07/09/2026
This couldnt be any better said to be honest, i recently thanked my old riding school and instructors as they were the foundations of who i am today,
Children now days are too quick to slate other riding schools without even stepping foot on the yard, if you have then you can have an opinion, i get we are not going to be to everyones taste but we try our best to give everyone the experience i had as a child and to learn as you go, i want the best for everyone and to teach correctly and be disiplined throughout to teach safety, we all make mistakes myself included but thats how we learn, having the right people around you is unbeatable.
Whatever school you are at make the most of it.
A little reminder to every rider, because sometimes in the excitement of moving on, it’s easy to forget where it all began. ❤️
Most riders start their journey at a riding school.
You climb onto a school pony, often nervous, excited and not really knowing what you’re doing. You listen to your instructor, you learn how to sit, how to ride, how to care for a horse, how to fall off and get back on again. You make mistakes. You learn. You grow.
And behind all of that are the ponies and instructors who give you those foundations.
The school pony who patiently carries you around when you’re wobbling all over the place. The pony who teaches you to find your balance, your confidence and eventually your feel. The instructor who watches every stride, corrects your position, answers your endless questions and encourages you when you think you can’t do it.
But riding schools are about so much more than just learning to ride.
They’re where friendships are made. Where you spend your weekends and school holidays. Where you laugh until your stomach hurts, get muddy, probably get told off a few times and make memories that stay with you for decades.
I have such fond memories of the riding school I learnt at. In fact, I’m still friends with some of the girls I went there with all those years ago. We still talk, still laugh about the things we got up to and still remember those ponies, those lessons and those days.
Then, one day, you progress.
You might get your own pony. You might start competing. You might move onto a different yard, ride different horses or find a new instructor.
And that’s exactly what we want for you.
We want you to progress. We want you to outgrow us. We want you to go further than you ever imagined you could. ❤️
But please, don’t forget where you started.
We saw a TikTok comment this week where a child who used to ride with us talked about how much happier she was now she had her own horse and a new instructor. And honestly? That’s absolutely fine. We genuinely wish her every success with her own horse and her next chapter.
But what did make us sad was the way the riding school, the instructors and the ponies who were part of her journey were spoken about.
Because without that beginning, would she have had the knowledge, confidence, experience and opportunities to get to where she is now?
Every lesson, every ride, every school pony, every bit of advice and every opportunity plays a part in creating the rider you eventually become.
No riding school is perfect. No instructor gets everything right every single time. And no school pony is a machine. They are living, breathing animals who give so much of themselves to teach the next generation.
And whilst you may eventually move on to your own horse, a new instructor or a different path, that doesn’t erase the people, ponies and memories that helped you get there.
And actually, I think I’m allowed to say this because I’ve been that child too.
Attached is a photo of me in one of my very first riding school lessons, almost 30 years ago.
I was sat on a little pony called Sooty.
I will never forget him and still talk about him now. ❤️
My instructors were Jenny and Hannah, and I will never forget them either. They were part of the very beginning of my journey and helped teach me to become the rider I am today.
In fact, I absolutely love following Hannah’s journey now and seeing her own children learning to ride. There’s something really special about watching that journey come full circle.
Those first lessons mattered.
Those first ponies mattered.
Those first instructors mattered.
The friendships mattered.
The memories mattered.
And I think that’s something we should all remember.
So celebrate your progress. Be proud of your achievements. Be excited about your own horse and everything that comes next.
But don't be so quick to slate the riding school that taught you, the instructor who helped you and the pony who carried you when you were learning.
Because one day, that little nervous child climbing onto a school pony might just become the rider with their own horse.
And when that happens, I hope they look back and think:
“That’s where it all started.” 🐴❤️
Never be ashamed of where you started.
Be grateful for it.
