Bridleway through Chester Zoo

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DD265

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Has anybody ever ridden through the zoo? How was it?

Would you take your horse through the middle of a zoo?

Just curious, my riding days are over so I won't be trying it out myself!
 
I nearly died at Longleat Horse Trials many years ago. Horse took grave exception to the hippos, which were much closer to the warm up than I had imagined!
 
I used to work at the zoo and live very close to the zoo. Me and my part loan horse used to hack through the zoo often.

It is basically just a tarmacked path through the centre of the zoo, it only passes a small section so you don't see too much but it is quite a nice little ride. You can see the camels and onagers (who mostly ignore you) and you can also see the cheetahs (these sometimes do notice you and chase - but the fence is half obscured so didn't both the horse too much and my loan horse could be a bit sharp). There are some others on the other side - I think Rhinos and antelope though I can't remember 100%. The first part of the path is just off the canal up by the fields, then you get to the zoo section and it comes out on a quiet housing estate.

There is a footpath through the zoo above the bridleway which, on busy days, does get quite crowded (it's the elephant bridge if you know the zoo) and the tram also goes above the bridleway (which could upset some horses), though it was very rare I ever came across the tram.

It can be quite noisy and you can easily hear the animals. The zoo workers also use the path sometimes to drive their vans on to collect various things around the zoo (this normally happens early on a morning) so it's possible you could come across a vehicle - though I can't remember a time I did.
 
This reminds me of the time I used to ride a friends horse. Horse was stabled in a village close to Whipsnade zoo and the owner warned me to "watch out for wallabies" on one particular section. Apparently they were well known for escaping and George was not a fan, I was warned to "sit tight and pray" if he spots them before you. Thankfully we never did come across one but Im not sure I would fancy riding that close to a zoo, just in case!
 
I have taken ponies round the outside of a zoo - the biggest issue used to be the wallabies, which would lay hard up against the fence, and not bounce off until they were almost underneath you. Ponies never used to react to any of the rest of it. I have seen other peoples horses passaging and piaffing after meeting the ostriches running around. Interestingly, snow leopards caused no reaction, nor lions, from the ponies. It was a fab walk/ride, and makes a change from the usual dull hacking!
 
MyBoyChe said:
This reminds me of the time I used to ride a friends horse. Horse was stabled in a village close to Whipsnade zoo and the owner warned me to "watch out for wallabies" on one particular section. Apparently they were well known for escaping and George was not a fan, I was warned to "sit tight and pray" if he spots them before you. Thankfully we never did come across one but Im not sure I would fancy riding that close to a zoo, just in case!
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I used to be stabled on a yard in dagnall right under the tail of the white lion.
The girls paddocks backed onto the zebras with a chain link fence separating them. The stallion zebra Charlie used to have most of the girls under his spell 😂

In the summer we could see the elephants walking trunk to tail on one of the hills and there was a bridle way that backed onto the edge of the elephant enclosure and we could see them bathing.
 
It sounds brilliant.

Suspect mine would melt down (or detonate)...but knowing how very "special" he can be he might just say..."Oh yes cheetahs, haven't seen those for a while...."
 
My Yard is next door to a zoo. The gibbons enclosure is next to the horses fields and the tigers enclosure is 2ft from the road and can be seen when you hack past. The horses have never really been bothered by them.
By the entrance there is a bird enclosure that has loads of huge storks that are usually out and wandering in the road.
When we have stubble behind the zoo I hack that way and the see the snow leopards too!
 
I regularly ride along the one near Port Lympne. It has 2 routes one which goes the entire length of the bottom and the other that goes up through the middle of the zoo. The bottom route involves passing lions about 20 ft back from the bridleway, water buffalo, various species of deer, giraffe, zebra and ostrich plus the przewalski horses. The only thing that really bothers any of our horses are the deer which regularly get through the electric fence into the woods next to the bridleway. Going up through the middle track used to prove more interesting as the giraffe used to be able to reach over their fencing into the track which being on a hill often used to end in a rapid decent downhill. Fortunately the giraffe were moved after several complaints.
 
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