Ryders Farm Equestrian Centre, Bolton

The Ryders Farm has a lovely shop for meat, a cafe and often sells or gives away eggs. The riding is carefully managed to reduce risk. They were very caring toward me. They let you develop. The horses are kept extremely clean. A small army of workers and volunteers is on hand every day. Horses all rest every Monday. Beautiful even to watch.

I have been riding at Ryders for some years now and can safely say i would not want to ride anywhere else!

Staff are all really friendly and seem to love their jobs!

Horses are all well treated and the variety of horses is great!

Lessons are fun and informative. They are great value for money and the block booking vouchers are fab!

Pony Club days and camps in the holidays are a great idea!

The yard is always kept clean and tidy which is nice to see.

Absolutely love riding at Ryders! As a nervous rider I have always struggled with my confidence. The instructors have helped me massively with overcoming my anxiety and I am now a better rider for it! By pushing me out of my comfort zone and I am now more confident than ever. The lessons are always different and interesting and I feel like I learn so much in every lesson. All the horses and ponies are excellent and I love how much they vary as you learn so much more! They also take such good care of their horses and they really do love their job. The yard is impeccable and the facilities are amazing. Plus all the yard staff are so welcoming and friendly! Would 100% recommend Ryders to anyone.

I took lessons here as a kid and loved it then, I now ride once a week with friends and have a great time. The instructors are so friendly and put you at ease; whilst also pushing you to improve. The horses are lovely and a I definitely have a few favourites! 100% look forward to riding here every week

Nothing much has changed, horses come and go and still a couple of old regulars. Staff haven't really changed which is a pity as most of them are still unqualified and clients (parents) are unaware. A well run professional establishment should quite clearly inform people of the qualifications of the staff (as in schools). There seem to be many more young people working there. When my daughter was there the amount they were paid was an absolute disgrace but they are classed as helpers and so don't have the same rights as staff. The café has changed hands and is lovely but is often frequented by staff and young helpers and when we were there it was quite disturbing and off putting to hear there very personal conversations quite so loudly. In fact one man (not sure if he works there) was openly very rude about a group of clients and could clearly be heard in the car park. It really should have been reported. For several reasons I doubt I will return as planned, as it is not the sort of place we would want to frequent. The facilities have not really improved although a field has been set aside with a few jumps in. Laughingly it is called a cross country field. I am sure some people may initially think it is good but if the surface is scratched I think there are serious problems that are just glossed over. A pity as daughter used to enjoy her lessons with JS but not the general atmosphere. Management thrives on bullying and control and that does not make for a good establishment. Have since visited another school a few miles away and cant believe the difference. lessons and hacking out available which is a bonus. Professional, fully qualified staff (clearly transparent for all to see) and social skills that put the clients at the heart of the business.

Ryders is not the place we used to visit.

just ask yourself, do you want to learn a skill from qualified instructors? then ask who is qualified at Ryders. Huge shock and surprise to me Soon realised that lessons do not always follow with the same instructor and this cannot be beneficial as they can't possibly know riding ability. there are 1 or 2 horses that I believe have been there for some time but on returning after a few years was shocked to find few ponies suitable for youngsters. Some of them appear to be quite erratic. eg Bessie Boris. It is not the professional yard I would expect and too often have heard staff shouting at each other in public. ponies are often not tacked up ready for lessons to begin. this is totally unacceptable as lessons often don't get going until nearly half lesson is gone. Don't think about going on a Saturday it is overrun by lots of unsupervised children and although my child goes she is not left alone. It is not the place for young children to be left alone without strict supervision.

COME ON RYDERS SHARPEN UP!!! Your notices say it can be a dangerous place they take heed and get someone with authority and management skills to take charge of the yard. Lessons with her are brilliant but couldn't say the same about the other staff.

I have been going to ryders for 6 years and its truly a lovely place. It has wonderful facilities such as the indoor and outdoor arenas, the cross country field(for summer), the stables cafe ect. There are lots of reviews about how all the owners care about is money.i strongly disagree with this for many reasons. I used to go volentering as much as i possibly could,which all staff were happy for me to do so,and were extremly appreciative and treated me more like a collegue or a friend than a teen girl simply offering a hand.to show there appreciation, whenever there was a space, or somebody had not shown up they put me a group lesson for free! I could sometimes ride 3 times a week,just from free lessons! They are no longer allowed to do this, but they have introduced a leader card were you can earn 3 lessons.s also has a family,house,farm(including 2 floodlit arenas) and 30+ horses to look after and pay for. I know from doing it myself that all numnahs,saddles and bridles are washed frequently.the stables are mucked out atleast 3 times a day and all the horses are well looked after. All the staff are kind and welcoming(there is a significant age gap between me and some of the workers,which you wouldnt even notice) and work extremly hard to help all clients.the lessons are great with a maximum of 11 people,but its rare that you get more than 9.personally i think this is great because you also learn from other people.the instructors are all fully qualified and know what they are doing.i think the major downside to the farm is the livery.sf doesnt allow people that go to the riding school onto the livery unless they are loaning a horse,therefor you arent allowed to speak to any friends that have moved onto the livery unless they come onto the yard.

Overall i think it is a very good riding school and i hope to get a job there in the future

I have had lessons at Ryders Farm for a number of years and I have loved every one. If you listen and work hard you can learn so much. If you want to achieve at any sport you have to practice. The teaching staff are all brilliant and the lessons are well structured. They are also very patient and they are always prepared to explain things a number of times and will answer any questions you may have. You may not be able to hack out but there is an indoor and outdoor school and riding in the fields in the summer, one field having cross country jumps. There are a wide variety of horses which are well cared for. Some are more forward than others some are better at jumping. You will soon find a favourite but will be expected to ride different horses to learn, practice and improve what you have been taught. There are many events organised throughout the year which are open to all. What I don't like, people who don't listen or try hard to do what is asked. Those who complain about horses not being forward because they don't want to put any effort into their riding. Riding is hard work but so fantastic when you do get it right. At Ryders Farm you have every opportunity to get it right if you work hard for the instructors and the horses.

Have been going for lessons with daughter for a while now. Mostly pleased with them but often the instructor changes and there seems to be a lack of continuity in learning. Used to think most of the horse/ponies were appropriate but some of them just seem too big and too hard for the youngsters expected to ride them. One or two of them such as Ruby, Arthur, Jason need so much effort the kids come off shattered. Stables do seem good but much of the tack is very old and worn, saddle rugs worn out and really worn saddles and stirrup leathers. The inspection certificates give glowing reports and stars but I think they must be on their best when inspected. There does not seem to be much bedding down for tmany of the horses and often they are left with their tack on between lessons which I find unacceptable.

I sometimes watch the tots lessons and there are never enough staff to lead the beginners and some of the children from the owners livery block do it. Many of them seem very young. I just feel now that things are quite lax at times but money is still taken and I don't always think a lot of learning takes place. One or two of the staff are quite nice but the owner doesn't seem hands on and is very loud and not at all professional. It is a pity really as it is quite convenient but feel too disillusioned now and will be prpared to travel to see if other schools are any better.

You pay your money and take what you get at Ryders!!

Any establishment is judged by it's management and staff and sadly this establishment lacks Quality and consistency. Group lessons

(up to 12) can vary in quality. Often very great mix of ability in these lessons and often horses do not seem well matched to riders. My friend booked private lessons for the same day over a period of several weeks and rarely had the same instructor from one week to the next. What would people say if children had a different teacher in school on a regular basis. This is not a conducive way to learn and improve. When we asked some of the owners about livery (with a view to buying a pony) we received very mixed views but some seemed reluctant to criticis for fear of backlash and being asked to leave. Many criticised the apparent money grabbing attitude rather than animal welfare. ie: if animal welfare was paramount then all horses would be allocated the same amount of bedding for the comfort as the owners horses. Apparently this is not the case.I was told if they required more the price would increase. Although the facilities appear to be quite good ther eis only one small outdoor arena where livery owners can ride as lessons often go on til 9pm. This is a samll space for a livery stock of up to 20+ horses. For several varied reaons we decided not to enquire about livery, there are better yards locally.