A fun afternoon's trekking on Cannock Chase

[Tiddlypom]

Operation 'get me fit enough to book on a multi day trail riding holiday' has now entered the third phase, after getting rather waylaid over the last year by post double covid fatigue.

First phase was this time last year, returner riding lessons in the arena at an excellent local riding school on the lovely Tulip.




Second stage was biomechanics training on Rocky the riding simulator.



Third stage started today, riding out for 2 hours with a group in all 3 paces in open spaces. My mount was the lovely Buttons, a kind leg at each corner cob who apparently has a side line in barrel racing. I can thoroughly recommend the establishment that I rode at if you are ever around Cannock Chase. It was great fun and the ride was very well organised. I was questioned as to my experience levels, and in response to me stating that while I am very experienced I would like a very steddy neddy, thank you, I was given the choice of two, of which I chose the steadiest . Whizzier mounts are available for those who want them.

He gave me a lovely ride.






Managed the two hours in the saddle pretty well, and managed to dismount at the end without buckling over! So getting closer to my aim of a multi day trail riding break.

 

[ester]

Buttons looks like a lovely smart boy

 

[Tiddlypom]

I'd be very happy to get a Buttons when I do go on a multi day trail riding holiday

 

[SEL]

My old stomping ground - love the Chase

I knew the trekking centre when it was set up 25ish years ago. Always been a professional outfit with great riding and really good horses. I've had some very fast rides out with Lisa!

Where are you planning on going for your holiday?

 

[ycbm]

Can you PM me where you went if you don't want to name them TP, I'm up for a whizzy hack on Cannock Chase right now.
.

 

[Tiddlypom]

It's Cannock Chase trekking centre. The morning rides are for experienced riders only and are fast. I did the steadier afternoon mixed ability ride. It's not cheap but it's very well run. No roadwork at all bar crossing over and recrossing one road.

Horse & Pony Trekking – Cannock Chase Trekking Centre

www.cannockchasehorsetrekking.com

SEL, I'm planning on riding with Free Rein. You can blame ester for that - she had a great time with them and since then I've not been able to stop hoping to go with them!

 

[teapot]

Buttons looks like a dude

Prices seem really reasonable for me for two hours too!

 

[ester]

Nah blame my sister it was her idea .

 

[SEL]

@Tiddlypom I did a 3 day ride with free rein with a friend years ago and we had a great time. Both had great horses for us - friend VERY nervous but her little horse was a star. I've always quite fancied their long ride but my fitness is nowhere near up to a multi day ride & my horses keep me skint!!

Great seeing that map. I used to ride for hours over the Chase and no dodgy bad drivers like my hacks are now :-(

 

[Sparky Lily]

I also remember the Trekking Centre and had some great rides with them. I go even further back, as my daughters had riding lessons with Lisa’s father.

 

[eahotson]

Lovely photos and aren't some of these riding school horses so talented.

 

[2ndtimearound]

Cannock Chase Trekking Centre is my second home! In fact, I’m off there in an hour. I ride there most Saturday mornings (there’s a lovely crowd of regulars on Saturday morning). It is a fabulous place to ride when you don’t have your own. Feel free to look out for me if you ever do a Saturday morning ride there.
Buttons is indeed a dude! I rode him last Saturday. He’s one of those horses that’s very good at sussing out his rider and looking after them appropriately. They have a wide selection of horses and can usually find you the perfect mount.
The wee mare in my avatar is their lovely highland Wispa, who is my heart horse and favourite partner in crime.

 

[webble]

Tiddlypom free rein are fantastic you'll have a great time

 

[TRECtastic]

A friend of mine goes regularly to cannock chase trekking Centre, she didn't want another horse when hers was pts so she goes for a ride there instead
Lisa used to supply the sheriffs horse for lichfield sheriffs ride when I used to do it years ago
Her horses were always lovely

There is going to be a TREC competition from over that side of the chase this July, look at all those paths and bridleways on the map , going to be a lot of lost riders ( sorry not lost , in TREC just misplaced )

 

[2ndtimearound]

A friend of mine goes regularly to cannock chase trekking Centre, she didn't want another horse when hers was pts so she goes for a ride there instead.

An awful lot of the regulars have done the same thing in going there after not wanting another horse of their own.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Cannock Chase Trekking Centre is my second home! In fact, I’m off there in an hour. I ride there most Saturday mornings (there’s a lovely crowd of regulars on Saturday morning). It is a fabulous place to ride when you don’t have your own. Feel free to look out for me if you ever do a Saturday morning ride there.
Buttons is indeed a dude! I rode him last Saturday. He’s one of those horses that’s very good at sussing out his rider and looking after them appropriately. They have a wide selection of horses and can usually find you the perfect mount.
The wee mare in my avatar is their lovely highland Wispa, who is my heart horse and favourite partner in crime.

Oh, that's fab to hear . Have a great time. Isn't it great that so many people have had great experiences with the trekking centre.

The girls (there were 3 escorts and 6 paying punters on my Friday ride) told me that Buttons has a different persona on the morning and afternoon rides. On the morning rides for the experienced riders he's straight into canter when asked as he knows that the rider is fully up for it. On the afternoon rides, he's very much more listening out for a wobbly rider who might get a bit unbalanced and dials down the forwardness until they (me!) can prove that we can indeed ride a bit. He was just what I needed.

We had a number of shortish steady canters over the course of the ride over maybe a couple of hundred yards each. I'm sure that the morning rides are rather faster with longer canter stretches. The one rider who didn't want to canter went on separate walk/trot loops with her own escort - she had been very nervous after a fall years ago somewhere else, but finished it all beaming from ear to ear.

Btw, the cafe (and the loos) are awesome, perfect for a post ride relax or somewhere to park a non horsey partner .

 

[Tiddlypom]

There is going to be a TREC competition from over that side of the chase this July, look at all those paths and bridleways on the map , going to be a lot of lost riders ( sorry not lost , in TREC just misplaced )

There will be plenty of misplaced riders!

Delamere Forest is more local to me, and has numbered marker posts dotted around the forest so you can always check where you are with the forestry commission map. Cannock Chase, though much larger and wilder, does not and you can apparently be in the middle of nowhere with no obvious features to look for on a map. The terrain is quite rough in places too, a local's knowledge for the best riding routes would be invaluable.

Buttons was foot perfect even over the rougher sections.

 

[SEL]

There will be plenty of misplaced riders!

Delamere Forest is more local to me, and has numbered marker posts dotted around the forest so you can always check where you are with the forestry commission map. Cannock Chase, though much larger and wilder, does not and you can apparently be in the middle of nowhere with no obvious features to look for on a map. The terrain is quite rough in places too, a local's knowledge for the best riding routes would be invaluable.

Buttons was foot perfect even over the rougher sections.

My old boy brought me home after I got very disoriented on the Chase once. I thought we needed to turn left, he was napping right so I thought we'd better go right. Few more turns at we were at the visitor centre & I knew the way from there. I didn't think we were anywhere near the visitor centre but luckily one of us was clued up! I did know all the good gallops though

 

[2ndtimearound]

Oh, that's fab to hear . Have a great time. Isn't it great that so many people have had great experiences with the trekking centre.

Thanks, just back home again after a fab ride on the lovely Tyri. He’s a 16.3 Appy x Welsh D. He’s such a fun ride (like a very big pony!).

The girls (there were 3 escorts and 6 paying punters on my Friday ride) told me that Buttons has a different persona on the morning and afternoon rides. On the morning rides for the experienced riders he's straight into canter when asked as he knows that the rider is fully up for it. On the afternoon rides, he's very much more listening out for a wobbly rider who might get a bit unbalanced and dials down the forwardness until they (me!) can prove that we can indeed ride a bit. He was just what I needed.

Yep, that’s Buttons. He’s such a good boy. He’s also the herd leader of Lisa’s horses (most of them go out together in the same field, and he’s the boss).

We had a number of shortish steady canters over the course of the ride over maybe a couple of hundred yards each. I'm sure that the morning rides are rather faster with longer canter stretches. The one rider who didn't want to canter went on separate walk/trot loops with her own escort - she had been very nervous after a fall years ago somewhere else, but finished it all beaming from ear to ear.

The morning rides can have longer and faster canters, but it depends on the skill of the riders and the ground conditions. There’s definitely a lot more trotting on a morning ride - especially if it’s cold and Lisa’s trying to keep us all warm. Very sensible to do the afternoon ride as your first one, though.

Btw, the cafe (and the loos) are awesome, perfect for a post ride relax or somewhere to park a non horsey partner .

The bistro is fab. It’s rare that I don’t stop for lunch afterwards. Not what you’d normally expect at a trekking centre!

It’s always good to hear when someone new has had a good time there.

 

[2ndtimearound]

There will be plenty of misplaced riders!

Delamere Forest is more local to me, and has numbered marker posts dotted around the forest so you can always check where you are with the forestry commission map. Cannock Chase, though much larger and wilder, does not and you can apparently be in the middle of nowhere with no obvious features to look for on a map. The terrain is quite rough in places too, a local's knowledge for the best riding routes would be invaluable.

Buttons was foot perfect even over the rougher sections.

Oh yes, it’s definitely possible to not be sure where you are on Cannock Chase. I’ve been riding there for almost ten years now, and have come to know it fairly well, but there are still times I’m not sure where I am, especially if Lisa has taken us off exploring!

 

[eahotson]

My old boy brought me home after I got very disoriented on the Chase once. I thought we needed to turn left, he was napping right so I thought we'd better go right. Few more turns at we were at the visitor centre & I knew the way from there. I didn't think we were anywhere near the visitor centre but luckily one of us was clued up! I did know all the good gallops though

Well done to your horse.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Back at Cannock Chase this morning for a 2 hour 'experienced riders' trek on a glorious and sunny early autumn's morning.

Riding Jake (Irish Draught x Dutch warmblood) this time, who was described as being like 'a bigger Buttons', which he was. The Chase was so beautiful. Lots of minor tracks today, I wouldn't have had a clue where I was if it wasn't for the ride escorts. We even did a jump! It was a fallen tree trunk across a narrow uphill path, and it must have been nearly a foot tall (it was growing higher and higher as we riders swapped tales about it afterwards ). Jake definitely jumped it, and very cleanly, too.






Nearly home. You can see the nice tall rider mounting blocks in a line on the far left.

 

[HollyWoozle]

Looks fab and great riding holiday prep too!

 

[Tiddlypom]

Looks fab and great riding holiday prep too!

Indeed, a two day/1 night trail ride with Free Rein is booked for the end of the month. I'd love to do a longer ride, but let's see how my creaky old body copes with a two day ride first .

 

[SEL]

Ooh swinging left after crossing the road definitely takes you to the less ridden areas! The water brings back memories but I was on livery far right out of your map so rarely came to the bit you're on - but I did do it with Lisa when she was based further towards Brocton decades ago. Love these photos. Really making me smile - it's such a fabulous place to ride.

@HollyWoozle lots of my overseas trip prep was done on Cannock chase. Building up the thigh muscles for long, long canters

 

[2ndtimearound]

Looks fabulous, @Tiddlypom! Was Bethan was leading you this morning (I think it looks like it from that last photo)? She's great at doing some more interesting routes. There are several places where we only seem to end up if Bethan's in charge.

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

Oh I would just love something like that near me for when I am finally ready to get back to riding. I love the look of Buttons he would do me perfectly.

About 6 years ago I went on a trek over in Connemara. The guide asked each of us if we were experienced or? I replied the same as you, experienced, have my own horses but would much rather have a nice steady ride thank you. She pulled this very pretty chestnut out of the stable told me to hop on and then took me into the menage to test out my claim! Damn did she put me through my paces in there and he was quite a spiky young thing. She proclaimed me quite fit enough to ride him. Although I enjoyed the trek I did not feel I was on a nice steady hacking horse, more like a very green and feisty youngster with not very good brakes. He didn't half shift on the beach though, I think it was fun, but mind went a bit blank at that bit (white knuckles!

I much prefer the sound of your experience on both your rides. Next time I am going to say I am a beginner and only ridden at weekends for two years just to play it safe.

 

[Ruftys mum]

My old boy brought me home after I got very disoriented on the Chase once. I thought we needed to turn left, he was napping right so I thought we'd better go right. Few more turns at we were at the visitor centre & I knew the way from there. I didn't think we were anywhere near the visitor centre but luckily one of us was clued up! I did know all the good gallops though

I was doing an endurance ride on Cannock Chase once and was chatting away with my fellow rider. Suddenly my horse stopped dead. She knew we were going the wrong way. Clever girl

 

[eahotson]

Operation 'get me fit enough to book on a multi day trail riding holiday' has now entered the third phase, after getting rather waylaid over the last year by post double covid fatigue.

First phase was this time last year, returner riding lessons in the arena at an excellent local riding school on the lovely Tulip.

View attachment 108724


Second stage was biomechanics training on Rocky the riding simulator.

View attachment 108725

Third stage started today, riding out for 2 hours with a group in all 3 paces in open spaces. My mount was the lovely Buttons, a kind leg at each corner cob who apparently has a side line in barrel racing. I can thoroughly recommend the establishment that I rode at if you are ever around Cannock Chase. It was great fun and the ride was very well organised. I was questioned as to my experience levels, and in response to me stating that while I am very experienced I would like a very steddy neddy, thank you, I was given the choice of two, of which I chose the steadiest . Whizzier mounts are available for those who want them.

He gave me a lovely ride.

View attachment 108726

View attachment 108727


Managed the two hours in the saddle pretty well, and managed to dismount at the end without buckling over! So getting closer to my aim of a multi day trail riding break.

Looks amazing.

 

[Xmasha]

Looks fabulous TP , it’s also fab to see you back on board and having fun .
buttons sounds perfect