Ryders Farm Equestrian Centre

20/08/2024

It is with a very sad heart that we have to share with you that Gypsy was put to sleep 🙏🏻 Gypsy was well into his thirties and left us peacefully in the early hours on Monday.

To be completely honest, I really don't have the words to write for once, I've asked all the team to help with this and we can't seem to sum him up well enough. But, let's try...

Gypsy is RFEC. He has been part of the fixtures here for well over 20 years. He had a heart of gold and understood everyone that rode him, sometimes better than they did themselves. In his heyday, he was a challenge for the experienced riders and a delight for the nervous and novice. He taught so many to ride and reignited the passion for riding for so many.

It goes without saying, Gypsy has a huge fan club and will be dearly missed by all that encountered him. Those who know Gypsy, will know he had one special lady in his life in particular, Norma, and she has loved and worshipped him as he deserved - thank you Norma for making his life so very special. Sometimes it feels hard to share messages like this as it feels so personal to us all, but that is the absolute honour of having these amazing horses at RFEC, they become part of everyone's lives and it is a pleasure that our riders get to share them with us. We all have our own special memories of him and he gave so much happiness to so many. He had a huge role to play in many people's lives and believe he is the reason many are involved with horses still to this day.

Thank you for everything Gypsy, and thanks for the memories - we will never forget you 💗

12/08/2024

Meet Barbra 🦖

Name: Barbra
Stable Number: 6 (lives with Rosy Pony)
Colour: Dark Bay
Age: 14
Birthday: No recorded birthday 😢🙏🏻
Height: 12.3hh
Breed: Welsh Pony (no recorded breeding!)
Personality: Giddy, Sassy, Fun✨
If she was a fictional character: Dino (Literally because Becky always calls her Barbra-saurus and I can never get it out of my head 🤣)

I always think of Barbra as a party animal! Barbra has strong opinions and she wants to share them, especially with Rosie and their ongoing sibling rivalry 🙈 I STILL think of Barbra as the new pony as she was so different to the rest of the pony gang when she arrived, we just didn't know if she would fit in; the only person we had to ride her was Becky for a while as she rode like a horse but is the size of a pony 😂 How wrong was that; Barbra is such a favourite among the younger riders and teens as she is just so fun. She is a proper whizzy pony! Don't be fooled by her approach though because she is also one of the softest, loyalest ponies you'll meet and as everyone does she appreciates you taking the time to understand her and her personality 💗

I feel really bad that we don't have many pictures of little Babs, so I think we definitely need a photoshoot for her! 💅

29/07/2024

Meet Rosy Pony 🌹
Name: Cheshmire Primrose
Stable Number: 6 (lives with Barbra)
Colour: Grey
Age: 19
Birthday: 24/02/2005
Height: 12hh
Breed: Welsh Section A
Personality: Cheerful, Gentle, Fun ✨
If she was a fictional character: Daisy Duck 💗 (we don't even know why, we just think she would suit the bow 🎀 💁🏻‍♀️)

Rosy is the perfect partner for our younger riders to learn and gain confidence. She is small but mighty and shouldn't be underestimated! She may be a pony but we love working with Rosy for our smaller teen riders to have fun together.

She does have a sassy side when she gets into an argument with Barbra, they are literally like sisters arguing 🙈 Rosy has been part of RFEC for a long time now, in her hey day she was start of our Showjumping competitions and would challenge everyone in the jump off 💪

26/07/2024

The Rider Refiner - EquiPilates, Rider Fitness and Therapy is at RFEC 💪

New block of sessions starts THIS MONDAY (29th July)

Group Fitness Bootcamp 🏃‍♀️ 4.30pm
Regular outdoor fitness bootcamp. Hayley is a personal trainer, with a background in health, fitness and sports massage, having been in the industry for over 20 years.

All levels of fitness welcome and catered for. As long as you put the work in we can guarantee you results what ever fitness stage you are at. No equipment is needed, just bring yourself, enthusiasm and wear your workout gear!

Adult Pilates and breathwork🧘‍♀️ 6.00pm
Following on from the success of our Equi-Pilates bootcamp we have added a weekly Adult Pilates session. These sessions are designed to improve your fitness, balance and posture. Including breathwork and meditation 🌬

➡️ BOOK NOW: https://ryders-farm.ecpro.co.uk/book/lessons
(If you haven't booked with us before; create a free account on ECPro to book)

Not JUST for riders! These classes are for everyone who wants to improve their fitness, balance and strength 💪🏼 Lots of laughs and a relaxed environment - perfect if you’re like us and can’t be inside in a gym and want to be surrounded by horses at all times 🐴

For Riders; we need to be physically fit to do our job well. A tired rider becomes an unbalanced rider. Being fit to ride means you will find it much easier to keep your posture, move in balance with your horse and communicate clearly to your horse and breathe.

12/07/2024

𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗧𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆
Riders Minds are inviting equestrians all over the world to come together on 9th August 2024, for Riders Minds Day, in a campaign to break barriers and show each other support.

➡️Read more here: https://ridersminds.org/2024/07/03/a-c-t-and-bring-equestrians-together/

💜𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩
🌍Live webchat: https://ridersminds.org/
🇬🇧Live text support: 07480 488 103
🇬🇧Call the helpline: 0800 088 2073

08/07/2024

Meet Lady 👵
Name: Warleigh Meadow Brown
Stable Number: 5 (lives with Sami)
Colour: Dark Bay
Age: 27
Birthday: 1997 (no recorded date)
Height: 12.2hh
Breed: British Riding Pony
Personality: Friendly, Gentle, Loyal ❣️
Is he was a fictional character: Lady from Lady & the Tramp 🐕

Little Lady 💓 I think she is 100% the Queen of the ponies?! Everyone has a soft spot for Lady - Connor especially! She is an absolute delight of a pony. She is also captain of our self titled 'Fat Club' and can eat her weight in grass in about 15 minutes flat so we really monitor her diet and weight, especially in her older age this is really important to keep her looking as fabulous as she does. I think a common misconception for a childrens pony of Lady's size is they are all pretty much the same? I hope you will enjoy reading the bio's of the ponies and realise they all have their own personality, style and character. We respect Lady so much for the job she does and are honoured to work alongside her. Lady is one of those rare diamonds that would be really hard to find another like her, she has taught so many children to ride and have fun with ponies.

Please post your favourite Lady photos below as for some reason we don't have that many good ones of her! 📸

06/07/2024

🚨 𝐿𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝓂𝒾𝓃𝓊𝓉𝑒 𝒸𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒𝓁𝓁𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃!!! 🚨

The box is available to hire tomorrow - Sunday 7th July - Due to a last min cancellation

- Drivers 23yrs+

- Evening before pick up can be arranged

Please get in touch if you would like more information or to book!

01/07/2024

Meet Sami ☀️

Name: Sunny Sammy Lee
Stable Number: 5
Colour: Bay
Age: 18
Birthday: 05/05/2006
Height: 12hh
Breed: Welsh Section A
Personality: Cheeky, Fun, Patient 😄
Is he was a fictional character: Abu from Aladdin 🐒

Little Sami! What a special little character he is. I'm sure his age may shock a few of you to learn as he is actually an older man now. Sami has been with us for a very long time now and came after our two infamous ponies called Tommy and Robby (so he had big shoes to fill!), I think you will agree he certainly has as he is part of the furniture here at RFEC. Jasmine has made the perfect comment about Sami, that he has lived here for so long but we feel like he's only just grown up?! 🙈 Sami lives his days with the ponies and the lovely Lady so he always has a perfect partner in crime to share his days with. Despite his playful personality, Sami has the patience of a saint; being dressed up as a unicorn, covered in glitter and joining in with all the games 🐎 He lives out with the other ponies and is a proper hairy monster in the Winter, we've done all sorts with his clips over the years (who remembers his love heart knees? 😂) but he looks incredible with his summer coat and shine ✨

26/06/2024

The Rider Refiner - EquiPilates, Rider Fitness and Therapy is coming to RFEC this July 2024!

🧘‍♀️ Equi-Pilates

Mondays starting 1st July: 6.30pm - 7.30pm
Fridays starting 5th July: 1pm - 2pm
4-Week Course of Equi-Pilates for £40

These classes are designed to improve flexibility, rider strength, posture on and off the horse and co-ordination and balance. Pilates exercises aim to strengthen the body in an even way, placing emphasis on core strength to improving fitness and well-being. As riders, developing your core connection is invaluable, allowing you to develop a much stronger, supple, balanced and co-ordinates position in the saddle.
In Equi-Pilates sessions, we will undertake various exercises to understand correct alignment and position in the saddle, as well as improving flexibility, fitness and identifying any imbalances we may have.


💆🏻‍♀️ 1:1 Sports Massage & Exercise Therapy

Fridays starting 5th July: 9.30am, 10.30am, 11.30am
Introductory price of £50/session through July!

The 1:1 Sports Massage & Exercise Therapy sessions are bespoke to your needs and goals. Sessions are designed for all level of riders and athletes, looking to gain knowledge and confidence in their exercise. Suitable for regular fitness or rehabilitation for injuries and recovery.
Your initial session is where your problems/injury/goals will be fully assessed to provide the optimum treatment and plan. Following your first session, a future plan and bookings can be arranged based on your needs.


💪 Outdoor Fitness Bootcamp

Mondays 4.30pm & 5.30pm
Book as a block of 4 sessions for £25 or £8 per class

A horse rider needs to be physically fit to do their job well. A tired rider becomes an unbalanced rider. As you tire, your ability to maintain your posture and balance in the saddle is decreased, along with your reaction rates, which means your horse must constantly adjust his movement and balance to compensate.
Join our fun, friendly fitness class! Open to riders and non-riders. Outdoor fitness in supportive groups.

25/06/2024

Meet Fred 🤡

Name: Isserkelly Elphin
Stable Number: 4
Colour: Appaloosa
Age: 16
Birthday: 01/01/2008
Height: 15.1hh
Breed: Cob
Personality: Kind, Laidback, Loveable ❣️
Is he was a fictional character: Eeyore 🙌

Oh Fred we love you! Fred is a special boy and you can't help but love him. When he came to us, he was so nervous and untrusting. We worked for a loooong time building his confidence and gaining his trust, and he has been right at home ever since. I really hope everyone takes the time to listen and learn about Fred when you meet him because he has a heart of gold 💛 When you ride Fred, you feel like he will keep you both safe. He would be my first pick for a good canter across the fields! Our favourite story about Fred is infamous and always gives us a good giggle when we remember our riders saying he had a previous career as a circus horse - we can just imagine Fred juggling 🤹‍♂️ 🤣

22/06/2024

OUTDOOR FITNESS BOOTCAMP AT RFEC with The Rider Refiner - EquiPilates, Rider Fitness and Therapy

Hayley is a qualified PT with 20+ years experience, we have a weekly outdoor fitness Bootcamp every Monday at:
4.30pm and 5.30pm (45 minute sessions)

Friendly, fun fitness - come and get involved 💪🏼 You can book these sessions via ECPro for Monday 24th July only £8 (following this Monday we will be offering block bookings)

Book here (make an account and add your info to start booking): https://ryders-farm.ecpro.co.uk/

Not JUST for riders! This fitness class is for everyone who wants to improve their fitness, balance and strength 💪🏼 Lots of laughs and a relaxed environment - perfect if you’re like us and can’t be inside in a gym!

19/06/2024

WHAT'S ON WEDNESDAYS 👀🗓

We're excited to start the first of our Adults Hacking Club TOMORROW with Connor! Riders will start in the arena, then enjoy a leisurely hack around the fields and spend some time with the horses after their ride. All finished off with a Coffee and Cake in The Farm Cafe 🧁

Our first Hacking Club is currently fully booked, but we hope to run these at least once a month through Summer ☀️

17/06/2024

Meet Dolly 🎎

Name: Dolly Daydream
Stable Number: 3
Colour: Piebald
Age: 15
Birthday: 14/04/2009
Height: 15.1hh
Breed: Cob
Personality: Enthusiastic, Reliable, Strong 💪
Is she was a fictional character: Mulan ⚔️

Dolly is a long standing member of RFEC. Dolly excels at jumping and is a brilliant confidence giver. Dolly works a lot with our Novice adults and teenagers. We describe her as our strong, independent woman 💁🏻‍♀️ I think Dolly is a perfect example of a 'riding horse' and works well with riders at all levels! She is a whizz at XC and loves riding in the field! She was also loved up with Arnie for many years so was really sad to lose him last year 💔

17/06/2024

We LOVE this! We need to get this printed for our arenas 💡💙

EDIT: Please do feel free to share/replicate/display this sign - I’d rather it went out into the world to be used freely and help horses far and wide than if it was just kept on social media!

I seem to spend a lot of time thinking about the ethics of horse sport, and whether we, as an industry, will be able to keep our social licence to operate.

Although we won’t get it right 100% of the time, I think the intent and knowledge behind our actions is a key part of the puzzle.

I have put this sign up on the gate of my arena, in the hope that it reminds me, all my clients and other users of the facilities to stop and think about our intent before embarking upon working our horses each day.

What do you think?

Photo: HDE ‘Promise to the Horse’.

13/06/2024

*Save the Date* Saturday 22nd June - Rider Fitness & Wellbeing Information Morning with The Rider Refiner - EquiPilates, Rider Fitness and Therapy at Ryders Farm Equestrian Centre 💪

More details coming tomorrow 👀

Start your journey to Refined Riding | Personal training for the equestrian EquiPilates biomechanics screening analysis massage Manchester Lancashire Cheshire

11/06/2024

Meet Jill 💋
Name: Llanidan Junilla
Stable Number: 2
Colour: Bay
Age: 20 years
Birthday: 26/05/2004
Height: 14.3hh
Breed: Welsh Section D
Personality: Affectionate, Cheeky, Prima Donna 💁🏻‍♀️
Is she was a fictional character:

Jill is a long standing member of RFEC. You will usually see Jill in her fly rug and mask, she wears these because she is very sensitive to flies and heat, so they protect her and keep her comfortable. If you've met Jill you will know she is very cuddly and loves to give a good kiss 😘 - Gemma actually taught her to do this years ago as she has a massive soft spot for Jill and is always cuddling her! Jill loves to jump! As she gets older we manage how much jumping she does and these are a lot smaller than she would like. Jill is also brilliantly schooled on the flat and rides a lovely dressage test, she is so comfortable to ride and is a real sweetheart 💗

03/06/2024

Meet Callie 🌼

Name: Standen Snow Moon
Stable Number: 1
Colour: Dun
Age: 15
Birthday: 07/06/2009
Height: 14.2hh
Breed: Connemara
Personality: Kind, Loving, Sensitive 💛
Is she was a fictional character: 🐠 Flounder

Callie is one of the first faces you see when you arrive at RFEC, and what a beautiful face she has 😍 Callie is a dressage diva, she is brilliant at helping riders in canter and lateral work. She arrived in lockdown with her best friend, Amber and was hugely overweight. We have done a lot of work managing her weight and fitness.

Interesting fact: Callie seems to change colour everyday! She goes from chocolate dun to bright dun in the sunshine. She is our own colour changing chameleon 🦎

29/05/2024

⌚️ WHAT'S ON WEDNESDAYS

💪 RIDING FIT CHALLENGE AWARD! Starting Wednesday 5th June with Jenny Slee. A 4-week course focusing on all things riding fitness 🐴 Working through this series of awards will help you to gain knowledge and understanding to improve your riding and overall fitness so you're ready to sit in the saddle in the best way for you, and your horse.

Riders will receive a Challenge Awards resource book and Certificate on successful completion of the course. 🐎 This course includes a group riding session.

Perfect for riders at all levels - each week includes a group riding session focused on the riders fitness, techniques and position. Book now via ECPro (new riders must have completed their initial private lesson with us prior to booking on this course)

23/05/2024

📉 📹 Rider Position Analysis

Part of our RFEC Confidence Club with Sweeney Equestrian - Performance Coaching we have been working with these analysis reports of rider position 📸

Video analysis can be a hugely beneficial tool to use as we can’t always feel what someone is telling us until we see and understand it for ourselves.

Abbey and Evie have been working together to build case studies we can share with our riders and members to learn from.

Improved position can lead to a number of things including, improved balance, improved effectiveness of the aids, improved confidence.

The video analysis allows us to see the riders position in a complete view and establish her strengths and weaknesses. All of which we will analyse and discuss as part of our Confidence Club ✨

We all have different strengths and weaknesses and being aware of these allows us to improve as riders.

Our Confidence Clubs meets monthly with Sweeney Equestrian - Performance Coaching to support, encourage and chat with like-minded riders 🧠

20/05/2024

MONDAYS 1-4PM

Our Community Garden will be officially open for volunteers on Monday 27th May 2024 from 1pm - 4pm 💚

Our dream is to grow our own Market Garden growing seasonal, local produce for our local area. 🫑🍓🥬🥒

We have made a good start already and hope to make this into a brilliant community space for our riders and local people. If you ride with us, live locally or want to get involved, please pop us a message to: [email protected] and we would love to have you!

11/05/2024

Please can we remind ALL visitors that Open toe and Open back footwear is NOT allowed on the yard. This includes sandals, crocs and sliders. Each year we see parents and friends standing outside stables in sandals and our heart skips beat, horses are huge, heavy animals and it could just take a split second for them to stand on your toe by complete accident. Please help us keep everyone safe by wearing suitable footwear around the yard, if you cannot do so please only stick to inside areas and the viewing gallery and stay off the yard.

Please don’t be offended if we ask you to move off the yard for your own safety 🩴❌

06/05/2024

Day One of our RFEC Garden Project 🪴 Follow along to watch us transform this space into our community garden.

If any of our members would like to get involved, please send us an email - we would love to have you 💗

03/05/2024

Folly (livery) getting into the summer spirit and enjoying her ice cream 🍦 We LOVE it! 😂

21/03/2024

Dear Riders (past & present) we are currently in the long awaited process of updating our informational website! 💻

We would love to have a section to celebrate our riders and their achievements with horses if we have been even a small part of that journey, we want to show this is what Riding Schools are for!

If you are/have or know someone that has ridden at RFEC and we have helped them along their journey with horses, please get in touch to share your story - leave in the comments below or send us an email 📸 (with photos if possible). Lets celebrate the good work that riding schools do and show the amazing humans and horses we have 🐎

21/03/2024

Our horses are our family 💖 Their welfare and happiness is top priority at RFEC and we are so lucky that our riders share these values too. We will ask all our riders to taker this pledge with us 🐎

We commit to the ethical and fair treatment of all horses and other equids under our care ❤

Today, we’re uniting with our member bodies and other industry leaders to endorse the highest standards of equine welfare, wellbeing and ethics under a new Charter for the Horse 🤝

The charter outlines the actions we all must observe to meet the mental, physical and behavioural needs of each individual horse, under six headings…
1️⃣ Empathy
2️⃣ Care
3️⃣ Respect
4️⃣ Consideration
5️⃣ Ethics
6️⃣ Learning

Read the full charter and find out more 👉 https://bit.ly/BEFCharterForTheHorseLaunch

Want to show your commitment to our horses? Download a copy of the charter via our website and display it on your tack room wall or venue notice board 📌

14/03/2024

Well Done to our fabulous Abbey and Sansa! We are so proud of you 🤩💖

13/03/2024

The Changing Lives programme at Ryders Farm Equestrian Centre aims to empower individuals who struggle with traditional mainstream education. We have availability for immediate start on our new courses.

We are running two information sessions for anyone who would like more information, meet the team and find out what we can do for you:

✨Friday 15th March 11am - 1pm
✨Wednesday 20th March 5.30pm - 7pm

You can register your interest to visit any information sessions or just turn up on the day: https://ryders-farm.ecpro.co.uk/events/6532

07/03/2024

Well Done to our member Ruth on Gracie 🥈💗 Over 70%!! 👏🏼