Forest Farm Equestrian Centre

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Reviews

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  Megan Paris Rose

  18-01-2023
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  Amelia Hill

  18-10-2022
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  Alvydas Muravjovas

  super

  18-08-2022
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  Michal Topolewski

  👍😉

  18-07-2022
• 

  Vadim Ryabinin

  (Translated by Google) Fine (Original) Хорошо

  18-06-2022
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  jacqui w

  We was at this yard about 8 years ago had 2 ponies there Nick the owner taught my daughter to ride properly she won a few rosettes and trophy's... The yard is clean everything you need is there and you won't find a better yard around there are rules and that's why it a good yard we had some good times... miss the horsey life ☹️

  18-06-2022
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  Ela Danczyszyn

  Good

  18-06-2022
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  David Jones

  Very nice clean and well run equestrian yard which we have 2 horses stables.

  18-06-2022
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  Alex Brown

  18-06-2021
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  Daniee W

  Positives: The yard is beautifully maintained and kept very clean and tidy by liveries due to the rules put in place by the yard owner. Both riding arenas have good surfaces with plenty of jumps available to use, and all facilities are well maintained. Locked electric gates, CCTV, and locked tack room areas mean that your horse and equipment are kept very safe. All horses on the yard get given feed and hay at the same time every weekday by the staff which is included in the price. There's a rota set by the yard owner for liveries to put in weekend feeds/hay nets. There's space to keep horseboxes and trailers, but at an additional cost of £10 per week which is quite pricey. There's a little hacking route through the forest out the back of the yard, however, the pathways are quite narrow, and the longest route is only about 30 mins. The yard owner doesn't allow access to the forest during the winter months. Stables are rubber matted with automatic water drinkers and anti-weave grills. Most of the stables are small so a bit cramped for bigger horses. Wormers are provided by the yard owner quarterly, this is then added onto your bill. I feel that it would be better to do worm counts due to the increasing risk of resistance to wormers. I found the other liveries to be friendly and supportive. Services are available and they are reasonably priced, eg, turnout is £2, horse walker for 1 hour is £4, hay net is £1, full livery for the day is £14. Negatives: Turnout is very limited. Herd paddocks are very small (usually about 1 acre) and there are around 7 horses in each herd. There's a few tiny individual paddocks available, but you only get a couple of hours out each day. The winter paddocks get very muddy and have no grass so will often be closed. They're also closed if it is frosty, icy or raining. The summer paddocks also do not have much grass, and the yard owner will close the summer paddocks if it's forecast to rain at very little notice. This is frustrating as this costs owners more in hay, bedding and services, horses will automatically be put on the horse walker by staff if they are staying in, and you will be charged extra for this service. Hay and bedding can only be bought on-site. Hay is £6 per 18kg bale. The quality is decent but it can be quite dusty and thistley, you can easily find similar bales elsewhere for £4 per bale. Woodchips are £8 per bale. The bales are very small and dusty and not very absorbent. I would prefer to buy higher quality woodchips (such as Hunters) off site as they would work out more cost effective and healthier for the horses. Haysoft haylage is available for £6.50 per 20kg bale. The lunge pen is small, and the surface is deep. You are required to rake the lunge pen after using it, which takes a long time and is hard work. There are XC jumps, but they are off-limits to liveries. The yard owner is a generally decent guy, but some of his rules can seem illogical and more in the interest of financial gain than for the welfare of the horses. He seems to have lost his passion for the horses. The yard has a high turnover with lots of empty stables and most people staying no more than 6-12 months. For me, the cost was the biggest reason for leaving. The limited turnout meant that my horse was using just as much hay/bedding in the summer months, which worked out too costly when also trying to compete. I feel that with a few small changes, not only would liveries be happier, but stables would be kept full and the yard would be more profitable too: - Increase grazing: I understand the yard owners decision to keep horses in when it’s very wet. But if it is just going to be a little damp, there is no real reason why horses should be kept in. Theres a large unused field on the yard which could be used for grazing. - Hay/Bedding: Either allow liveries to buy in their own supplies, or offer it at a price that reflects its quality. - Horsebox Parking: Half the cost, £20 per month is plenty. - More consistent rules.

  18-06-2021