The Challenge
The Lambourn gallops, managed by Jockey Club Estates, form one of the UK’s most renowned training facilities, with around 700 racehorses using the site daily under a strict membership and pass system. Maintaining the safety, organisation, and functionality of such a busy training environment is critical.
Jockey Club Estates required a contractor who could work safely and sensitively around horses, understanding the pressures of operating on a live, high-traffic equestrian site.
The brief for this project included three key elements:
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Construction of a 50m x 30m arena to provide a secure, versatile space for schooling horses on the flat and over fences.
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Creation of an oval gallop surrounding the arena, designed wide enough to allow the addition of jumps for varied training.
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Fencing an existing six-furlong gallop, where the absence of boundary fencing previously allowed horses to stray onto adjacent turf.
This fencing element in particular required careful planning to create a safe, clearly defined boundary that blended with the existing gallops and maintained the site’s open, professional aesthetic.
The Solution
Tomley Projects worked closely with Jockey Club Estates and Duralock to deliver the project to exacting standards. The work took place in May and June 2024, coordinated to avoid disruption to the daily training schedule.
The arena was constructed to provide a secure, high-quality surface suitable for both flatwork and jumping exercises, giving riders an enclosed environment to school horses confidently and safely.
Around it, we built an oval gallop, designed with sufficient width to incorporate fences, offering trainers a flexible space for different types of exercise.
For the six-furlong gallop, we installed Duralock fencing to establish a clear and secure boundary. Working collaboratively with Duralock, our team modified the standard race rail specification to ensure it performed perfectly for this specific application.
Our experience of working on busy training facilities meant the entire project was delivered safely, efficiently, and with minimal disruption to the hundreds of horses using the gallops each day.
The Outcome
The result is a versatile, professional-grade training area that enhances the facilities at Jockey Club Estates Lambourn — improving safety, functionality, and flexibility for all who use it.
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The new fencing provides clear boundaries, keeping horses and riders secure.
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The oval gallop offers a valuable new training environment for both flatwork and jumping.
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The arena delivers a safe, enclosed space for daily schooling.
The project was completed on time and to specification, meeting Jockey Club Estates’ high standards for quality and safety.
This project demonstrates Tomley Projects’ ability to deliver complex equestrian infrastructure within active training environments — combining precision, safety, and efficiency. The new facilities at Lambourn now provide a secure, functional, and future-proof space that supports both the horses and trainers who make the site one of Britain’s leading centres for racehorse preparation.
Will Riggall, Head of Operations, Jockey Club Estates
A challenge we’ve faced In the past is working with grounds and civil contractors who don’t have equine experience but fortunately that was never a concern for us here throughout the project. Tom and his team always looked after our needs and those of our customers – the trainers that were using the rest of the site – so it’s really sensitive construction and Tom were really helpful all the way through. We knew that Tom and his team had vast experiencing working with racehorses and training yards. That was a really important consideration for us when we came to choose the head contractor.
