i paid £17.50 for half hour private. £20 hour group (rubbish)

i quit and saving upt for my own instead lol (i have owned before but lost my last lad, had a break, started riding again then became scrooge lol)!

dont loan for a first horse - very bad idea! confidence knocks will happen anyhow so loaning makes it worse imho.

the cost of the riding gear doesn't have to be very expensive, simply find good condition riding gear in the papers, ebay etc, spend the most on safety least on decorative, good helmet is a must, pretty joddys not so much lol, then as you go along and decide this is a hobby you will want to continue with definately just buy one thing at a time to replace the second hand items, lay by / lay away is your best friend here and i can't recommend the " smart rider safety stirrups" enough, absolutely the best invention ever i think, no fears of being dragged in a fall ever, i fell off at a gallop was lucky enough not to even get a bruise but i was able to be relaxed with the fall and not tecse up which would have increased my injuries just because i knew i wouldn't get dragged. horse riding is a very addictive hobby but soooo worth it..

thanks for the information. vry useful.. .. i was looking for the same thing.. I love to ride horse.. and i have tried it once without learning.. . and to my surprise i handled the horse very wll and i was very much appreciated.. infact i rode fastly.....since then i have this thirst to be a professional horse rider....

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Regards fringo

I think riding schools are over reated lol I Started going to a riding school at the age of 5, Admitedly I learnt alot but then you hit a brick wall, everyone does. You get to a point where you have learnt enough and you cannot pregress on, just have to carry on doing the same old things!
I quit when I was 12/13 for 3 years, then came back to it by starting working at a livery yard and buying a horse. This helped with my confidence on the ground aswel as being able to ride every now and again, then I stopped that and sold my horse to go to college then to start work full time and decided last year to go back to it as I was getting to an age where if I wanted to compete properly I would have to do it now or never!
I had a few lessons but really didnt learn anything! So I decided to go back to horse ownership. In Feb this year I bought Star, 16.3hh tb Mare and I learn so much more from owning her than any riding school would ever be able to teach me! I still have occasional lessons on Star just so that I know we are both working properly and getting the most out of eachother but that is it.

I agree that loaning would be a terrible idea for now or owning as you need some experience as it isnt just the riding when it comes to looking after a horse 24 hours a day! Very stressful with your first for example if they cut themselves, knowing what to do without panicking and thinking they are gonna die from a scratch! lol (I done this hehe) And knowing what to feed them and in what amounts and how to muck out and all things that are involved in it.

Have a few lessons and see how you feel! You will either love it or hate it!
Good luck