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Jousting to driving, meditation to trick riding – fantastic horse experience days around the UK


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  • 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 East

    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    Horse riding lesson

    Location: Arnold, Nottinghamshire
    Suitable for: beginners and novices
    Duration: 1 hour
    Cost: £35

    View now at buyagift.co.uk

    Horse riding lesson – £35
    Enjoy a group hack near Bestwood Country Park.

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    Hacking experience

    Location: Spalding, Lincolnshire
    Suitable for: all levels, including beginners
    Duration: 1 hour
    Cost: £35

    View now at buyagift.co.uk

    Hacking experience – £35
    Enjoy a hack in the Lincolnshire countryside.

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    Horse experience days North

    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.

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    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.

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    Horse experience days Scotland

    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    Hack in the Highlands

    Location: Tain, Ross
    Suitable for: all levels, including beginners
    Duration: 1 hour
    Cost: £35

    View now at buyagift.co.uk

    Hack in the Highlands – £35
    Take in the scenery of the Scottish Highlands on horseback.

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    Horse experience days south east

    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

    Riding in Windsor Great Park – £120
    Enjoy a hack around the picturesque royal park.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    Horse experience days South West

    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.

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    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.

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    Horse riding lesson

    Location: Templecombe, Somerset
    Suitable for: all levels, including beginners
    Duration: 1 hour
    Cost: £35

    View now at buyagift.co.uk

    Horse riding lesson – £35
    An introduction to the world of horse riding.

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    Horse experience days Wales

    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

    Trekking in Welsh countryside – £35
    Learn the horse riding basics on a trek in Wales.

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    Horse experience days West Mids

    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

    Jousting experience – £199
    Learn how to compete like a knight with a lance and sword.

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    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.

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    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.

    View Deal


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