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Tremaines Riding Stables

More Than Just a Riding School

By Laura HoltonPublished 4 years ago 4 min read
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Tremaines Stables has been offering far more than just horse riding lessons for decades. Children from the age of three upwards learn how to care for horses and develop a bond with them as well as learning how to ride. Many of the kids who take lessons at the riding school today are the children or even grandchildren of former clients.

A Second Chance for the Horses and Ponies

One of the qualities that makes Tremaines stand out from other riding schools is that many of the horses and ponies come to the yard for a second chance. These horses are rescues who were mistreated and need love — which the kids are only too willing to give.

The transformation of these horses is incredible. Many of the ponies arrive scared, half-starved, and otherwise in a poor condition. The care they receive from the children and staff at Tremaines allows them to trust people again. Just a short time later, these ponies are unrecognizable to when they arrived.

Other horses at Tremaines have reached semi-retirement age and need somewhere to live out their final years. The gentle exercise they receive in the beginner classes keeps them fit and allows them to live to an old age in dignity. It’s no surprise that many of the horses reach their early 30s before they go into permanent retirement.

The Signature Loan Program

A selling point of Tremaines is the opportunity for tweens and teens to live the experience of owning a horse. This is especially popular among families who cannot afford to purchase a horse for their children but want to give their kids the experience of horse ownership. The students who take part in the loan program have the opportunity to do most of the things that come with owning a horse: taking lessons, riding out on hacks, and entering competitions.

In exchange, the students need to work one day a week on the yard — and they’re more than happy to do so. In fact, many of the kids spend a large number of days over the summer at Tremaines, just to be around the horses and spend time with the friends they make at the riding stables.

Additional Activities at Tremaines

Tremaines gives everyone the chance to interact with horses. For instance, the ponies participate in riding for disabled programs year round. The benefits of equine therapy are unmatched. Riders improve motor skills, balance, and even speech and social skills. Horses have an innate ability to understand disabled riders’ distinct needs and are extra gentle and patient. As many of the horses at Tremaines were mistreated in the past, they are extra sensitive to the emotions of the disabled riders, which adds another level to the program.

The loan program at Tremaines is open to children when they turn 11, but kids can start learning about horse care when they are much younger. Pony mornings over the summer holidays provide the chance to learn how to brush horses, prepare their meals, and other aspects of stable management. It’s often the older kids — not just the instructors — imparting this knowledge.

Summer is the most fun time of year in general. The drier weather means that horses can leave the indoor arena and head down to the fields — something that both horses and riders love. Cross-country jumping is invigorating, but just riding the ponies in the outdoor arena, under the sun, is a refreshing end to the long winter months.

Looking to the Future

Most of the kids who ride or participate in the loan program at Tremaines develop a passion for horses that changes their lives forever. Whether they go on to ride occasionally, own horses, or even start a career with horses, Tremaines has a lasting impact.

Unfortunately, this could all be coming to an end. Like so many other small businesses in the UK, Tremaines is struggling to survive the pandemic. The horses still need food, exercise, and medical attention, but the riding stables has had to cut staff, kids from the loan program are unable to visit to help out, and lessons are on hold, meaning the school has no revenue.

This is our chance to support this small riding stables and the more than 30 horses and ponies who live there. With help from the community, we can keep Tremaines alive to serve many more generations of children.

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