk assessments for all parts of the school, as well as horses and riders are kept and maintained. We have a regular maintenance contract and repairs can be effected immediately.
In line with the Health Act 2007 we continue to be a no-smoking yard. A copy of our smoking policy is displayed on the notice board, or can be requested by email - see contact us page. Smokers however may smoke in either car park, but are asked to be careful and dispose of their butts/ ash in the special ashtrays that have now been installed.
Risk assessment: We take the management of risk associated with horses, horse care and managment seriously and have developed our own assessment of risks. Whether it be riding on the roads, leading horses to field or getting hay bales down, all have risks associated that need minimising. Staff should be fluent with this, and we encourage all clients, in particular livery clients to be aware. A hard copy of the Centre's risk assessment is available in the office but if you want your own copy you can download it here in word doc format:
BHS: We are proud to be an approved BHS yard for livery, also as a riding school and as a training centre (where to train). We aim to keep standards high.
