From four years old: lead rein, groups of four and private lessons, ponies matched to the rider, from £32
Lessons for children
Lead-rein lessons from four, children's groups of four riders for walkers, trotters, canterers and jumpers, and private lessons for the nervous and the keen. The same instructor and the same pony each week. From £32 for thirty minutes on the lead rein.
Most children who ride for a year learn three things: that a pony is bigger than them and still listens, that falling off is survivable, and that being kind to an animal makes it kinder back. The riding comes with that.
Four to six-year-olds start on the lead rein: thirty minutes on Pip, Bramble or Dandy with a helper at the pony's head and the instructor beside them. They learn to sit tall, to hold the reins, to steer round cones and to rise to the trot, and they spend the last five minutes brushing the pony and leading him back to his stable. Thirty minutes is enough at that age; a tired four-year-old is a wobbly one.
From seven, children join a group of four riders at the same level for 45 minutes. A new rider has one or two private lessons first so the instructor can choose the right pony and see how they sit; after that the group moves at the pace of the rider who needs most help, which is never as slow as parents fear. Groups are walk and trot, improvers who canter, and jumping, and children move up when the instructor says so, not at the end of a term.
Lessons are in the outdoor arena, a 40 by 20 metre sand school with a rubber surface that rides well in all but the worst weather, or in the covered school when it is wet or windy. In the summer there are lessons in the paddock and short hacks round the farm for riders who can steer and stop.
Parents watch from the viewing bench by the arena gate, under cover. There is a kettle in the tack room and a toilet in the yard. Please do not bring dogs, and please park on the hard standing, not the verge.
What is included
- Lead rein from four, groups of four from seven
- A private lesson first, to match pony and rider
- The same instructor and pony each week
- Hat and body protector lent for the first three lessons
- Grooming and leading the pony in, every lesson
- The covered school when the weather is bad
What it costs
From £32 for a thirty-minute lead-rein lesson. Groups £36 for 45 minutes; privates £42 for 30 minutes; jumping groups £48 for an hour. The lesson finder suggests the right lesson from the rider's age and ability and shows the next day with a place; the livery page shows the stables free now.
Questions about children's lessons
What should my child wear?
Long trousers without big seams on the inside leg (jodhpurs or leggings are best), boots with a small heel and a smooth sole (no trainers, no wellies) and gloves. We lend a hat and a body protector for the first three lessons.
Is there a weight limit for children?
Our smallest ponies carry up to six stone (38kg) and our largest ponies up to nine (57kg). Older or taller children ride the horses and cobs. We ask when you book so the right pony is tacked up, and it is never mentioned in front of your child.
What if my child is frightened?
Then they ride a private lesson on the lead rein for as long as they need, on Pip, who has not moved faster than a walk without being asked since 2015. Nervous children often become our most careful riders.
Find the lesson, then book the first one.
Tell us the rider's age and what they can do now and we suggest the lesson and the next day with a place. Every new rider starts with a private lesson so we can choose the right horse. Or ring Sian in the office.