Best - And Worst - Riding Estabishments!

KP nut

KP nut

I'd rather be riding.
Dec 22, 2008
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Best: Northumbria Horse Holidays. Had sooooo much fun on wonderful horses riding through amazing scenery with lovely people!

Worst: Won't name them or I'll get in trouble: But this was a trekking centre in Somerset. Lead horse kept rearing and the escort kept smacking him on the head with a whip 'to make him think he's hit his head'.

Then one horse kicked another horse and severed an artery. Escort went white and sat down and did nothing. Me and the other customers had to get under the horse to apply direct pressure and try and control the bleeding, while someone else went for help....:mad:

It was a residential holiday. That evening I went to see the rearing horse and he had loads of saddle sores.:mad::mad::mad:
 
Best place is probably where I first learnt to ride, unfortunately it's shut now but I had an amazing time there and the instructor was wicked and she'd have us doing alsorts! It wasn't a fancy place, but it had an indoor school and the ponies were always well looked after. Luckily for me when I got my own pony the instructor from that RS had her own farm just down the road from my livery yard so I could go down for lessons.

The worst place I've been was a place fairly local to me. My friend and I went there for a hack, we said we could ride but they didn't make us ride in the school or anything first just gave us a pony each to get on and off we went! I felt so sorry for mine because you could tell the saddle didn't fit well and we were out for a good 2 hours. The yard was very run down and the fencing for the fields was mainly loose barbed/sheep wire. Needless to say neither of us went back again and made sure we gave the ponies lots of polos!
 
I have very limited experience but I loved Newton Livery in Cornwall - super duper people and ponies and horses! Lovely staff and great hacks. They catered for all shapes and sizes (am not the thinnest nor youngest!). Been there many times, and loved it. Horses all well cared for by the looks of them and happy in their work. Can't say enough good things!

Pleased to say I don't know any bad estblishments - both yards I've been on have offered good things in different ways.
 
Best - Meadowbrook Stables in Lincolnshire. I couldnt say a vaguely negative thing about it if i tried!

Worst - Never been to a truly awful one but a nameless yard could do much better...
 
No outstanding places apart from where I worked and trained for my BHSAI in the late 80's. ASHRIDGE FARM

Could not posibly mention the less impressive places!!!

Needless to say when my son wanted to learn to ride at the age of 12 ( I was no longer working with horses) I promptly bought him a horse and taught him all he knows. Result- thoughtful effective rider although still extreamly novicy as being mum I do hold him back a bit. But sons and daughters are precious
 
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So hard to say - most impressive rides were either through the streets of Manhattan at 6am en route to central park... or high above dublin bay one august twilight, cantering high above the southern lake district and down into Cartmel, or iceland with snow on the ground and tolting on those lovely horses.

As to venues.... I loved the EC at Wrexham - memories still linger, and Hollin Equest in North Yorks is gorgeous. There's also loads to be said for our (closing down) RS at Ivesley in Durham, fantastic horses and instruction.
 
best one have been to is the one am at now,millers nook RDA in west haughton/bolton.
they do try to accomodate everyones needs and go a lot further to support and understand than any RS have ever been in,some of the horses/ponies are rescues that they have trained themselves along with all the yard dogs,the only bad thing have to say about it-is there is only an outdoor arena,but they are raising money for it,and they woud have had it now if it wasnt for the thieving gits who cleared them out.

almost every other RS has been bad,its hard to choose.
one of the worst,was a mainstream RS,but was in the RDA group based there,doing group hacks only.
the owner [a ex pro show jumper] was great,and was always led by him on the hacks,but it was a lady who seems to order everyone about there but dont know exactly what she does, who was disgusting.
instead of being called by name,all of us [these were people that lived with ,and some were from the day centre] were treated like lesser humans because of having disabilities,none of us were called by names,it was by hair colour,skin colour etc and even then-it was never to us,it was around us.
these were only basic hacks,so luckily did not have to deal with her much but that was some years ago,and have heard recently,the nice owner has left, and she is still the same towards disabled people.
 
I too loved the EC in Wrexham - went every year for about 5 years.

Cumbrian Heavy Horses come high up my list on the best places to ride.

Won't name the worst, but have been to some dreadful places where I feel really sorry for the horses.
 
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