So who rides horses too?

[freeridenick]

This is probably not going to be the most popular thread on here but we all ride bikes, I know some cycle so there must be at least one other who rides horses too.

My misses used to ride as a kid and has spent the last few years persuading me that I'd love it. My daughter has taken it up regularly too so last year I bit the bullet and in a bid to catch up. I could stay on well enough but this year we've taken a few lessons and now I can actually ride. The aim being to get good enough to jump and enjoy a few cross country courses - there's a great one not far from Oulton Park.

We can't own our own horses for various reasons so the second aim is to build up a relationship with a few local riding schools so we're known and are trusted with good horses on good rides. Which is the purpose of the thread: who do you ride with and where?

We live in Derbyshire so anywhere around the Peaks, South Yorkshire and Cheshire are easy to get to. Also, given race tracks are generally in the country there must be a few stables near tracks. I figure we can make a trip of it and ride or cycle in the vicinity of UK tracks. There must be some riding around Croft for example and we've ridden on Anglesey already.

[AMCQ46]

where I live I am surrounded by horses on all sides of my house, race horses [flat and jumps] on 2 sides and shire horses and a few ponies on the other 2 sides........ if I threw a used CCT out the garage in any direction, there is a 50/50 chance it would hit a horse

but No I don't ride, I see my role as helping the animals get acclimatised to noisy road traffic, their owners always wave their thanks as I go past

Thinking about the workshop day..... I will have to warn the neigh-bours of the impending apocalypse of bikes, but they are pretty used to me already, so a few more wont be the end of the world... Plus the fact that I fix his quadbike, so I am in their good books anyway.

hopefully we wont cause a stampede ..

[Stratman]

Many moons ago I used to ride - went on pony trekking holidays and the like. Doesn't float my boat anymore.

[Kev L]

Having owned one and shared maintenance duties with my daughter for a number of years, they are feckin mental and are waiting for any opportunity to hurt you, little b8stard! They walk the same journey time after time with no issues, then one day a bird chirps or plastic bag flutters and the mental creatures take it as a sign of the approaching apocalypse and try to dump, kick generally feck off in any random direction. They also need more maintence than a pre Evo Harley or old British bike.
Eugh nasty and they shite too much! Other than that, luv em!

[AMCQ46]

Having owned one and shared maintenance duties with my daughter for a number of years, they are feckin mental and are waiting for any opportunity to hurt you, little b8stard! They walk the same journey time after time with no issues, then one day a bird chirps or plastic bag flutters and the mental creatures take it as a sign of the approaching apocalypse and try to dump, kick generally feck off in any random direction. They also need more maintence than a pre Evo Harley or old British bike.
Eugh nasty and they shite too much! Other than that, luv em!

is that a review of Daughters or Horses or both?

[BigVeeGrin]

nice

they are feckin mental and are waiting for any opportunity to hurt you,

I'm now about to agree with Kev . I've been on three horses and they went mental each time - first time it suddenly decided to head for a load of jumps full pelt and then head back inside its stable with me attached, next time on a Dartmoor pony trek I had a beast and it headed up a steep slope at random, headed down again, kicked out at the horse the stable girl was on and smashed her leg, third and final time in France it caught sight of a pony coming alongside and flipped big time and lobbed me off.

Magnificent creatures, just not from up top.

[alanfjones1411]

I'll stick to the carb farts they don't stink.

[freeridenick]

Having owned one and shared maintenance duties with my daughter for a number of years, they are feckin mental and are waiting for any opportunity to hurt you, little b8stard! They walk the same journey time after time with no issues, then one day a bird chirps or plastic bag flutters and the mental creatures take it as a sign of the approaching apocalypse and try to dump, kick generally feck off in any random direction. They also need more maintence than a pre Evo Harley or old British bike.
Eugh nasty and they shite too much! Other than that, luv em!

These are all the reasons I gave my misses for not riding and they're true, and I love it.

The Thoroughbred I rode on Anglesey was literally bouncing at one point. It's the closest I think I'll ever be to riding a race bike where you know it's mainly going to be OK but one slip or loss of concentration and it'll spit you off in a heart beat.

[Kev L]

Yes but the race bike won't come back, kick you in the head, stamp on your goolies, sh1t in your mouth and then demand a clean bed and food!

[Wicky]

First and last time I rode a horse was for my 40th at an adventure weekend in the Breacon Beacons - thankfully it was either sedated for my benefit or shortly for processing into glue. It pootled along with no great excitement, seat was comfy, fuel consumption was fantastic, but braking was a bit random.

[simo]

Don't mind horses,it's the tw@ts that ride them. Now't worse than having to alter line in a corner to avoid hoss sh1t.

[gl_s_r]

I ride.. Have my own horse and the missus has hers. Mine is a 17.3 hands high warm blood on which I do three day eventing.

Riding horses is a lot like golf I reckon ... you start and enjoy it, it captivates you and you have some lessons etc and you think your doing okay. Then a year or so later you look back and think to yourself Christ I was still such a novice... and that happens year after year. It constantly provides a challenge as every day I ride is a different ride according to me and the horse. Always a new challenge of some description including bareback jumping etc.

There is such a difference between jumping in a ring to jumping cross country.. one is really quite technical with working out striding and lines...and the fences fall down... the other is an amount of commitment, stickability and bravery as those fences don't fall down!! For cross country you want a really good seat and saddle time with horses that want you off their back is the quickest way to learn that i reckon... and I think you need to come off a good few times to to get the worry of it out your system. Especially after your first serious off.

I also love hacking out and have Windsor Great Park on my doorstep with 5000 acres to roam across... and as you say it is an adrenaline rush when you are holding your horse back when it is desperate to go, up on it's toes fizzing away only to give release and it leaps into a strong gallop... feels fantastic to feel that power and you trying to control it.

All of this is why the bike has taken so long to build... they are blooming expensive and it still provides me with the same exhilaration and fun as the bike.

[StuartWags]

done a bit. stopped after slipping a disc and never got back into it

[freeridenick]

I ride.. Have my own horse and the missus has hers. Mine is a 17.3 hands high warm blood on which I do three day eventing.

Big horse that mate. I've very envious based on the rest of your post and I can certainly associate with what you say about looking back and thinking how crap I was.

The arena stuff is where I fall down (as in riding in an arena not show jumping) and learning the control required is pretty fulfilling. Little exercises like riding with the inside hand off the reins and steering through leg contact are brill when you realise the horse is responding to you and not the other way round.

Good to know the XC bit is a bit less technical. I can do brave and I my balance is OK and the horse I'm riding most knows it's job.

I also love hacking out and have Windsor Great Park on my doorstep with 5000 acres to roam across...

We have relatives who live near Godalming so that's a great tip if we can find a stables offering hacks. We often take a day off to drive down with some sort of stop on the way. I'll investigate.

feels fantastic to feel that power and you trying to control it.

Couldn't agree more.

[gl_s_r]

There are two stables that offer Windsor great park rides and that is Tally Ho and another called Wayside Stables. They are both the same cost etc so they dont out compete each other.

Out of the two Wayside is your best bet as they are proper horses and not trail horses.. You need to ride them and you can do a lot of catering and some of it is quick. Just ring and tell them what kind of horse you like etc.

They restrict riding to tracks over winter to keep the integrity of the grass etc so spring and into summer is better as they open the entire park and there is no limits to access.

Let me know if you do book it and I'll try and be your escort as I ride for them sometimes.