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.

Out of London (depending which end you are) but Nikki Ward at Pentonville Lodge Stud in Nazeing would meet one of your asks. She does high quality 121 tuition on schoolmasters, but no hacking that I’m aware of. £60 an hour, works on balance, form and correctness.

Or get a share and find a freelance instructor to come to you!

I know this isn't what you asked but if you see horses and riding in your future have you considered moving out of London? Things are so so much easier out of London and a lot cheaper too. I've no idea what your personal situation is but if you genuinely want a horsey life, London is not the best place to be.

Ah thank you everyone for your suggestions... makes me feel like I am not necessarily being unreasonable ! I will give Kingsmead hacking a try and also see if I can get a private lesson at MM. If that worked it would be great as it's the easiest for me to get to. @wheresmyliveship Pentonville looks fab but I think too far for me sadly.

@eastiseastwestiswest you're absolutely right. I don't see us living in London forever and I have plans for a properly horsey future.. just want to improve as much as I can in the meantime..

Have you tried Mottingham Farm? My daughter rode there for several years when she was younger and they had a wide selection of horses and ponies and a huge site. It may have changed over the years but I've not heard any bad reviews. She also went to Dulwich Riding School occasionally although it was much more expensive than Mottingham Farm

@Tupperwarelid I thought the same but he's very nice. He gave my 8yo a couple of lessons after she had a fall and lost of confidence and he was very patient but firm.

@Greytshakes you might want to check out the instructor (DM me if you want) before you book in at MM as with your requirements there are some teachers I would actively avoid as some can be quite lax with technique.

Thank you @MavisTheMonkey I will do that...

Massive disclaimer that I learned to ride 409 years ago but as you’re in SE London have you tried Southborough Lane Stables in Pettswood?

Tbh I think you need a part loan or something. I remember getting to the stage where riding schools just didn’t cut it and I was super frustrated. I ended up loaning (admittedly a very green horse with a lot of issues) but we were able to learn together and I felt that this improved my riding far more than being limited to a lesson.

All the best for your horsey future! Sounds wonderful

@WinterCarlisle thank you ! A tricky part loan sounds appealing :) I will have a look at Southborough Lane..

Let me know what you think of Southborough Lane. We've just started at Kingsmead after moving back to London and I'd recommend trying half hour private lessons with different instructors maybe and see if you gel with one in particular. It's good for the kids as it's an RDA centre and one of my DC has SEN and I've found a very techniquey instructor i like (who also freelances I think). I think they're all a bit conveyer belty unfortunately, they have to be to turn a profit.

Have you tried Vauxhall? No hacking obviously but might be worth a go.

If you want a loan, Chelsfield in Orpington are closing down and loaning a lot of their horses - might be worth a call to see what they've got.

Oooh also- if you are eligible to join the CSSC (or can get someone to invite you) you can join the Civil Service Riding Club, and they have lots of subsidised (a bit) workshops and weekends. They regularly ride at Flemish Farm (no good!) and Vauxhall but also various hacks and beach rides and weekends away.

I can recommend Gade Valley Sports Horses (the stables the London Riding Group go to). Lovely people and fit ISHs. It might be worth you also joining Lee Valley Riding Club if you haven’t already. They organise rides in a few places.

Following on from @Growlybear83’s post, have you tried Mottingham Farm @Greytshakes ?
I’ve read your thread with interest, as I’m also SE, and am looking at taking up riding again.

I'm also in south east London @Greytshakes and looking to get back into riding, I had a lesson at Mottingham Farm recently, horse was okay, bit slow but responsive enough, instructor was good, what I didn't like was half the lesson was in the school and half was down a lane on a track in the middle of a field, lesson is 40 minutes so felt like it took too long to get to the field track and back and the horse was harder to get going in the field without the structure of a school.

We plan to move into the countryside in the future and horsey life will be easier but right now tied to London.

Sarah Williams at Yonder Farm in Downe might suit your needs. If you are travelling by public transport the 146 bus goes through the village, you can get that from Hayes or Bromley South.

Hello @Greytshakes
Are you still looking for riding opportunities/lessons? I own 2 horses and I'm looking for a sharer, 2 to 3 days per week, flexible days. I came back to riding and then ownership in my 50s after a 25 year gap and I'm 62 now. I've got a brilliant instructor who comes to the yard and has helped me no end with technical aspects of my riding and with my confidence - she charges £50 per hour, and it's a full hour. The downside could be location. The yard is in Aston Rowant, Oxfordshire, OX49 5SR, very near junction 6 of the M40. There's a regular coach service (The Oxford Tube), which runs between Oxford and London Victoria and which stops in Lewknor, near the yard. We're on the edge of The Chilterns and The Ridgeway, so there's lovely hacking.
My ponies are chunky, one is a Highland 14.2 hh, the other a traditional cob, 14 hh. They're very precious to me and their welfare is paramount. I don't want any financial contribution, but help with horsey housework (grooming, poo picking etc) is part of the deal. Please do get in touch if you're interested and would like more info.