Anyone have experience with volunteering/lessons at Lee Valley or Mudchute? (aka moving to London, should I sell my car...)

[EchoInterrupted]

I had a wonderful sharing experience at Lee Valley when I lived in London. I booked for a couple of lessons, went to help out at a show and got to know the livery owners and made it known that I was looking for a sharing opportunity. It worked out really well. Eventually I had my own pony there and had a sharer to help with him. It seemed to be very much the norm for every livery horse to have a sharer as owners tended to be busy professionals, and there was no full livery service. This is going back quite a few years, but my advice would be to get yourself down there, have a lesson, find out when there are shows on when everyone will be around, and get to know the livery side of things.

ETS The liveries tended to be very nice horses on the whole, and certainly back then there were some lovely horses in the riding school too - you just had to get to know which ones to ask for. Maybe it might be an option to keep the car until you check out whether Lee Valley or Mudchute can give you the riding fix you need, even it means a bit of compromise.

This is great to hear, and some great suggestions on how to find a share there, thank you!

Second the RDA voluntary work - it's incredible, rewarding, and can open a few doors. I've met some wonderful people and contacts through it.

RDA sounds so much more fulfilling to volunteer with than just at a regular stable. I will definitely look into it! I'm looking for ways to also meet more people/make friends after I move, so this sounds perfect.

Ham house stables are expensive but high quality instruction and well schooled privately owned horses.
Contessa never replied to my emails about private schoolmaster dressage lessons.
I (in normal times) volunteer with riding for the disabled which is rewarding and in my area there are plenty of riding opportunities for volunteers, after a riding assessment, on some quite forward horses.

I think Ham house and especially Contessa (though I drool when I look at their website) are probably out of my budget unfortunately

 

[teapot]

I’ve just seen a share go past on Facebook in the ‘London Horse and Pony’ group.

Probably worth posting in there OP