Topic

General

Gift vouchers

Booking

Account management

Cancellation

Ride outs

Facilities

Pony rides

Access

Volunteers

General

What are your recommended ages?

For safety we recommend that children should be:

4 years for doing private and group lessons

8 years for doing a 1 hour ride

3 years – 8 years for pony rides

We are insured for any age but these are our guidelines to make horse riding enjoyable and safe

I have never ridden before - which lesson should I book?

You can book a Private session or Level 1 group lesson. Your level will be graded when you register with us. You will then only see lessons suitable for your level on the booking page.

I have ridden before - which group lesson I should book?

When you register with us, you will be asked to complete the Rider registration form. Please tick every box you can do safely. When we receive your registration, we will grade you. You will then only see lessons suitable for your level on the booking page. We are aware some experienced riders don’t like to jump but we will still grade you based on your ability. We aim to grade everyone within 48 hours of registering. View an indication of the standards. If you change grades, just let us know and we can update account.

What equipment/clothing do I need?

Clothing:

Full length trousers, preferably stretchy e.g. jodhpurs, leggings, trackies.

Tops must cover shoulders, preferably the whole arm and must have full torso coverage.

Nothing should be able to flap. No loose scarves.

Excessive jewellery should be removed, nothing that could get caught like hoop earrings.

Gloves are advisable.

Waterproof jackets for rides but most lessons are taking in indoor arena.

Footwear:

A shoe or boot with small heel to stop foot slipping through the stirrup.

Wellies that are not too chunky can be ok – trainers and flip flops are not at all safe.

All footwear must have closed toe.

Helmets:

We provide helmets free of charge if you need to borrow them. They are available in the arena.

Body protector:

We insist all under 16 yrs wear body protector for jumping but strongly recommend everyone wears one. We have them available to use in the arena free of charge.

If possible, please purchase your own safety equipment.

Which riding helmet should I buy?

Your riding helmet must conform to BHS standards with secured chin strap.

See BHS Assessments Hat Rules.

We are now offering to tag your helmet to show a Tower Farm staff member has checked it is regulation. Please just ask for it to be done.

Our insurance won't cover you if riding in one not within regulations.

Please note that PAS1998 and SNELL 2001 are NOT accepted.

Do you have a weight limit?

We try to keep close to around 105kg (approx. 16 stone) for the welfare of our horses, although there may be exceptions to the rule in some circumstances.

Do you offer pony parties?

We do not offer pony parties. We offer Fun Mornings and other activities during school holidays for children.

What safeguard policy does Tower Farm have in place to provide a duty of care to protect children and safeguard their welfare?

We fully adopt the BHS Safeguarding Policy (Children and Young People). Please click here to read details.

Booking

How can I make a booking?

Please register at ECpro and complete the Rider Registration Form to create an account . Please tick every box you can do safely. When we receive your registration, we will grade you. We aim to grade everyone within 48 hours of registering. You will then only see lessons suitable for your level on the booking page. Please make sure that rider's age, weight and height are correct in order to allocate a suitable mount for each client. Incorrect information might result in no sessions being shown. Step by step guide.

Do I need to book in advance?

Yes. Bookings for lessons and rides have to be made directly on ECpro. View step by step guide. The system allows you to book up to 12 hours prior to any session. If the time frame is shorter, please email us directly or call us on 0131 664 3375 and we can try to to book you in.

Do I need to book a block of lessons at a time?

No, you don't need to. All our lessons are just book and come as you wish. You can come as little or as much as you wish.

What should I enter as the type of lesson when I book?

When you book a private/semi private lesson, ignor the step where it asks what type of lesson and when you get to bottom of the page, it will be correct.

Can I choose flat or jumping when I book private/semi private sessions?

For our horses welfare and to keep them each enjoying a variety of work we operate a flat week/jump week system for group lessons. For this reason if you request a jumping session for private sessions, this will be a request but not guaranteed.

Flat work is incredibly important and doing transitions, school movements and work without stirrups will ultimately improve your position over a fence and control around a course. We hope everyone is understanding that we wish to keep our horses happy and healthy.

How can I change a private lesson to semi private?

You need to cancel the private lesson you have already booked and re-book a semi private lesson. To book a semi private, the riders either need to be your riders in one account or the accounts need to be linked.

How many riders are allowed in semi private lessons?

Maximum 3 riders for level 2 and above
2 riders only for level 1.

Why can I only see sessions for the next 2 months?

We aim to be releasing sessions in approximately 2 month blocks approximately in 2 month intervals. Everyone registered with ec pro will be advised when more sessions released.

Are there any discounts available?

We offer Buy 10 Get 11th Session Free if you purchase tokens on your ECpro account. You have 12 months to use the tokens and they can be used for any rider registered to you. These tokens need to be purchased prior to making bookings.

We also offer a get 10% extra credit if you spend more than £250 in one transaction on rides or lessons. This needs to be directly arranged in office and payment has to be made by BACS or in cash. (For example if you make a payment of £270 in cash or by bank transfer, we then place £297 credit on your ECpro account.) Please ask a member of staff if you have any questions.

What is your ploicy for late arrivals?

Group lessons: late arrivals will not be permitted to join group session after 10 minutes as it is too disruptive to other riders, safety checks cannot be completely properly done and horses need to be worked in gradually.

Private lessons: private sessions will lose allocated time and still finish at the scheduled time.

Please email us quickly as possible to let us know if you are running late or horses could be taken back to field.

Cancellation for lessons and rides

What is your cancellation policy?

Please note our cancellation policy is currently 48 hours. Any cancellations made by yourself more than 48 hours prior to the session, you will be refunded. If you originally booked with a token, a token is placed on your EC pro account to use in future. If you cancel your lesson within 48 hours, you will not get a refund of any kind. Any cancellations made by Tower Farm will also be refunded in credit on your account. If you wish to close your ECpro account and receive cash refund, please see this section.

If you would like another person to ride in place of someone unable to come, this can be accommodated. They need to be registered with us and you need to advise us of rider change. For group lessons they need to be of correct standard. Please contact us by email if you need assistance.

How can I make a cancellation by using ECpro mobil app?

1. Please go to the lesson bookings page.
2. Click the dot menu as shown by the red arrow below.

3. Click the cancellation option in the menu that appears.

4. Click 'CONFIRM CANCELLATION' at the bottom of the page. The credit will be put in your account to use again.  

Gift vouchers

How can I purchase gift vouchers?

To purchase gift vouchers:

1. Go to ECpro, register and create an account. Please note that you do not need to register a rider to purchase gift vouchers.
2. Log in and go to your account page which looks like below.
3. At the bottom of the page there is a gift vouchers section. Follow the instruction on the page to complete your purchase.

How long are they valid?

All vouchers purchased from January 2023 are valid for 18 months.

How can I redeem my gift voucher?

You can redeem your vouchers at ECpro, follwing these steps:

1. Please register and create an account at ECpro if you don't have one yet. If you already have an account, please go to your account page. You need to be on the account you wish the credit to be placed on.

2. At the bottom of the page there is a gift vouchers section which looks like below.

3. Click "HERE" and enter your voucher code. The credit will be put into your account to use as you wish.

Account management

How can I link accounts?

To link accounts, please go to your account at ECpro, click FRIENDS on the Dashboad and follow the instructions there. You can friend someone by adding them to your account using their email address.

How can I unsubscribe from emails and notifications from EC pro?

Clients are able to unsubscribe from all emails and notifications on their ECpro account. Please go to your account at ECpro, click ACCOUNT DETAILS on the Dashboard and scroll down to NOTIFICATION PREFERENCES.

How can I remove riders from my account?

To remove riders from your account, please go to your account at ECpro, click MANAGE RIDERS on the Dashboard and click 'delete' against riders you want to remove.

Can I close my EC pro account and receive cash refund?

Clients cannot delete their account by themselves. If you wish to close your account, please email us. We will instruct ECpro to do so. If you have any remaining credit, it will be transferred to your bank account. Please note that it will incur some charges to cover costs from EC pro and Stripe.

Facilities

Do you have a car park?

Yes, there is a fairly large on site car park. Please park cars adjacent to fields to leave access clear – no vehicles on yard – please drive very slow horses / children and dogs moving around premises.

Is there a viewing gallery?

You are very welcome to sit and watch the lessons. We have vending machines for snacks and the Golf range next door does take away coffee/cakes etc.

Do you have a cafe?

We have vending machines on site but no catering. Next door to us is Braids Hills Golf Coffee Shop which has coffee/home baking, soup and light lunches. Many clients go for a refreshment after thier session.

Access

How do I get to Tower Farm?

Our location is EH16 6NS.

Tower Farm is easily accessible from both the city bypass and centre of Edinburgh.

From Bypass: take Straiton junction towards city, pass through Kames crossroads, proceed passed Mortonhall crematorium, go to traffic lights and take a left turn. You are now on Liberton Drive we are approx 1 min drive along the road. We are situated in between Braids Nursing Home and Braids Golf Range.

From city centre by bus (Lothian Bus 7, 37, 47): leave bus at Liberton Cemetery stop. Walk away from town and take right turn onto Liberton Drive, approx. 5-10 min walk and you will arrive at stables.

Ride outs

What standard do I have to be to join Braids Ride?

The Braids ride is only suitable for Level 5 or 6 riders who are confident and safe cantering outside in open spaces. If you are unsure if this is correct for you, please book a private ride out and then we can assess your suitability to join Braids ride. All Level 4 riders must have prior approval from an instructor before booking. This is fast ride and unfair for others if you are not at standard.

Please do not attend a braids ride if you have not ridden for more than 6 months.

Do you offer ride outs for non-experienced riders?

Ride out is not suitable for complete beginners. Therefore, we do not offer ride outs for complete beginners or nervous riders. However, if you have some riding experience and are already comfortable in the saddle, you could book a private or semi-private session for it. Select 'ride out' in the drop down menu.

Pony rides

What age can my child start pony rides?

Pony rides are offered for children from 3 years to 8 years old. When the children are mounted, we ask that the parent/guardian walks beside them – especially for under 5’s where they need a little bit of support in the saddle.

How long does it last?

Pony rides are set distance not time and the allocated time includes mounting and safety checks. Some ponies walk faster than others, so no duration of ride is given.

How can I dress my child for pony rides?

Please select a hat for your child – ensuring a snug fit and the straps adjusted to be comfortable but secure. Please ask a member of staff to check.

Please make sure children’s footwear is appropriate – a shoe with a flat sole and small heel is best, wellies are usually ok as long as the sole is not to chunky with grips. The foot needs to be able to release from stirrup incase of a fall.

Make sure the child has fastened up jackets and is not wearing anything that could rattle or blow in the wind startling the pony.

What else can you tell me about pony rides?

Please be careful around the ponies, a pony’s only natural way of protecting themselves is to move at speed when worried.

Please make sure children do not wander around the ponies (especially behind them – where the pony can’t see them).

If you wish to feed the ponies please make sure member of staff is present and that you keep a very flat hand. We don’t want the ponies mistaking a thumb for a carrot.

Pony rides are non refundable if your child decides they don’t want to ride because the staff and pony have been allocated to you and the time needs to be paid for. We advise you always only book a single session for the first time. We have other bookings and lessons running so unfortunately can only spend a small amount of time with a child reluctant to mount.

Volunteers

Does Tower Farm accept volunteers?

Tower Farm is supportive of people wishing to increase their equestrian knowledge by helping on yards with the horses. Volunteers have to be regular riders, over 10 years of age and Level 4 and above standards in order to make this a safe and enjoyable experience for all parties. Please click here for more information.