Written on: 21/01/2011
A balanced (I hope) view.
Variety of horses with a wide range of talents
Range of instructors
Straightforward no frills yard
Cheap prices
Only outdoor schools which means it can be very wet, cold and windy in winter, occasionally iced over schools which are dangerous.
Horses can look muddy etc and appear to be cramped in some stables
Horses are regularly turned out.
Ill/injured horses are cared for with the aim of returning them to work at some point, however long it takes
Regular little competitions in dressage and jumping which builds confidence (no snobby dress code for competitions)
They retain the same horses for a long time, so they know their animals well.
Hacking out - views are spectacular and it's mostly off road.
If you want to learn to ride but are put off by cost or snobbishness then this is an ideal place. All shapes, sizes and ages of riders seem welcome.
If you want 'finesse' then it's probably not the right place.