Where you began riding? Me, Whiteleaf...

Starrock Lane Stables in Chipstead back in the late 60's I remember they had me on a fat pony walking round a field full of thistles, the saddle slipped and I was hanging updside down under the ponies tummy who continued to walk resulting in all the large thistles whacking me in the face and up the backside as we went!
Not nice for my first lesson!
There was a good stables at the top of Marlpit Lane in Old Coulsdon too behind the pond that my sister used to ride at but they pulled that down years ago.
Like the photo at the beginning of the girl on the grey, nice old fashioned sloping head saddle not like all the cut back heads we see today!
Pelham on lower ring too, good way of making sure the pony has brakes!
Oz :)
 
I went to Westmuir just outside Edinburgh in the 90's, think its now a livery yard. My fave horse there was Tyson but I remember riding Zac, Amos, Robin, Beano, Schweppes, Hermann and Jigsaw. Loved it there until my parents decided they couldn't afford to pay for riding lessons :-(
 
haha coincedance xD i used to ride and work there (Whiteleaf) but they are owned by different people now but its still loverly there they have lots of open shows and stuff :D
 
tinuviel said:
I went to Westmuir just outside Edinburgh in the 90's, think its now a livery yard. My fave horse there was Tyson but I remember riding Zac, Amos, Robin, Beano, Schweppes, Hermann and Jigsaw. Loved it there until my parents decided they couldn't afford to pay for riding lessons :-(
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I remember Westmuir - and the ponies including Amos, Tonto, Betsy and Robbie, the dreadful but funny Mole and the others.
And Shweppes' raspberry blowing trick...
S :D
 
I went to Cullum Farm Riding school just outside St Ives in Cambs. I rode Toby, Betsy, Silver and Davey, that I can remember. It was mid 70's. Then when I moved here in 1979 I went to South Cerney Riding school, run by Helen Dorling and I rode Marky and Puck.
I think I dressed up, wearing my hacking jacket each time I went for a lesson...Oh dear.
 
I started at whiteleaf stables too, many years ago, way back in the early 80s. I do not remember much, just having to bike there from the otherside of Sittingbourne, I remember getting excited about my lesson as soon as i'd get to the co-op. We didn't stay long, I rode a big grey, can't remember it's name. We left after the young girl teaching us spent our whole lesson snogging her boyfriend, only shouting at me and my sister not to look while we trotted around! I cried the whole way home. We were only allowed to go every other week. We moved to Deepdean stables in Challock after that and then wonders of wonders Mum bought our first pony Star!
 
Jane Lee's in Wooton Northampton - on a pony with a rather politically incorrect name! Jane is now Jane Spencer - if you ride with Pytchley you will know her!
Then Brampton Stables. :D
 
I learnt at Spring Paddocks in Charlesworth, Derbyshire. It's still running under the same management as far as I know (I remember it being run by a mum and her two daughters). My favourite horse was William (I rode there until 2000) and I used to look after Rosie on weekends. I remember lots of rainy weekends there when we'd get soaked leading the beginners in the 2pm class!
I know there used to be a riding school up on Hobson Moor (Mottram) area that's famous among my older horsey friends. They all learnt to ride there back in the seventies and used to tell me stories of being chucked on crazy ponies in their first lessons and just being told to hold on! It shut down a while ago, though I'm not sure when, and is a private house now. Can't remember what it was called.
 
I had a very odd start,but it did me good- even now have no fear of getting on whatever is offered! :p
Very first was a holiday camp stables with only 5 horses in Essex(Seawick I think). The had a very funky Fjord called Arnie-would have been about 92 or 93.
Then I saved my lunch money each week for rides at Barnet Riding School, they had lots of lovely ponies.
After that,I did work experiance at the London Equestrian Centre in Mill Hill and fell head over heals for Crispin,Pally and Benji.
 
dotty1 said:
Then when I moved here in 1979 I went to South Cerney Riding school, run by Helen Dorling
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Helen is still running that place!!! She must be about 108 by now...... I rode there from about 1982 to 86 and she seemed old then!! But I started riding at Brook Farm in Haydon Wick, Swindon in 1974. I remember a little grey called Cobweb and a whizzy dun pony called Jenny Wren - she was loads of fun!! We used to go on hacks and at the point where they used to canter all the ponies would just take off as a group and bomb across the field!!

Happy days......
 
Shilasdair said:
I remember Westmuir - and the ponies including Amos, Tonto, Betsy and Robbie, the dreadful but funny Mole and the others.
And Shweppes' raspberry blowing trick...
S :D
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I started there waaaay back late 70's - early 80's....

....and Mole????

Threw me off into the side wall! REALLY dented my confidence....little *****!

Jamie the shetland, Scallywag and Raffles....only ones I can remember! I was almost 7 years old when I started!

Then we moved back down to lincs and I REALLY learned to ride at Bakers (Park Riding School), and did my riding test at Rednil, Welton.

:D
 
My first wasn't a real riding school, I was pony mad and a neighbour's teenager 'worked with horses' and used to give me lessons once a week for 75p! It's only now looking back I realise she was sneaking me on to a livery pony, it was just a tiny DIY yard. Only rode a pony called Sunny.

Then I went to a place called Tylers Farm near Brentwood. Not the best on reflection, they were on a common and all the horses were tethered overnight as no other turnout, apart from the one pony who was just turned loose. Apart from that they only had a few cobs and horses and I was terrified at the thought of being stuck up on one of these giants. HAd lessons for a while then the instructor left and they just used to hire them out by the hour. So at 9 I was off hacking by myself...my favourites were Sunshine and then Spot once I plucked up courage to move up a size..

Got fed up with that and wanted real lessons so went to Sawyers Hall farm when I was 11. Great instructor and horses/ponies, pretty good hacking as well. Favourites were Bumble and Puzzle because they were the naughty ones.

Then I went and worked for rides at a hobby sj'ers yard for a year. After that went to Brooke Farm Riding School in Billlericay - terrible horses, terrible instruction, but my first place with an indoor school and the prospect of a warm, dry winter won me over.

After that, FINALLY got my own pony. Which funnily enough I started off keeping at the first little DIY yard I started out at, and then moved to Sawyers Hall.
 
At a riding school in Great Gransden (Cambs) in the late 80's. I think it was called Gransden Hall Riding School, but not sure..

I started off going to watch my friends lessons until I bullied my parents into letting me have my own, I'd do absolutely anything to get even another minute there with the horses. I remember going to help out at weekends/over the holidays and the girls on the yard sharing ice creams from a freezer in the office/tackroom with us!.. (But not when Mrs Craze (??) was about!! we had to hide them quick if she arrived unexpected)
 
Started learning at Norton Heath (when it was a riding centre) back in the <cough> early 1970s. My first ride was on a little skewbald called Tinkerbell. Anyone else remember the riding school ponies from those days?

In later years rode at Crystalbrook Riding Stables in Theydon Bois - excellent hacking as right on the edge of Epping Forest.
 
Well, here's one from the mid 60's -
Before the Norton Heath Equestrian Centre in Essex came to be the big competetion domain, it was a little riding school called 'The Orchards'. It was run by an ex Army bod by the name of Captain Mansell and his daughter Anne springs to mind. I remember being taken there by my dad when I was five, being plonked on a grey pony called Timmy who rodeoed me into the concrete yard! I also remember being hoicked back on and told to stop crying!
i rode there from the age of 5 until I was 11, when my dad informed me I knew all I was going to ever need to know about horses, and it was about time I got it of my system. That clearly didnt work!
I was wholly envious of the Captains daughter as she had a little bay show jumper of 14.2 called Drummer, and I imagined them as Marion Coakes and Stroller!
We all wore our cork hats (one day my mum found out I had nits, and although I was allowed to spend my ususal whole day at the stables, I was not allowed to remove my hat under any circumstances! oh the SHAME of it ) I always had second hand Millets Bedford cord jods, yellow woolie and/or yellow aertex shirt.
 
Aw. Nice to read happy memories. I learned to ride ata lovely place called greenacres at puxley, near towcester in northants/ bucks border I was allowed to go fir one hour a week and it was one hour a week of pure joy! Lovely horses (not plodders) and lovely people. I had a great instructor called cathy who gave me so much confidence I couldn't give a ******* if I fell of and bounced!
It had great facilities ( indoor and outdoor school, hacking, lovely xc course, safe places to gallop.

Fab ponies from the wee (little bimbo) to the large ( big old hector). And everything in between.

Oh, and lovely lady called sheila who ran the school. It's a livery yard now and, if I had my own, I'd go back in a shot.

I do wish I could go back in time!
 
I learned from Jane too. After she had married Richard and had moved to East Haddon. Must say that I did learn a great seat and even after leaving the country 22 years ago she still asks my Mum how Im doing.
Her teaching style was different but I learned a fantastic seat, how to ride anything and how to turn out to a very high standard.
I still do some things the Jane Spencer way and laugh at wy Im doing them
 
We must have been there much the same time Sukistokes 2. Was the grey Puff? I'm struggling to remember all the names but there was Dandy, Orry, Kizzy, Sparky, Dusty, Cracker (who I recall running over a poor girl once in the field), nettle (a thoroughbred) Oh and loads more i've totally forgotten about. I did a few stable management courses there and yep, there was a lot of kissing going on between various people.

Not me I hasten to add. It was horses and horses and more horses..... boys? MEH.
 
Gosh - this is going back a long time. Must have been late 60s/very early 70s in Troon in Ayrshire. It was a place called Wrights Riding Academy, run by a chap called Mr Wilson (although he didn't teach). Very structured place - you were encouraged to go all day and help as well as ride. We had lunchtime lectures whilst tack cleaning.

I remember instructors Jackie (very scarey lady) and Mary (who was lovely). Horses I particularly remember were Eldorado (palomino and gorgeous), Toby, Conchita, Shamrock (who was 38 and used to pull horse drawn trams - she could still bolt with you on the beach), Trixie, Commanche, Smartie, Apache. We had to wear white shirts with black jumpers on top. It did give me a very good grounding and the horses were great.
 
I learnt to ride at Woodredon EC. 11 years ago, it was based in Epping forest, was lovely.

The ponies I used to ride were, Jay, Midas, Marty, Blue, New Blue, Conker, Ben, Jess, Poppy.

It's a brilliant yard
 
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