Plain-English advice on riding kit, finding the right school, insurance and more — written for riders, not marketers.
The 2026 heatwave arrived in May. It hadn't finished by June. If you've spent the last few weeks trying to work out when to ride and what to do when your horse is hotter than you're used to, this is what you need to know.
A holiday riding camp can be the thing that turns a child's interest into a passion, but they vary a lot. Knowing what to check, and how to match a camp to your child, makes the choice straightforward.
A first riding lesson is gentle, short and closely supervised. Knowing what happens, and what to bring, takes the worry out of it for you and your child. The good news is you need almost no kit to start.
Most UK riding schools take children from around four or five for proper lessons, but plenty of yards offer lead-rein pony rides for younger children. There is no upper age limit at all, so it is never too late to start.
The New Forest is one of the finest places to ride in southern England, and one of the most welcoming to visitors. Open access across the heath, miles of off-road tracks, and stables that take complete beginners out on accompanied hacks make it an easy place to ride whether or not you have your own horse.
The Yorkshire Dales is one of England's great riding landscapes, all green dales, limestone tops and a web of bridleways and green lanes. You can ride here on your own horse or join an accompanied trek, with scenery that rewards the effort whichever you choose.
Most UK riding lessons cost between £30 and £55 for a one-hour group session, and the price depends mostly on two things: where you are, and whether you ride in a group or one-to-one. London and the South East sit at the top of the range; the North, Wales and Scotland are cheaper.
The Gaucho Derby is a 500km adventure race across the wilds of Patagonia, run by the same team behind the Mongol Derby. It is shorter than its Mongolian sibling but tougher; described by its organisers as the greatest test of horsemanship and wilderness skills on earth.
Llanwrtyd Wells in mid-Wales runs the only race in the world where about a thousand runners line up against horses and riders over 22 miles of mountain terrain. The horses usually win. Sometimes they don't.
The Golden Horseshoe is the bucket-list endurance ride on UK soil. Founded in 1965, run every May from Exford in the heart of Exmoor National Park, with classes for everyone from grassroots pleasure riders up to the 100-mile two-day flagship.
A 1,000km race across the Mongolian Steppe on 25 semi-wild horses, recreating Genghis Khan's 13th-century postal system. Around 40 riders attempt it each August. It is widely considered the toughest horse race on earth.
A hundred miles of California Sierra Nevada in a single day, with horses required to be back to fitness within 30 minutes of finishing. Founded in 1955, the Tevis Cup is the American gold standard for endurance riding and one of the toughest single-day rides in the world.
Twice a year, ten bareback riders race three laps of Siena's sloped, packed medieval square in front of 50,000 spectators. The race lasts 90 seconds. The build-up takes most of the year. This is the Palio di Siena, the most famous horse race in Italy and one of the most extraordinary surviving medieval events anywhere.
The Royal Windsor Endurance Ride is the most prestigious one-day endurance setting in the UK, run inside Windsor Great Park alongside the Royal Windsor Horse Show. Returning to the calendar for 2026 on Friday 15 May after a brief absence, with FEI and national classes.
The Red Dragon Festival is the closing event of the UK endurance season, held over a long weekend in early October at the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells. Three days of competition, classes for every level, and the Home International team event between England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
Eight events that define the spectrum of what's possible on horseback. Some you can enter next year; one you can only watch. All of them are worth knowing about. The Saddl shortlist of equestrian challenges.
Cornwall is the most popular beach riding destination in Britain, and for good reason. Three-mile sand beaches, dunes that go on for miles, and the option to gallop along wet sand at low tide with the Atlantic on one side and surf schools on the other.
The Lake District is one of the most underrated horse riding regions in Britain. Open fell country, ancient bridleway networks, beaches on the Solway Coast that stretch for miles at low tide, and one of the most distinctive trekking operations anywhere in the UK: a centre that runs guests on Clydesdales and Shires through the Lakeland hills.
Scotland is one of the great horse riding destinations in Europe. Highland glens, white-sand beaches, ancient drove roads, and the longest unbroken bridleway tradition in Britain. Visitors can be on a Highland pony in the Cairngorms within four hours of landing at Edinburgh airport, or galloping on a beach beneath a castle ruin within twenty minutes of leaving the city centre.
The Cotswolds is the bit of England most foreign visitors picture before they arrive: honey-coloured limestone villages, sheep-grazed hills, hedgerow lanes that haven't been straightened in 500 years, and pubs you actually stoop to enter. It's also one of the most concentrated horsey regions in Britain.
You can ride a horse in central London. Cantering down Rotten Row in Hyde Park, with the Serpentine on one side and the Knightsbridge skyline on the other, is one of those experiences that sounds like it shouldn't still be possible in a 21st-century capital city. It is.
Bridleways are a right of way that can be used by horses, cyclists and walkers. The UK has tens of thousands of miles of them, but finding them and planning routes is not always straightforward. This guide covers every practical tool available to riders looking for routes near them.
The Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) is one of the best-known equine charities in the UK, providing therapeutic riding and carriage driving for people with disabilities. Volunteering with RDA is a way to be around horses without owning one, and the range of roles means almost anyone can contribute regardless of riding ability.
Dressage is the most widely practised competitive equestrian discipline in the UK, and the one with the lowest barriers to entry. You do not need an expensive horse or years of experience to start -- most riding schools with a qualified instructor can teach you the foundations. This guide covers everything a beginner needs to know.
The UK has some of the most varied riding country in Europe: open moorland, mountain passes, coastal paths and ancient drove roads. This guide covers the best multi-day riding holidays available, from accessible weekend breaks to serious wilderness crossings.
Hats, boots, jodhpurs, what you actually need for a first lesson, what you can hire, and when to invest in your own kit.
BHS approval is a good starting point, not the whole picture. Here's what the inspections actually cover, what to look for on a yard visit, and the questions most people forget to ask.
A plain-English guide to UK livery options, what each includes, what it costs in 2026, and which suits different owner circumstances.
Realistic 2026 figures for livery, feed, farrier, vet and insurance across budget, mid and premium scenarios.
What BHS Approved and ABRS+ Approved actually mean for UK riding schools, and how to read them when choosing a yard.
Where to ride for a holiday in the UK: trekking, hacking, and residential riding holidays across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
What BHS approval actually means, what to look for on a yard visit, and the questions most people forget to ask.
A practical kit guide for first-time riders in the UK, what to wear and what to leave at home.
Third-party liability, personal accident, BHS membership, what equestrian insurance you actually need as a rider in the UK, without the jargon.