Willow Tree Riding in Lee

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lilyoftheincas

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I am thinking about helping out or riding at Willow Tree Riding Establishment. :confused: Is it nice, and what are the prices for a half an hour/hour private lesson? Any information about the place is welcome :)
 
I used to ride there for years and loved it there, a nice mix of horses, the lady that owns it is quite into breeding and showing arabs as a sideline.
The only real reason I moved to another yard was the location. Not a great deal of turn out and only an indoor school for riding in, not much jumping either.
I still go and visit often though.
 
lilyoftheincas said:
I am thinking about helping out or riding at Willow Tree Riding Establishment. :confused: Is it nice, and what are the prices for a half an hour/hour private lesson? Any information about the place is welcome :)
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I used to ride there as a child - some 30 yrs ago so my comments aren't much help!! Good to know it's still going.

No idea what prices are like now but in those days it was very competitive. The horses and ponies were well looked after. The downside (it may have changed) is that riding was pretty much confined to an indoor school.
 
Lol OldNag - I started riding there about 20 years ago when I was 4. Maybe we knew some of the same horses?

I only moved two years ago, and I think you'll have a great time helping out there, the horses are all well looked after (if a little tubby), there's a nice mix including a lovely Arab stallion. If you want to get into showing they're heavily into that with all their horses.

Like I said, the only problem for me was just being limited to an indoor school.
 
Karran said:
Lol OldNag - I started riding there about 20 years ago when I was 4. Maybe we knew some of the same horses?

I only moved two years ago, and I think you'll have a great time helping out there, the horses are all well looked after (if a little tubby), there's a nice mix including a lovely Arab stallion. If you want to get into showing they're heavily into that with all their horses.

Like I said, the only problem for me was just being limited to an indoor school.
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I was riding there probably around 1978-1980. My absolute favourite was a little grey Welsh called Cody, who used to put his head down and the saddle would go forward, and off I'd come. .. Also Dewdrop, Honeydew, Popcorn. I remember some of Mrs M's Arabs, they were gorgeous.
 
OldNag said:
I was riding there probably around 1978-1980. My absolute favourite was a little grey Welsh called Cody, who used to put his head down and the saddle would go forward, and off I'd come. .. Also Dewdrop, Honeydew, Popcorn. I remember some of Mrs M's Arabs, they were gorgeous.
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Haha! I remember those! Popcorn was a grumpy Palomino pony with tiny devil ears - I remember coming off of him when I was about 6, knocking myself out and Mrs M's daughter reassuring my panicky Dad "She's not dead, look she just moved." Opcorn was still going strong well into his 30's. I think he passed away when I was 14-15.
I rode all those too, Cody, Honey and Dewdrop, think I've got some photos somewhere of them all. Mrs M is still going strong in her 90's, I remember being terrified of her when I was little as she was so strict about the horse care, now I'm terrifed she'll get hurt, she's so frail!

Here's me and cody Late 80's/early 90's I think?

codyf.jpg
 
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Karran said:
Haha! I remember those! Popcorn was a grumpy Palomino pony with tiny devil ears - I remember coming off of him when I was about 6, knocking myself out and Mrs M's daughter reassuring my panicky Dad "She's not dead, look she just moved." Opcorn was still going strong well into his 30's. I think he passed away when I was 14-15.
I rode all those too, Cody, Honey and Dewdrop, think I've got some photos somewhere of them all. Mrs M is still going strong in her 90's, I remember being terrified of her when I was little as she was so strict about the horse care, now I'm terrifed she'll get hurt, she's so frail!

Here's me and cody Late 80's/early 90's I think?

codyf.jpg
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Aw, Cody! Thanks for the picture, that brings back great memories. He was my absolute favourite. I remember he used to nibble the buttons off my dad's jacket when my Dad fussed him.

Popcorn, yes, I remember he had webbing reins and I soon learned to wear gloves as he used to snatch the reins, and gave me horrendous blisters.

Mrs M was a complete star.. very glad to know she is still going strong.
 
I used to go about 10 years ago, after I finished uni. It got me right back into riding, they were all very nice and were happy for you to stay after your lessons and help out with the horses. The instructor, Jan, taught very well, and made me ride from my seat - not like a lot of other 'kick and pull' type places!!! We did loads of work without stirrups... I used to have a private lesson so I could jump more. They had some really nice horses when I was there too, some lovely arabs and a gorgeous little section D called Taz who I fell in love with, in fact he made me want my own horse...
 
aww Taz! He's such a superstar, I feel he's kinda wasted in a school though, he'd make a fab little dressage pony. I used to get him into a lovely outline and he was teaching me flying changes :)

I now find it impossible to ride without gloves after having my hands ripped to shreds and bleeding onto the neck of a grey pony there which had webbing reins and snatched. Think it was the NF stallion they had, that did that. Nugget he was called. Me and my mum loved him!
 
karran i think i knew you and your mum back then...i am one of the twins who worked at weekends up until 1999 ish...remember you and your mum..havent popped in there for years now.
 
Haha! Hello! Long time no see!
I'm still in touch with a few people from there, but I moved to the otherside of the river so I've been riding at Mudchute farm lately.
Hows it going?
 
hi good thanks, moved out to sittingbourne for a few years but back in sidcup area now..moving to bromley way soon

still got my own ponies...3 at present who live out and look like mud monsters at present.

still see gem and speak so sarah k etc from there but havent been to visit for years now.
must go say hello one day.
everytime i go mrs m questions me on what happens to cats who get brought into my work that are unwanted.lol...glad shes still going strong...
 
Hello again :) Another quick question- on the website the riding school looks like they are very focused on beginners. I am an intermediate rider (walk, trot, canter and jump a few small jumps) so do you think the riding school would be able to cater for me too? Again, any other info about the place is welcome :) Thanks
 
lilyoftheincas said:
Hello again :) Another quick question- on the website the riding school looks like they are very focused on beginners. I am an intermediate rider (walk, trot, canter and jump a few small jumps) so do you think the riding school would be able to cater for me too? Again, any other info about the place is welcome :) Thanks
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They don't do jumping and the school is pretty tiny, but the Civil Service and BBC Riding Clubs go there (I think) so I presume they can cater to a range of levels.

I visited a couple of years ago and it was going strong :) Lots of local schoolkids doing the mucking out, everything running like clockwork.
 
You will be fine if you can already ride, they have some really well-schooled horses there and they will get you doing lateral movements and riding in an outline in no time. They also had youngsters when I was there for a bit of fun for the more experienced rider!

I had been riding for 10 years before I went there and she still brought me on!

Is Taz still there? I have some lovely photos of him. They used to have a little section D mare too called Rosie who was really cute and would stand and lick you. I loved her too.
I remember riding scian, littleboy, treasure. They had a pony called Ella that my friend rode, and an old cleveland bay.
 
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