The Riding A Dream Academy
The Khadijah Mellah Scholarship
The Khadijah Mellah Scholarship is our flagship programme for young people aged 14-16 and runs over the course of a year. It is fully funded and there are spaces for eight young people each year.
It involves a week's Residential at the British Racing School, followed by 10 monthly weekend sessions.
The 2025-26 Scholarship will start with a week's Residential Course at the British Racing School w/c 27th October 2025 and will be followed by 10 x monthly weekend sessions, running until August 2026 (dates tbc). ​
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What students say:
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“The past year the Riding A Dream Academy has been such an incredible experience, it’s been life-changing and it’s changed every single aspect of my life for the better.” - Rhianna
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“I saw Khadijah’s story and when she won my uncle showed me the news article and said ‘You do horse riding, why don’t you do something like this?’ And I thought that is never going to be possible, how am I going to get into that? [But] riding racehorses has given me the confidence, even with my general riding. I think that now I know that I can ride a racehorse, I know I can do anything, more or less. I don’t think I could see myself not working with racehorses. I think I am going to join the foundation course and I am going to go to a top yard and just be in racing for the rest of my life.” - Aleena
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RESIDENTIAL WEEK
The Scholarship starts with a residential week at the British Racing School in Newmarket where young people focus on developing their riding and horse care skills.
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LEARN ABOUT RACING
You'll go behind the scenes of British horseracing with trips to the races, training yards, studs, veterinary practices and farriers.
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MONTHLY TRAINING
There will be 10 monthly sessions at the British Racing School from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon with more riding and specialist coaching from November 2025 to August 2026.
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IT'S FREE
We’ll cover your transport to and from the course, all your accommodation and food, and will even throw in some riding kit as well, thanks to our friends at Champion Equestrian.
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PONY RACING
If you've already taken part in pony races or want to get involved, we will help fund additional races for you with our partners at the Pony Racing Authority to build up your experience.
Questions?
Check out our Frequently Asked Questions
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