Riding schools in or around London?

[Redqueenheart]

Can everyone recommend a good riding schools in London?

I am getting fed up with the one I am attending at the moment. The latest annoyance today was that they mixed up my lesson time/day so I travelled to the centre for nothing...

Two weeks ago I also had an instructor who got rather annoyed when I reminded him that I have a slight hearing loss issue (I have tinnitus) and that I sometimes can miss some of his instructions when he is on the other end of the arena. He was really sneery about it and I thought it was really unprofessional to respond in this way.

I have been taking lessons on and off for two years as an adult rider. I am about to go a riding holiday as well (not organised by the school) for a week where I will get daily lessons and do hacks which I think will hopefully improve my riding some more so when I come back I really to continue riding in a good school.

I got to a decent level where I can walk, trot, canter with and without stirrups but I feel like I am not really moving any further now. I am perfectly aware that I still have a lot to learn and don't have great transitions but it also feels like I have reached a plateau at the school I am at and I am just endlessly doing the same thing.

Any suggestions? It doesn't matter which part of London the school is, and I would be great if they do small hacks as well and group lessons for adults as well as private ones.

I love horses and I love learning to ride but honestly the school management and some of the instructors's attitudes are really sucking the fun out of it right now.

I will be moving out of London anyway in the New Year and move to a new school but in the meantime I want to continue to enjoy my hobby with a bit less drama...

Any suggestions about schools and instructors would be most welcome!!

I can thoroughly recommend Kingsmead equestrian centre in Warlingham, just the other side of Croydon.

The horses are mostly cobs but they do have a few ISH and the like, they get plenty of turnout, and the hacking is glorious. The instructors are lovely and encouraging. They have lots of different activities on offer - musical ride sessions, sessions on improving canter or jumping, horse agility etc etc They’re also quite a bit cheaper than the central London schools.

Ealing riding stables are very much enjoyed by my children, but no adult experience that I can talk about.

Thank you both for the suggestions. I will look them up!!

Trent Park in Enfield meets all the requirements

North of the river, Trent Park, London Equestrian Centre and Lee Valley would all fit the bill, none are perfect IMO, all have their flaws/problems, but all are accessible by public transport, cater for adults and offer group lessons. Only Trent offers good regular hacking (I think at LEC you can ride in their own fields in the summer although haven't been for years so don't know if they still offer that). Lee Valley and Trent are BHS examination centres so they will have some nicer horses for the higher stages (LV does up to stage 2 and Trent up to 3 I think) and instructors more used to teaching adults who aren't absolute beginners.

If you have access to a car, there are some really good options just outside the city too, particularly around Windsor, Tally-Ho and Wayside stables offer fabulous hacking through the great park, Wayside do lessons too although I think are more geared up for jumping. Places like Snowball Farm and Berkshire Equestrian Centre in and around Slough/Windsor are also less than an hour's drive from the right side of London and are again exam centres/competition venues/offer lots of different opportunities for adults, not very accessible if you don't have a car although maybe a taxi from Windsor or Slough stations is possible, and the prices compared to London too tend to compensate for the extra journey time...

Trent Park is huge and offers private/group/hacking/jumping etc and they have a nice cafe which for me was the best part! 😀

We left as my daughter wanted to focus on SJ
more seriously bit it's generally good for lessons

I used to go to Stag Lodge in Richmond Park. Cant comment about the lessons but the hacking in the park was fab.

Yes to Kingsmead - it is fabulous!

Wherever you go please pick somewhere than turns their horses out. I appreciate it’s harder in London but those horses work seriously hard and deserve their own downtime and socialisation.

Depends what you mean by London, zone 5 - chelsfield equestrian centre and zone 6 Beechwood, Woldingham

Mount Mascal at Bexley have good hacking , it’s large and busy so not suited to everyone but there is always lots going on .

Thank you so much everyone! I will check out all your suggestions.

''@abovedecknotbelow Depends what you mean by London, zone 5 - chelsfield equestrian centre and zone 6 Beechwood, Woldingham''

I am in zone 3 but I don't mind travelling to the outskirts, especially if that means hacking opportunities! I would rather do less frequent lessons but at least have a good time....

Head out Epsom way and go to Wildwoods. I have such excellent memories of hacking from there when I lived in London!

My daughter used to work at Stag Lodge - I would not recommend..

@Redqueenheart Beechwood fits the bill then!

''@Pleasedontdothat
My daughter used to work at Stag Lodge - I would not recommend..''

That's a shame. It was on my list of places where you can hack. Can I ask what was wrong with it?

@Redqueenheart I’ve sent you a PM