Foxes Riding School Ledsham, Wirral Cheshire

I'm sorry to be a negative nancy but I tried this riding school and several others before finding the right one, which was definitely NOT this one, out of my four daughters, three of them hated it, and the other one is four so likes everything

Sorry for the negativity, it's too dear and I don't really like the actions and personalities of the workers.

I have been riding at FOXES for 21 years on and off. The horses are always well looked after and cared for, which is very important, as this shows how well the staff look after them.

I have had four "continuous" instructors over the years, who have taught me well, and therefore I have gone on lots of hacking trips here in the UK and abroad. My current instructor is exceptional, her knowledge of horses and her teaching methods are brilliant. She always gives nervous riders confidence and encouragement and brings the best out of anyone. Thoroughly recommended.

HP

I just started going to foxes and I think it is ok so far, the horse are not very good in the stable and some of the instructors can be a bit naggy. The lessons are quite good but could be improved, own a pony is not like you own a pony and there is not enough looking the horses,to much riding.

There is lots of competition but not enough for the clients (more bareback riding) . Ha ha I love bareback riding.

i have been attending foxes riding school for just over 10 years now since i was 9 years old. i started off at wirral riding centre as it was cheeper, however the horses were not cared for very well and the staff seemed to know nothing about the horses!

foxes was recommended to my mother by a horsey friend of hers and has proven to be a brilliant change! the horses are cared for and looked after very well and yard staff are keen to help, however are often busy with their jobs so can sometimes appear rude but this is just because they are in a rush. the layout of the riding school admittedly does take some getting used to.

most of the instructors are very encouraging and knowledgeable about all the horses and ponies. as in any place there will be a few that are not so nice and can be a bit on the grumpy side but that is something you will see in any workplace.

the horses and ponies themselves are very highly looked after and range in temperaments and provide a rider of any ability a range of horses available to ride.

i would like to specifically commend Karen- foxes secretary for being extremely welcoming and as helpful as she possibly can! also Lou- head yard worker who is always making sure the horses are comfortable and always has their best welfare in mind.

overall a fantastic riding school that i would recommend to anybody.

Great facility but lack of charisma on yard. Horses and ponies are looked after but lessons are on the expensive side prefer wirral riding centre and barnston to foxes any day.

I've been going to foxes on and off for about 7 years. I believe it to be the best in the area, as I tried barnston and the Wirral which weren't really to my liking but were ok.

On the positive side, the yard is professionally managed and treated like a normal business so the customer service aspect is good. There are a range of classes and horse sizes and the facilities are great.

On the bad side, it can be frustrating when you book in and get given a vague description of where your horse may or may not be found in a rabbit warren of stable blocks. I've also found the standard of instructors varies a lot although most are good. My real bug bear is the quality of the horses and the tack fitting. A lot of the horses are pretty quirky which is fine for some people as you have to learn to ride these types of horses to progress. The difficulty is when you are there to learn something specific and focus on yourself as a rider and you have to spend time nannying the horse - that's not what I'm paying for! I also find that a lot of the more experienced riders get put on new or green horses. This is great business acumen from their point of view, as someone is paying to improve the school horses! I think a lot of these riders should have moved on to a loan or share or even buying their own horse. I think this is where the smiling and customer service pays off for them but maybe I'm a little cynical!

I recommended them to a novice friend a few years ago and went to watch a few of her lessons for moral support. The horse didnt want to go forward and was kicking out and even bucking at the riders leg. The instructor kept telling her to make it go forward and keep kicking and smacking it - hardly a horse for a novice rider! This leads me to the point about badly fitting tack as when you have an unbalanced adult rider, you sure as hell need the saddle to fit properly otherwise you get scenarios like the one above.

I have been actively searching for a suitable riding establishment for me and my daughter to start riding at. I rode a fair bit when I was younger I am 37 now and my daughter is 6 and she is a beginner. So we recently visited Foxes riding school. upon arrival after traveling halfway across the Wirral in total taking 25mins. Our first opinions were very good but quickly turned negative after the lack of a greeting and utter snobbery which surrounded me and my daughter :( I asked a member of staff for details of lessons which could be suitable for me and my daughter and also asked for prices, the manner of which I was given the information was awful never felt so awkward and uncomfortable especially in front of my daughter. I felt that there was a class issue and that I wasn't worthy to be there or I was looked down upon like I could not afford lessons for myself never mind my daughter. Yes there lessons were very expensive but I know through experience you only pay for what you get in this day and age. In the end I booked a private lesson for my daughter as I didn't want to upset anybody especially my little girl. The lesson went ok but but not to my liking, we really expected alot more so to say we were disappointed is an under statement. We have since tried other riding schools and the two that we most enjoyed were Wirral Riding Centre and Barnston both were very good but my daughter and I thought that Barnston had better feel more welcoming as well as having better horses/ponies and instructors,Wirral's facilities were really good Barnston also had great facilities.

Would firmly recommend either Wirral or Barnston but would say Foxes is too far too expensive have to be a millionaire to feel welcome there.

I started riding at the age of 7. We looked around for a suitable stables and I have to say foxes is by far the best! Wirral Riding Centre made you feel like you were wasting time and they hurried through conversations and just plainly said "you can ride lala" They didnt seem to welcome me or even want me there so we went to look at barnston riding centre. it was a shambles! the instructors were letting the kids do what they like and not teaching them anything by the look of it! it was very small and not very many horses. they staff again wernt very welcoming. so we went to foxes riding school and they were very nice. we spoke to karen and she took me round to watch one of the lessons and see some of the horses. we booked a lead lesson for me and i have been going ever since for 7 or 8 years now. i work on the weekends for points which give me a free ride and i also get normal lessons every other week. there is a level guide for lessons so you are with people who are the same level as you and the horses are very good! you can either request which one to ride or your instructor picks for you. you always get a great variety and can learn how to handle differnt sorts of horses. my favourite is cracker but i have loved other horses who sadly had to be put down for various reasons. foxes is great because it feels like a family there. i go to pony club there aswell and have learned so much! i used to be afraid if a horse moved when i was in the stable with it but now i can handle even the naughtyest of horses! the amount of confidence i have got from foxes riding school is enough now that i got my own loan pony and im never scared around her even when she is naughty because i know they have taught me well enough to deal with it! i still go every week nearly and i hope to do so for more years to come! i would definatly recommend foxes riding school because they have a variety of horses, 2 indoor arena and an outddor, aa cross country cours, pony club, RDA, and very good instructors!! well worth your money!

Brilliant horses and ponies, although some can be a bit fast sometimes. It might be one of the most expensive riding schools on the wirral, but it is one of the safest.

I started off at foxes, then because it was cheaper i went to wirral riding centre for a bit. I found it very dangerous, i was put in a lead rein class when i was off lead rein and cantering round the school, and they even made me jump, despite not teaching me anything about it. My instructor used to just tell me to go over the jump. One day in the summer i went on one of their pony days, which was a waste of money. All the staff supposed to be showing us what to do were at a meeting, and one member of staff told us to groom the horses and ponies, and when one of the head staff saw us she shouted at us. In the lesson they didn't know who to put me on, so they put me on lala, who is a 12hh pony, bearing in mind i was 13 and was 4 foot 10! Later we went of with the girl who was doing the day because none of the staff were free, who i already knew, and it was only her.

We did some lunging in the outdoor arena, and it was fine. She then put 2 on at a time on bareback. We were all nervous. We were fine in walk and trot, but decided we didn't want to do canter. She made the horse canter anyway, knowing we didn't want to and me and my friend fell off. I had my body protector on, bounced of the fence and fell on the floor. I had a massive bruise on my back, but luckily i had no broken bones. My friend didn't have a body protector on, but she was ok, but just really shaken up. Because i was behind her and holding her round the waist, when she fell of i did too. They also put two kids on bareback who were stil on lead rein, just trotting. They trotted around and then cantered. They both fell off, and at the end of the day their parents, and mine and my friends parents complained, and the girl got fired. My mum felt terrible because she had organized the day for me and my two friends and felt responsible.

After that me and my friend both lost our confidence. I left Wirral Riding Centre and went back to Foxes Riding School, and got my confidence back. My current instructor is claire, who is really strict but an amazing instructor. Erin and all the others are great too. Foxes might be expensive but it is well worth it. Lovely horses and ponies, great instuctors and staff. I now work there for points every saturday and i love it. I would recommend it to anyone.

foxes have been great with me,i decided to start riding at 60 yrs of age they patent and helpful,Allie is my usual instructor & Grace who I have ridden since day one is a dream,they maybe more expensive than other schools but well worth it