Details on Horner Farm riding weekends

The Riding

If you're looking for challenging exhilarating riding with beautiful scenery and capable horses, then you have come to the right place. Horner Farm Riding Weekends are aimed at the experienced rider who wants to join like-minded people for a fun weekend in the saddle.

Horner Farm Riding Weekends are a breath of fresh air. Where else can you ride across: moors, forests, rivers, heather and spacious open fields all in one day.?

                         

 
   

 

You will experience long canters and gallops at every opportunity. Say goodbye to trekking in single file, here at Horner Farm Riding Weekends you will get to take part in abreast canters across the tops of the Exmoor hills.

 
One the most enjoyable parts of the weekend, loved by all our riders, is the gallop up towards Dunkery Beacon, which is the highest geographical point in Somerset.  This gallop is a truly unforgettable experience, where the horses really get to let off some steam.
 
 
*********NEW FOR 2011**********
 
Once the clocks change in the summer months we will be offering "Have a go Polo" or Adult Gymkhana on the Friday evening.  You will need to arrive at the farm for about 4pm as we aim to have bums in saddles for 5pm.  The evening will consist of a stick and ball lesson, a mounted polo lesson followed by a few chukka's.  In the past this has proven to be a huge success so by popular demand we will include this as an option for all weekends through out the summer months.  After Polo we will provide a BBQ and drinks (all dietry requirements will be catered for).

 

Customer Testimonials;

   "I will never forget galloping up to Dunkery Beacon, as we were joined by a herd of wild Exmoor ponies, who galloped towards the summit with us; this was a truly an unforgetable experience". 

   "Every time I've been riding at Horner Farm, I have had the opportunity to try the wide variety of horses.  I love how this allows me to learn about the different nuances of the horses and certainly stops me getting bored!".

Once you have experienced a weekend of riding at Horner Farm you will want to come back again and again, as there is nowhere else quite like it. Most of our business is generated by repeat customers and we even reward our loyal riders with special offers (see Pricing for further details).

                           

 

 

Necessary Skills

We expect riders to be able to walk, trot, canter and gallop. You will also need to be reasonably fit to cope with up to 6 hours a day in the saddle. The riding is very different from that in a riding arena.  The terrain is often very uneven and you can be cantering for long periods. (We recommend you try a standing canter, a technique which may be new to some of our riders.)

Clothing

The weather can be varied depending on the time of the year. To help you decide what to bring with you we have listed a few items below;

Hat Jodhpurs Gloves
Long boots, Short boots & chaps Waterproofs (Jacket and Trousers) Seat saver if you prefer one
Warm Clothing for riding (jumper/fleece) Bath Towel PJs & underwear
Muscle rub, heat spray, Sudocrem, Pain killers Wine for Fri & Sat night Clothes for the Saturday evening meal
Wash kit, Hair Dyer A good sense of humour 

Typical Riding Weekend

You will arrive on the Friday evening at Horner Farm (please see travel arrangements at the bottom of this page), guests may arrive from 5pm onwards. When you arrive at the house, the first night is normally spent relaxing with the other guests with a glass of wine and some nibbles in front of the wood burning fire or out in the garden depending on the time of year.

In the morning you will receive a wake up call at around 8am to allow you enough time to be ready for a cooked breakfast prepared by Sue at 8:30am. Please advise us if you have any dietary requirements and Sue will be able to adjust accordingly.

After breakfast you will have some time to prepare your riding gear before mounting up and leaving the farm at about 9.30 am, for your day ride, starting with a relaxing meander through Horner Woods to warm the horses up before we get onto the open moors.

On both the Saturday and Sunday, the ride cover around 20 miles with a pub lunch planned into the route.  The ride will return to the farm at approximately 4pm where you will be expected to untack and wash down your horse before turning them out.

All the guests then head into the house for some well earned sofa-time accompanied by tea and a chat about the day's riding.

Guests can then adjorn to their rooms to relax and refresh before we recongregate for pre-dinner drinks before departure in the minibus at around 7.15 pm for the evening meal, which may be in nearby Porlock or Minehead.  After the meal we return to the farm to round off the evening with drinks and chats, allowing the guests to retire when they wish

Travel arrangements

Many riders come from the London area and often car-share, so we may be able to put you in touch with someone from your area who is also coming from London. Please email for further details.