Crossogue Residential Riding Camp — Thurles, County Tipperary

Crossogue Equestrian is a family-run equestrian centre at Crossogue House, near Ballycahill and about seven kilometres from Thurles in County Tipperary. It has been running riding holidays for young guests during the school holidays for 30 years, and the camps have a strong tradition of riders returning year after year. The camp is built around riding. Guests aged 11 to 18 ride twice a day, with each session lasting around an hour and a half and rotating between arena work, country hacks and cross-country. Riders are placed in groups of similar ability, and every guest is allocated their own horse or pony for the duration of the stay so that they can build a bond with the animal and work on specific goals set for their visit. The centre also runs an optional English tuition strand: qualified English teachers give an hour and a half of lessons each weekday, timetabled between the midday meal and the afternoon ride, for guests who want to combine riding with language practice. A typical day starts with breakfast before 9.00 and the first ride at 10.00, after guests have collected and prepared their horses under supervision. The midday meal is at 1.00pm, the afternoon ride starts at 3.15, and dinner follows at 7.30 once the horses are back in the fields. Between and after rides there is tennis, badminton, table tennis, games, walks on the farm, organised team activities and competitions, and a film in the evening. Sunday is the only non-riding day and is used for an excursion to a place or event of interest, so that guests see something of Ireland during their stay. Guests stay at Crossogue House itself, the family home at the centre of the yard, which the owners describe as a home away from home during camp periods. Meals are part of the fully inclusive rate. Room configurations are not published and are confirmed by the centre when a place is booked. The rates published by the centre in January 2026 are €1,495 per week for guests from Ireland and €1,800 per week for overseas guests, both described as fully inclusive. Overseas guests pay a further €185 for airport transfers, which cover travel to and from Crossogue on Saturdays. The price shown on this listing is the Irish-guest rate; families travelling from abroad should budget for the overseas rate and transfer. Three camp periods are published for 2026: Easter from 28 March to 11 April, the summer season from Saturday 13 June to Saturday 15 August, and a Halloween camp from 24 to 31 October. Summer guests are asked to stay two weeks or more so that they settle into the group and the routine; the Halloween week is a shorter option and is the arrival shown on this page. Riders should bring a well-fitting riding hat and flat boots with a slight heel — trainers are not permitted for safety reasons — and an approved body protector is required for jumping and cross-country work. Dates, prices and availability can change quickly and should be confirmed before travel arrangements are made.