Moving to Cardiff

duckling

duckling

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 January 2008
Messages
4,211
Location
Newcastle
www.facebook.com
Next week I am relocating to Cardiff from London for work (eeek
crazy.gif
), and have a few questions for anyone local please!
laugh.gif

I don't have my own horse, and am having to give up my loan here
frown.gif
, but want to carry on riding when I get to Cardiff...

1. Are there any good local websites/tack room boards that I can look at to find a new share/loan? Any good riding schools if necessary til I find one?

2. Which are the nice areas to ride in? I will be living in Cardiff Bay and have a car but ideally don't want to be driving too far.

3. What are local competition venues etc like? I used to BSJA, and would love to get back into it if I can find a suitable loan, but like to go and watch that or eventing every now and again even if I can't compete.

Oh and 4. Anyone want to be my friend
blush.gif
?! Moving so far away from home means I'll be a bit of a billy-no-mates! I promise I'm (relatively) sane and normal!
wink.gif
 
I'm Cardiff born and bred, so may be biased but I think it's a great city.

I learnt to ride at Cardiff Riding School which is in Pontcana. It was many moons ago, so it may have changed but it did have a good reputation. It also used to have a range of very good horses. Good thing about it is it's not too far to drive to as it is close to the city. It may be a good place to start to get some contacts.

Good luck with the move, I hope you enjoy your time there.
 
Oh thanks for the replies everyone
laugh.gif
I'm getting more and more excited about moving now!

I will look into the Cardiff Riding School, local sounds good
smile.gif
Will wait for your PM annagain, thanks
smile.gif
ISHY have replied to you in SB!
 
Hi welcome to Cardiff.

The best place to advertise for a loan would be local tack/feed shops or the free ads.

Competing isn't great round here, but the unaffiliated stuff isn't too bad. There's very little affiliated stuff. Broomes holds some good comps through, and there's a few places just over the bridge.

Can't really help you with the riding school side but think Pontcana is one of the better riding schools. Your not to far from Ogmore either and they do beach rides.

If you've got any questions just PM.
 
Welcome - I'm based in Cardiff also. At work at the moment but will PM you later tonight with some info, there seem to be quite a few of us based in or around Cardiff so you're bound to get to know people.
 
Thankyou both
smile.gif
Its so good to know these things before moving, I'm far too much of a worrier!

Oh beach riding sounds great - if anyone fancies accompanying me on one please let me know
laugh.gif
Cardiff HHO beach ride anyone?!
 
I lived in Cardiff a year ago (and also in the Bay!) and rode at Cardiff Riding School. It's about a 20 minute drive and the teachers are really experienced and knowledgeable and there are some good horses there, (I miss so many of them!). Check out the notice board in the indoor school as well - they usually advertised horses for loan there so you might find a ride that way.
 
My old loan pony is at Pontcanna - or was, might have gone to the big riding school in the sky by now. Would be 24 if he's still alive. Anybody know if Bluey is still there? He's 12.3 grey sec B, lived in the stalls and always had a sign up saying please don't feed me I'm on a diet.
Would be up for a beach ride but my boy is lame at the moment. Wouldn't ride Ogmore's horses if you paid me.
 
Wouldn't personally go near Ogmore - the RSPCA had to remove some of their horses recently.

Liege Manor probably has better horses than Pontcanna these days. I ran the Cardiff Uni Riding Club for several years so am familiar with all the local riding schools having also grown up here!

So far as affil comps go it is very limited sadly - Broome's near Chepstow have very good BSJA shows but over than that you'll have to travel over the bridge, not that far though!
 
Argae is also very good for lessons and closer to the Bay than any of the other places mentioned. Downside used to be somewhere to avoid but don't know what it's like since new owners took over - they've been there a few years now I think.

THere are a lot of us in Cardiff aren't there! I wonder if I know any of you in real life!

Don't mind you telling my if my old ponio is no more (see post above) Don't be afraid of upsetting me!
 
Ooh dear, that doesn't sound good
crazy.gif


Will look that one up too, thanks MegaBeast. Is that where Cardiff Uni Riding Club ride now? I did Southampton Uni Riding Club for a few years, and remember one of our teams (might have been a friendly team...) going to the Cardiff yard and saying it was lovely.
smile.gif
 
Oh, the lovely Cardiff yard they went to would have been Argae House but Aly's not really doing riding school lessons anymore, it's people on their own horses now!

The uni now ride at Liege and have done for the last two years because Argae don't have the horses anymore - they're all competition/liveries there now

ETA might be worth enquiring anyway though, it's definitely in a different league to the other RSs!! Although I'm probably biased
 
Argae definately much better to ride at than Pontcanna. I went and watched some lessons at Pontcanna and walked out feeling shocked. School had been halved, with two lessons going on at the same time, group lessons so over twenty horses in a tiny school.

Argae is (I think still is) run by Ally Brown, who has numerous team chase titles to her name, including the world championship. Her horses compete regularly, and her stable isn't the typical "riding school ponies/horses" that you normally come across. I rode Grade A showjumpers, BE eventers, team chasers and dressage horses with amazing breeding whilst there. Ally is an amazing instructor, and I just wish I still lived in Cardiff as I really miss her lessons.
 
MB - just realised your photos are of Aly's - do you keep your horse there? I've probably met you - I'm there all the time at the moment with my boy seeing James.

ISHY - I broke Bluey in as a 4 year old! (he was 5, I was 12 I'm nowhere near enough to be breaking horses in at the age of 5!) His owner rescued him as a foal, long long story then had no-one to break him in/ride him. Her friend Heather (taught at pontcanna for years but not sure if she's there now) did all the lunging and long reining but was too big to ride him so chucked me on and I carried on riding him until I needed rollerskates on him! He was gorgeous but a git. I was gutted when he went to Pontcanna but I was too big for him and he was an ideal riding school pony - talented with a good rider but lazy as hell so would plod for a beginner!
 
So that Duckling doesn't get the wrong idea, Pontcanna's indoor school isn't tiny, but yes they split into two thirds and one third for the evening grade lessons, max of 11 at the bigger end (rarely that many however especially in the higher grades) and then the beginners in the smaller end (max of about 6). Don't want to sound like I'm having a go at zoeshiloh but you made it sound dreadful which it certainly isn't !

It's excellent preparation for crowded collecting rings/warming up areas at shows however!
 
I know the last time I was there , he was just used in the Grade 1/2 lesson (mainly lead rein I think!)

He was the first pony I rode there and I can remember thinking he was huge
grin.gif
grin.gif



Zoeshiloh - I don't think you can really say Pontcanna's school is tiny ! Its considerably bigger than Argae's and others around here! Even if it is spit there is adequate room for what they do in grade 1/2/3/3+ lessons!
 
[ QUOTE ]
So that Duckling doesn't get the wrong idea, Pontcanna's indoor school isn't tiny, but yes they split into two thirds and one third for the evening grade lessons, max of 11 at the bigger end (rarely that many however especially in the higher grades) and then the beginners in the smaller end (max of about 6). Don't want to sound like I'm having a go at zoeshiloh but you made it sound dreadful which it certainly isn't !

It's excellent preparation for crowded collecting rings/warming up areas at shows however!

[/ QUOTE ]

You said it better than me
tongue.gif

I sadly lack a way with words
smirk.gif
smirk.gif
 
I have to say I thought Pontcanna was appauling but that is just my opinion of the place. And yes, there were definately more than 20 horses in the school - I was watching an "advanced" class and completely shocked at the level of instruction they were receiving. Some of the horses are overworked in my opinion (I looked into livery there when I wanted to move my horses to the area) and they work some of their horses over 20hrs a week (I was told they would have two rest days, which means that some horses are working 4hrs a day).

But like I say, that is my opinion and I am just one person - there are lots of good reports on here of the place, so I guess try it and see.
 
School size - no, the school isn't tiny at Pontcanna, but IMO too small for the number of horses I saw in it, perhaps it was just a bad day?? Argae indoor school is small, and surface isn't great, but the outdoor is massive and the range of jumps, horses etc second to none. Again just my opinion.

Edited to add I visited Pontcanna a few years ago now - 2007 so could well have changed. I am just giving my opinion, I decided it wasn't the right place for me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top