Riding in and around London ?

[Greytshakes]

Hi all. I think I have, over the last 20 years or so, tried most of the riding schools / equestrian centres around London which are within reach of public transport. I have yet to find somewhere that ticks all the boxes.

Does anyone have any other ideas to the ones below? Sorry this is quite long...

I'm experienced and reasonably competent but prone to occasional attacks of nerves (usually in restricted spaces like indoor schools) having had a few bad crashes over the years. I don't have enough time to devote to a proper loan. A share one - maybe two- days a week is doable. I have my Stage 1 and 'ride safe'.

I'm looking for somewhere that has good, properly qualified instructors, decently schooled horses, turnout, hacking, and is not completely overrun with kids at the weekends. And is not more than absolute max £65 an hour. My aim is to get my Stage 2, work up to Stage 3, with a view to possibly teaching and having my own horses in the future.

Going round the London clockface I have tried these and would really appreciate some other recommendations / updates on these places if people have them :

London Equestrian Centre near Mill Hill: rode there as a kid, it was fairly bog-standard then, don't know what it's like now.
Contessa: Had one trial lesson which was promising, I liked the classical focus, it's but too far to travel for me.
Lee Valley: Did BHS stage courses there, took lessons 2005-2012-ish, had one really good instructor (Mandy) who left. The place went downhill, used very green and unbalanced ponies for novice riders, some quite bitchy instructors. Haven't been since 2018. Also, no hacking.

Aldersbrook: Had a trial lesson in 2019, place was a tip, got bucked off a green cob and didn't go back.
Aldborough Hall: Had a few lessons last year, pretty good instructor and nice horses but hacking is very limited.
Chelsfield EC: Had one good and one not so good lesson in 2019, haven't been back. Seemed very focussed on kids (which is of course fine but I'm not a kid :))
Greenwich EC: Had lessons 2018-2019. Had an excellent (and quite tough) instructor I learnt a lot from. Went back after she left and didn't get on with the other instructors. Horses are OK but you can't tack up yourself and there is no hacking.
Old Bexley Stables: Trial lesson and one hack in 2021. Probably not representative but my limited experience was not good (some rude staff, chaotic yard) and I didn't go back.
Wildwoods: Have hacked out from there which was fun. Didn't enjoy the lessons (2018) as teaching quite 'gung ho' - not for me. Also quite far away.
Kingston RC: One trial lesson and one hack in Richmond Park (2019). Not a good experience. Horse I rode had a massive bucking fit on the way home, not taken at all seriously by ride leader or manager on yard. Lucky I stick fairly well. Didn't go back.

Stag Lodge: Couple of lessons/hacks ages ago, was nice to ride in Richmond Park but they look very expensive now.
Operation Centaur: Went for a trial ride last summer, it seemed to go well (was told so) but wasn't called back and they haven't responded to messages since.
Wimbledon Village Stables: not actually ridden there, had an Equicise session on their mechanical horse recently which was brilliant (have some hip issues and wanted to see if they are affecting my position). I liked the instructor and the place seems nice, but put off by lack of daily turnout opportunity - the horses are boxed to turnout nearby.
Ham House Stables: Had some really good technical tuition a while ago now, but found teaching style knocked my confidence (reduced to tears one time). Expensive now, and no hacking.
Littlebourne EC: Fantastic hacking, a couple of helpful private lessons but 10+ years ago. Quite far for me but would try again if it's still good.

I've also had lessons as a civilian rider with the Kings Troop, about 10 years ago now but I wouldn't be up to that level/confidence at the moment. Trying out Flemish Farm (HAC) in Windsor soon.

Basically I would like to find somewhere which takes instruction seriously, **and I'm not treated like a complete numpty if I admit to the occasional bout of the Fear. Being able to ride out independently would be a huge bonus.

Thank you for reading and any tips you may have !

**so for example correcting bad positions, very few places seem to have instructors who care enough to do this, it's amazing.

@CherryogDog - Cinders?!

Ah I’ve looked it up, not cinders. One of the other local DCs kept her very large horse in a garage of a very ordinary house on a street of very ordinary houses in Wimbledon :)

Was Cinders DC of the Wimbledon PC? The name certainly rings a bell.
We used to hack from Tooting to the shows at Splash Fields and also rallies at the paddock at the bottom of the common (from memory adjacent to the A3 but it was a long time ago)

Maybe we should start a South London nostalgia thread to stop clogging up the OPs thread 😚

Yes yes yes! (My mum campaigned for the horse height traffic button at that crossing between the common and Richmond park)

I remember that campaign!

@AtillatheHun I have started a new thread but not techy enough to tag you on it.

Hi @Ridingladybugs very interesting to hear what you say about Ham House. I also thought it was very good technical training but delivered with something approaching scorn if I didn't "get it" (not at first, only after few months of lessons), which was quite hard to take. I'm sorry you've given up. I had a really positive experience at Flemish Farm this weekend just gone, having been on their wait list for a while. I have booked in a few group lessons and will see how that goes - will report back. It's a schlep for me but the first place I have been to in ages that felt right. Also tried Kingsmead recently (thank you to @Flossie2shoes and others for that tip) and had a nice lesson there. The instructor (Chloe Tothill) was great. Very nice people. I will go back. @AtillatheHun and @CherryogDog Yes unfortunately my Ham House lessons were with MRE - I've no doubt she was and is one of the best instructors around London, and in many ways she is brilliant - just perhaps not suited to those of us who are a bit slow on the uptake sometimes..

Interesting @Redqueenheart that was my experience of Lee Valley too. A few great instructors (especially a lady who freelanced there, I can't remember her name) but some really awful behaviour from others - towards horses as well as riders.

@Greytshakes Hemps Green in Essex would fit most of your criteria. Lisa the owner is BHS I, horses spend most of their time in fields, plenty of them are ex or active competition. No ponies, so no children.

It's not walking distance from station, but the staff can pick riders up from Marks Tey (direct train from Liverpool St.) if you ask nicely before booking.

Or re-visit some of the other places and try a different (senior) instructor?

@Greytshakes I’m glad you liked Kingsmead 😊have you tried going on a hack there? There are some really lovely routes, especially on the longer hacks

Just had a thought about Ham House, see if you can get a lesson with Victoria Walsh. She's Alexander technique trained and sorted out some of my fundamental imbalances, is very empathic to the horse and gets to the root of issues.

Thanks @NeverWrong I hadn't heard of Hemps Green - it looks great. I will give it a try.

Yes @Pleasedontdothat Kingsmead were noticeably friendlier than the average yard - very welcoming. I haven't tried hacking yet - went for a quick wander in the wood next to the arena while waiting for my lesson and it looks gorgeous around there. Will definitely give it a try.

That is a good idea @Botsy I will look into it. Could definitely do with some of that.

I've been riding at one of those mentioned in the initial post- Littlebourne in Bucks. It's on a bus route from Uxbridge in Zone 6. I describe myself as rusty intermediate and have been doing group classes with the occasional private for about 18 months and have found myself being stretched (way different to lessons when I was a teenager when we only ever trotted 20m circles and cantered one at a time to the rear of the ride). I haven't ridden any hairy dobbins, indeed they seem to have a gypsy cob shortage compared to most stables. They also do shows where you can hire a school horse and enter two classes for £100 which is a long term aim for me.

I also recommend the Shire Horse Experience Days run out of Richmond Park by Operation Centaur. You get to drive a pair (with the expert sat next to you) out in the park which is amazing fun.

Another option to add to your list is Mount Mascal Stables. It's on the same lane as Old Bexley Stables which you mentioned in the OP. I tried Old Bexley and didn't like it- as you said very chaotic.
Mount Mascals is much better- they hack in Joydens Woods but will only let you out once you have had a rider assessment. Instructors who I rate in terms of critiquing form are Anna, Tash and Daniel.

The diamond RDA centre in Banstead are now doing lessons for non disabled riders on a Sunday morning - the horses are all saints as you would expect and staff are friendly. There is also a bit more of a chance to groom and help out than a standard riding school as the lessons are run mainly to fundraise for the RDA side.
I learnt to ride at Dulwich back in the day!

Having started this thread nearly a year ago I can now report back on new the places I have tried ! Sad to say... still haven't found what I'm looking for. I don't mean to be unfairly critical as I know others like these places and recommended them -and I did have some good experiences at each one... Anyway, here goes :

Kingsmead : I ended up going to a few group lessons with senior instructors. Honestly they were not that great. Got given quite unbalanced and green cobs each time. The instructor did an awful lot of talking but not much actual teaching if you see what I mean. One group was joined by the proprietor and her daughter too, so there was a bit of a demo feel to it which is great if you have paid for a demo but not necessarily for a lesson. Yard is very busy and a bit of a conveyor belt. Loads of beginners and kids (I'm not being snotty, just prefer a quieter yard). Haven't been out hacking with them but they make such a palaver of grading hacks by colour etc I sort of gave up on the idea.

Hemps Green : Had a great assessment lesson, lovely horse, but I haven't been back as I thought it was just too far for me and I don't have a car (from SE London). I may go back though as I am pretty disheartened by everywhere else.

Operation Centaur: Massively overrated IMHO, overall. Some lovely horses on the yard, my share was a sweetheart but worryingly lacking in energy. Other sharers were all very nice but riding in Richmond Park is b.o.r.i.n.g if you have ever hacked somewhere you can have a bit of a blast. Really busy with walkers and cyclists etc. Bit of a weird atmosphere amongst the staff on the yard. "Manager" didn't inspire confidence though some of them were nice. Chaotic tack room, shared/scanty grooming kits, etc - that kind of thing Ps me off when the cost of riding is quite high. Wouldn't recommend.

Flemish Farm : Oh I had such high hopes about this one ! First lesson was great. Went slowly downhill from there. I have had about 15 lessons (maybe more even), some private, some group. If anything my riding has got worse. The horses are a real mixed bag : some lovely and light on the aids, some really hard to ride (not unsafe, just unresponsive and wanting to follow their mates - not surprising as they are military parade horses). Suffice to say I had one single lesson on a nicer horse, which was amazing, and the most of the rest on the same sweet but really not into it chap. A while back the instructor even told me to reminder her to give me different horse the next time, I did and this was ignored. Had a lesson tonight and just got off after ten minutes - I had just had enough of riding a horse that hates the job. I think it you ride very well you'll be fine there, and equally if you are inexperienced you'll be fine too. Those middling but desperate to improve riders like me - waste of time.

Hoping to try hacking with the London Riding Group near Hemel Hempstead soon. It may just be that I don't get on with riding schools and should just hack out until I can get my own..

Thanks for reading !

I think you’re right - what you’re looking for doesn’t exist…

Mount mescal stables? I haven’t been for a long long time and at weekends it may be busier than it used to be.

@Pleasedontdothat sadly I think this is true. Will focus on hacking out and maybe look for a share.

@OurChristmasMiracle I have seen some fairly dire feedback about MM lately (very busy arena, overly commercial) and I can't face trying tbh.

Hi @Greytshakes I commented previously about Mount Mascals and think it would be worth trying, especially if you are in SE London as not too far. Hacking through Joydens Woods is really lovely.

I really like Daniel as an instructor- he was a member of the Household Cavalry so really on point around technique, but very friendly as well. He only does a couple of days so not loads of availability, so if not him I would say Anna, Sam or Grace are all fairly technical as well.

Sorry just saw your update re MMS. I can see where the criticism comes from as Sat / Sun between 10-4 they do kids parties (absolute money spinners) which clog up the arena but if you can avoid these times it's like a different place.

If you want to hack then Kingsmead or Wildwoods would be great - the hacking around both is really lovely and if you’re able to go on the advanced hacks there’s plenty of opportunities to canter across fields as well as lots of beautiful woodland trails. I wouldn’t have done group lessons at Kingsmead personally- I think you’d have got a lot more out of private lessons. I’ve moved away from the area and it was a real struggle to find anywhere half as good 🤷‍♀️

That's interesting what you say about Daniel, I've always been a bit scared to book a lesson with him in case he was a bit shouty (being ex-army) but I might give it a go!