Horses, horses, everywhere....

Advantages: Great hobby, keeps you fit
Disadvantages: Can be a bit dangerous, expensive if you stick to lessons, expensive hobby

...why I thought repeating it was a good idea!), place your foot in the stirrup and then move your right hand to the back of the saddle (takes some balance if the horse is large!). Then simply hop around to gain some upwards momentum and jump on board using your foot in the stirrup to help. Then, upon landing (try to make it smooth!) simply put your right leg in the stirrup. Now, the reason I repeated that was because of the simple face that most, yes, that is MOST, of the people having riding lessons seem to forget their right and left when within 1 metre of a horse. Seriously! You say left, they lift their right leg and try to get on the horse backwards!! Stage 2: Ok, so you’ve got on. Now what!? Well you’ve got two options really. You either sit and wait or you start doing something useful. First you need to...

Sarah_Louise 11.03.2002 · Read review
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Review of horse riding

Wintec 2000 - Not a Saddle For Every Horse

Advantages: Light weight, easy care, comfortable seat, easy change gullets, looks good
Disadvantages: A bit slippy on my low-withered pony, hard to fit to her shape

...a range of colour coded sizes from narrow to extra wide at £9.95 each. I have only one problem with this saddle - it just doesn't stay in place on my pony. She has a flattish back and low withers, but the panels on my wintec are quite curved, and despite proper fitting I find it slips sideways and forwards on our more adventurous hacks. It is worth bearing in mind the shape of your horse before buying one of these. It is a shame really, because other than this I really love my Wintec. If only my pony was a more conventional shape! I would recommend this saddle due to its quality, durability and ease of care, but I would also recommend asking the saddle fitter if you can ride up and down a few hills to check for slippage before parting with any cash. Seat Sizes available: 15", 16", 16.5", 17", 17.5", 18" Average weight: 5.58kg...

sunnyfox 17.09.2003 (24.09.2003) · Read review
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Review of Wintec Saddle

Advice for Horse Riders (especially parents!)

Advantages: Healthy, rewarding sport with many possibilities
Disadvantages: Possible cost

...Horse riding is a sport which, when you mention it to people, they either "did it once and would never do it again" or ¨love it¨. Having been riding now for over 30 years and teaching for over 20, I feel that it is very important that people are aware of the importance of starting out correctly, not only for their enjoyments sake, but also for their safety. The ´"did it once" people have probably not be supplied with enough good advice for them to discover that horse riding is a fantastic sport. You never stop learning, every horse is different and you can learn for the simple pleasure of enjoying the countryside or get more experienced in a variety of equine disciplines. However, there are some GOLDEN rules to remember when setting out to start horse riding, especially for your children. In the end your child´s life is in...

dosolivos 14.07.2009 · Read review
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Review of horse riding

Marymoose rides a Plumed Horse!

Advantages: Food was absolutely fantastic
Disadvantages: Service not absolutely perfect, and toilets nothing to shout about

...Hubby and I are enjoying the last of our DINKY (Dual Income No Kids Yet) days before settling down and starting a family. So, having booked our hotel for our weekend away in Edinburgh I decided to look for a nice restaurant for the Saturday night, as hubby and I do like our food! Having had a lovely meal in a Michelin Star restaurant in Jersey last year I decided to look at what was on offer in Edinburgh, and found that there are currently 4 restaurants with a Michelin Star (if you want to find one near you visit - http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2009/01/18/306085/top-michelin-rated-restaurants.html). I looked at the websites of all four, and decided that it would be the Plumed Horse that we would visit ? based mainly upon cost I have to admit (some places you can pay £80 a head before the drinks)! Booking...

marymoose99 01.05.2009 (15.05.2009) · Read review
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Review of Plumed Horse, Edinburgh

Saddle Up!

Advantages: Great fun to watch
Disadvantages: A bit too obscure at times

...Blazing Saddles was first released in 1974 and directed by Mel Brooks. I saw this film a good few years ago and loved it the moment I saw it. It isn't a typical cowboy movie like you first expect when it begins and truly is a pleasure to watch. For this reason, this DVD was another one that I asked for at Christmas time and another that I am thankful to have received. Blazing Saddles tells the seemingly simple story of how a railroad is bound to run right through the town of Rock Ridge and that once it does land there will be worth an absolute fortune. There is only one problem, the townsfolk already own their land and so they only thing you can do is drive them out. But how on earth do you do that? Well it's common sense really? you send in a rough and tough gang all gun's blazing but first you appoint the town with a new sheriff...

MI9to5 26.01.2009 · Read review
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Review of Blazing Saddles (DVD)

Reasons to Ride..

Advantages: therapeutic qualities, relationship and trust between yourself and your horse is extremly rewarding,
Disadvantages: None it is worth everything

...I started riding when i was 9 years old im 16 now. I started as i did not have alot of friends and school and i found it to be a great get away. I suffered from a form of bulimia between the ages of 11 and 13 where my body was rejecting food. The main cause of this i belive was the stress of changing schools. i become so week i couldnt ride any more and that for me was a turning point i made my self eat and i made my self stronger so i could get back in the saddle. The only time i felt completely free and away from the world is when i was having a good canter in the field it drained all the stress away and made me better i advise every one to ride. Many riding schools i have been to through out the years range in prices. from £9-£15 child for 1 hour £15-£25 adult...

Teddymai 30.05.2008 · Read review
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Review of horse riding

Horse Riding in the wild west of Spain!

Advantages: Great horses and people, lovely views, close to airport and village.
Disadvantages: Very hot in August, definitely need a hire car.

...I was looking on the internet one day for a Horse Riding holiday in Spain. I found a couple, but none that really interested me. Then I went on ebay and just typed in "Horse Riding Spain". (I didnt want to spend ages on there!!!). There was a listing on there that interested me. The listing said they do riding in the mountains and desert. I didnt know Spain had a desert! I had rode before in the costa del sol but although where I rode was very nice, I was only allowed to ride in the arena. The roads were much to dangerous to go out and the school only catered for holidaymakers who were beginners. I wanted to find somewhere I could ride out and see the area. I would class myself as a confident rider, but could not ride a horse that was too strong or excitable. The first thing I did was too study their advert and I saw they...

dottyabouthorses 16.11.2006 · Read review
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Review of Horse riding holidays at Desert Riders Spain

The Horse And His Boy - What A Ride!

Advantages: A great addition to the Chronicles of Narnia!
Disadvantages: Less of the story is spent actually IN Narnia but the story is very griping!

...The Horse And His Boy is, chronologically, the third book in C.S. Lewis' "The Chronicles Of Narnia". The chronicles as a whole are something that i'm growing to love. During my childhood, i watched the BBC dramatisations of "The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe", "Prince Caspian And The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader" and "The Silver Chair". To this day they still bring back strong feelings of nostalgia (and i've recently bought them on DVD, can't wait to watch them). I also had the full set of books as a child (they were originally my mothers) but i never read them. I wasn't the reading type back then (how that's changed!) Then, in 2005, Disney brought out "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" movie and, again, those feelings of nostalgia resurfaced. That was in 2005. By December 2006, the DVD was out and i watched it again and still loved...

hypnoticstate 14.10.2007 · Read review
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Review of The Horse and his Boy - C.S. Lewis

hard wearing pony saddle

Advantages: good fit for both pony and the child
Disadvantages: a little bit long on the girth straps

...In my opinion I found this saddle great for starting my little girl in her riding career. I found it reasonably hard wearing. My little girl likes to help put in on and take it off her pony, needless to say she managed to drop it a few times whilst putting it away. In my opinion I found it quite light to carry and handle. Little girl liked it because of the safety handle in the front so if she felt unbalanced at any time, there was something there for her to hold on to. Pony has a tendancy to do a little buck (massive according to my little girl) when in the school learning to be a first ridden instead of lead rein. Found the fit to be quite good for the pony, 11h section A. wouldn't hesitate to recommend...

samerlin 02.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Wintec Kids Saddle

Ride in Clint Eastwoods hoofprints!

Advantages: Stunning views, well trained horses, friendly hosts, amazing value for money!
Disadvantages: Very hot in summer! Take lots of suntan lotion!

...(yes, canyons, it sounds like arizona or something not spain!!!) They've got a really good arena aswell, so if you want any lessons or want to just do some jumping or flatwork then thats there for you. Their horses are really well trained and they really know what they're doing. I love Spain but i've often found some Spanish trekking centres sort of treat their horses like cattle. Carole and Robert treat their horses like family and they are very experienced. Carole ran BHS approved riding schools in the UK all her life practically and you can really tell. I would class myself as an experienced and very competent rider who's just been out of the saddle for a long time due to work and other commitments. going to Villa Roxmar just made me pine to own my own horses again!! Or at least make more of an effort to get out and ride back in...

pickseh 25.11.2006 · Read review
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Review of Horse riding holidays at Desert Riders Spain