The school’s founder, Stephen James, and his family live in the east side of the large manor house. It’s a classic, hundred year old French building with ivy clinging to the walls and wood flooring. The ceilings are high and the windows are big, giving it a light airy feel.

The west wing of the school was built a lot later than the east wing. The outside matches the other wing, but inside it is a lot more up to date, with cheap carpeting and a lower ceiling. This side of the big manor house is dedicated to the school, and only students take up residency here.

Behind the manor house is a large courtyard surrounded by spacious stables. The yard is pristinely kept, the horses well brushed and cared for and it’s very tidy most of the time. Students aren’t allowed here during school hours but it’s normally got a lot of stable hands working here.

All through the day, the school’s smiths work hard to make sure that all the horses have been well shoed. Shoeing is vital to horse health, and a lot of students opt for an apprenticeship in farrying when they finish their school course.

This room takes up the space of about four stables, with saddles stacked 4 rows high on all the walls. The room stinks of leather polish and horse sweat. If a student misbehaves, they’re normally punished by spending their evening in the tack room, polishing up tack in their free time instead of hanging out with their friends.

Most of the land owned by the James family is divided into large, lush grassed paddocks. During the day and at night sometimes in the summer too, the horses are turned out to graze on the fresh grass. The paddocks must be treated for plants poisonous to horses often, but keep an eye on your horse just in case. Lots of sugar lumps will be needed to catch your horse from these lovely grass lands!

Although most of the land owned by the farm is taken up by paddocks for the horses, some areas of the original forest still remain. The forests are full of birds and small animals, and if you’re really lucky – and quiet – you might spot some of the deer that live here. If you’re really adventurous you might be able to find a small tree house built up in one of the taller trees.

The small lake is off limits to students during the week, but at weekends a lot of students, staff and apprentices alike will come down to the lake to fish. It is against the rules to catch a fish and not toss it back. There are rumours that an escaped zoo crocodile lives in the lake – but it’s just utter nonsense designed to scare the younger students.

If you wish to learn riding, you can sign up to the horse back course at the school. The lessons are held here on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday depending on your skill. If you wish to use the arena for your own private practicing, speak to one of the yard staff, and they’ll put you on the list. There’s an indoor arena for cold weather and rainy days, and a slightly larger arena outside for when the weather is nice.

With permission from a member of staff, you can take your horse out on one of many routes through the country side, or you could ride along narrow country roads. You’re more likely to get permission if you’re going with at least one other person. Riding on roads is not possible with certain horses – their profiles will say if they are road trained when you pick one out.

Dijon is a city in eastern France and the capital of the Côte-d'Or departement and of the Bourgogne region. Dijon is the historical capital of the province of Burgundy. Population is around 236,953 for the whole of the greater Dijon area. Dijon is famous for its mustard and the land surrounding it is perfect for growing wine. Dijon is also home to some of France’s finest restaurants.

The Jardin botanique de l'Arquebuse is a botanical garden that makes up only two of Dijon’s seven hundred hectares of parkland. It is open daily without charge. The park is home to over 4,000 different species of plants and it also contains an arboretum, a herbarium containing about 100,000 specimens, greenhouses, and a school of botany, as well as a an extensive collection of wild ducks, geese, and swans. It is designed in the image of an English garden by noted landscaper Jean-Marie Morel

Everyone loves shopping! Well, nearly everyone. If you’ve got some spare cash and want to splurge on clothes or games, or you really need to replace those socks full of holes, the big mall at the centre of Dijon is the best place to go. If you’re in need of a bit of extra money, try and get a job at one of the many stores here. Opens at seven am, and closes at ten pm.

These two floors are where the young men that attend the academy can stay if they choose. Stripes of blue line the walls of the hallways, the carpeting matches almost perfectly, and each door is labeled. Girls are supposedly not allowed on these halls, but they can always easily manage to sneak by.

These two floors are where the young women that attend the academy can stay if they choose. Stripes of pink line the walls of the hallways, the carpeting matches almost perfectly, and each door is labeled. Boys are supposedly not allowed on these halls, but they can always easily manage to sneak by.