Visitor Information

We understand that you may have never have been to a course, summer camp, riding weekend or competed at a show before and we aim to provide the information you need to allow you to take part safely and have fun.

Some people have been coming to our events for over 20 years and keep coming back because it is a good social time with a horse theme to it, whatever the activity.

We try and make sure there are as few problems as possible but if you do hit a snag, please do email, message or tell one of us as soon as possible.  We may not be able to do anything about it at that moment but we do need to know as soon as possible. Its horrible finding out later people had problems that could have been dealt with more easily at the time.

Most people on courses and riding weekends are accomodated in the house in “Sleeping Bag” spaces.  These are made up beds but we ask people to bring sleeping bags or their own bedding.  For shows and camps most people camp, whether in tents or lorries, some put a camp bed in their horse trailer and sleep there and some bring caravans.  We can provide a limited number of electric hook-ups if these are necessary – please ask well in advance.  There is also a “Bunk House” which has two rooms, one with a double bed and one with twin single beds or a double bed, available for £5 for the weekend.  Again, please book well in advance.

There is a B&B a short walk/ride away if you don’t want to camp and fancy being pampered. They can be booked here:  http://www.whiteowlsbedandbreakfast.com/

Campers

• Please fill up the camping field from the far end away from the gate wherever possible unless directed otherwise due to field conditions. 
• Please do not camp in front of the vehicle attached to the hay trailer as this needs to be refilled during the event.
• Please try and pitch camp at the same time if you particularly wish to camp alongside someone else, saving spaces is not generally acceptable, you can wait in the access field until your group has arrived, feel free to set up a temporary pen for the horses.  Please ask for advice if this is a problem.
• Large lorries need to be parked away from the field entrance or on hard standing (please ask for advice if you are attending with a large lorry for the first time)
• Horses are paddocked alongside your transport. Please bring electric fence equipment and energiser. Haylage, water and poo disposal facilities are included as part of the event fee.
• We expect people to poo pick their paddocks and there are scoops and wheelbarrows available for poo disposal (if you have a tub, it might be easier to fill that and take it to the dumper in a wheelbarrow). Please put them back after use by the dumper so other people can use them.
• If you horse poos in the school, yard or pens, please clear it up, there is a special disposal point for yard/pen poo (between the water bowser and the barn – the gate should be open during events).
• There are horse cool down facilities on the hard standing by the club house.  Please use on the concrete and not on the gravel. 
• Personal rubbish (including dog poo) must be taken home as we do not have disposal facilities at the farm.
• There is a chemical toilet emptying point marked on the map.  Please remove the cone before emptying and replace after use!
• For courses, camps and riding weekends all food except the Friday takeaway is included in the price.  For the shows the prebooked Meal Deal includes breakfast & lunch Saturday & Sunday and Supper on Saturday plus unlimited tea and coffee, this is only available to campers and competitors due to space constraints. Please remember to fill in any dietary requirements on the booking form.
• Catered meals are timed to fit in with classes and other events and are set on the day of the event depending on numbers and running times.  If your preparation requires it or your preference is to eat after serving has finished, please let our catering team know in good time.  We are happy to plate up meals for you to heat up in the microwave later.  Please ensure you wash up and put away your own dishes if you need to eat at different times.
• Tea, Coffee & Cold drinks for visitors (and everyone else) and hot water, microwave & washing up facilities for campers are available in the clubhouse and for shows and camps in the Teaosk at the end of the school as well.
• There are gadget charging facilities in the club house and we have a stock of spare chargers.  Please do not move or remove other people’s equipment.  No responsibility is taken for any loss or damage to equipment left in the club house. 
• Showers are available in the house and yard.  Showers for shows and camps are 50p via a meter in the shower room.  Please leave it clean, even if you come to it less than pristine.  We do check it as often as we can.  Please leave shoes outside the actual shower room. Light switch is the bottom rotary switch outside on the right.
• There are other drinking water taps available around the farm.  (see facilities map)
• A drinks fridge where milk is kept is provided separately with glasses alongside and ice in the freezer in the bottom, so along with the whizzy new hot and cold water dispenser, you should be able to get a drink at any time without access to the kitchen. 
• Please label any drinks you choose to leave in the fridge.  Anything unlabelled is considered available to all. 
• Please bring a chair and a spare – people always forget and some visitors are not aware.
• Sometimes we have a ride out attached to show weekends; this is advertised if the show falls at a bank holiday for example.   We will go on a pub ride from Oakfield Farm, if you don’t get a chance to ride out with other Icelandics this is well worth doing as they love going out with their own breed.  
• There are oval track training courses several times a year at Oakfield. The Instructor will be happy to help you prepare for the shows. If you are thinking of competing but have questions try the Icelandic Horse Facebook Chat Group.
• We are now opening up the oval track for practice on the weekends before the shows and the British Championships – booking is essential so we know you are coming.

Non-Campers

• If you are planning to travel on a daily basis or have off site accommodation, please park and put up your paddocks in the access field (see map) unless you have made other arrangements with us.  Horses will be supervised if left overnight.  Please note for shows, if B finals are run, it is not advisable for competitors to travel daily to the show as these will be the first classes run in the morning and may start as early as 8.00am.  The order of classes cannot be predicted as we try and make sure people get as much time as possible between classes if they are in more than one final and this dictates the order of classes.
• For shows individual meals can be purchased by visitors and participants but Saturday supper is only available with the meal deal due to space limitations.  If numbers dictate it may be necessary to restrict the meal deal to people staying overnight, we will make the meal deal available to non-campers wherever possible.
• Please bring a folding chair for ringside viewing. There are some spares but most chairs are spoken for if left beside the track.

Dogs

• Well behaved (as in don’t bark, jump up or chase cats) are permitted at shows but must be kept on a lead at all times and poo dealt with immediately. Please ensure anyone supervising your dog is equipped and willing to clear up and understands how to keep it away from other dogs, especially at the track side.   There is a separate area for dog owners near the tack truck where you can still spectate if your dog is not behaving itself.  Please do not be offended if we ask you to take your dog to this area, the safety of the riders is paramount.  We do not allow dogs at courses, camps or riding weekends.

Riders

• Please tack up and be ready in good time for your class.
• Please do not use the school to warm up unless your class is being called next.  If you wish to warm up earlier please warm up off the farm (see maps for suggested routes) and gather in the school a few minutes before your class.  Please do not ride faster than a walk around the farm and on the path up to the track.
• Novice qualifier classes at shows and camps will have stewards directing people onto the track.  These will be wearing orange high vis vests, please do as they direct you.
• Please leave the track in walk and head back to your paddocks or off the farm to cool down at the end of your class. 
• Wherever possible please do not bring horses into the spectators area or chat to friends on the path or in the access field.  If you do need to talk to people at track side or in the access field, please dismount so we know you are not expecting to enter a class and put your horse away as soon as possible.
• Please do not pass on unasked for advice to any other rider at any time.  We ask that participants pay attention to the trainer on courses even when they are not the focus of the lesson and do not hold separate conversations in earshot or sight as they are a distraction to those who wish to listen and to the trainer.  There is time for discussion between lessons. If you wish to have a separate conversation please go to the clubhouse or elsewhere. 
• If you receive unwelcome unasked for advice of any kind please report it to a steward, judge, trainer or organiser as soon as possible after it happens and it will be discussed by the judges/trainers and dealt with as the judge/trainer feels best.  We consider this at least disrespectful to the trainers who are professionals and at worst bullying and it could result in a formal warning or disqualification for the person offering unasked for advice out of place at shows, no matter how kindly meant.  The judge/trainer decision is final.
• You can wear whatever you are comfortable in. You must wear an approved safety hat and we do recommend air-jackets if you have one (you cannot use air jackets for ridden archery).  Some people like to dress up for finals, that is fine if you want to but we do not require you to do it.  Your horse should be tacked according to FEIF regulations with the specific Oakfield regulations taken into account.  See Oakfield Specific Rules.

The shows run from Friday lunchtime until 3pm Sunday.  People can arrive from Thursday lunchtime and leave Monday morning by prior arrangement. We suggest if you are travelling long distances this is a good idea as it gives you a chance to rest the horses after their journey.  Please fill in the timings of your arrival and departure on the booking form.  Normal arrival time is Friday AM onward.

The Programme

Friday PM   All our events begin with arrivals after lunch on the Friday unless special arrangements have been made.  There is an opportunity for track familiarisation for courses and shows and Nick and judge/s trainer/s will be available to check your tack and talk you through your requirements for the weekend if you need help.  There is a shared takeaway about 5-6pm on Friday evening in the clubhouse and the judges/trainers and Nick will then give a short presentation about what is happening over the weekend, warming up, track protocol, farm facilities etc if it is wanted.

Friday Evening the track is available for practice, short rides off the farm and other activities are available.

Saturday Most courses have two sessions each, but  this is detailed on the individual information you will receive from your trainer.  Riding weekends tend to be the longer rides and for the shows Saturday is qualifier day and the schedule of the track classes and other activities is published on the Oakfield Facebook page after supper on Friday once Nick is sure he has all the entries. There are other activities available for those who do not want to compete on the track as well as local hacking maps for warm up use or a gentle pootle.  We do encourage non-competitors to come and spectate and cheer on our more competitive friends for at least some of the time.

After supper on Saturday evening we hold our very popular fancy dress competition.  The theme for each show is chosen by the previous show’s winner and advertised on the chat group as soon as we know what it is.

The qualifier results are processed on Saturday evening and the Sunday finals schedule is published on the Oakfield Facebook page as quickly as can be managed but this may be as late as 9.00 or 10.00pm.  A printed copy is placed on the clubhouse notice board and outside the PA caravan.

Sunday Depending on the type of course you are attending, it will follow the same pattern as the previous day or there will be a morning session and a Have-a-Go show in the afternoon.  For our shows it is finals day and may start very early if the weather or the number of classes dictate, please be prepared.

For those staying over to Monday, a scratch supper and breakfast is available in the clubhouse or there are plenty of restaurants in the village. Sometimes we organise a takeaway, let us know you are staying and we will liaise. If there is an event on the Monday, food will be provided.