Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
A canter over to Cockfosters - Trent Park Equestrian Centre
I took Isabelle over to Oakwood this morning to the Trent Park Equestrian Centre for her Easter holiday horse-riding treat. We discovered this last half-term and although bone-achingly cold, she loved her lesson in the rudiments of horsemanship and I think, proud parent that I am, she shows considerable promise.
Seeing a tiny child approach a Thelwellian pony that still towers over them with confidence is a sight to behold and the set up at Trent Park seems very good.
I wasn't really a horsey type as a child, one miserable experience with a sullen goth called Franka rather put me off the whole riding thing and I've grown a little bit afraid of our equine friends ever since. After about my third lesson she took us off into some woods and decided that we ought to learn to ride bareback. Having stripped my miserable steed of its saddle she heaved me up onto its back and then walloped its rump, sending said beast careering off into the undergrowth. I was hanging onto my pony's mane for dear life whilst she screamed out "you look like a sack of potatoes, sit up straight" No fear, not on your life. Olympic dreams shattered.
No such cavalier techniques at Trent Park though, Isabelle is tutored gently, if rather firmly.
Fortified by a breakfast of brioche and gummy bears (Olympians take note) we take the piccadilly line from Finsbury Park up to Oakwood and in less than 20 minutes, arrive in the Hertfordshire countryside.
Isabelle's pony for the lesson is Billy and she takes his rein and sets off with her guide to the indoor training centre. There are about seven other children ranging in height and skill taking the lesson and they trot round in circles as Louise the Instructor bellows out commands from the centre. She grows a deepening shade of puce with each exhortation but the children seem to take it all in their stride.
For a little girl who resolutely refuses to dress herself and still enjoys her evening milk in a baby bottle, her grip of the complex instructions being issued to her is astonishing. "Take the reins in your left hand, trot up to the X, ride in an S formation and hand the reins back to your right". I'd be flustered and panicking at this point, trying to marry that with the complicated procedure of rise and trot but my little horsewoman just gets on with it, giant riding hat occasionally slipping over her eyes. To be honest I didn't think she knew her left from her right or the difference between an S or an X shape but I seem to have been underestimating her talents.
An hours lesson comes to £25, certainly not a cheap hobby or one that we can indulge in more than once every couple of months but I'm told by another mother watching from the stands that once they reach a level of reasonable proficiency, there are quite a few bargains to be had on the riding front. There are plenty of horse owners in the Oakwood area who let children ride their ponies for a much cheaper rate once they know what they're doing.
I'd certainly recommend the centre for beginners though.
Tags for Forum Posts: alexandra park, horse-riding, parks, riding, trent park
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Andrea on
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Beginners and experienced alike. It's a really good centre, with good horses and trainers. They do pub rides for experienced adults, and you can compete in their regular 'client' shows. Entries are around £20 and that includes the hire of the horse too.
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Permalink Reply by Germana on
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Thanks for this tip. Funnily enough I heard about the equestrian centre for the first time this weekend. I would also add that Trent Park itself is really worth going to as well - it feels like proper countryside even though it's just the edge of London and no more than 15 minutes on the tube from here. The best option is to get off at Cockfosters at the very end of the Piccadilly line. Take the exit to the car park, and right in front there is a green gate that leads to a path into the park!
There are also a couple of nice cafes in the park (one with an animal shelter and lovely playground - which my toddler loved), as well as other places to eat closer to the tube station.
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Permalink Reply by Lydia R on
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I run the pony rides every year for the Lordship Rec festival and have been frequently surprised by the numbers of Tottenham parents who have told me they drive their children miles out of borough for riding lessons. I wonder why more do not question the irony that such an ecologically sound sport as riding has to start off with a long car journey because Haringey has no local facilities.
I have even formally suggested to the council that the isolated part of Alexandra park near the deer enclosure could be leased to anyone prepared to start up a riding school there. I have studied the site and there is plenty of room.
When confronted by this idea - which would not only provide exercise for young Haringey residents but also psychological and physical therapy and remedial education as well as jobs - the committee reacted as if I had proposed to set up an academy teaching Klingon opera.
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Permalink Reply by Alice Martin on
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Lydia, I know so many people who would be thrilled with your idea. The charity I work for ran a dad's event for dad's to take their kids pony riding at Trent Park and it was a huge success. All the dads and kids loved it. I have since taken my daughter but can't afford it too often unfortunately. Also, as you say it is quite a schlepp to Trent Park.
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Permalink Reply by Louise Nazeraj on
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Brilliant Lydia - a campaign for a riding school in Haringey beckons...
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Permalink Reply by pamish on
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Why not practical? It used to be viable - as in, Any Old Iron? - xref recent discussions re the price of scrap metal. Is a horse n cart cheaper to run than a white-van? It would certainly smell better.
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And the resulting ordure could be used as manure for roses as in days gone by!
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There's another riding school in Lea Valley. Haven't been there, but supposed to be very good too.
http://www.leevalleypark.org.uk/en/content/cms/leisure/activities_a...
And there's even one under the Westway. Too far for Haringey residents, but it's a charity-run place, I understand. Have a look at these photos on Flikr - if it came be done underneath the Westway, there why not Ally Pally?
http://www.westwaysportscentre.org.uk/horse-riding-centre/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/4468336066/
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I have been to the one in Lea Valley. It is a wonderful outfit supported partly by public funds.
It takes paying customers and uses the money to run pony clubs for underprivileged children who would otherwise not stand a chance. That was the model I proposed to the Council who, as I said, were not impressed.
I didn't know where to go from there. I don't want to set the place up myself, I just want the council to make the land available for free to anyone who is so inclined. If anyone can suggest a way forward on this, maybe we can renew the campaign.
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Try having a chat to the Westway Centre and see how they got started. Link above
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There are TWO riding schools within spitting distance of the Westway.
One is right under the flyover. I have ridden there and it fits into a space smaller than the area which is available in AP. There is also another school, which is over the road on the Scrubs side. A nun started it up and still runs it -- again mostly for underprivileged children although there are paying customers as well. I spent an afternoon with Sister Mary Joy finding out about the Scrubs riding school (as you see, I have done some serious research into the possibilities). It is beyond doubt that many of the kids who have been through her establishment have had their lives saved by dealing with animals that need regular, responsible care and which you cannot push around but with whom you must learn to negotiate. Some of these children moved on into equestrian careers and many are appreciative enough of the life-changing opportunity afforded them that they come back to help out when they have time off.
I cannot understand why Haringey Council (self-proclaimed champions of the underdog) do not seize on this sort of opportunity when they have the resources to facilitate it. Possibly they have some sort of class-war fixed idea that riding is a passtime for toffs.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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They say they're champions of the underdog, they're just champions of the loser.
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