Riding in Hyde park

[Desert_rider]

My mum has a special birthday coming up and it has always been one of her dreams to ride along Rotten row in Hyde park. she is going to London for a weekend later in the year and I was considering booking her a hack. There appears to be two riding stables offering hacks in the park, both are very expensive but I wouldn't mind as it is a one off special occassion. However I don't want to pay out all this money if all she gets is a glorified donkey ride. Mum is an accomplished rider and has been around horses all her life and I would really like this to be special for her and for her to be able to have a good trot and preferably a canter in the park. I have heard reports that people are kept on a lead rein for the duration of the ride and although I understand that this maybe necessary on the busy roads for insurance reasons, it would really spoil it for her if this was the case once in the park. I was wondering if anyone has done this ride and would recommend it. Thanks in advance.

 

[crabbymare]

You would need to talk to the places and ask them what their policy is. the park has traffic going through parts and also a lot of joggers will use the tracks so the riders do not or are not allowed go as fast and do as much there as in places outside London.

 

[Meems]

Never ridden there although I do live in London. I would ring them up and ask them, telling them that your mum is not a novice. The problem with riding schools I think, is that they get so many turning up who say they can ride, when they very clearly can't, so I guess they always err on the side of caution. It would be a shame to spend all that money and then all she got was to walk around.

When I started riding again after a long break, my sister-in-law booked me a hack in Richmond Park. She told them that I had been riding for years and was very accomplished (which I'm not, just competent!). Before I went out in the park they took me into the school just to test that I could walk, trot and canter. I'm not sure these riding schools have that facility though. To be honest, they should be able to tell as soon as she's mounted whether she can actually can ride, or is one of these delusional people who THINK they can ride!!

So ring them up and speak to them would be my advice. Good luck, it's a lovely idea.

 

[debsandpets]

Ross Nye's place is where I used to ride. The horses used to be really nice and all enjoyed their job. Obviously a bit of roadwork to get into Hyde Park itself, and then on the roads and tracks running through. It used to be. WTC ride and groups of about 10ish riders.

Not looked to see if it is still running but hope it helps

I just phoned them up and told them my riding experience, they did not have a school so just gauged how you rode, but didn't let you canter on the tracks until they were convinced you could handle yourself on a horse.
There was not a lead rein in sight back then by the way.

 

[Nutsaboutnags]

Hi,
I used to ride at Hyde park stables, due to the roadwork there used to be someone on the ground walking with the group for safety. No lead reins in the park though for the capable riders! There is only one short stretch that you could canter on there and mostly she'll be in walk but it is stunning, my advice is do an early ride as it's at its best at that time!

 

[teapot]

I know Hyde Park won't let you canter (a volunteer friend of mine who's been riding for years did a hack with them and couldn't canter). You'll definitely be off the lead rein though and as nutsaboutnags says, there's actually only a small stretch you could get a decent canter in on.

I walk through Hyde Park a fair bit and actually given the number of runners, bikes, tourists on Boris bikes, children etc etc. I'm not sure I'd want to canter unless it was stupidly early in the morning!

 

[maccachic]

I used to work at one of them (Hide Park Stables) as well, certainly not something I would pay for Anyone new had to stay on lead - rider or not, if you came back again or had regular lessons rides you were allowed without a lead. We used to lead one each side of the horse I was riding. From memory about one hundred pounds. This was back in 2006/7 I think

 

[OWLIE185]

I used to regularly hack my horse to and around Hyde Park and I only ever saw very young children on lead reigns. Ross Nye's stable is in Bathhurst Mews just to the North of the park. Kerstie Nye his daughter runs it now (although she has a different surname now as she is married). You are not allowed to gallop in Hyde Park and it is also an offence to be drunk and in charge of a horse in Hyde Park as it is a Royal Park. You will also see the Mounted Police and the Army exercising their horses in Hyde Park. The officers wives are allowed to exercise the army horses in Hyde Park. The army horses are kept on the South side of Hyde park. Once a year Ross Nye organises Horseman's Sunday when the local priest/vicar gives a service for all the horses. Next year will be a special anniversary of it. There is also a special horse crossing so that you can ride out of the park across the road (Park Lane) to the Mall. We were promised a new indoor arena at Hyde Park corner as a thank you from the King of Kuwait but this was never built. (Don't know why). However the sand track was extended down the Park Lane side of the park.
Ross Nye kindly lent me one of his horses (Rhys) when I escorted Bob Champion and his Grand National winning horse Aldaniti one Monday through London at the end of his £1,000,000 'Ride for Life' sponsored ride in aid of the Bob Cancer Cancer Trust to a reception given by the Queen in the Royal Mews behind Buckingham Palace. It was a lovely warm day.

 

[puppystitch]

I run in the Northern part of the park quite regularly. There's a small arena there and I sometimes see lunchtime lessons, usually a class full of riders all balancing on their horses mouths. I sometimes see people out hacking on the sand track, but have never seen anyone canter. I don't know which stables the horses are from but a lot of them look overweight and disinterested. If Rotten Row is your mum's dream then so be it, call the stables up and get the best you can for her. Personally I think the riding would be better in Windsor or Richmond.

 

[Christmas Crumpet]

I have done a ride in Hyde Park. I remember we walked, trotted a bit and had a little canter. I rode a pony that was completely dead in the mouth and thought I wouldn't be able to stop at canter but it stopped dead when all the others did at the end of the canter bit!!

To be honest, it was pretty rubbish if you can ride!!!

 

[j1ffy]

Ross Nye kindly lent me one of his horses (Rhys) when I escorted Bob Champion and his Grand National winning horse Aldaniti one Monday through London at the end of his £1,000,000 'Ride for Life' sponsored ride in aid of the Bob Cancer Cancer Trust to a reception given by the Queen in the Royal Mews behind Buckingham Palace. It was a lovely warm day.

That is amazing!! Made me well up to think of the Bob Champion & Aldaniti story.

I've heard similar experiences to others on here about riding in Hyde Park - definitely not enjoyable for experienced riders. Windsor is a great place to ride though with more options, and there are quite a few stables around Richmond Park.

 

[Beausmate]

I went for a ride in Hyde Park, several years ago now. No lead rein and we did canter, but you can't go any faster than a trot. A couple of us popped a log at the side of the track too.

Different, but don't think I'd do it again. It's a bit frustrating to be plodding along such nice tracks.

 

[Skib]

I'd talk it over with your Mum - Because OH and I also had this dream of riding on Rotten Row one day. We went to see Ross Nye's stables to look at the roads and where they went with the horses - this is something we always do before hacking from a yard we dont know!
There is some road work first and bear in mind that the Park itself these days is a pretty urban environment and especially at weekends it is crowded with runners, skaters and people playing games. It isnt like it was in the early 20th century century and, even then, my Irish great uncle who had to work in Whitehall for a bit, kept his horse at Richmond Park (not Hyde Park) and rode there every morning before going to the office.
I reckoned that one's first ride was always going to be walk and trot and probably not on Rotten Row - that one would need to go at least twice so the yard knew one and knew one could ride. And one would need to avoid weekends. And then ask especially nicely. This may not be so, but we have somehow postponed it.
Like your Mum we still plan to go one day but I had other equestrian dreams - to ride on a beach and to ride a flying change and we went and did those instead.

 

[Northern Hare]

Back in the 90's I was a member of the Civil Service RC. The RC owned it's own horses and had a full time RC Manager, and provided some horses for the RDA. As a result of this we were extremely privileged to be able to stable the Club's horses/ponies at the Royal Mews beside Buckingham Palace. We had use of the wonderful indoor school for lessons, and obviously we were free to hack up to Hyde Park (in hacking jacket, collar and tie!). It really was wonderful.

In the summer we had a set of show jumps that we set up in the paddock in front of Kensington Palace to use for jumping lessons on Saturdays, so it was a surreal show jumping arena. I also used to help exercise the horses (there was no turnout) which meant riding out from the Mews at around 6am in the spring and summer before work which was always a great start to the day.

The Park Ranger always seemed to be around when you were trying to keep your horse under control and I'm afraid to admit that on several occasions we exceeded the "hand canter" rule! Rotten Row is amazing and a really long, wide stretch - and surprisingly is actually not flat but on quite a slope up from Hyde Park Corner.

On one occasion, I was hacking with a friend and just keeping the horse I was riding in a nice controlled canter when I heard galloping horses behind me - I turned around just as the new recruits for the Household Cavalry came steaming past and we had no option but to follow on and we only just stopped before the end - next stop the Royal Albert Hall!

I would definitely recommend trying to get to arrange a ride in the Park for your Mum - looking at Hyde Park Stables website, they do offer a private or semi-private ride although it is fairly costly. Just the very experience of riding in the Park is amazing, and it will be a wonderful memory for your Mum's special birthday. Why don't you give them a ring, explain your Mum's experience and what it is for - hopefully they will be able to arrange something.

 

[turnbuckle]

Just an idea....pound to a penny the London yards will be walk and trot only...but as far as I know there's no reason why you couldn't box a (pretty bombproof) horse up and hack out as normal. Might be an option worth exploring. Get there at dawn and it will be magical..and you might even be able to race the Household Cavalry

 

[Tiddlypom]

I did it years ago, and it was a great experience for a confirmed country bumpkin. I can't remember which stable I used, but whilst the hack was fairly sedate, it was very enjoyable. No one was on a lead rein.

I remember the ride leader glancing sideways at me, and commenting 'Well, at least YOU can ride, then' which filled me with somewhat unwarranted pride. However, I did get a rollicking at the end for untacking my horse....

It's not a hack as many of us would recognise, but it was great (and extremely expensive) fun nonetheless.