St Leonards Toton, Nottingham

After reading many reviews and finding them to be written quite a few years ago I feel like this needs to be updated. The yard has improved immensely and is very welcoming to customers! All horses taken care off and look very well in themselves. Staff are very helpful and try to help customers as much as possible. Lessons are kept moving with enthusiastic teachers and new /varied activities every week,as well as lots of activities throughout school holidays to keep kids entertained. I like slrs because of how friendly everyone is and it's easy to make friends! One bad point would be they could do with some bigger horses as they don't seem to have many.

If there is anyone out there that can close this unfriendly, money orientated place down. If there is anyone that cares or knows someone that can go in under cover the please do. Didn't like the miserable ponies who where dirty and bullied or a pony with a gash on his face. Or mixed ability group with kids as young as 3 having to put up with a novice instructor letting a young inexperienced rider have a go and then come off due to saddle coming off an angry horse. Wish I had read the reviews first and not bothered. This place is dangerous and clearly its making a huge profit out of non horsey people entrusting the novice staff with their kids.

I have been taking my six year old grand daughter for weekly lessons at St Leonards for the past year. The lessons are well structured and are adaptable to cope with all ages and abilities. Being a nervous rider she has been helped to grow in confidence as the ponies at the school are suited to all ages and abilities.

i had been going for about 4 weeks and i was starting to enjoy it. but then i realised that the person that is at the desk dosnt care about the customer only the money. then they had a new horse delivered (doofer)and they knew nothing about it and the put me on it 5 mins into the lesson he throws me of becase the riding instructor has wacked him becase he wanted him to go faster the only people who i thought were nice was the children staff who helped out for free lessons

I've had a lesson at this school via Group On, I cannot believe they are allowed to operate.

The so called teaching staff do nothing but shout, I'm sorry but I don't learn from loud mouthed bullies!

The horses look terrible, stood tied up with their saddles on in warm weather, the whole place is ramshackle, run down and archaic!! Too many people in the 'lesson' so I don't feel like I learned anything.

Due to my enquiring nature, it took no time to find out that they are not registered with the BHS and no one is a qualified teacher.

How can this place work with members of the public, children & comply with health and safety regulations.

Anyone who wishes to learn horse riding should avoid this place at all costs.

There really is nothing to like about this place.

I agree completely with the other reviews, the place is a shambles and very run down, how people can keep their own horses there is beyond me!

The school horses are filthy, goodness knows when they last saw a brush, the staff are unprofessional and surly, no people skills, sarcastic, even to people who keep their horses there - are the staff stupid, these people pay your wages!

Owner is completely disinterested in anything other than taking your money, rude, arrogant.

This place needs owners and staff that care about horses, the people who are there now are clearly unhappy in their work!

The first thing that struck me is how sad the horses look. Their paddocks dont look adequately sized and the horses were teathered anyway rather than being allowed to roam freely. The little staff seem nice and helpful tho some could be given more adequate training. The bridles didnt look very clean and the horse i rode was lame. The lady who took my money wasnt helpful she didnt seem to take much notice of me as a customer and was rude to her staff, also bitching about fellow staff members doesnt make for a pleasant experience.

The group lesson was oversized and I was given little instructionon what technique to use being a beginner and so asked one of the stable girls the basics of riding. Alot of the lesson spent walking round in circles with a miserable horse, not learnt a great deal. Learnt more googling it! The stable girls seemed to get talked down to which doesnt make for a pleasant experience for customers or staff. Ive heard bad things from people not to go to this riding school and im understanding why. I also heard they sell horses to the meat market, how true this is or if this is standard practice, im not sure. But as a veggie im completely against this but perhaps it would end their unhappiness, just no spirit in most of the horses i saw. :/ I hope that some nice ppl buy this place and make the mostof this stables, how it should be.

I have had a number of lessons at St Leonards in Toton, Nottingham. Both on a Thursday evening and at a week end. I find it very hard to believe anyone at this school is actually qualified to teach, there's certainly no consistency in the teaching, one person teaches you one method, when you apply it in another lesson, you're told you're doing it wrong. The staff seem to be too busy sniping about one another to bother with the customers. They are rude, arrogant, unprofessional, loud, sarcastic, I actually doubt the riding ability of them, those that actually ride! There's bad language, lots of shouting, berating one customer to another, snide remarks, loud enough for you to hear but not too your face. One constantly whines that she has mental issues - should this teacher actually be working with children!!

I don't know how Health and Safety haven't had a field day down there, there are hazardous unprotected, wooden posts all around the arena, and I've witnessed people hit them. The owner of the school is more concerned with the money than the actual customers, none of our money gets spent on the place! The horse owners are more helpful than the staff, and I've seen them spoken down to as well, do St Leonards realise that they are actually employed by the owners, without them the place would close, if I spoke to my employers the way this place speaks to them I would soon be out of a job. The place is a shambles, staffed by arrogant, unprofessional has beens!! If your child, or indeed you, wants to learn to ride, avoid this place at all costs.

My lesson at Leonards riding school was very interesting and although the class was quite large I felt like I received quite a lot of help and made good progress through the lesson. The horses were a bit mucky but they seemed well looked after and were matched up with appropriate riders so everyone had a good time.

The younger members of staff were all friendly and helpful and the instructors were very patient with me.

It's probably not the smartest stables around but it has a very friendly atmosphere.

I used to ride at these stables not so long ago: used to think they were amazing but i obviously didnt know any better, reason being they were the first place ive ridden. I know attend a different stable which are fun , friendly & the instructor has the patience of a saint! As for slrs ; they shout, dont listen, focous on about 200 other people at the same time.

I did achieve a D badge their & they do have a good concept of awards but please do not waste your money and time? I feel for the horses who sit their all day in muddytracks; tied up to a stall.

I wasted alot of time here & barely learnt anything.

Things to focus on;

-They need to focus on their jumping

-Students(instructors do)

-Horses

-How clean the stables are.

It is a lovley location with an insane amount of space, all they need to do is learn how to use it :]