Feel a bit sad...

[Rambo]

Some of you may remember me talking about a place I used to compete at in Kent called Matthews Equestrian Centre ?

It was built in the early 80's by a guy called Tony Rocco as a memorial to his son Matthew who died at a very young age. He enjoyed horseriding so his father decided a fitting tribute would be to create the finest equestrian facilities in the country at the time. Mr Rocco himself was a very successful professional wrestler in his time so was not short of a penny (or two) and he invested more than a million £££'s of his own money into the venture. There was a lot of television coverage and some big shows held. The Whitakers and Smith's of the world were enticed down to compete...and remember this was at a time when we were a world force in showjumping winning Olympic silver in 1984

Anyway, there were always restrictions being placed on the number of shows they were allowed to hold there due to problems with the access road and as I understand it after a few years the shows stopped and the place wound down. I last jumped there in 1986.

I've wondered what happenned to the place for years and with the help of google maps I had ascertained that the structure is still there, but I had assumed that it was being used for something else these days.

Remember, this place was in 1983 the equivilent of what Towerlands or Addington are TODAY...it really was that far ahead of its time.

Well, I stumbled across this today

http://www.broken-britain.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1967&sid=a71650ca3cd44609e9f6f8561881dcf2

The irony is that the access road has now been built and Kent is desparately short of equestrian venues...

 

[sidesaddlegirl]

My OH showed me that link a few months ago as he's into UE websites. I thought it was sad to see stables go to waste. You think the gov would buy it and turn it into a public riding school or something seeing how they are always moaning that everyone's "obese" and we all need to get out more

 

[Keltic]

What a shame, it looks like it would have been a great place, what a waste.

 

[TGM]

What a waste.

 

[Seahorse]

OMG I learnt to ride there! And later on worked for him when he opened another smaller riding school at Capstone.

Do you remember they had pro/am comps there? My friend was partnered with Harvey Smith!!!!

 

[Donkeymad]

How sad is that

 

[Rambo]

[ QUOTE ]
OMG I learnt to ride there! And later on worked for him when he opened another smaller riding school at Capstone.

Do you remember they had pro/am comps there? My friend was partnered with Harvey Smith!!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

I partnered Michael Whitaker on Disney Way

Still have the video of that night at home. It's on Betamax though so I can't watch it

There were around 4000 in the audience...not bad really lol!

 

[faj1]

i used to jump there as a child , always wondered what happened to it, also jumped in the pro am - so sad and such a waste.

 

[Rambo]

[ QUOTE ]
i used to jump there as a child , always wondered what happened to it, also jumped in the pro am - so sad and such a waste.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think i'm right in saying they only held the one pro-am ? If that is the case we must have competed aginst each other. Who did you have as your pro ?

We ended up 6th or 7th I think...had a bit of a 'mare one way and another. The atmosphere getting to me and my horse being lame until the week before the show. I had a runout at the first then a pole...Michael had a pole too.

The class was won by a girl called Tanya - her surname escapes me but we mostly all knew each other from the Kent, Sussex and Essex circuit.

 

[Tia]

Very interesting link Rambo. How sad though - looks like it was a pretty special place in its day.

 

[JM07]

can remember when it was built..was it that long ago???


how sad to see it now....

 

[Flame_]

Looking at that was heart-breaking, and I've never even been there.

 

[gumpatrump]

I know the guy that owns that place. Use to work for him when I was younger, He is absolutely loaded with money and has let a few places go to waste like that now. It is so sad to see how it all looks now. he has so much money he just doesn't care that it failed. He got so much stick from the council and the locals about the place he was forced to close it down. He opened a smaller riding school at Capstone country park, where he got similar stick and that now looks the same way. Very upsetting to see it all so run down, lots of memories from it all.

 

[Seahorse]

I was very nearly in tears when I saw that, I can remember going there with my Mum and sister for my first ever riding lesson. It was brand new then and looked fab. The picture of the reception desk really got to me and the rows of empty seats where we used to sit and watch. Shame there's no pics of the indoor school I remember it being massive!

Rambo my friends that showjumped in the pro/am were called Tracey Stephens and Zoe Eastwood.

 

[Seahorse]

[ QUOTE ]
I know the guy that owns that place. Use to work for him when I was younger, He is absolutely loaded with money and has let a few places go to waste like that now. It is so sad to see how it all looks now. he has so much money he just doesn't care that it failed. He got so much stick from the council and the locals about the place he was forced to close it down. He opened a smaller riding school at Capstone country park, where he got similar stick and that now looks the same way. Very upsetting to see it all so run down, lots of memories from it all.

[/ QUOTE ]

I worked at the one in Capstone teaching people to ride on the same ponies that I learnt on!
Do you remember the small little square sand school? I once asked one of the dad's if he could put some letters round the school for me like dressage markers, he did it bless him but he put them round the school in alphabetical order

He was so pleased with himself I didn't have the heart to tell him it was wrong. When I left and went back a few years later it was still the same lol!

 

[Law]

[ QUOTE ]
Looking at that was heart-breaking, and I've never even been there.

[/ QUOTE ]
Ditto

 

[gumpatrump]

[/ QUOTE ] I worked at the one in Capstone teaching people to ride on the same ponies that I learnt on!
Do you remember the small little square sand school? I once asked one of the dad's if he could put some letters round the school for me like dressage markers, he did it bless him but he put them round the school in alphabetical order

He was so pleased with himself I didn't have the heart to tell him it was wrong. When I left and went back a few years later it was still the same lol!

I remember, I learnt to ride in that little square sand school, Can't remember the letters being wrong tho, but then probs wouldn't notice they were wrong, Not very observent!! I then later worked there too, even got my pony from him.

 

[dieseldog]

It looks like it would have been impressive in its day. Really surprised no one has been there in the middle of the night and taken the internal stabling

 

[Seahorse]

[ QUOTE ]


[/ QUOTE ] I worked at the one in Capstone teaching people to ride on the same ponies that I learnt on!
Do you remember the small little square sand school? I once asked one of the dad's if he could put some letters round the school for me like dressage markers, he did it bless him but he put them round the school in alphabetical order

He was so pleased with himself I didn't have the heart to tell him it was wrong. When I left and went back a few years later it was still the same lol!

I remember, I learnt to ride in that little square sand school, Can't remember the letters being wrong tho, but then probs wouldn't notice they were wrong, Not very observent!! I then later worked there too, even got my pony from him.

[/ QUOTE ]

Which ponies where there then?

 

[gumpatrump]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]


[/ QUOTE ] I worked at the one in Capstone teaching people to ride on the same ponies that I learnt on!
Do you remember the small little square sand school? I once asked one of the dad's if he could put some letters round the school for me like dressage markers, he did it bless him but he put them round the school in alphabetical order

He was so pleased with himself I didn't have the heart to tell him it was wrong. When I left and went back a few years later it was still the same lol!

I remember, I learnt to ride in that little square sand school, Can't remember the letters being wrong tho, but then probs wouldn't notice they were wrong, Not very observent!! I then later worked there too, even got my pony from him.

[/ QUOTE ]

Which ponies where there then?

[/ QUOTE ]

Mork, Topic, Purdy, Sunny, Bayleaf, Pippin, Honey were a few I think, Do you remember any of them?

 

[Seahorse]

Yes I do I remember all of them! You must have been there at the same time as me then

Do you remember Clonker and Nutmeg?

 

[Vicki_Krystal]

Such as shame - wonder why the bloke doesnt re launch it now that there are road links to it?

Be a costly excercise though.

 

[gumpatrump]

[ QUOTE ]
Yes I do I remember all of them! You must have been there at the same time as me then

Do you remember Clonker and Nutmeg?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes i do, but not as well as the ones i mentioned! I don't think they were around for that long when i first went there! Did you know the shetlands Flax and Whisper and were all the farm animals there when you were there too?

 

[argyle]

Oh thats so sad, it's like a ghost town. It mustn't be too far from me and I'd never heard of it.

 

[wishfulthinking]

What an awful shame, it looks to have been a lovely venue in its hayday. Was it ever up for sale? If the access is no in place it has potential for rejuvenation.

 

[Small65]

What a waste!!! Wish people would put money back into places like that, seems silly it being left there like that!!!

 

[Kalees_mum]

Its such a waste of the place! Its only about 10-15mins drive from me, althought I've never seen the place I've heard its really nice!

I live just across from Tonys other stables down on Capstone Road?!

 

[dozzie]

It is like it has been in a time warp!

 

[Rambo]

For anyone who's interested, here is a video of the place in it's heyday

http://www.zippyvideos.com/5088149486177776/boris_foxhunter_matthews/

 

[Rambo]

[ QUOTE ]
I was very nearly in tears when I saw that, I can remember going there with my Mum and sister for my first ever riding lesson. It was brand new then and looked fab. The picture of the reception desk really got to me and the rows of empty seats where we used to sit and watch. Shame there's no pics of the indoor school I remember it being massive!

Rambo my friends that showjumped in the pro/am were called Tracey Stephens and Zoe Eastwood.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't remember those names especially...but i'm now determined to go and find a Betamax recorder to play the old video ! It has the whole competition on it plus the Grand Prix afterwards that the pro's jumped in