Carrington Riding Centre

I was an AP at Carrington Riding Centre, and honestly my experience was nothing like what I was promised. The centre itself is fine, the horses are lovely, and some staff genuinely care, but the way everything was handled for me was frustrating, unfair, and completely draining. From the moment I arrived, it felt like everything was stacked against me and I was expected to just deal with it. I wasn’t allowed to ride because I was 14 stone, yet my mate — literally only about 5 pounds heavier — was allowed. If there’s a weight limit, then it should be clear and applied properly. Instead, it felt like the rule was being made up on the spot. It didn’t feel like safety; it felt like inconsistency and being singled out for no real reason. And that set the tone for the whole experience. What annoyed me the most was that my school paid for everything — the AP placement, the riding, the lessons, the maths sessions, all of it. They paid for me to actually take part, not to stand around doing yard work while everyone else got the experience I was supposed to have. But that’s exactly what happened. I didn’t ride. I didn’t tack up horses. I didn’t get involved in the riding side at all. I turned up for every lesson, did everything asked of me, and still ended up watching my mate cantering around while I wasn’t allowed to take part. I helped out with parts, but let’s be honest — I was running with a horse and rider, breathing like a pug asleep, my ankles killing me, and at one point a horse stepped on my foot. They looked at me like they didn’t care at all. No support, no concern, nothing. Just a “get on with it” attitude while I was clearly struggling. Then there was the dog situation. I’m a horse person, not a dog walker. One of the kids handed me a dog — Bruno, a whippet — a dog I couldn’t handle. The dog saw a chihuahua and went straight for it, had it in its mouth. That wasn’t my fault. I shouldn’t have been put in that position in the first place. I was there for horses, not to deal with dogs I wasn’t trained or prepared to manage. And on top of everything, we had to scan on the way in with a metal detector. Fine, safety is safety. But I had to do it again at the end, all because of an incident that happened at my care home — something that had nothing to do with Carrington at all. It felt unnecessary and like I was being treated differently for something completely unrelated. What made it even more unfair was how much I had to walk everywhere. I was doing all the running around, all the heavy work, all the back‑and‑forth jobs. Meanwhile, my other mate had an ingrown toenail and barely did anything. I was exhausted, hurting, and still expected to do everything while someone who physically couldn’t do much was allowed to sit out. It felt like they didn’t care about fairness at all — just about getting the jobs done, and I was the one they dumped them on. Overall, it felt like I was being treated as a yard worker — basically a yard horse — while others got the benefits my school had paid for me to have. The whole AP setup felt like a play game where some kids were chosen as riders and others were stuck as helpers. And because I wasn’t allowed to ride, I was automatically shoved into the helper role, even though I was supposed to be learning and riding too. I still gave four stars because the centre itself is good, the horses are lovely, and some staff genuinely try. But the AP system needs serious improvement. Young people deserve clear rules, fair treatment, and equal opportunities — not vague restrictions, inconsistent decisions, and uneven expectations.

· via Google

Hi I haven’t been here yet but my daughter is Middle Eastern and she’s been discriminated by our old riding school for that and she was even yelled at by other young riders “paki!!” This was really heartbreaking as she really enjoys riding but she is too scared to go back to riding and I’m looking for a riding school for her now and I was wondering from any other people who struggled with the same issue if there are any riding schools that did not have this problem. I just don’t know what do at this point I can’t stand seeing her so unhappy

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Very professional staff nice atmosphere after first lesson already booked second and 3rd high recommended for kids and adults as well

· via Google

Absolutely brilliant place to go if you like horses great for children ,the staff are amazing with the horses and really helpful and encouraging with the children. There's a cafe and amenities and lovely countryside.

· via Google