At Follifoot Park Riding Centre, Husband and Wife, Chris and Julie Pedley are at the heart of the operation.
They have had an aim since they opened in 1986, to make horse riding accessible to everyone. With this goal in their sights, they host the Follifoot Park Disabled Riders Group at their stables.
They help people with a range of disabilities including; cerebral palsy, autism, deafness, behavioural problems, learning difficulties and more.
It helps the riders due to the regular, rhythmic movements of the horse that makes it more relaxing to help with circulation, balance and helps strengthen all core muscles – improving posture.
Not disregarding the fun element, it also helps boost confidence that comes with learning a new skill.
This group also accommodates wheelchair users or people unable to sit on a horse, with their carriage driving.
Carriage driving is where the wheelchair is secured onto the carriage and they go around the country lanes for an hour.
Here, they also have a mechanical horse called STORM, for people who aren’t confident enough with the live horses. With all the same movements of a real horse, STORM still has the benefits without being able to run away!
They are currently looking for volunteers, even if you know nothing about horses – full training is provided.
If this is something you could be interested in, find out more here!
Dressage Competitions
Dressage Competitions are held at Follifoot Park and they host classes for Introductory Tests (walk and trot), Novice and Preliminary with Rosettes being awarded for each competition.
Also alongside holding the competitions, they host regular Dressage Riding Clinics in preparation for the next competition.
If you have never competed in a dressage competition before and would love to try, it is the best place to start since after you have completed the tests, you receive feedback and work through any corrections needed to help you improve – then the horse will get booked in the competition if possible.
They also host riding lessons for adults and different activities alongside the indoor and outdoor riding arenas.
You can find more information on pricing, how to book and more on their website here.
