Are you looking for a horse experience day to gift someone or to treat yourself? From riding lessons for beginners and archery on horseback for the more advanced to tours of training yards for the ultimate horse racing fan, there is a great selection of experience days to be found. We’ve rounded up all the horse experience days across England, Scotland and Wales in one place so you can find the perfect option near you.
If you’re shopping for a beginner, start by looking for a beginner’s riding lesson or hacking experience. These horse experience days will give a good introduction to the world of horses and riding. If you’re shopping for an accomplished rider – or perhaps are thinking of trying something new yourself – then it’s definitely worth considering stepping up from the trekking options and selecting something like jousting or polo that you wouldn’t usually have a chance to try. And it’s worth remembering that not all horse experience days require the attendee to ride – VIP tours around racing yards and carriage driving experiences are perfect for those who don’t wish to ride but still love horses and are eager for new experiences.
Horse experience days by location
Horse experience days in the East
Guided tour of Newmarket for two
Location: Newmarket, Suffolk
Duration: Up to 8 hours
Cost: £198
View now at virginexperiencedays.co.uk
Guided tour of Newmarket for two – £198
Go behind the scenes with a morning on the famous gallops, a guided tour of The National Stud and visit a working stables.
Grooming and riding experience for young beginners
Location: Warden Hill, Bedfordshire
Suitable for: beginners and novices
Duration: 1½ hours
Cost: £40
View now at redletterdays.co.uk
Grooming and riding experience for young beginners – £40
A great introduction to the world of ponies for children – learn how to groom and prepare a pony, and enjoy a riding lesson.
Riding experience for beginners
Location: Warden Hill, Bedfordshire
Suitable for: beginners and novices
Duration: 1½ hours
Cost: £65
View now at redletterdays.co.uk
Riding experience for beginners – £65
An introduction to horses for adults – learn how to groom and prepare a horse to ride, and enjoy a riding lesson and scenic ride over the Chiltern Hills.
Horse riding with pub lunch for two
Location: Warden Hill, Bedfordshire
Suitable for: experienced riders
Duration: 4½ hours
Cost: £180
View now at redletterdays.co.uk
Horse riding with pub lunch for two – £180
Enjoy a long ride in the Chiltern Hills with a pub stop for lunch.
Behind the scenes VIP experience at a Newmarket stables
Location: Newmarket, Suffolk
Duration: 3 hours
Cost: £119
View now at virginexperiencedays.co.uk
Behind the scenes VIP experience at a Newmarket stables – £119
Enjoy breakfast on arrival at Saint Wendred’s racing yard, meet the horses and learn about their daily routine.
Horse experience days in the East Midlands
An introduction to horse riding
Location: Worksop, Nottinghamshire
Suitable for: beginners and novices
Duration: 90 mins riding, total 3 hours
Cost: £70
View now at redletterdays.co.uk
An introduction to horse riding
A 30-min riding lesson, followed by a buffet lunch and one hour trek through the beautiful and historic site of Creswell Crags. Plus receive a framed photograph with the horse you rode to show off to friends and family.
Horse riding lesson
Location: Arnold, Nottinghamshire
Suitable for: beginners and novices
Duration: 1 hour
Cost: £35
View now at buyagift.co.uk
Hacking experience
Location: Spalding, Lincolnshire
Suitable for: all levels, including beginners
Duration: 1 hour
Cost: £35
View now at buyagift.co.uk
Horse experience days in the North
Meditation with horses
Location: Ambleside, Cumbria
Duration: 2 hours
Cost: £99 for private session, £59 for group session
View now at intotheblue.co.uk
Meditation with horses – from £59
Enjoy a meditation and relaxation session led by an animal trainer and meditator.
Introduction to polo
Location: Market Weighton, East Yorkshire
Suitable for: all levels, including beginners
Duration: 1 hour
Cost: £140
View now at experiencedays.co.uk
Introduction to polo – £140
Progress from polo on foot to a game experience in just a day with the help of qualified instructors.
Horse experience days in Scotland
Carriage driving lesson for two
Location: Lockerbie, Dumfriesshire
Suitable for: all levels, including beginners
Duration: 3 hours
Cost: £295
View now at redletterdays.co.uk
Carriage driving lesson for two – £295
Discover the thrills of back stepping a carriage pulled by a pair of ponies.
Private confidence lesson
Location: Pitlochry, Perthshire
Suitable for: all levels, including beginners
Duration: 2 hours
Cost: £110
View now at intotheblue.co.uk
Private confidence lesson – £110
Regain lost confidence with a one-to-one specialist lesson.
Private jousting session
Location: Pitlochry, Perthshire
Suitable for: riders that can comfortably walk and trot unaided
Duration: 2 hours
Cost: £120 for one, £140 for two
View now at intotheblue.co.uk
Private jousting session – from £120
Dress up as a knight and learn lance skills on horseback.
Vaulting and trick riding session
Location: Pitlochry, Perthshire
Suitable for: Riding experience not essential but preferred
Duration: 2 hours
Cost: £110 for one, £140 for two
View now at intotheblue.co.uk
Vaulting and trick riding session – from £110
Learn a number of tricks, including drags, stands and vaults on horseback.
Hack in the Highlands
Location: Tain, Ross
Suitable for: all levels, including beginners
Duration: 1 hour
Cost: £35
View now at buyagift.co.uk
Horse experience days in the South East
Riding in Windsor Great Park
Location: Windsor, Berkshire
Suitable for: all levels, including beginners
Duration: 2 hours
Cost: £120
View now at virginexperiencedays.co.uk
Polo lesson for beginners
Location: Winchester, Hampshire
Suitable for: all levels, including beginner riders
Duration: 1 hour
Cost: £60
View now at experiencedays.co.uk
Polo lesson for beginners – £60
A chance to have a go at one of the most exciting equestrian sports.
Mechanical horse riding lesson
Location: Southampton, Hampshire
Suitable for: all levels, including beginners
Duration: 1 hour
Cost: £75
View advanced lesson now at experiencedays.co.uk
View beginner lesson now at experiencedays.co.uk
Mechanical horse riding lesson – £75
Have a 30 minute private lesson on a mechanical horse, followed by 30 minutes on a real horse.
Riding lesson
Location: Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex
Suitable for: all levels, including beginners
Duration: 1 hour
Cost: £35
View now at buyagift.co.uk
Riding lesson – £35
Suitable for all levels, including beginners, this lesson will be appreciated by all riders.
Horse experience days in the South West
Polo game and lunch at Taunton Vale Polo Club
Location: Taunton, Somerset
Duration: Up to 7 hours
Cost: £150 per person
View now at redletterdays.co.uk
Polo game and lunch at Taunton Vale Polo Club – £150
A two-course lunch followed by a polo match at England’s oldest polo ground.
Full day introduction to polo
Location: Taunton, Somerset
Suitable for: all levels, including beginners
Duration: 7 hours
Cost: £165
View now at experiencedays.co.uk
Full day introduction to polo – £165
Start the day by hitting the ball on foot, and end it in a full game situation with club players. Includes a lesson on a mechanical horse, lessons on school master polo ponies and lunch.
Horse riding lesson
Location: Templecombe, Somerset
Suitable for: all levels, including beginners
Duration: 1 hour
Cost: £35
View now at buyagift.co.uk
Horse experience days in Wales
Trekking in Welsh countryside
Location: Abergavenny, Monmouthshire
Suitable for: all levels, including beginners
Duration: 1 hour
Cost: £35
View now at buyagift.co.uk
Horse experience days in the West Midlands
Jousting experience
Location: Warwick, Warwickshire
Suitable for: all levels, including beginners
Duration: 7 hours
Cost: £199
View now at buyagift.co.uk or intotheblue.co.uk
Medieval horse archery experience
Location: Warwick, Warwickshire
Suitable for: all levels, including beginners
Duration: 2½ hours
Cost: From £65
View now at experiencedays.co.uk or intotheblue.co.uk
Medieval horse archery experience – from £65
Take in the scenery of the Scottish Highlands on horseback.
Medieval trick riding experience
Location: Warwick, Warwickshire
Suitable for: all levels, including beginners
Duration: 1½ hours
Cost: From £80
View now at experiencedays.co.uk or intotheblue.co.uk
Medieval trick riding experience – from £80
Become a stunt rider for the day with coaching from a professional stunt man.
You might also be interested in:
10 riding hat cameras and other devices designed to capture your special moments on horseback
40 horsey things to do before you die
55 great gifts for the horse obsessed
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