We had the opportunity to go riding with this establishment. The horses are beautiful and well taken care of. Facilities are very nice. The view was exceptional. Prior to our ride, they had us do an assessment. They did not tell us what we were supposed to do during the assessment and then they determined if we need a lead. My horse walked about 50 feet and from that walk it was determined that I needed a lead although I was fully under control of the horse the entire time. I was not asked to direct the horse and I was fully able to stop and start the horse. I've ridden hundreds of times and have never had a lead. There is no explanation as to why I needed a lead. It took away from the experience. My nephew who is eight years old also required a lead. He received zero instruction on how to guide his horse, presumably because he was being led. However, near the end of our trip, the person that was leading his horse decided that it was acceptable to lead him through a giant tree. He was given no instruction to guide the horse around the tree and subsequently fell off the horse. The staff were apologetic, but this would've been extremely avoidable if he was guiding his own horse. Finally, I had the pleasure of riding with two women who complained about their job the entire time. They complained about how the establishment offers free lessons to staff and does not provide them and they have to pay their own lessons even though it's part of their pay package. They also complained about being pulled off of breaks. I assume there are labor laws in England but they don't seem to be followed by this establishment. The constant complaints really took away from my ride.
My parents wee waiting for us and listened to the staff complainI got constantly in the riding ring about the distance they had to drive given the number of lessons that they were asked to teach. One lesson for a 50 mile commute.
While the horses are beautiful, the scenery was amazing, the safety protocols are so extreme that they actually hurt the establishment. My nephew was left bruised and frightened from his fall. We never did anything more than walk. I assume he would have been able to steer his horse around the tree had he been given direction or the opportunity to control his own horse, but since he wasn't, he fell. In addition, the equipment I was given smelled like someone who had not showered in about three months. I will not be frequenting this establishment EVER again. read more
