Situated in a stunning location, Lindores is renowned for its cross country course, offering everything from beginner-level obstacles to more challenging ones for seasoned competitors. If you’re gearing up for the year ahead, there’s no better place to fine-tune your skills than at our safe, fun and friendly venue.
One of our standout features is our authentic terrain. Unlike other venues with man-made or overly artificial jumps, we offer natural, varied ground that will truly test both you and your horse. The course is designed to replicate real undulating cross country conditions – giving you the best chance to prepare. Whether you’re jumping over ditches, navigating through water or tackling an array of diverse obstacles, the natural ground encourages you to develop a deeper connection with your horse and prepares you for everything the season may throw at you. It’s not just about jumping over a fence – it’s about learning to read the ground, adjust your pace and navigate the natural obstacles that you may face during competitions.
Whether you’re an amateur or seasoned competitor, the realistic undulating grass conditions, hills and environment at Lindores will help build confidence and refine your skills.
A Safe, Well-Maintained Venue
Safety is a top priority at Lindores and we know that’s something our riders appreciate. The course is maintained to ensure the highest level of safety for both horses and riders. The jumps are designed and pinned into the ground with precision. Every fence is pinned down in line with British Eventing Regulations.
Every year – British Eventing Course Builder Paul Ellis and his helper Jules (who loves dressing fences) stay for a week to: check and approve every fence. They decommission fences, upgrade old, build new and importantly anchor to the ground with pins every fence so they don’t move. Our course is built in line with latest British Eventing regulations. Paul is very experienced having worked at Horse Trial venues such as: Alnockford, Burgham 90, Breckenbrough, North Allerton, Allerton Park, Bramham, Chatsworth and also Badminton. He coaches our ground maintenance team in January/February face to face and after 36 years in business we feel confident we know what we’re doing.
We check and maintain the ground and our fences during our open season March – October very regularly to give you confidence the course is good going ground and safe. Not all venues that promote cross country training anchor their fences to the ground so it’s always worth checking that a fence is anchored to avoid it rotating on impact and to ensure your safety.
See above an image of a black metal ground anchor (on top of the 30cm log) – captured to show you the length and ultimately the depth the anchors screw into the ground for grip.
Fun and Friendly Atmosphere
The team here at Lindores are passionate about Equestrian sport and aim to make every rider feel at home. The sense of community is part of what makes Lindores such a special place to train. It’s not just a training venue – it’s a place where riders of all levels can come together, share tips and connect over their passion for the sport.
Prepare for the Season Ahead
The cross country course is ideal for honing your skills and building confidence. Regular training sessions could help you and your pony or horse develop the necessary stamina and technique, which is crucial for a successful season. Plus, the course allows you to progressively challenge yourself, whether you’re jumping 30cm, novice fences or taking on more advanced combinations. The diverse range of fences on the course provides a fantastic opportunity to work on specific technical questions – such as water jump combinations, ditches and the all-important ability to maintain a rhythm throughout a course.
We’ve something for all abilities! Get in touch if you have any questions or wish to book.
Cross Country Hire opens on Saturday 1st March 2025!
As we take bookings for the upcoming season we thought we would take this opportunity to remind you how it all works! Read frequently asked questions…
What are Lindores Equestrian opening hours?
We are open 7 days a week during daylight hours.
How much does Cross Country Hire cost?
A 60 minute hire is £25 per horse and a 90 minute hire is £30 per horse.
There is no booking fee for using our online system.
How do I check availability and book?
Visit our website for live availability and booking. Click the Cart icon to pay by card.
If you would like to book a 90 minute session OR a group with over 6 horses then please contact us directly!
What if the weather is bad?
Safety is absolutely a priority for us. We have hard standings at take offs and landings at most of our fences. Due to investment in drainage and being on a hill we’re the grass venue that is most likely to remain open.
If we do close the course because of weather and ground conditions. We will contact all affected bookings to reschedule – so please make sure you add your most up to date contact information at time of booking!
How do Lindores maintain the course so well?
The course is fully inspected at the start of the season by former British Eventing Gold Level Course Builder Paul Shipton. Over the years Paul, and also David Wilson – BE Silver Level Course Builder, have trained Team Lindores on how to continually maintain the course for the safety of all.
Our onsite team conduct course checks A LOT throughout the season.
If you see any cross flagged jumps or cordoned off areas the team may be conducting maintenance.
Our ground is rolled wherever it needs it. And take off and landings are raked regularly.
Is the course suitable for beginners?
Absolutely! We have grouped many smaller fences starting from 30cm away from the main area of the course to allow you to build your confidence before tackling the bigger fences! The water complex has spacious run ins and outs for a wee splash and play.
Is the cross country course suitable for intermediate/advanced riders?
Yes, definitely! We frequently welcome Scotlands top eventers like Wills Oakden. His father James Oakden, former British Eventing course designer over the last decade has helped position fences with our Course Builders for progression and more technical lines and challenges.
How do I get to the course?
Park & Tack Up. The course is a 10 minute hack from the farm car park up Lindores Hill – perfect for warming you and your horse up! Click for directions
How many horses are allowed on the course at a time?
Our booking system allows up to 6 horses per hour onto the 85 acre course – equivalent to 9 football pitches each so plenty of space!
We do allow more than 6 horses, please get in touch directly if you wish to book groups.
If you are looking specifically for a quieter time we can also help – just email or call.
Do I need to have an instructor with me?
No, definitely not! The only thing that we do specify is that no one is riding alone, you must be accompanied by someone on horseback or on foot for safety!
I am an instructor, can I hold a cross country clinic with you?
Yes! We would love to have you! Please contact us directly to book in, we offer discounts for 10 or more horses too!
What height are your jumps?
We currently have over 165 jumps ranging from 30-105cm, we have a large water complex with optional jumps in/out of water, upturned boat in the water, 9 ditches, Scotland’s only broken bridge, various steps, logs, roll tops, sharks teeth, skinnies, brushes, technical lines, keyhole, a giant whale, The Wobbleberry… a starter box the list goes on.
What is the parking like?
Spacious! We’re currently extending our car park, it will be almost twice the size! All parking is on hard standing, so no risk of getting stuck! We do ask please that the car park is left tidy and you park considerately. On arrival – the trailer/ lorry park is down to the left as you pass the working hunter field.
We look forward to welcoming you back to Lindores! If you do have any more questions then please get in touch!
Lindores Equestrian is at Blair 2023. The Black family and their team who run Lindores will be ready with big welcoming smiles. Please pop in to meet the Blacks, Katy Irons our General Manager, Hannah Doherty who joined the team in July and Vicky Honeyman who has been working with us since 2021.
Our stand has a design a jump activity for the kids (& adults if you fancy), treats and we’re just keen to catch up and hear your news!
We are inviting all our riders, coaches, camp hosts, loyal parents, pony clubs, suppliers and basically the community that have helped create Lindores into the multi-faceted venue it has grown to become. But we’re also keen to meet new people and businesses so if you’re interested in finding out anything please pop in.
Our stand is on the south side of the Banvie Arena, in between the Land Rover Experience and next to British Eventing stand.
All the best to the riders and their horses who have been training so hard for Blair Castle International Horse Trials – it’s a highlight of the Scottish eventing calendar. We are supporting you and look forward to following your progress.
200 tonnes of arena surface available to buy. Richard is needing our old surface out of our farm shed before the 2023 barley harvest starts. So there is deal to be done for anyone keen to buy.
Arena Mate Harrow For Sale – Cost £1800 brand new in 2019. Link to supplier https://arenamate.co.uk
The outdoor arena surface at Lindores Equestrian was brand new in 2018 and created using Sharp Sand from Angle Park and Martin Collins Clopf Fibre. The surface is good quality and a firm favourite with our Equestrian clients. With the increasing demand for Equestrian camps, training, and clinics, we have made the difficult decision to uplift & sell our surface to allow us to re-do the drainage and lay a new surface using Silica Sand and Martin Collins Clopf Fibre. This will help to ensure our Equestrian clients can ride year-round, all weather and allows us to continue to improve the customer experience at Lindores Equestrian.
We were delighted to sponsor the British Eventing Under 18’s 90cm & 1m team and are so proud of their amazing efforts at the Bishop Burton Youth Championships. The team performed incredibly and have certainly made their mark on the British Eventing scene. We can’t wait to see what comes next for these passionate young Equestrians!
Here at Lindores, we are passionate about helping to develop the next generation of young equestrians and wanted to give you a glimpse into life on the team. We asked BE90 Scotland Captain Meg Christie to blog the teams journey at the Bishop Burton Youth Championship to share their experience and inspire other young riders to get involved!
Hi, my name is Meg Christie…
I was Captain of the Scottish British Eventing 90cm (BE90) Under 18 Team at Bishop Burton Youth Championships.
Being asked to be part of the BE90 team was a dream of mine for many years and I was over the moon to find out that I’d been selected. After my last qualifying event at Hopetoun House, the wait was so nerve racking!
Sorting all of our team’s merchandise was so exciting! I loved designing it and waiting for it all to arrive. Trying to figure out how we were going to get it all down there was the hardest part!
When we arrived, it was so exciting meeting everyone for the first time and getting everything set up. I loved putting up the Scotland bunting as it made it feel so real… Scotland definitely had the best-looking stables!
Participating in the Opening Ceremony was such a great experience and a feeling I will never forget! I was so nervous doing my first ever trot up, never having done one before, but the whole team passed without exception.
On the Thursday night, we had our team dinner which turned into a talent spot competition and even though Scotland didn’t win, we certainly left our mark!
It was so amazing watching everyone in the team riding lovely dressage tests and coming out of the arena delighted with how their test had gone! It was such a buzz of excitement riding at Bishop Burton College and I was so happy with how calm my pony Midnight stayed all the way through the test in such an atmosphere.
On Saturday morning the BE90 team helped wash down all of the 100 horses after Cross Country. It was great fun trying not to soak everyone with buckets of water but, we all came back soaked… whoops!
That afternoon, the BE90 team went Cross Country – some riders had their challenges but everyone had a smile on their face at the end of the day!
I was last to go in the team and the second last run of the whole day, which meant everyone was there to cheer me at the finish! Midnight flew round the Cross Country and I never had a moment of doubt!
The last morning was a long one getting Midnight cleaned for trot up, but I was extremely grateful to my sister and the rest of my family for helping me to make sure that we were both looking at our best! Again, we all passed the trot up and went on to Show Jumping in the afternoon. Midnight jumped an amazing round with just one unlucky pole.
Our team finished 8th overall with some amazing scores and it was really nice handing out the rosettes to everyone at the end!
It was such an amazing experience and I have so many memories that will stick with me forever! The team was such an amazing group of people, children, parents, helpers – they all made the experience! The coaches helped so much, and we are all extremely grateful to them. All of our sponsors were so generous, and we wouldn’t have been able to do it without their assistance. Finally, we all want to say a massive thank you to our ponies, we wouldn’t be able to achieve any of this without them and they really are the best!
If you would like to find out how you can become part of the British Eventing Youth team, check out their website.
Here at Lindores we have multiple facilities available to hire including our British Eventing approved Cross Country course, 60m x 40m sand arena with full set of show jumps, Working Hunter field with full set of rustic jumps as well as Show Jumping and Dressage on grass. For more information and to book your next training session, visit our website.
British Eventing Scottish Under 18 Team training at Lindores Equestrian
Job Role: Assistant General Manager / Application Deadline CLOSED MIDNIGHT TUESDAY 21ST JUNE 2022
Award Winning Family Business
Thank you to all applicants who applied for our Assistant General Manager position. We have been overwhelmed by the quality of candidates.
We will confirm receipt of all applications by email. We have commenced to interview stage.
We thank everyone who took the time to consider joining our team and we look forward to welcoming more candidates for future roles as we continue to grow. Watch this space!
What next?
Selected applications will be invited for interview and will be notified directly by email if through to interview stage.
