About Us
The Meon Riding Club was established in 1968 when like minded horse riders got together for their mutual benefit, and to improve the facilities for riders within the area. The Club is affiliated to the British Riding Club (BRC) movement, which in turn is affiliated to The British Horse Society.
Members have set up an informal presence on Facebook for discussion and exchange of ideas. Why not check it out!
Membership is open to horse-riders of at least 18 years of age, whether the interest is for weekend hacking, or for more competitive events. Many Pony Club members naturally graduate to the Riding Club as they broaden their experience.
We have members from many of the villages between Portsmouth and Southampton, and inland up the Meon Valley as far as Alton, in Hampshire, UK. Several founder members are still members today, due to the lively, varied and interesting programme that the Committee organises each year. You can check out this year's programme by clicking on the calendar.
We believe our annual subscription gives excellent value for money. Affiliation to BRC currently costs £10 per member, and the Club also pays for third-party insurance, which provides cover for all members whilst attending Club events. We keep our administration costs to a minimum by using email (where possible, but not essential) to receive information. In addition, we often subsidise our very comprehensive training programme. All in all, where can you find such value locally?
Members benefit from an active training programme in all discipines. Several local venues are used, and our trainers have proved to be very popular. Courses are run at advantageous rates, and in small groups to maximise the benefit to members.
The Club runs performance trophies throughout the season, covering cross-country, jumping and dressage disciplines at different standards. Trophies are presented at the Annual General Meeting in October.
Previous winners link.
The Club is keen to compete in the BRC Area Qualifiers and National Championships, and Team Managers try to encourage fresh faces to join the more experienced to enter Area Qualifiers. In the last few years we have had some excellent results, and members have had the opportunity to represent the Club at National Championships. Members are chosen to compete based on their performance at local and Club events, so that anybody can have the opportunity to represent the Club - often more than one team is entered so that more can participate.
Those of a more novice standard need never feel left out, as there are Club events to cater for all standards and different disciplines. Our Annual Show is open to non-members as well, and provides dressage, jumping, in-hand and ridden showing classes.
For our most ambitious events, we put on One Day Events and Hunter Trials - both very popular. This provides good riding over superb examples of Hampshire riding country.
For those who just like to hack out, opportunities to explore different areas are offered by members who will lead a group over countryside local to them.
For those members not so active on the riding front, the Club organises indoor winter meetings on many topics, with the occasional social get-together.
The Club works closely with the BHS to improve and maintain the bridleway network. In particular, we are striving to complete the South Downs Way through our area. Improvements are being processed all the time, but often things move very slowly.
The Club is keen to promote the welfare of horses, and works in close liaison with equine welfare organisatons to ensure that any reported suspected case of mal-treatment or mal-nutrition is followed up. On many occasions, a few minutes spent educating an owner into better ways is all that is required.
If you ride your own or hired horse, just for pleasure, or want to try your hand at more competitive riding, why not join us. Just download the application form, complete, and mail to the Secretary.
Bridleways Note: If you want to check whether a path is on the definitive map, or report a blocked or unusable existing path, Hampshire County Council now has available a superb on-line facility. It can be found at http://www3.hants.gov.uk/row/locating-row/row-online-maps. Please make use of it.