Riding Schools in London?

ahorseandadog

ahorseandadog

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 March 2015
Messages
183
Location
In A Yard
Visit site
Hello again!

Giving up on looking for a share horse for now as I've been looking for a horse almost half a year now... Now hoping to find a good riding school in London to help me improve.

Has anyone ridden at one of these stables?
- Deen City Farm
- Littlebourne Farm
- Docklands Equestrian
- Frith Manor
- Gillians Riding School
- King's Oak (recommended by a friend but can't find any actual information i.e. postcode/prices)
- London Equestrian Centre
- Stanmore Riding School
- Dulwich Riding School
- Ealing Riding School (do know that they have a horse there now though who, from the time I spent with her, was far too green and marish/agressive to be at a riding school)


Or does anyone know any other stables that hopefully are not overpriced like the stables in Wimbledon/Richmond or in Hyde Park?

Thank you for reading + for any help! xx
 
I used to ride at Kingston Riding Centre. The tuition was brilliant on really nice horses and the hacking in Richmond Park was fabulous.

Maybe it has become more expensive in the years since I rode there, but prices are pretty high even out of London.
 
I think I'm on the other side of London to you - I rode at Stag Lodge a while back (not Stag2, still have that to try as apparently the horses don't usually alternate between stables). The horses are ok, but from talking to the staff the horses are only out of their boxes when ridden, which isn't something I am a fan of. The horses know all the trot and canter spots, so it feels slightly less than spontaneous, but I guess that's one of the downsides of exercising in the same place all the time.

I didn't like Chessington as the two horses I rode there were pretty dead to the leg and tuition was a bit basic. Hacking was lovely though, and the horses perked up a lot being out of the school. The access road has potholes I could almost fit my car into.

They are further out, but both Silvermere and Wildwoods have been great experiences with very good horses and tuition.
 
Probably way out of date but I had a few lessons at Mudchute (nice break from derivatives at lunchtime and only 12 mins by DLR) and was very impressed by the quality of the horses. And I seem to remember they have a little XC course.

And using city farm type places helps subsidise the local kids, which is good.
 
ahorseandadog said:
Hello again!

Giving up on looking for a share horse for now as I've been looking for a horse almost half a year now... Now hoping to find a good riding school in London to help me improve.

Has anyone ridden at one of these stables?
- Deen City Farm
- Littlebourne Farm
- Docklands Equestrian
- Frith Manor
- Gillians Riding School
- King's Oak (recommended by a friend but can't find any actual information i.e. postcode/prices)
- London Equestrian Centre
- Stanmore Riding School
- Dulwich Riding School
- Ealing Riding School (do know that they have a horse there now though who, from the time I spent with her, was far too green and marish/agressive to be at a riding school)


Or does anyone know any other stables that hopefully are not overpriced like the stables in Wimbledon/Richmond or in Hyde Park?

Thank you for reading + for any help! xx
Click to expand...

Stag Lodge

I worked here in 1981 https://www.ridinginlondon.com/
 
These are all south London and OP seems to be inquiring about North London? Lee Valley is BHS Approved for training and exams. Or Trent Park?
 
ahorseandadog said:
Hello again!

Giving up on looking for a share horse for now as I've been looking for a horse almost half a year now... Now hoping to find a good riding school in London to help me improve.

Has anyone ridden at one of these stables?
- Deen City Farm
- Littlebourne Farm
- Docklands Equestrian
- Frith Manor
- Gillians Riding School
- King's Oak (recommended by a friend but can't find any actual information i.e. postcode/prices)
- London Equestrian Centre
- Stanmore Riding School
- Dulwich Riding School
- Ealing Riding School (do know that they have a horse there now though who, from the time I spent with her, was far too green and marish/agressive to be at a riding school)


Or does anyone know any other stables that hopefully are not overpriced like the stables in Wimbledon/Richmond or in Hyde Park?

Thank you for reading + for any help! xx
Click to expand...

I learnt to ride at Gillians as a child - it has a decent all weather school and hacking around the local woods (and a cross country course). I have no idea what it’s like as an adult but I would imagine that the horses are fairly typical riding stable types.

I rode at Kings Oak for several years as a teenager - they have an indoor and outdoor school but I don’t remember them doing any hacking (and their local hacking involves some roadwork). They have less typical horses as many of their liveries own the horses used in the riding school so you get a mixed bunch. Great place if you want to compete in showjumping as that’s one of their main focuses, and they’ll take you out competing etc so lots of support there. Maybe less ideal if you’re more into dressage/non-jumping?

Trent Park is slightly more expensive I think, and also much bigger. From memory it has two indoor schools and one or two outdoor schools. It’s main selling point is the excellent hacking, so if you want a mixture of flat and hacking it would probably be the best in terms of variety. I’ve no idea what their horses are like!
 
Lea Valley has a good reputation.

I learnt to ride at Snaresbrook (closed down some years ago).

There was also a riding school at Manor Park, Ilford, on the each of Wanstead Flats.

Go out into the Epping Forest area and there were several riding schools. No idea which ones are still going but there was Sewardstone, High Beech, one at Loughton too.

There are two riding stables for Hyde Park, Hyde Park and Ross Nye. Both offer lessons and hacks in Hyde Park.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top