Saddle up and ride ’em! Lee Valley centre unveils pony trekking experience

My not-so-little pony: Kalyeena Makortoff takes one of the trusty steeds for a spin at the Riding Centre

It is located just one mile east of Clapton’s Lea Bridge Roundabout, but despite this proximity to the inner city, the WaterWorks Centre will this summer be hosting hour-long “country” getaways. The pony trekking experience run by the Lee Valley Riding Centre is the first of its kind in east London.

The one-hour sessions are run by the Riding Centre’s professionally trained instructors, who personally lead or escort your pony throughout the ride – a big help for those with no experience on the saddle.

After 43 years running university team training, riding for the disabled, dressage instruction and livery, this is the first time the Centre will be offering an outdoor and family-friendly activity in a former golf course that has been turned into a back garden meadow for the summer.

“It’s an entirely more pleasurable experience for someone who perhaps isn’t trying to learn anything in particular and just wants to enjoy a leisurely stroll,” says Lee Valley Riding Centre manager Irena Gint.

Chief Instructor Mandi Pritchard added four new ponies to their on-site family of 65 horses two months ago, bought and trained specifically for leisurely treks.

But don’t let the term ‘pony’ fool you.

Twelve-year-old Irish Cob Dolly hardly passes for a tiny pony — with this animal’s barrel of a belly standing high off the ground, the orange step stool and an instructor’s guiding hand are much appreciated.

It is unlikely anyone will end up being the rider who broke the pony’s back.

The rest of the herd is younger, but the animals don’t lack personality. Young Jack and the spritely bay gelding Rolo are inseparable five-year-olds, standing a few feet short of the dominant mare.  Black Irish Cob Blaze is sturdy, playful and rarely leaves Dolly’s side.

“We trust all of them,” says Pritchard. “We’ve really put them through their paces and really assessed them well. And they’ve really impressed us.”

The team has over 80 bookings on their hands at the start of the trekking season, which will be offset by four daily sessions offered seven days a week through September.

With long sleeves and sturdy riding boots or trainers, trekkers are fitted out with helmets, given help to mount their pony, and can take time to get comfortable steering their steed around the enclosed paddock.

It’s not long before you’re ready to leave the pen behind and enter the back meadow of the nature reserve. Even with the Eurostar track running on the eastern side, it’s easy to pretend you’re outside London.

After the dismount, it’s worthwhile to meander through the site’s bird hide or wildlife garden.

Hyde Park’s outdoor rides are currently the closest inner-city rival to the WaterWorks pony trek. Gint hopes that the re-opening of Lea Bridge rail station in 2014 will make the Riding Centre and WaterWorks reserve even more accessible to Londoners from the East End and elsewhere.

“Mainly we’d like to think that families that could do something together that’s a bit different – with fresh air, the outdoors and exercise, we’re really appealing to all the things that are good for you,” says Gint.

The pony trekking sessions run at a reasonable rate, at £25 per person or £80 for a group of four.

Gint says: “It’s really marvellous, especially as you wouldn’t expect kids from Hackney to be riding horses.”