Millfield school for my equestrian mad daughter for GSCE & A levels?

[SnowSki888]

My 14 year daughter is flying in this week to see Mill field school and take their exam. We all live in Asia.

I am now a bit panicked having seen all the negative comments from parents about being overlooked, drugs, left on the sidelines, arrogant teachers who don't want to deal with parents, and kids who are not very intelligent. I was told that a new headmaster had turned things around both academically and culturally. My daughter wants to really improve her riding and ride daily and keep her horse on livery. However; she needs top A*/A's only to get to vet school.

Does anyone know if Millfield is able to combine these 2 things well - equestrian and high academics? Anyone suggest anywhere else please? I have gone round in circles, and all other schools I find apart from Stonar or Sidcot, don't allow the daily riding or have their horses on site? Thanks so much.

zodle
Bryanstan makes Millfield look like a convent! It had a far far worse reputation for drugs and drinking and discipline...

A lot I think depends on how ambitious your DD is about riding. Neither Mayfield or Bryanston seem to give the qualifications of the person running their stables whereas Stonar and Millfield do, they employ someone with top qualifications. Alternatively if you're happy to stump up large sums for livery why don't you look at basing your DD's horse at a top training yard nearish to a school you might feel might be more suitable. You would also have to organise transport for her, obviously with approval from the school, which would add to your costs but pale into insignificance when compared to the cost of running a top competition horse and keeping it at livery! For example CLC is only a 40 mins drive from Talland Equestrian Centre one of the countries leading dressage training centres, your DD's horse would be being schooled by some of the countries top riders if her school work commitments meant she couldn't get there.

HG I don't now what they mean but from the Mayfield website:

Jill Barker BEd, BHSII J, CertEd, Director of Riding

And with sports qualifications it is not always so clear cut. So for the sport we knew, Millfield had a very sucessful former Olympian and a lot of very unhappy pupils. The one with real talent would have been better off staying in London and taking her chances. In many sports, coaches who get the most from their young people did not always have great sporting careers themselves. And looking back now, those we knew that look most likely to make Rio or beyond are not always the ones who shone at school level.

needmore
When I was there, there were 2 or 3 riders at any one time doing FEI ponies at international level, and half a dozen doing JrIT. 2 went on to compete at 4* either as they were leaving or before they left but don't think they could ever get the right horses to carry on
The yard had 2 hgv lorries to take everyone to their relevant competitions!

OP, I would also look at which visiting trainers they have when assessing the quality of instruction available
Somewhere which can summon top people to the yard for clinics is always going to be better than a situation where you have to travel to a public event and compete with the local area for slots

Have you thought about Stowe? I only have indirect experience but it's relevant to you - a colleague's daughter who is now at vet school went there until a year or so ago, and I know she's keen on riding. I don't know anything about the other schools mentioned.

sparechange, sorry if I caused confusion. I know nothing about horses but know quite a lot about another sport where Millfield has fantastic facilities but from several accounts was a very unhappy place. (I've just remembered another ccontemporary of DD's who left after a couple of years. l honestly I can't think of anyone who stayed the course other than one bright boy who left with next to no qualifications and who deeply regrets not taking up a place at an academic London day school.)

I was just responding to HG's assertion that "Neither Mayfield or Bryanston seem to give the qualifications of the person running their stables".

Needmkresleep the qualifications of the staff at Millfield and Stonar are higher, but it's also about who these people are, for example you can have a lower qualification but be an international dressage rider, and as said above visiting instructors holding clinics and the quality and ambition of your fellow riders will all play a part, also if you're a serious rider you might want to look at the availability of schoolmaster to teach advanced movements etc it really comes down to how ambitious the OPs DD is, but if she's seriously thinking of transporting a horse from Asia to the UK then I would have thought that she's pretty ambitious.

OP equally important is what happens to this horse during holidays especially if it's staying in the UK what's the calibre of the person riding/schooling it? Would you have to move it somewhere else during holidays?

Happy,
Again, back in my day, you could chose what happens to the horse during the holidays
It can be turned away, schooled by the instructor or groom of your choice or sent away with your preferred trainer

space this doesn't surprise me, Millfield was and for all I know still is always considered the best place for any serious horse and rider to go too if they want their horse at school.
Ive said before on threads about Millfield I know parents who are not only pleased with the school in general but also delighted by how well their DC's have done academically. It's a big school and I believe virtually non selective so exam results are not going to be up there with the super selectives.

My indirect experience of present day Millfield is similar to the majority on this thread and is independent of mixed intake giving mixed academic results.
I certainly would n't choose it for a DC who had serious academic intentions combined with top level sport. IME for at least some students the atmosphere is just not very helpful despite what is available,; well founded ambitions seem to dwindle rather than be facilitated. It may be that there just is n't that pastoral support to to help teenagers through blips in their enthusiasm, determination and self- organisation especially without the encouragement of nearby parents.

I know that both Mayfield and St Mary's Calne in different ways have facilitated top level riders who are also academic. I have n't heard of a full time boarder who has managed that at CLC unless they are fairly local and supported by their parents

Dancingqueen that sounds more positive. However the issues I have heard about have been in the older age groups. I think like for other types of schools some DCs are more suited in temperament and maturity as well as talent to get the best out of what is on offer however that is not necessarily predictable when they are younger.

I'm not sure St Mary's Calne has its own stables/equestrian facilities.

No, it would be at nearby eventing yard. The head has a background of eventing so understands what would be involved and would advise if it is possible for an international boarder.
Assuming that there are no financial limitations in view of these plans, I wonder if the OP is contemplating having a separate horse left in the UK to be trained during the holidays or the more unsettling prospect of transporting between Asia and the UK for term times and holidays.

The problem is that the new Year 9 programe at Millfield actively means that the younger students are NOT allowed to specialise in any sports at all. The so-called Director of Sports does not feel the need for students of that age to specialise and this now means that Year 9's have to do all sports and so your daughter may not even have the option to concentrate on her riding career. Plus previous posters are absolutely correct in their comments - do not be 'blinded' by the so-called 'qualifications' of any Millfield coaches. Just because you have qualifications or your own medals does not mean you can Coach. To be an excellent Coach you have to have a basic level of interest in people in general. The sport we were involved in, the coaches had no interest whatsoever in the actual youngsters they were coaching. They made the athletes feel totally invisible and totally unwelcome. Many of them left the school with poor academic qualifications and no/little sporting possibilities. A poor show all-round after so many years of what should be an excellent education. But Millfield are not really bothered about this. One parent recently hit the nail on the head - they said that Millfield are only interested in those athletes who can bring glory to Millfield when they are actually at Millfield. So unless you are able to get a gold world medal while you are a student there, then forget about Millfield giving your offspring any coaching attention. One lad in our sport was totally ignored by his Coaches. Started off in the sixth form as probably their 3rd fastest athlete. By the time he left Millfield he dropped dismally to be probably their 18th 'fastest' athlete. Yet he got himself (off his own back with no help from Millfield) a full-up scholarship to America - the only one to manage this in his Year. And is now achieving great things both academically and sport-wise over there. Yet the Millfield coaches were simply not interested in him. And he was not alone. Too many young talented athletes at Millfield were left to feel unwelcome, useless, unwanted, invisible as the coaches are simply not interested enough in actual people. Very sad to witness as a parent. Do not be blinded by the Millfield facilities - choose very carefully as I am sure you will.

Lots of vets who specialise in horses have ridden whilst at school. Vets and horses often go together.

OP check out Stowe school. It has a yard on site and a XC course designed by Mark Phillips. It's better on the academics than Stonar and Millfield AFAIK.

Stonar used to have a rep for being where the horsey but dim girls went, though I gather it has changed a lot.

My only experience of Millfield is from 2 girls who went there 15 years ago who said that anorexia was a very big problem, and that eating was monitored very carefully by staff. Girls would be suspended if thought to be not eating properly. Neither of the girls I know had anorexia but both have issues surrounding food..... But this was 15 years ago!!

I'm a bit late to the party here, but have you considered Queen Margaret's, just south of York? It has its own stables on site, run by a fearsome very experienced instructor who has been there 30+ years. The horses are exceptionally well looked after and can stay there during the school holidays, too. The school is in Escrick Park, so extensive on-site hacking is available, and there's also a cross-country course. (I'm not employed by the school, just know people who ride there!)

Ethelburga's don't have horsey facilities any more, and you would probably want to steer clear of them anyway due to the recent publicity regarding CCTV and the previous Chair of Governors. I don't feel I can say any more given their litigious reputation.

How about here? (Hope the link works!)
My daughter goes to this school and although she doesn't ride. She wishes to go into veterinary medicine and will be involved more and more as she grows, (only year 7) in the care and wellbeing of the horses. It's a lovely school and they have direct access on to the downs for riding.

Lancing College in West Sussex are building their own equestrian centre. They also have a good Oxbridge admittance rate. (If you're still out there OP!)