Providing the best quality care and instruction to our horses and riders
Frequently Asked Questions
You will need to wear comfortable, flexible clothing which you don't mind getting a little dirty (as much as we love our ponies, they do love to wipe their faces on you!), with sturdy shoes or boots with a small heel. Leggings / tracksuit bottoms and wellies are perfect. We wouldn't recommend jeans and for safety reasons you will not be able to ride in trainers or shorts. As most of our activities are outdoors, please come dressed for the British weather!
You don't need any specialist equipment to begin with. We have a variety of riding hats which can be borrowed by customers. Just ask a staff member for help finding the right fit. As you progress, you may wish to purchase your own riding hat and body protector, and your instructor will be able to advise you as to where and how to do so.
We truly can teach anyone from absolute beginners upwards. Even if you want to come and just spend some time building your confidence around horses before riding, give us a call and we'd be happy to discuss.
Not at all! You can also start riding at any age, it's not just for kids! We have a number of adult beginner customers and also run coffee morning sessions
Yes. Both our own safety regulations and the requirements of our insurance and licence require all riders to wear a helmet. This is non negotiable. We can, however, provide helmets to be borrowed free of charge.
You have a couple of options. Either use our online ECPro booking system to allow you to quickly and easily track you bookings, or alternatively pop in or give us a call and we would be more than happy to assist.
We would suggest you arrive 10-15 minutes early for your first lesson. Enter through the small black gate and walk straight up the yard between the arena and round pen. You will see the door to the office in front of you and a member of staff will assist you with the relevant documentation and a helmet fitting if needed.
We have parking available in the layby directly opposite the yard entrance. We would ask customers not to drive onto the yard and to please exercise caution when crossing the road.
Spectators are more than welcome to watch lessons, and can take a seat at our picnic benches. We do, however, ask that if you are expecting a large group of spectators (particularly if you are riding in a group lesson) that you let us know in advance so we can discuss. We would ask all spectators to behave appropriately around our horses and riders, which includes avoiding sudden loud noises or substantial movements. Please also ensure that any non-riding children who attend are fully supervised at all times.
The nearest bus stop to the yard is Gateshead Road-Pennyfine Road. This is approximately a 10 minute walk from the yard. The walk is uphill from the bus stop to us, but downhill on the way back!
Spectators are welcome to take photographs of the individual they are spectating. We would ask that you do not take photographs of - or which might include - other individuals or livery horses without first asking permission of the relevant individual / parent or guardian or a member of yard staff.
Yes, we have a bathroom with handwashing facilities.
Simply log into ECPro and go to Lesson Bookings and then click on Tokens. This will allow you to buy a pack of 6 lessons for the price of 5. You can then book lessons normally and the system will automatically use your tokens to 'pay' for any bookings.
There are two key things to check, firstly do you have tokens left. You can check this by going to the Tokens section. Any unused tokens you have will be show with a green dot beside them. Secondly, are the tokens the same sort as the type of lesson you are trying to book, for example you cannot book a 60 min lesson with a 30 min token. If you continue to have issues, simply give us a call.
Kelly Hall licenced to keep a Riding Establishment at West Acres Equestrian Ltd, Pennyfine Road, Sunniside, NE16 5ER by Gateshead Council under LICENCE NUMBER 074580
Copyright © 2024 Westacres Equestrian - ARR.