Pony and Farm Camp for Ages 4-6 at Domaine de Chevillon

Three hours a day are spent in contact with the animals - the ponies and the teaching farm together; the school does not publish a separate figure for riding hours. State-qualified instructors teach the children how to approach, lead, groom and ride: arena lessons where the pony learns to go where the rider asks, hacks in a group along country lanes and the forest edge, brushing and hoof care, mounted games with objects to throw and catch, vaulting (gymnastics on the pony's back), sulky driving and carriage rides. At the farm the children feed the hens, rabbits, goats and pigs, change the bedding and watch for the chicks to hatch, and they also bake bread the old way and make their own jam. The rest of the programme is craft and outdoor play. One leader for every five children.

The school offers a special discount - ask us for details. The published price is a full-board package: activities, accommodation with all meals, supervision by state-qualified riding instructors and qualified activity leaders, and insurance. Cancellation cover is sold separately as a percentage of the booking value. Travel to and from the estate is not part of the package.

Children sleep on the equestrian estate itself, in Burgundy in the Yonne near Auxerre, and the stay is sold as full board. The estate runs separate units, each with its own activity room for one age band, so that the youngest guests keep to their own rhythm and group. The team is qualified for looking after small children and is present through the day - washing, laundry, watching appetites - and stays easy for parents to reach.

Full board. Breakfast, lunch at midday, an afternoon snack and dinner are all included, with the kitchen cooking for young children. The children also bake their own bread the old way and make their own jam as part of the farm programme.

Pony work in the morning, farm and play in the afternoon. On the farm the children feed the hens, rabbits, goats and pigs, learn to change bedding, collect the eggs and watch for the chicks hatching. Alongside that: craft work, outdoor games, jam and bread making, fishing and nature walks, theme days, a heated outdoor pool with a lifeguard when the season allows, an evening theme activity every night, and an end-of-stay show and party. Each child receives a certificate.

A family-run equestrian estate in Burgundy, in the Yonne near Auxerre, with its own pony club, riding arena, carriages and sulkies, a teaching farm with hens, rabbits, goats and pigs, a heated outdoor swimming pool with a lifeguard on duty in season, country lanes and forest edges for hacking and walking, fishing water, and separate activity rooms by age band.

This is built as a first holiday away from home. The setting is deliberately domestic - a family estate where the team is qualified for very young children, handles the washing and the laundry, sits with the children at meals and keeps parents easy to reach, so that being away from home stops feeling large. Parents are told the day plainly: pony in the morning, nap after lunch, farm and games in the afternoon, shower, dinner, an evening activity, lights out. Children leave with a certificate, a show behind them and a pony they called their own.