Where you began riding? Me, Whiteleaf...

Enfys said:
I used to compete at Cheston in the early 90's !

I can't remember the first RS, somewhere in Bristol in the late 60's.

Then Devenish Pitt in Farway, Devon for a bit (still going strong and still in the Banks family) and riding was in the syllabus at school (Manor House, Honiton)

Jumping was at the Newburys place in Exeter with Tony.
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Another one from Cheston Farm!!!

After plodding round on ponies since before I could walk I started my first 'proper' lessons at Cheston in around 1970ish. I can still remember the names of some of the horses and ponies even now. Wonderful hacks across the Moors and the dreaded jumping lane and fixed wooden wall jump!

We bought my first 'own' pony from there too.... a reject who had been turned out as she would buck everyone off. We got on like a house on fire and she taught me to stay on, scramble over devon banks, hunt and generally have fun.

Must go back and visit.
 
I went to Woodreddon last year just before moving out here! They actually had some really nice horses to ride and the instructors were lovely.

There was a pony there called Midas, my friend rode him. Surely it can't be the same one. If it is, good grief he looks well and credit to the place.

I agree, it's a really nice yard to ride at. I wanted to keep my (now sold) chap there but the turn out in Winter was very limited and I think there was one hell of a waiting list.
 
Yes they have lovely Horses there, thats the same Midas, sadly he died about 4 months ago. I think he was into his 30's though.

Waiting list is still very long, and I would love to be there but I agree the turnout is not the best.

It now has a XC course, More stables and a tack room.
 
I started at Downside Riding centre in Penarth near Cardiff. My first ride was on Coco, my first fall was off Flicka - saddle slipped and so did I! My favourite horses were Smartie (I had an "I heart Smartie" T-shirt), Ben and later on Albert, huge 17hh chestnut I used to ride when I was only about 12 and Gemma who would pull faces and bite all but the most confident of handlers, you couldn't show any fear to her!

Years later when I had my loan pony and joined pony club I realise it had a terrible reputation (looking back some of their horse care was questionable - no turnout for the poor blighters except a tiny bare paddock or in the indoor school overnight, they took it in turns even for that) but at the time I didn't know any better. They've been taken over now and have a much better reputation I think.
 
Union_Jack said:
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
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Love Jane - I had lessons from her at East Haddon on I think Tom, Rustler, Kashmir and a super bay cob who I hunted. The indoor sch at Buckby Folly was super along with the mini cross country jumps. I remember coming off a few times jumping and just being bundled back on with heaps of encouragement and not a second thought!:D
 
I learnt at White Horse Stables in Goosey, Oxfordshire. It was run by Diney Godfrey, I'd love to know what she is doing now! I spent many happy hours being run away with and falling off a dun 12.2hh called Beauty, her dam Girlie was also there. Beauty once ran away with me in the arena straight over a 2'9" fence - by far the biggest that I'd jumped at the time and a sign of how much she loved jumping! I learnt a lot from her and the other ponies and horses there - Candy, Shannon, Api, Lizzie (the 17hh hunter who taught us all that horses love Guiness!), then the "fancy" workling liveries Mr T, Dollar and many others!!

The stables were scruffy but always clean, tidy and well-managed. There was one outdoor 20x40 and a pig-pen with Vietnamese pot-bellies behind one of the stable blocks :) I remember going on a riding holiday to Wellington in the early 90s and being blown away at how big and posh it was!!
 
1963 two local girls Anne Lewis and Mary Rowley had 3 ponies and started teaching in fields opposite my home.

They then set up Henfield Stables (just up the road from White Cat who were the "posh" version")

Anne then went on the set up Westerleigh Stables now a livery yard. She sadly passed away some years ago. Remember "Mickey" first pony to ride, jump, canter, and fall off!
 
Flicker said:
I still remember my first lesson, aged 8, at Riverbend Riding School outside Johannesburg. I was so excited I was nearly sick in the car on the way out. I rode a chestnut pony called Coco and did my first ever Round The World. I cried when I had to get off.

I think my parents had been calling my bluff, booking me the lesson, and they didn't think I'd stick with it. I think they've realised I'm serious about it now :)
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Are you still in SA??? Haha sorry, I'm in Gauteng..get excited if I see someone from South Africa :p
 
Vetty said:
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......
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Jenny Wren went from Brook Farm to Hulbert's Green Farm at Brinkworth because I rode her there in about 84 - 86 along with the legendary Emmanuel (finally retired in the late 90's I believe), Taffy and Bella :D
(Janice at HGF is Horace at Brook Farm's daughter).
 
Red30563 said:
I had my first lessons at Nightingale Riding Stables in Buckhurst Hill, Essex. And here I am on a pony called Smokey Joe. No, I don't know why I was on such a wee pony either! ;)

SmokeyJoe1.jpg


(No crit, please! I was 10 and it was 1973!)
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I used to ride Smokey-Joe too, also in 1973 when I was 10! I also rode Bracken, Misty, and Silver, but mostly Bracken. Do you remember Tom? He used to call me 'the little dark girl!' as my dad is Iranian (not very pc nowadays). I loved riding there - my parents still live in Buckhurst Hill, but I'm in Germany. I'm visiting them next week and will visit the stables with my 9 year old daughter :-) I haven't ridden for ages - have you? Seeing you on Smokey-Joe brought back memories! :)
 
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I learnt to ride at Woodfoot in Rotherham, the owner was a lady called Pat, I think, who ran the stables with her daughter.

I used to help out on the weekends for free rides. I remember a little shettie called Bracken and a mad grey welshie who used to tank off with me all the time out on hacks!

When I left school I was on a horsey YTS scheme (yes, I am that old!) and our base was a riding school at Fulwood, Sheffield, possibly Millview. I loved a grumpy mare there called Nutmeg, still wonder what became of her. While on my YTS I also worked at a place near Matlock at Denby Dale and worked at Helena Dickensons place in Sheffield for a while.

Ah, happy memories!
 
the first Proper slessons i had was at The old Tiger in Soham, Lorraine Webster as she was then ran it (early 80's) & my SIL used to work there too.

i loved Merlin the most (corner cutting non cantering little bugger he was) but also remember Fudge, Polo, Arther, Hermese, Rambo & Curly. OOH happy days.
 
I learnt to ride at Bretons in Rainham, Essex mid 80s. Lessons every saturday and "pony week" every summer holidays - where you had the same pony for a week for numerous lessons and "shows" and included a grand finale fancy dress. I have a photo somewhere of me on Grassy dressed as a gypsy (not a pike as in MBFGW) but flowing skirt, big-earring-sporting-type gypsy.. (both skirt and earrings hijacked from my mum).

Later on I went off to Havering Park/Havering Atte Bower, and was dropped off every Saturday by good old mum, with a pound and a chicken and mushroom pot noodle, to "help". "Help" consisted of leading during lessons, mucking out and putting out - oh and being shouted at by Rose, bless her soul.
Sundays, dropped off again not to help, but for a hack through the woods. My memory's not very good at the finer details of anything, so I don't remember any names (appalling I know) except for Major who my older sister used to ride out on Sunday hacks.
 
MagsnPaddy said:
Jenny Wren went from Brook Farm to Hulbert's Green Farm at Brinkworth because I rode her there in about 84 - 86 along with the legendary Emmanuel (finally retired in the late 90's I believe), Taffy and Bella :D
(Janice at HGF is Horace at Brook Farm's daughter).
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I rode at Hulberts from 89 to 97..... Emmanuel died a few years back aged about 37 and my cousin broke him in when he was at Mr Brown's!

My daughter started riding at Hulberts Green but Janice has scaled it right down now and only offers semi and private lessons and only has about 8 horses/ponies so we've moved to Ashdown Equestrian in Wootton Bassett.....

Thanks for the info about Jenny Wren, she was ace......
 
blitznbobs said:
I learnt to ride at Pam Rigby's (Mobberley RIding School) in CHeshire. I rode there in the late 70s and the horses I remember most were Joey (who I was in love with) Pebbles and Robin.... And Taktro (Sp) who was a MASSIVE bigblack horse (well when I was 5 I thought he was massive and I remember one of the staff leading me round the yard on him and feeling like the Queen of the world!)

BnBx
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I didn't learn there but had a few lessons once upon a time. The only pony I (vaguely) remember was a little sturdy dun thing called fudge/smudge? If you pressed the right buttons on him, he went like a good 'un! He didn't used to have a stable tho', just a stall and it used to upset me no end :-(
 
Well, got all the way to the end and not one person for Croft Riding School in Warrington! Them were the days! Ken, who'd never let you do anything but walk and trot, Maureen, Pam, Orinocco, Bubbles.....ah, the memories!
 
Super thread, didn,t realise how old some of us are!! I went to stanwell moor stables in very early 70's and green lane stables in mid 70's.
From stanwell I remember Hercules (about 12h.h) and TOG ( touch of gold) who reared if you kicked!
From Greenlane I can,t remeber names but Patsy Kensit had a pony there.
 
I learnt to ride in the grounds of Stowe School - fabulous :D I cannot remember the lady's name who ran it, but 'Sylvia' rings a bell.

I was about four when I started...so 1969 and I don't remember any beginner's stuff in the school, but I do remember when older, tearing across the school grounds to the sound of thundering hooves and Capability Brown spinning in his grave. I used to ride a mare called Galli.

I remember sulking that I wasn't allowed down the jumping lane - think I was about seven when we moved away. I then spent many happy hours in the '70s at a place called Bill Juffs in a Bedfordshire village, who's name eludes me.
 
I learnt to ride and everything you could imagine about ponies at Flamsteads Farm on the Bucks/Herts border. It was the greatest grounding to a life with horses and i still remember some of things i was taught....and some i should
porobavbly forget these days!

I then went to Gaddesdon place stables/RDA and had great laughs there and Patchetts before it turned as professional and had a riding school.
The first two places were great for letting you get there early, catch your pony, groom, track up and all that so that you learnt and weren't just a conveyor belt of kids bombing around

Did anyone else ride at these places or around the area?? (i've been around a few this way in 21 years!)
 
40 years ago at mr forsythes just outside offerton.
We had peter,prince,tango,charmaine,polo,charmaine,piper,romany to name but a few
Quin was my favourite and I used to ride him a lot. Then my friend got a couple of horses and I used to ride them.I left home and joined the RAF and gave up for a few years. I then started riding again at Thurning,which I think has been mentioned before.That would of been in the early 80's.Fell pregnant,so gave up for a few years again.Started back again at Rosebrook EC just outside of Diss then onto Blenheim stables just outside of Benson when we got posted again.
 
Nightingales for me!

1995-1998 (aged about 6-9 years), started out on Sixpence, then Apple, then Samson (who then went to Chigwell Riding for the Disabled, and was sadly put to sleep a few years later due to colic), the Ozzie (with two gears; NO! and GO!).
I returned to Nightingales when I was 14-15, helping out a few evenings a week for occasional rides on Ozzie (who actually moved up to GO! for me!) and lovely little Heasley - and trotting Honey up and down the lane whilst avoiding being nipped! - until my Dad saw my school report card and sadly put his foot down about me spending my evenings "knee deep in s***" :(
I remember Tom barking out instructions :) - I learnt so much there, especialy the one-to-one lessons I had with Tom when there had been a cancellation or something - I will never forget my first (brief!) canter, on Apple, with Tom and his dog Mischief running alongside!!
I heard that Tom has stopped running the yard - does anyone know what he, or any of the horses, are up to these days?
 
The man at the end of the road got a shetland called poncho for his grandaughter who was scared to ride him, so i did, it was a baptism of fire, he was a quirky wee boy.That was about 19-70
A young girl who could ride showed me the basics and that was it for me.
When he was sold i had proper lessons at woodend farm in Falkirk with Janice and Bob sharp, i remember Richard meade visiting at a show we had.
I rode a shetland called twinkle then a bigger shetland called Jamie, then pixie and gypsy.
I remember the first time i got to ride cavalier an ex race horse if memory serves me right, he seemed huge to me then and i loved him to bits.:D
 
What a lovely post! The first riding school I went to was at tattershall leisure centre, lincs. The first pony I rode there was called rupert. I also rode trixie, flossy, fin, pepsie
 
Blooming phone! As I was saying!!
Fliss, badger, and clippy! The main two however that I rode was Thomas, I loved him so much and was very priviledged to have been allowed to ride him as he was very sharp and only allowed 2 of us on him, ever!! And Oliver, who was misunderstood, a 5yo and just lovely!! I miss those days and the horseys, especially Tom and oli!!! The place shut down and I never knew what happened to the two of them. I then left there and went onto sheepgate in Boston and spent a couple of years there before leaving school and joining the army and then getting my own horses!!
 
I first started at a rising school called Field Farm in Ilkeston just up the road from the American Adventure theme park! I don't remember any instructors names but my fave pony was PJ a little black mare who was privately owned.I was so upset when she was sold:( And then there was a grey shetland (i think) mare called Bonnie who was allowed to roam free around the yard during the day.The second place I went to was Selston Equestrian Centre and I was so in love with Brig it was unreal:D
 
Anyone from the Tunbridge Wells area?
I remember first lessons age 4 ish at I think it was Pete's riding school in Frant ....... this was hundreds of years ago but I remember ponies Firefly,
Conker, Bertie a big grey.
I looked for the place on a visit home all the fields are gone and it's now housing ... sad:(
Also Redsheen was a place that bred red setters and had ponies I remember riding at.
Then had a job in Brenchly breaking six wild and wooly New Forrest ponies for a lady who owned Chillmill Manor.
Would love to hear from anyone who remembers any of these :)
 
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