Paris area: any suggestions for somewhere to go riding occasionally for DD1?

[MrsSchadenfreude]

She is 12. She has turned her small nose up at the place in the Jardin d'Acclimatation. I don't particularly want to pay $$$ for a joining fee and $$$ for "insurance" and then pay for a year's lessons in advance. I want somewhere we she could have an odd lesson or go for a nice hack at the weekend, not necessarily every week, and somewhere quite informal would be good. Outside Paris is fine, too, as long as it is easily accessible by public transport.

Am I asking for the impossible?

hum, yes, probably.

There'll be some places around here that do that. Will have a think and get back to you - that is, if you don't mind coming out to the 92 or even 78...? I'm pretty sure DD's club do.

92 or 78 fine, BriocheDoree.

You could try Maisons Laffitte (78). Very horsey town with racetrack and riding clubs and on the RER line A. Don't know much other than this as not a rider myself.

Check out the bases de loisirs

I know the one in Verneuil-sur-Seine has a riding centre - not sure about the others. I think you can go for a trek or have a lesson without signing up for life... I haven't tried it out mind you!

Sorry MrsS, never got back to you on this. Was also going to suggest Base de Loisirs. The one in Saint Quentin en Yvelines certainly does this and there might be other ones closer to you. There's also the Haras de Jardy (THE horsey place in the 92, at Marnes la Coquette). DD's riding club at Marly le Roi do stages - you just have to pay a small amount for insurance if you are not a club member
poneyclubdemarly.chez-alice.fr/html/stages.htm
It's a fair way out but only 5 mins walk from the train station at L'etang la ville (trains from Saint Lazare or La Defense). There would also be places in the 60 but that might be a bit far out for you (Chantilly and surrounds are also very horsey).

I live in Maisons-Laffitte and know the clubs here very well, have ridden in them all and/or observed or given (informal) lessons in one or two. Poney Club du Parc is better than UCPA and Txiki, but better than all these is USMT aka US Metro (thing is I think their youngest riders are a bit older than your dd, as their smallest mounts are probably like what they call "double-poneys". I don't know if USMT do the turn-up-and-ride type of thing though, they prefer to sign you up for weekly lessons. As do the other places, except that at Poney Club du Parc you can sort of "hire" (shudder) shetlands and take them around the parc to give your little one a baptême.

That's my two cents worth if you want to know more about ML but it does seem there are other places to head for (living here, it does feel like horsey mecca).

Your daughter will be moving on to double-poneys very soon, I should think.