The full week
5 mornings in a row, Monday to Friday
price on request
- The whole programme, from care to riding
- The same horse all week
- A photo session and a gallery at the end
- Workshops and the farm animals
“Alisa went happily every single day — you could see the attention, the care and the professional approach. The horses are well kept, the atmosphere calm and safe”
Anastasia, Alisa's mother · January 2026The camp
The camp is about reaching an understanding with a half-tonne animal. A child learns to notice what the horse is saying, to ask clearly, and to wait for an answer.
Riding is part of it — but only part. Between the saddle and the stable there is bathing and grooming, carrying tack, leading in hand, watching the herd, and quiet theory in the shade. By the end of the week a child knows how to approach a horse so that it walks towards them.
We stand for humane and respectful treatment of horses and of people. Progress here is unhurried and it holds.
Elements of natural horsemanship: clear signals, no force, no shouting. A calm rider makes a calm horse.
A first-timer is never rushed and a confident rider is never bored: children are split by experience.
Care, tack, equine psychology, workshops, games and the farm animals — a full morning, never a queue for the saddle.
Every camp is photographed properly. Families leave with a gallery, not blurry phone shots against the light.
Ways to join
The week gives more: a child goes from first meeting to working with a horse on their own. Single days are for tight schedules — or for trying it first.
5 mornings in a row, Monday to Friday
price on request
Any days of the week you choose
price on request
Programme
Ten threads that run through the camp. Some every day, some once — the order follows the horses and the weather.
Bathing, grooming, saddling, picking out hooves.
What every strap is for, and how to carry a saddle without hurting your back.
The first real conversation: walk, halt, turn, step back.
Seat, balance, aids — at walk and, when ready, at trot.
Why she spooks, why she leans, what her ears are doing.
An hour at the fence teaches more about horses than a book.
Something made by hand to take home.
On foot and in the saddle — the fastest way to forget you are learning.
Horses are not the only residents here.
A proper shoot with the horse each child worked with.
A morning
Greet the horses, check how everyone slept — the humans included.
Grooming, hooves, tack. The part that builds trust fastest.
Groundwork or riding, in your group, at your level.
Theory, a craft, the farm animals, and letting the morning settle.
Safety
A horse is a large animal, and safety here is not a slogan but a routine. This is what we do every day, without exception.
Nobody gets in the saddle without one. If your child does not have a helmet, tell us when you book and we will fit one.
A child first learns to approach, lead and groom. They ride once horse and child understand each other — not in the first ten minutes.
Children are split by level, and an adult is with them whenever they are near a horse — in the arena and in the stable.
Beginners work with calm horses that have spent years around children. The instructor decides which horse a child gets, not who looks prettiest.
Sessions run in the morning, 9:00 to 11:00, before the worst of the heat. There is shade and water at the arena, and breaks between parts of the morning.
A first aid kit is at the arena and parents’ numbers are to hand. Anything at all — a bump, a fright, a child feeling unwell — we tell you straight away, not at the end of the week.
Parents are welcome to stay for the whole morning — there is shade by the arena and many do, every day. If your child is near a horse for the first time, that is usually the best arrangement for everyone.
Gallery
A morning in Al Bahyah, frame by frame. Shot by Elena, who also teaches here.
Scroll sideways · tap a frame to open it full size
The team
Eventing athletes, horse owners and organisers of camps and riding trips in several countries. Calm, patient, and serious about welfare — the horse's and the child's.
Lead instructor · Photographer
Twenty years in equestrian tourism and children's programmes. Founder of the “Podkovannye Kanikuly” camps, which have run in Russia, Armenia and now in the UAE. She is also the photographer of the camps.
Instructor · Eventing athlete
More than ten years with horses, competing in eventing — show jumping, dressage and cross-country — and a horse owner herself. She teaches the technical side: seat, balance and the aids a horse can actually read.
Reviews
Written by mothers after the January and March 2026 camps. Translated from Russian.
“Thank you so much for this week. It was calm, well organised and humane. Kind stories like this matter a great deal right now.
“I asked Katya about the camp. She said: I was never once bored, it was interesting and I learned a lot. I liked it too. Katya had no riding experience at all, so the camp made a huge impression. I also liked that they were split by level.
“Vera is happy — she had a good time and a useful one. There had been a two-year break in her riding, and I think she came back into it well. It is a joy to see she has not lost her skills.
“Where else can you look after a big living creature — groom it, wash it, feed it? Grisha got his fill of the animals and gained real riding experience. The calm and confidence of the instructors pass to the children.
“Thank you for creating a space where every living being feels comfortable and at ease. The organisation is first class — fingers crossed for the riding school.
FAQ
No. Children are split into groups by level, and beginners start on the ground — approaching, leading, grooming — before they sit in a saddle. Children who already ride carry on in their own group.
From 10 years. Younger children are welcome by arrangement — write to us about your child and we will say honestly whether this camp suits them.
Yes. Choose “Single days” in the booking form and tick the ones you need. We confirm the place if the group has room. The full week gives more: a child gets from first meeting to working with a horse on their own.
Long trousers, closed shoes with a small heel, and a cap. Mornings in Abu Dhabi are cooler than the rest of the day, so a light layer helps. Helmets are covered in the Safety section.
Russian and English. The groups are mixed and the instructors switch easily between the two.
Fill in the form below — it reaches us by email, and one tap copies it to WhatsApp. We confirm the place, the dates and the payment details, and send you everything you need before the first morning.
Straight talk
Better said in advance than discovered on the first morning.
How it works
Format, your child's name and age, their level and your phone. Nothing to pay yet.
We confirm the place, the exact dates and how payment works.
We send the map pin, what to wear and what to bring on the first morning.
Booking
Fill in the form — the request reaches us by email and you can copy it to WhatsApp in one tap. We usually answer the same day.
We will be in touch within the day. To hear back faster, copy the booking to WhatsApp — it reaches our phone straight away.
Something went wrong with the email. Press the button below and the booking goes to WhatsApp instead — that always reaches us.
Where it is
A quiet farm on the edge of Abu Dhabi: an arena, paddocks, stables, shade and other animals. Not a sports club — a place where horses live.
We send the map pin and how to get in on WhatsApp once your place is confirmed.