Lee Valley Riding Centre

A fairly decent place for trying horse riding, or for a first few lessons when moving to London. Let me explain…
Lee Valley Riding Centre is part of a community/​council sports projects (ice ring, football pitches) and as such is perfectly organised: health and safety, open to the wider public, accessible by public transport, standardised teaching. It doesn’t get much safer for beginners, or easier for seasoned riders. Excellent for children too.
But it’s also victim of it’ success, with lessons booked WELL in advance (count several days to a couple of weeks), no access to open spaces for hacks, and bored to death horses. To be fair some are quite decent, but the real sport horses are privately owned, here on livery only.
You’ll want to find a «sharper» club or center soon, but don’t be afraid to give this one a go first.

This is another valued addition to the quirkiness of the Leabridge road, where E5’s urban dystopia turns visibly to countryside in a matter of yards. Driving up the long approach road between swaying beech trees and neighing mares, you would be forgiven for thinking you were somewhere near Newmarket. The illusion of rural calm continues inside as horses are hay-​strewn stable to training yard and back again by their capable human minders. There are classes here to suit every level of ability from haven’t-even-patted-a-donkey up to advanced. For the huntsman extraordinaire, there is the opportunity to have a free session with one of the better mounts. The price for all this is predictably high, in some cases as much as £30 for a group lesson of one hour. Presumably, the amount of feed needed to keep the three dozen four-​legged-​friends healthy along with exhorbitant insurance rates do not help matters in this regard. I have another reason to visit now though in the form of recently discovered hidden treasure around the back of the riding centre: about three tons of vintage, dark brown, crumbly horse manure — free to take away (bring your own sacks) and perfect for the budding guerilla gardener.