Horse & Hound confirms it as a normal part of the summer riding calendar: many country landlords are happy for riders to tie up outside for a drink, though it is always worth ringing ahead to check first.
Is it normal to ride to a pub in the UK?
Yes. It is a long-standing rural tradition, not a novelty. The etiquette is simple and unwritten: call ahead if you can, tie up sensibly out of the way of other customers and traffic, and never drink and ride. You are still in control of a horse and, in most cases, still on a public road to get home.
Pubs with genuine horse infrastructure
The strongest signal that a pub is genuinely set up for horses is not a friendly mention in a review, it is physical infrastructure: an actual tie-up point, a trough, a mounting block. Here is a verified list, starting with three confirmed directly.
The John Bunyan, Coleman Green, near Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire (AL4 8ES). A genuine tie post and mounting block on site. Five footpaths and bridleways converge on the pub, and it sits right on the edge of Heartwood Forest. A first-hand review confirms that riders are welcomed and directed into the garden after hacking, exactly the kind of informal, working arrangement this whole tradition runs on. A free house since 2023.
The Elephant and Castle, Amwell, Hertfordshire (AL4 8EA). Repeatedly confirmed as horse-friendly, with multiple independent local guides describing it as popular with bike and horse riders. An 18th-century building, parts of which date to 1765, with two large gardens and wood-burning stoves, now run by Farr Brew. Croft Farm, a private livery yard in Wheathampstead already listed on Saddl, sits close by, useful to know for anyone keeping a horse in the area. Croft Farm is a livery yard rather than a public riding school, so it is not somewhere to book a ride from, but it is a real, relevant local landmark for owners nearby.
The Cross Keys, Thixendale, Yorkshire Wolds. A tiny, traditional village pub deep in the Wolds, on the Yorkshire Wolds Way, dating back to at least 1793, with a proper beer garden (under-14s are welcome in the garden but not inside the pub). It has an eventful recent history worth knowing: long-serving landlord Steve Anstey and his wife Mary ran it for over 35 years before retiring, new licensees took over for a period, and the pub then closed again for around two years. It has now reopened under new owners, Simon Wood and Gordon McIlroy, from 12 June 2026, with the beer garden reopening after refurbishment, so it is worth a quick call to confirm before relying on it for a ride. Nothing on Saddl currently covers this part of the Yorkshire Wolds, an area genuinely worth adding stables for.
Seven more, with their current status re-checked
The following seven were drawn from a Horse & Hound feature in 2016. Rather than leave decade-old detail unverified, I have individually checked the current status of each.
The Cricketers, Cobham, Surrey. Confirmed open and trading into 2026. The original claim was a dedicated tie-up area with water and hay; current reviews focus on food and family amenities rather than horses, so confirm that specific detail directly.
The Six Bells, Preston St Mary, Suffolk. Confirmed open, with current hours on its own site. The specific tethering rings are not mentioned in any current description, so worth confirming.
The Feathers Inn, Northumberland. Confirmed open and thriving, Michelin and Good Food Guide featured through 2025 and run by Rhian and Helen since 2007. The original tie-up detail is not repeated in current sources.
Farmers Arms, Cwmdu, Powys. Confirmed open, but now community-owned rather than run by the couple named in the 2016 piece. The two tie-up points may or may not have carried over.
The New Inn, Waterley Bottom, Gloucestershire. The strongest of the seven. Its own current website explicitly states it is a dog and horse friendly pub, so this one is confirmed in the operators' own words rather than from an old article. Now run by Les and Emma, a three-time winner of the Gloucestershire Cider Pub of the Year award, with a garden featured in the Sunday Times top ten pub gardens.
The Fox Revived, Horley, Surrey. This one needs a real caveat. The independent owners who installed the hitching rail in the original story have since sold up, and the pub is now part of the Brunning and Price group. I cannot confirm the new owners have kept the hitching rail or the horse-friendly arrangement, so check directly before relying on it.
Bookable organised pub rides
If you do not have your own horse, or do not know the local etiquette well enough to plan your own route, several UK riding centres run genuine, structured pub rides you can simply book onto.
Stag Lodge Stables, Richmond Park, London (founded 1790). Their Adult Pub Ride is a specific, named product: it leaves Robin Hood Gate, canters through Richmond Park, exits at Ham Gate onto Ham Common, and finishes at The New Inn for a drink before heading back. It runs on summer evenings, usually from 4pm. New riders must pass a Private Hack assessment first, since the ride includes fast canters and riders must be fully competent at all paces.
Cotswold Riding at Upper Woodhills Farm, near Moreton-in-Marsh. A pub ride is included as part of their multi-activity camps in July and September, alongside dressage, cross-country schooling and show jumping, rather than as a standalone ride bookable on its own. Following a relatively recent move from their former Chastleton site, ask directly which pubs are visited when you book.
Coloured Cob, Creswell, Derbyshire. Their pub ride goes to the Elm Tree, open to riders competent at trot, alongside a Forest Ride option for more experienced riders through Creswell Crags. A genuinely current, active offering, with a 2026 review confirming riders still enjoying the pub trek.
What to expect if you book
- You will need to demonstrate you can actually ride first. Every operator above asks for some form of assessment or a stated competency level, usually confident at trot and canter. These rides move at a proper pace and are not a beginner's first outing.
- They run seasonally. Most are a summer evening or daytime activity, not a year-round fixture.
- Book ahead. Stag Lodge describes its ride as very popular, and small yards running these as an occasional treat rather than a daily product fill up fast.
Riding your own horse to a pub
Horse & Hound's advice holds: phone the pub first to check they are genuinely happy for you to tie up, take your horse's needs into account (shade, water, somewhere it will not spook at passing traffic or dogs), and treat a soft drink as the only sensible order if you are riding home afterwards.