Horse riding and activities camp at Domaine de Lauzerte

Riding takes half a day, every day: a two-hour session matched to the rider's level. Beginners are introduced to the horse through games and playful exercises and move at their own pace. Confirmed riders work on dressage, show jumping, TREC and cross-country when the weather allows. Special workshops add vaulting, mounted games and looking after the horses and ponies, with rides out into the countryside and sometimes an outing by carriage. Riders may prepare for and sit their galops at every level under the supervision of the centre's instructors. Riding groups run at set times through the day and a child is placed in the group that matches their level and the riding programme.

The school offers a special discount - ask us for details. The stay covers accommodation on the estate, full board prepared on site, the daily riding sessions and the leisure and evening programme. Coach transfer is available from Toulouse and rail travel from Pau, Bordeaux and Paris, with pre-carriage from Lille, Lyon and Le Havre; travel is charged as a supplement on top of the stay. Minibuses driven by the centre's managers handle local transport. Registration is by postal or emailed dossier, which the family downloads, completes and returns to the centre; the registration form and the health record must be sent together for a place to be confirmed.

The centre sleeps 150 and the riding school is on the grounds, so the horses can be seen in the paddock from the bedrooms. The main gite, Le Domaine du Pigeonnier, has eight rooms of three to six beds, all with private shower rooms, and shares a large common room, a classroom, modern kitchens, a veranda for meals and a panoramic terrace. Seven chalets sleep six and have their own shower room. Five bungalows sleep seven, with a sanitary block next to the swimming pool. Lodges set in the forest, used in fine weather, sleep six with facilities inside or twelve with facilities close by.

Meals are cooked on the premises by the centre's own cooks and eaten under the panoramic veranda, with the afternoon snack taken on the terrace. Food is usually served as a buffet and themed meals appear through the week. Special diets are catered for. Local produce is used wherever possible: goat's cheese from La Chevrerie des Coteaux, yoghurt and cheese from the GAEC de Dairy, melons from the GAEC de St Jacques de Compostelle, cherries, apples and nectarines from the Senac family, organic vegetable boxes from Les Jardins de Cocagne and Saveurs du Quercy, and bread kneaded at Touffailles. The centre also works with the local producers' network 82 dans son assiette.

A different theme runs each week, giving every child a chance to shine, and the week closes with a large final show that any volunteer can join. Between riding sessions older children choose their own free-time activities and younger ones are supervised: beach volleyball, five-a-side football, tennis, table football, a trampoline and outdoor games. Supervised activities include the indoor swimming pool, archery and an introduction to cricket or large-scale games. Evenings are organised by the leader team and run to a disco, Time's Up, giant Cluedo, dodge ball and big group games. The activity list is indicative and is adjusted to the weather and to what the group wants.

The estate has a beach volleyball court, a five-a-side football pitch, a tennis court, table tennis, a trampoline, a children's play area, a nature trail, a covered swimming pool and a petanque pitch. The riding school with its horses and ponies is on the same site. Indoor space includes a large common room, a classroom, kitchens, a veranda used as the dining room and a panoramic terrace.

A day starts with a gentle wake-up and a sweet and savoury buffet breakfast, then the morning riding workshop, showers and free or supervised games, lunch together on the terrace, the pool or a quiet spell in the early afternoon, an energising snack, outdoor games or a themed workshop, free time to get ready for the evening, dinner and a themed evening, with lights out staggered by age. Every adult working at the centre holds the qualifications required by Jeunesse et Sports and by the sports federations. One BAFA leader is responsible for a group of ten young people over ten; children of six to nine are looked after one leader to six.