Recommended riding school in Warwickshire

[Foxterrierist]

Hi there, can anyone suggest a decent place to get some riding lessons in Warwickshire? I was thinking of the Warwick international school of riding and will probably go there unless there are any other suggestions? I used to ride a good few years back but lost confidence after going out on a couple of badly behaved horses. I’m hoping that a good school will have better horses with less behavioural issues?

 

[travelling-equestrian]

Hello, I was in a similar boat but limited further by the fact I don't have a car! It can be tricky to find places that cater to adults especially if you want to take group lessons. I can only offer my opinion on two place Warwick school of Riding and Featherbed.

While Featherbed had good reviews online, the centre caters to children and only has adults group and private lessons on Thursday and Friday (not the best if you work those days). I wanted to try and adults-only group lesson so I called to book. They said they could fit me in a date 3 weeks from then which I found odd but perhaps they are really busy. I waited for the time to go by and then texted them the day before to check that the lesson was still on, the messaged me to say that due to the rain (this was back at the end of October when we had that never ending rain) their arena was getting resurfaced so the lesson was cancelled but to come again next week. I came next week only for them to say oh we thought you booked yesterday (I didn't and even them showed them the text where the owner said to come that date). They apologised a bit but said they couldn't squeeze me into today's lesson (even though it didn't look busy at all at the time) and I found it a bit rude that the owner herself who had scheduled me didn't bother to come out and apologise herself. I thought to myself that it had been over a month since I first contacted them and I still hadn't ridden there so I gave up.

Since the middle of September 2019 I have been ridding at Warwick International School. I am a newcomer to the sport at 26 years young so was worried I would feel out of place. I have to say what I like about this school is the mix of ages. The 9.00am and 10.00am group lessons on Saturdays always have a few adults mixed in with some teenagers and there is usually a separate lesson for younger children. Occasionally, when it is really quiet (such as school holidays) the two groups combine so there might be some more capable children with you. I've been really happy with the progress I've made here in just 3.5 months, I'll break down this place into a pros and cons list for you below.

Pros:
-Very central location if you live in Warwick or Leamington
-Wide selection of horses to suit all sorts of ability, I've ridden 7 different horses that suit my beginner level and appreciate getting to ride different horses but still be on a safe horse.
-3-4 events/clinics a month. These are usually on a Sunday or if not on a holiday. Most schools just have events during the school holidays for children, but here they have showjumping clinics, dressage clinics, hacks, biomechanics, etc. Sometimes there are more adults than children, but you definitely won't be the only adult.
-Lovely grounds to hack out on. And a gallops trail you sometimes get to trot or canter around on at the end of a lesson a nice way to get out of the arena.
-Smaller group sizes than some schools. On average including me there is usually 5-7 people in a group lesson but sometimes it's been as small as 3.
-Range of instructors. I believe there are 4 instructors that work here so if you have something specific to work on or prefer someone's teaching style that can be catered for.
-Range of ages. I've seen tiny children all the way to adults in their 60s and beyond ride here, so you won't feel out of place.

Cons:
-A bit more expensive than other schools. You can get a card of 10 lessons which saves you 15%. Also smaller groups sizes means more time practicing so I think it's worth it.
-If you look online most of the negative reviews aren't so much about the lessons themselves but people having run-ins with the owner, Janet. I've never personally had any issues with her, but I can see she does a strong personality and isn't one to shy away from telling the truth.

Overall, I'd say book a lesson at WISR and give it a go to see what you think. Sorry for the super long and detailed post, hope it was helpful!

 

[Sandstone1]

Try woodbine stables at grandborough. A bit far out maybe but they are ok.

 

[Foxterrierist]

Thank you for taking the time to reply Travelling Equestrian.

I’ll probably give Warwick school a call and see if there are any adult group lessons I can make. I looked at the reviews after reading this and can see there’s a massive variation of opinions of the place. The main thing for me is finding a place that has good horses that aren’t going to misbehave. I’ve had a couple of bad experiences with horses spooking so perhaps it’s best to pay a bit more for a premium school.

Hello, I was in a similar boat but limited further by the fact I don't have a car! It can be tricky to find places that cater to adults especially if you want to take group lessons. I can only offer my opinion on two place Warwick school of Riding and Featherbed.

While Featherbed had good reviews online, the centre caters to children and only has adults group and private lessons on Thursday and Friday (not the best if you work those days). I wanted to try and adults-only group lesson so I called to book. They said they could fit me in a date 3 weeks from then which I found odd but perhaps they are really busy. I waited for the time to go by and then texted them the day before to check that the lesson was still on, the messaged me to say that due to the rain (this was back at the end of October when we had that never ending rain) their arena was getting resurfaced so the lesson was cancelled but to come again next week. I came next week only for them to say oh we thought you booked yesterday (I didn't and even them showed them the text where the owner said to come that date). They apologised a bit but said they couldn't squeeze me into today's lesson (even though it didn't look busy at all at the time) and I found it a bit rude that the owner herself who had scheduled me didn't bother to come out and apologise herself. I thought to myself that it had been over a month since I first contacted them and I still hadn't ridden there so I gave up.

Since the middle of September 2019 I have been ridding at Warwick International School. I am a newcomer to the sport at 26 years young so was worried I would feel out of place. I have to say what I like about this school is the mix of ages. The 9.00am and 10.00am group lessons on Saturdays always have a few adults mixed in with some teenagers and there is usually a separate lesson for younger children. Occasionally, when it is really quiet (such as school holidays) the two groups combine so there might be some more capable children with you. I've been really happy with the progress I've made here in just 3.5 months, I'll break down this place into a pros and cons list for you below.

Pros:
-Very central location if you live in Warwick or Leamington
-Wide selection of horses to suit all sorts of ability, I've ridden 7 different horses that suit my beginner level and appreciate getting to ride different horses but still be on a safe horse.
-3-4 events/clinics a month. These are usually on a Sunday or if not on a holiday. Most schools just have events during the school holidays for children, but here they have showjumping clinics, dressage clinics, hacks, biomechanics, etc. Sometimes there are more adults than children, but you definitely won't be the only adult.
-Lovely grounds to hack out on. And a gallops trail you sometimes get to trot or canter around on at the end of a lesson a nice way to get out of the arena.
-Smaller group sizes than some schools. On average including me there is usually 5-7 people in a group lesson but sometimes it's been as small as 3.
-Range of instructors. I believe there are 4 instructors that work here so if you have something specific to work on or prefer someone's teaching style that can be catered for.
-Range of ages. I've seen tiny children all the way to adults in their 60s and beyond ride here, so you won't feel out of place.

Cons:
-A bit more expensive than other schools. You can get a card of 10 lessons which saves you 15%. Also smaller groups sizes means more time practicing so I think it's worth it.
-If you look online most of the negative reviews aren't so much about the lessons themselves but people having run-ins with the owner, Janet. I've never personally had any issues with her, but I can see she does a strong personality and isn't one to shy away from telling the truth.

Overall, I'd say book a lesson at WISR and give it a go to see what you think. Sorry for the super long and detailed post, hope it was helpful!

 

[travelling-equestrian]

Thank you for taking the time to reply Travelling Equestrian.

I’ll probably give Warwick school a call and see if there are any adult group lessons I can make. I looked at the reviews after reading this and can see there’s a massive variation of opinions of the place. The main thing for me is finding a place that has good horses that aren’t going to misbehave. I’ve had a couple of bad experiences with horses spooking so perhaps it’s best to pay a bit more for a premium school.

They don't do separate adult group lessons. It will be more a group lesson with teens and adults. I know for sure on Saturday mornings the 9.00 session has a couple adults, and the 10.00 session has a few since I'm usually there. Let them know you want a bombproof horse and they'll have something for you. I've never felt unsafe on the beginner horses and I've only been riding for 4 months. Some are a bit cheeky, but never dangerous. I'd recommend Mr. Horse or Minnie in particular they are both so calm, if a bit on the slower side.

 

[claret09]

radway riding school. excellent