# Please clue in this clueless American...



## Huck (14 June 2015)

Hi there. I used to be an Intermediate level eventer in the US and quit cold turkey to focus on my education and career. I have not really ridden seriously in about 15 years. However, I am starting to get that itch again. I miss horses, riding, and being outside. And now I find myself in the UK, the fabulous land of the horse(!) and so I feel I should at at least explore the possibilities. 

I currently have a very demanding job in London, and I am still not quite sure how I would work this out, but I'd like to understand what it would take to get riding again. I don't anticipate competing at a high level - I am probably more interested in hacking or possibly hunting.

As this is not my turf, and I really don't have any connections in the horse world in the UK, I am hoping you can help me out. 

What I am trying to understand is this:

What are the horsey areas that would be an hour or less from Charing Cross by train? (I am contemplating moving from London to "the country"...)

What does livery typically run? I am not particularly interested in having someone clean my tack, but if I am working all week, the horse is going to need to be turned out, rugged, stall cleaned, held for the blacksmith, etc. 

Can you give me any suggestions of particular stables? I'd prefer a place that was well-run but laid back, and perhaps with a contingent of eventers or hunters but not a hard-core competition barn. I like to hack out over the countryside, so access to that would be a requirement. Really curious to see what's out there. 

I'd probably toe-dip a bit before jumping into having a horse again to see if I can cope with this job and a horse, but I'd just like know what the possibilities are.

Thanks in advance.


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## Exploding Chestnuts (14 June 2015)

Of course you could try driving, this is a competative sport where teams of horses [four fit horses] have a driver and two grooms, it requires expertise in horse handling, attention to detail in harnessing and a bit of brute strength to manhandle the carriage, which is why most teams are four horses and three men. You would be very welcome, the top guys compete at a high level, the horses are generally also ridden so you would be able to ride when they are not competing. I am not sure about location.
Marathon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER9CgKTx2T0
Dressage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVpHpQHuyhI
Cones https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx_VFZlqRU8

http://www.britishcarriagedriving.co.uk/


THis is a distinct and unique sport which is similar to eventing, not to be confused with the BDS [British Driving Society]who show horses.


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## Exploding Chestnuts (14 June 2015)

Start here : http://belmontcarriagedriving.co.uk/about_us.php

I see they also offer scurry experience:  scurry is mad people with mad ponies competing regularly, often indoor [I think]

I think you might find hunting a bit of a disapointment, its not for everyone, its expensive, seasonal and can be snobby, the  jumps are often geared up to ponies,  you have to learn the etiquette, and stand around quite a lot.


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## Exploding Chestnuts (14 June 2015)

Scurry indoors https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPJ_gsbctLo

HOYS is the horse of the year show, its televised and it has lots of disciplines including show jumping


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## Leo Walker (14 June 2015)

S/He was an eventer who is now looking to ride and or for yards near her/his current location?! Not sure that suggesting s/he takes up driving is really what hes looking for??

Not sure how much help I can be! I'm currently in Milton Keynes which is about 35mins from Euston, but I *think* is probably the wrong side for Charing Cross. Hopefully someone in the right area will be along shortly  It should be no problem to find what is called a part loan/ share. It basically means you have the horse a few days a week. And so long as you dont mind a hefty price tag, it wont be a problem finding somewhere to keep a horse if you want to buy one. What your looking for is called full livery over here. Basically the yard meets all the needs of the horse and you turn up to ride. There are degrees of livery, from just turning out on a morning, to everything including riding and tack cleaning. If you google "livery yards *in the areas you can get to* you will get some idea of whats available. The cheaper yards that require you to do the care bit dont usually advertise, but the more expensive full care yards usually do. Hope that helped


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## Exploding Chestnuts (14 June 2015)

The driving horses are ridden as part of their fittening and schooling work. He would meet lots of proper horsey people very quickly, and see real English country estates which are lovely. Driving is very competitive and demanding, but it is something where someone with determination and money can aspire to national status, purely due to its exclusivity.
Its not practical to event: cost, time and support required,  and he/she will not find it easy to slot in to a hunting yard with no hunter, and it is seasonal, not really a London thing.  If he is used to riding good fit horses, he won't enjoy the standard RS issue, and the same applies to many loan horses. I know myself that hacking is not the same as  riding fit forward going horses.
There is polo, which is super expensive if going the whole hog, but worth trying at grassroots level.
Endurance riding: you would need to buy one  [usually forward going arabs], and keep it at livery [they get 1-2 hours per day fast hacking, and more at weekends, but you need a support team [at least one horse oriented driver] as they have to stop at vetgates for rest and a check.
I am just throwing a few ideas in to the pot, there is also Le Trec, which is sort of agility for horses, again it gets you out and about.
There is current post on  riding holidays, might be a start.


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## Exploding Chestnuts (14 June 2015)

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/foru...ing-Hacking-holiday-in-the-UK-for-single-girl!!
I have given up ownership and now dabble here and there trying different things, its quite a good approach and cheaper than a long term commitment, you pay for what you want, and that  is the extent of your commitment. 
A weekend in Cumbria riding Clydesdales [The Budweiser horses], another in Wales on Welsh mountain ponies [we have quite a few native breeds of ponies].
See the country from the back of a horse, what can be better?


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## be positive (15 June 2015)

Bonkers2 said:



			The driving horses are ridden as part of their fittening and schooling work. He would meet lots of proper horsey people very quickly, and see real English country estates which are lovely. Driving is very competitive and demanding, but it is something where someone with determination and money can aspire to national status, purely due to its exclusivity.
Its not practical to event: cost, time and support required,  and he/she will not find it easy to slot in to a hunting yard with no hunter, and it is seasonal, not really a London thing.  If he is used to riding good fit horses, he won't enjoy the standard RS issue, and the same applies to many loan horses. I know myself that hacking is not the same as  riding fit forward going horses.
There is polo, which is super expensive if going the whole hog, but worth trying at grassroots level.
Endurance riding: you would need to buy one  [usually forward going arabs], and keep it at livery [they get 1-2 hours per day fast hacking, and more at weekends, but you need a support team [at least one horse oriented driver] as they have to stop at vetgates for rest and a check.
I am just throwing a few ideas in to the pot, there is also Le Trec, which is sort of agility for horses, again it gets you out and about.
There is current post on  riding holidays, might be a start.
		
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The OP has said they are not looking to event, at least in the short term, I think Hot to Trot would prove it is possible to do so even from a central London base as she competes at Intermediate level with a fairly clueless, sorry HtT, support  team and now 2 very young children in tow.
Hunting is a totally realistic aim plenty of people hunt each Saturday barely seeing the horse during the week it will need to be on full livery so it is fit enough but should easily be doable if the right yard can be found,  I would be looking into the Kent area easily accessible from Charing Cross and a very active horse area probably not as expensive as Surrey/ Sussex, there are many hunts in the south east to choose from.

I don't see driving as a real option unless it is just something the OP wants to try, it is very expensive to get involved in and there will be limited options of where to start, finding a decent RS for a few lessons is far more attainable there are plenty within the Greater London area and most will be open in the evenings so fit in more easily with a busy job.

A list of RS in London, I am sure people will have views on them but it will give you a start.

https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=riding schools london


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## Swirlymurphy (15 June 2015)

We are in Surrey on the border with W Sussex so not entirely your area (longer than an hour from Charing Cross) however there is a very good place to start riding on decent horses.  This is Horse Riding Surrey (google it) and run by Alex Marsh who events.  She offers hacking, lessons, hunt hirelings and so on.  I have no connection with Alex or the business but I have heard very good things about her.  It might be a way to get back into it and I'm sure Alex would have plenty of advice, even if ultimately they are in the wrong area for you.


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## Exploding Chestnuts (15 June 2015)

Sorry I spoke, just pointing out one route to get in to the professional  horsy world quickly and no need to buy a horse [if the owner drives he will need lots of support including competent riders].
Hunting is seasonal, so OP is still not occupied all year round, and it is a big commitment to get started with the purchase of a hunter. Even hiring, I think you are looking at maybe £300 to £500 per day including cap, it is not for everyone. Worth  a try, but he/she will have to wait for the cubbing [if they still do cubbing]. There is drag hunting of course.
I could have posted about Riding schools, livery etc etc, but others will do that anyway.


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## ester (15 June 2015)

Bonkers2 said:



			Of course you could try driving, this is a competative sport where teams of horses [four fit horses] .
		
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Or pairs or singles or tandems, or ponies of the same.. The horse teams being pretty slick operations of professional grooms... 

Driving is great, but I think a rather odd suggestion given the OP. 

OP there are usually plenty of opportunities to share if you are a competent rider as a first start before getting your own, with differing terms and you might have to do a couple before you settle on one that works. I'm not sure about areas but if you have localish fb groups putting yourself out there with your experience and availability would be a good start. There is also a lot of loaning that goes on in the uk, different to leasing so you don't pay anything to have the horse but pay for it's upkeep .


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## [59668] (15 June 2015)

I am on livery in the Tunbridge Wells area of kent.  It's an hour on the train.  You need to be looking at the Kent/East Sussex areas on the Southeastern train network for rail links into the City.  Direct into Charing Cross.  There are loads and loads of livery yards and some really beautiful countryside.  You could look all the way from Frant in East Sussex up to the Headcorn area in Kent.


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## deicinmerlyn (15 June 2015)

Lots of full livery hunting yards in Berkshire and the Surrey Hampshire borders, within an hour of London on the train and half that time in the car.
Full livery is where everything is done for your horse including exercise, part livery is almost everything except exercise. DIY is Do it yourself (obvs)
Can think of Farley Hall off the top of my head

Good luck


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## teapot (15 June 2015)

Expensive but http://www.ridinglondon.com/ but might be able to offer you some advice, or at least a foot in the door. 

In all my dealings with them, they're incredibly approachable, and don't immediately try and get you sign up either which is a bonus.


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## Exploding Chestnuts (15 June 2015)

ester said:



			Or pairs or singles or tandems, or ponies of the same.. The horse teams being pretty slick operations of professional grooms... 


Driving is great, but I think a rather odd suggestion given the OP.
		
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Sorry, thinking outside the box again 
I threw this in because in one weekend he can meet 40 or more people passionately involved with horses at a high level and see some big country houses etc etc.
Royalty attend in a private capacity [no need to bow ], it is all quite  fun, and something completely different.
I am not suggesting this is the most likely thing, but it is another thing which is available. He does not need to be a driver, they need riders to school their driving horses.
If OP has every weekend to go and hack within an hour's commuting, then there will be plenty of suggestions along these lines, but OP won't be jumping in to ownership or "loanship" immediately, and there are other things happening out there.
It is always difficult to have been a competitor and then to change to something else, people generally want to use existing knowledge and find something new., at least that is my way of thinking.
Lets see what OP has to say


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## rara007 (15 June 2015)

Bonkers2 said:



			Of course you could try driving, this is a competative sport where teams of horses [four fit horses] have a driver and two grooms, it requires expertise in horse handling, attention to detail in harnessing and a bit of brute strength to manhandle the carriage, which is why most teams are four horses and three men. You would be very welcome, the top guys compete at a high level, the horses are generally also ridden so you would be able to ride when they are not competing. I am not sure about location.
Marathon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER9CgKTx2T0
Dressage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVpHpQHuyhI
Cones https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx_VFZlqRU8

http://www.britishcarriagedriving.co.uk/


THis is a distinct and unique sport which is similar to eventing, not to be confused with the BDS [British Driving Society]who show horses.
		
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I think you'll find as a country across all levels we have more female single pony HDT drivers than all male horse 4 turnouts! Of course our last horse pairs world championships team was all female drivers... And in the Europeans horse 4s team selection 2 of the top 4 drivers are female, and at least one has a female navigator....If the standings don't change our pony team will be 5 female drivers (both pony 4s drivers) and one male pairs driver...

I'm not sure what horse 4 is within an hour of london? I loaned a horse at Ashfields (WBRs base) while living in Camden, that was 2 hours....


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## Exploding Chestnuts (15 June 2015)

rara007 said:



			I think you'll find as a country across all levels we have more female single pony HDT drivers than all male horse 4 turnouts! Of course our last horse pairs world championships team was all female drivers... And in the Europeans horse 4s team selection 2 of the top 4 drivers are female, and at least one has a female navigator....If the standings don't change our pony team will be 5 female drivers (both pony 4s drivers) and one male pairs driver...

I'm not sure what horse 4 is within an hour of london? I loaned a horse at Ashfields (WBRs base) while living in Camden, that was 2 hours....
		
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Of course I am sure you are correct, for some reason I assumed OP was a male. So far no one has mentioned that in the UK riding is female dominated.
I could have gone in to great detail, but I put up a bit of info, plus some video clips, I don't see what harm I have done, weep.
I googled HDT, its Horse Driving Trials, I don't know about this as I live in Scotland [SCDA], and volunteer at Hopetoun and other super places. http://www.hopetoundriving.co.uk/


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## ester (15 June 2015)

Bonkers2 said:



			The driving horses are ridden as part of their fittening and schooling work. He would meet lots of proper horsey people very quickly, and see real English country estates which are lovely. Driving is very competitive and demanding, but it is something where someone with determination and money can aspire to national status, purely due to its exclusivity.
Its not practical to event: cost, time and support required,  and he/she will not find it easy to slot in to a hunting yard with no hunter, and it is seasonal, not really a London thing.  If he is used to riding good fit horses, he won't enjoy the standard RS issue, and the same applies to many loan horses. I know myself that hacking is not the same as  riding fit forward going horses.
There is polo, which is super expensive if going the whole hog, but worth trying at grassroots level.
Endurance riding: you would need to buy one  [usually forward going arabs], and keep it at livery [they get 1-2 hours per day fast hacking, and more at weekends, but you need a support team [at least one horse oriented driver] as they have to stop at vetgates for rest and a check.
I am just throwing a few ideas in to the pot, there is also Le Trec, which is sort of agility for horses, again it gets you out and about.
There is current post on  riding holidays, might be a start.
		
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I'm not sure the OP have declared their gender? I am also not sure that they suggested it was a necessity to get involved into some sort of horse sport which you seem to assume. 

Driving horses are also often ridden but worth a fortune and these are usually pretty professional teams of people, not that they are happy for anyone to hop on and school them.

ETA I'm not sure whether it matters whether there are more men or women riding in the UK?? Or why it is relevant to the OP wanting to do something horsey within commuting distance from the big smoke.


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## Huck (15 June 2015)

Thank you for your suggestions. Just to clarify a few things, while I am sure driving is a great sport, it's never been of particular interest, so we can probably put that suggestion to bed.

I think at this point I am just trying to understand where I'd need to go if I wanted to start riding again AND be able to easily get into London to work. 

At this point, I am not riding-fit (though I run and cycle so not totally unfit) so I have no delusions of going eventing. I just want to get on a decent horse again. And to that end, if it makes financial and logistical sense with the job, I might consider buying one at some point once I have had the chance to ride a bit and see if this would work. Or, if I could figure out a way to ride consistently (and on a decent horse) I could see what the possibilities are for leasing / sharing one. I really don't know.

Maybe I would see if I could swing an invite to hunt if I got fit and had a fit horse, maybe I would just hack around. (FWIW I have hunted in Virginia and so I am not entirely clueless, though I was never a regular.) 

I am just trying to understand the logistical and financial requirements and where I'd need to start looking around. It sounds like this: 

Kent/East Sussex areas on the Southeastern train network for rail links into the City. Direct into Charing Cross. There are loads and loads of livery yards and some really beautiful countryside. You could look all the way from Frant in East Sussex up to the Headcorn area in Kent. 

is probably where I need to be looking.

If you have any particular suggestions in this area, I'd welcome them. 

Thank you all so very much.

Oh, and the applicable pronoun would be "she".  ;-)


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## [59668] (16 June 2015)

Huck said:



			I am just trying to understand the logistical and financial requirements and where I'd need to start looking around. It sounds like this: 

Kent/East Sussex areas on the Southeastern train network for rail links into the City. Direct into Charing Cross. There are loads and loads of livery yards and some really beautiful countryside. You could look all the way from Frant in East Sussex up to the Headcorn area in Kent. 

is probably where I need to be looking.

If you have any particular suggestions in this area, I'd welcome them. 

Thank you all so very much.

Oh, and the applicable pronoun would be "she".  ;-)
		
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Glad I could help.  There are so many livery yards it's hard to make a suggestion to be honest.  I know the area around Frant very well (this is where I am) and the yard I am on has hacking to die for.  Some areas around Headcorn/Pluckley also have lovely hacking, but there are other areas where the hacking is limited to roads only.

Also facilities vary a lot.  You need to think about things like all year turnout etc....

I think you would be best off just driving around some of the areas, then asking for advice about what the areas are actually like, and what the liveries tend to be like (there are some areas that seem to be filled with more "chavvy" types!)...and also the hacking etc.

Also some areas have easier access to more comp venues...depends on what sort of competing you will want to do.  Aff, unaff, eventing, hunting, hacking, dressage?


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## Juniper Jack (22 June 2015)

Hello, Huck, hope the following info helps you in your search:

Here is a link to Charing Cross with destinations from that station:
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destinations/CHX.aspx

Trains from Charing Cross apparently go to Kent; I also saw one that goes to Hastings (in Sussex) via Tonbridge.

Here are some sites that list livery yards in Kent (the first one in Sussex also)--
http://www.kentandsussexequestrian.com/livery_yards.php

http://www.liverylist.co.uk/?p=search&postcode=whitstable&category=0

If you Google "livery yards Kent UK" you should get the same list as well as the names of some other yards in the area, including Maypole in Canterbury, Britton Farm in Canterbury, and Sole Street Stables in Faversham.

http://maypoleliveryyard.co.uk/

I have no knowledge of any of these yards but hopefully you will be able to visit their websites and learn more about them!  Best wishes in your search, and happy riding!


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## npage123 (22 June 2015)

Just wanted to say that if you haven't done it yet, I can highly recommend hacking in one of the parks within London.  I went to one quite a few years ago where you could hack straight into Roehampton Park, which is so big that you could almost forget that you're in a city.   http://www.ridinginlondon.com/  I'm sure they'll even have some (smelly) riding hats available if you haven't got yours any more.  It's probably going to take you a while to decide when to buy/where to keep a horse, but if you're quite eager to get back into it saddle sooner, then this is possibly a good option.


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