Try It Horse Riding Sessions at Dunbyrne

Due to popular demand, we have added some more weekend “Try It” sessions to our schedule. Try It Sessions cost 20 euro for thirty minutes and are perfect for seeing if your child enjoys horse riding before committing to a term of intro lessons or a Summer Pony Camp.

Try It Sessions are suitable for children aged six upwards. Children must be accompanied by a parent or a guardian aged 16 or over who can lead them.

Visitation to our yard is strictly appointment only so to enquire or arrange a booking, please email dunbyrnestud@gmail.com

Final Call for Summer Pony Campers!

Our final Summer Pony Camp for children aged six upwards will take place Tuesday the 23rd August to Friday the 26th August 2022. This takes place at our family run riding school in Kildare.

This camp takes place from 9.30-12.30 each day and the camp is suitable for all levels of rider. Camp costs 120 euro per child with a 30 euro non refundable deposit required to secure a space.

To enquire or book for this camp, please email dunbyrnestud@gmail.com and include:

• Your name

• Child’s name, approx weight and height and age

• Any medical conditions that may affect riding

• Any allergies we should be aware of

• Your child’s level of riding experience (if any) to date

Thank you

COVID- 19 Riding School Update

COVID-19 Update.

Riding School:

• Please note that we do not allow any drop in visitors to our yard. Access is restricted to liveries and riding school clients who are attending a pre booked lesson.

• Our governing bodies have given the go ahead for under 18 group lessons from 26th April.

• We will be giving preference for group classes to our existing client base and will be in touch with all existing clients later on this week regarding lessons – please bear with us and thank you for your patience.

• We will initially be offering lessons for off-lead and above level as for safety reasons our team cannot provide hands on assistance to beginners. New aged 6-18 riders who are at off-lead to novice or advanced level who wish to be added to our waiting list should email dunbyrnestud@gmail.com .

• We have an existing waiting list for beginners. We will be in touch with riders on our waiting list when we have a suitable class available in the future. To be added to the beginner waiting list for aged 6-18 please email us.

• Please note that we do not offer private lessons for adult beginners.

Camps:

• We do not know yet if we will have Summer pony camps available. This will depend on government restrictions.

• If permitted we will aim to run half day camps for children aged six upwards Tuesday – Fri during the school holidays.

• Preference will be given to existing clients and to those already on our waiting list.

• To be added to the waiting list please email us. Please note that beginner riders will need to be accompanied by a parent or a guardian over the age of 16 years old for their riding sessions.

🦄Thank you very much to our clients who have supported us throughout the last four months and for your lovely messages. 🦄

Prices

Aged 6-18

• 1 hour group lesson : €27.00 per hour.

• Block of 6 group lessons €140.

• Block of 10 group lessons €225

Adults

• 1 hour group lesson €30

• 30 Minute private lesson (only available during off peak times) : €30.00

• 50 Minute private lesson (only available during off peak times) : €50.00

  Peak times - weekends and 3pm onwards Tuesday to Friday. off peak 12-3 Tuesday to Friday

AIRE Test Success for Dunbyrne Riding School

Last Saturday 18 of our riding school pupils took their first AIRE (association of Irish Riding Establishment) tests at Dunbyrne Riding School. The pupils, trained by our yard manager Michelle Leonard were tested on the day by Ross O'Hare (BHSI) riding either their own ponies or our riding school ponies.

Michelle does an amazing job of helping all of our pupils to develop and learn and the AIRE tests show the progression they all have made. All of the proud pupils received AIRE certificates from Dunbyrne Riding School. We celebrated afterwards with a barbecue in the yard where everyone enjoyed Len's legendary cooking skills. 

Foundation D Test recipients. 

Alex Noonan, L:aura Kavanagh, Blanaid Sharpe and Hallie Cullen

Foundation C Test recipients.

Molly Dunne, Amy Carty, Beth Dempsey, Martha WIlliams, Hanna Groves, Sinead Davitt, Lauren Power and Sive Murphy

Foundation B Test recipients.

Jessica Dunne, Jessica McBride, Ciaran Carty, Sienna Laffan, Gemma Carter, Alimay Conroy, 

Dunbyrne Riders enjoy Newbridge College Show

On Sunday the 7th May our lorry travelled to Newbridge College Show in Newbridge, Co. Kildare. The lorry was filled with excited junior riders from Dunbyrne's livery yard and riding school along with well turned out horses and ponies that these riders had spent hours getting ready to shine.

The riders competed in a variety of derby and showjumping classes at the show and were delighted to bring home lots of rosettes. Hannah Groves and her bay pony Brogan took third place in the 60cm performance class. Sive Murphy and her new pony, dun gelding "Whats it all about" aka Cooper claimed second place in the 50cm performance. Lucy and Lola Gabor competed with their ponies Bubbles and Rosie. Chestnut gelding Bubbles delighted Lucy by winning the 40cm performance class while big sister Lola competed in the 80cm derby with her bay mare Rosie. 

Laura Kavanagh and bay gelding Bobby also competed in the 80cm derby taking it all in their stride. Blaithnaid Sharpe competed on board chestnut mare Flame in the 60cm performance and the pair took 4th place. Tabitha Walsh took 6th place in the 70cm performance class competing with her chestnut gelding Revery. 

Instructor and Dunbyrne Riding School manager Michelle Leonard was at the show to guide and advise her pupils on the day while Dunbyrne Equestrian owner Len O'Hare kept everyone well fed. Both were very proud of both the riders and ponies and their excellent performances and achievements. With the show wrapping up, the lorry was filled with tired happy riders with lots of rosettes bringing their ponies home for a well earned rest the next day.  

Our AIRE (Association of Irish Riding Establishments) approved riding school, based in Kilmeague, Co. Kildare offers group and private lessons for adults and for children aged 7 years +. If you and / or your child would like to learn to ride, give Michelle a call at 085 8059529

Red for Suzanne & Revery

A number of our clients travelled to Coilog this Sunday 30th April to compete in riding club in the latest leg of the Kavanaghs of Newbridge dressage league and the Linda Moore showjumping league. Jenny Brennan Hannigan and Rachel O'Sullivan competed in the advanced primary dressage with Papa Smurf (Harry Potter) and Firones Spear (Belle). Ellen Merrins had a great first day out showjumping and dressage with her bay gelding Pepper. Suzanne Walsh earned herself another league win taking first place in the primary dressage class. Suzanne was competing on board her chestnut gelding Revery. 

Dunbyrne Riding Club will host a leg of the Kavanaghs of Newbridge dressage league here at Dunbyrne Equestrian in Kilmeague on Sunday the 21st May. If you are interested in practicing your test in advance and receiving feedback and advice from our BHSI on how to achieve maximum marks on the day, we can organise a private or group session - give Ross a call at 086 2222440

Pony Rides at Punchestown

Ross was at Punchestown Racecourse this weekend with his team of helpers to give pony rides at the family fun day. This was a really busy day and several hundred children enjoyed a spin on board our riding school ponies Alistair, Cooper, Barney and Archie. These ponies are well trained and very quiet and didn't bat at eyelid at the busy funfair rides beside them or the bright face paint on many of the children! There were some very brave two and three year olds who were delighted to sit in the saddle for the first time.

We are very proud of our team of helpers who are great ambassadors for Dunbyrne Riding School and who made sure that every child had great fun. If you met us at Punchestown and would like to speak to us about starting riding lessons for you and / or your children at our AIRE approved riding school, give us a call on 0858059529 / 086 2222440.