|
Post by nonrider on Feb 16, 2017 17:50:32 GMT
My mother is in her early 80's and longs to experience a beach ride. She has never been on a horse. She is in reasonable physical condition with no medical issues but would probably find more than a short period (20-30mins) very demanding and would need assistance to mount a horse. Does anybody know of a local organisation or private owner who could offer a short horse riding experience on the beaches at Southport or the vicinity on any day between 2-4 March 2017 weather permitting? (a carriage or cart may be more suitable). Looking for advice/recommendations to help my mum tick this off her bucket list. I don't expect a free ride by the way!
|
|
|
Post by ponymum on Feb 17, 2017 9:10:21 GMT
Try Leisure lakes stables ?
|
|
|
Post by flee on Mar 3, 2017 18:03:05 GMT
Please don't take offence if this is a genuine enquiry but my immediate reaction on reading your post was that either
a) this is a wind up
b) you are not very fond of your mother ( Not judging you ! I have a very tricky relationship with my own mother and there are frequent occasions when the thought of her being carted off into oblivion on a bolting steed is not as unpleasant as it possibly should be .).
c) you yourself are totally unhorsey .
I shall respond on the assumption that the answer is (c) .
As far as riding a horse goes - what you are proposing , as lovely as the dream may be , is actually extremely dangerous . It would be difficult enough ( though not impossible ) for her to manage a ride in a controlled environment ( ie. a riding school ) but to even consider the prospect of ANY non-rider ( never mind an 80 year old ) attempting to ride a horse for the very first time , in an open space , and particularly on the beach where even the most docile of horses is prone to getting a bit giddy , is incredibly fool hardy to say the least . How would you get her on and off ? What if she fell off ? A privately owned horse would not be covered by insurance should things go wrong , and anyone who agreed to your request would be leaving themselves wide open to a claim in the event of an accident . Riding schools have third party insurance by law , but must still act responsibly so , in the interests of common sense and safety , I am pretty certain that no professional establishment would allow her to ride on the beach without her first embarking on a course of lessons to , at the very least , master the basics ( and even then I wouldn't bank on them letting her loose on the beach at the end of it !). In theory the carriage driving would be a possibility but I have not seen one on Southport beach for years . I'm not even certain that they're allowed on anymore but , assuming that they are , the beach foreshore is now so overgrown with grass that you would be forced to go quite far out where the consistency of the sand can be extremely variable and probably quite unsuitable for a carriage . Sorry to sound so down on your request but it would be a huge ask for anyone . Does it have to actually be on the beach or would she be content with a jaunt along the coast road and/or promenade ? I would try local companies who do horse drawn weddings and see if they can offer anything . You could also try the RDA ( Riding for the Disabled Association ) as they do carriage driving and may be able to suggest something . She might even be allowed to take the reins herself in the right situation which would surely be much more fun ? Whatever you choose to do please give very careful consideration to the possible consequences - and if you need to do a risk assessment you are very welcome to use my mother . Good luck .
|
|