Helen Thornton’s Terms & Conditions

A) General terms (applies to all bookings)

A1) Horses’ welfare and safety

Horses’ welfare and everyone’s safety come first. Please follow instructions at all times. We may pause, adjust or stop a session if we believe it is unsafe or not in the horse’s best interests.

A2) Conduct

We expect respectful behaviour towards people and horses. Unsafe, disruptive, aggressive or discriminatory behaviour may result in removal from the session or course without refund.

A3) Recording, photos, and intellectual property

All teaching content, frameworks, demonstrations, documents, videos and other resources we provide (including any content shared via private groups or apps such as Equigate) remain our intellectual property (or are used with permission).

• You may take written notes for your own learning.

• Please do not record audio/video, livestream, or share materials outside your personal use unless we have given written permission.

• Please do not present Helen’s teaching, frameworks, routines or materials as your own original work.

A4) Liability

Working around horses involves inherent risk. You take part at your own risk and are responsible for your own decisions and actions. Nothing in these Terms limits liability where the law does not allow it (including for death or personal injury caused by negligence).

A5) Governing law

These Terms & Conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

B) Treatment bookings (appointments and consultations)

These Terms apply to appointments booked with Helen Thornton for equine manual therapy and related services (“we”, “us”, “our”).

B1) Booking and confirmation

Appointments are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Your appointment is confirmed once we have agreed the date/time and (where requested) received any deposit.

Some clients also receive PDFs and practical information via the Equigate app. Those documents support the booking, but these Terms still apply.

B2) New clients: deposit to secure the appointment

For new clients, we normally require a deposit to confirm the appointment. The deposit amount will be stated at the time of booking.

• The deposit is part-payment of the overall fee and is deducted from the amount due.

• If a deposit is requested and not paid by the deadline we give you, we may release the slot.

B3) Payment

Unless we agree otherwise, the remaining balance is due on the day (or in advance, if we request this).

B4) Cancellations, changes, and no-shows (48 hours’ notice)

We run a small diary with limited availability. Late cancellations are rarely refillable.

• If you cancel or ask to reschedule with more than 48 hours’ notice, we will normally move your appointment once to a mutually convenient date (subject to availability).

• If you cancel with 48 hours’ notice or less, or you do not attend, we reserve the right to charge the full appointment fee, because we have kept that time exclusively for you.

Fairness: if we are able to fill your cancelled slot with another paying booking, we will not “double charge”. In that situation we will normally limit your charge to the deposit (or a reasonable admin charge if no deposit was taken).

B5) Late arrival

If you arrive late, we will do our best to help, but we may need to shorten the session to protect other bookings. The full fee may still be payable.

B6) Veterinary care and scope

Our work is not a substitute for veterinary diagnosis or treatment. If we believe a horse is unwell, injured, or requires veterinary input, we may recommend that you contact your vet (and in some situations we may decline to proceed without appropriate veterinary involvement).

B7) Your legal rights

Nothing in these Terms affects your statutory rights. If you book services online or over the phone, you may have a 14-day cancellation right in some circumstances.

C) Thornton Equine Academy: In-person course booking terms

These Terms apply to all in-person courses delivered by Helen Thornton / Thornton Equine Academy (“we”, “us”, “our”), including 1-day, 2-day and 3-day courses booked online (typically via TicketSource).

C1) Booking and confirmation

Course places are limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Your place is confirmed once payment is received and you receive booking confirmation.

C2) Prices and what’s included

Course prices are shown at the time of booking. Travel, accommodation and meals are your responsibility unless we state otherwise. Any course materials (including access to private online content) are for the booked attendee’s personal use only (see A3).

C3) Payment (pay in full)

Full payment is due at the time of booking. We do not reserve places without payment.

If you choose Klarna at checkout, this is a payment arrangement between you and Klarna. Your booking with us remains a booking for a place on a dated course, subject to these Terms.

Booking/admin fee (built into the price)
To keep course numbers small and manageable, we incur admin and planning costs as soon as a place is reserved. For that reason, each booking includes a non-refundable booking/admin fee (included within the course price):

• 1-day courses: £25 booking/admin fee

• 2- and 3-day courses: £50 booking/admin fee
  This fee is retained if you cancel (see C6).

C4) Your legal right to cancel (important)

Under UK consumer law, the standard 14-day “cooling-off” right does not generally apply to leisure activities provided on specific dates (such as an in-person course place). Your booking is therefore governed by the policy below.

C5) How to cancel

Cancellations must be made by email to thorntonequineacademy@gmail.com (or the email shown on your booking confirmation). Your cancellation takes effect from the time we receive your email.

C6) Cancellation by you

We aim to be fair, but course places are limited and often not refillable close to the start date. For that reason, we do not offer cash refunds as standard. Instead, we offer re-booking where there is sufficient notice, and we offer a cash refund only where your place is re-sold.

C6.1 If you cancel more than 14 days before the course start date
Option A: Re-book once onto a future course date (subject to availability) within 12 months (you pay any price difference if the new course fee is higher).
Option B: Cash refund only if we re-sell your place. If we re-sell your place to another paying delegate, we refund the amount you paid minus the booking/admin fee in C3. If we cannot re-sell your place, no cash refund is due (but Option A remains available).

C6.2 If you cancel 14 days or less before the course start date
Re-booking is not available within 14 days. The booking/admin fee is forfeited. If we re-sell your place, we refund the amount you paid minus the booking/admin fee in C3.

C7) Substitute attendee (recommended alternative to cancellation)

You may nominate a substitute attendee at no extra charge if you email their name and contact details at least 48 hours before the course starts, and they agree to these Terms. We only refuse a substitution where it would be unreasonable or impractical (for example, where the course is restricted and the substitute does not meet the requirements).

C8) Illness and genuine emergencies

The same cancellation terms apply (C6). If you want protection against last-minute illness or unforeseen events, Refund Protection may be available at checkout (see C9).

C9) Optional Refund Protection (XCover) via TicketSource

At checkout, TicketSource may offer an optional Refund Protection add-on provided by XCover. It is optional, must be purchased at the time of booking, and is a separate agreement between you and the provider. If you purchase it and need to cancel, you make any eligible claim directly to XCover.

C10) If we cancel, reschedule, or make a significant change

If we have to cancel, you will be offered a full refund or a transfer. If we reschedule and the new date does not suit you, you may choose a full refund. We cannot cover travel, accommodation or other personal expenses.

C11) Extreme weather and safety

If extreme weather or another unforeseen issue makes it unsafe for horses or delegates, we may need to pause, adjust, or end a session early. Where this happens, we will offer an appropriate catch-up option. If a catch-up is not practical, we will offer a pro-rata credit towards a future course, or a pro-rata refund for undelivered elements.

C12) Horses brought by delegates (where applicable)

If you bring a horse, you confirm your horse is fit to attend, safe to handle, and suitable for a group learning environment. You remain responsible for your horse’s welfare and handling at all times. We may exclude a horse from practical work if safety or welfare concerns arise.