Support needed- Local Riding school:

Lot1983

Active Member
Oct 16, 2006
7,267
5
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The Cotswolds
As many of you may know, I work occasionally at a local riding school, I did my NVQ there and I also bought Henry from them. Their current rented site has been sold for redevelopment into a housing estate, so a site was purchased down the road with the view to moving the riding school there. The new site is far better situated as there is hacking directly onto a bridlepath, where as current hacking involves crossing a busy road. Anyway, despite some positive comments from the local council, the planning application has been deferred. By the time the decision comes though that gives BVEC three months to build and move to the new site. IF they don’t agree to the riding school moving this will mean the horses needing to be sold off and rehomed, that’s about 40 horses, some of them with little quirks that could (or indeed have done in the past) cause them to be passed from pillar to post. The riding school is one of the last remaining ones in the local area and has been in the village for over 50 years, (you’d be hard pushed to find a horse owner in the area that didn’t learn to ride there!), it brings in tourists and employs local people, we can’t afford to lose this asset!

From a totally selfish point of view, without them I wouldn’t have my superstar horse, I’d have never been to a dressage competition, I’d have never been hunting, I’d have never lead a pony round the paddock at a P2P, I’d have never done a thousand and one weird, wonderful and totally enjoyable horsey things!


Facebook support group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/363359250348743/

Planning details:
http://www.cotswold.gov.uk/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=2297&tt=cotswold&step=2&myID=11/04892/FUL

Local paper:
http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co...re-plans-new/story-15155903-detail/story.html

If you could all please help support our cause by joining the facebook group or registering and commenting on the newspaper article that would be fantastic.

Oh and some pictures to help:

This is JB, he’s 18.2hh and a roar-er, he was due to go to the kennels, BVEC took him and he’s been there ever since, he’s worth nothing on the open market but is utterly priceless (possibly not my best choice for gymkhana games!):
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Basil. The yard mascot, on loan to us as the owner has no room for him, his main role on the yard is lawn mowing:
Baz.jpg


Imp and Tally, two ex-racehorses retrained at BVEC that have now gone to private homes, here they are at a local (very wet!) riding club event:
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Pony racing! This is at a local P2P but there can’t be many riding schools that took a team of three girls to Cheltenham racecourse! Can you imagine growing up knowing you’ve galloped over the finish line at one of the most legendary courses in the country?!
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Good luck with this. Have requested to join the FB group and did write a comment to your local paper but am having trouble registering!
 
I'd seen a few things about this on Facebook but have only just caught up with the whole story. What a mess and a shame - another good riding school faces going down the pan. I am really hoping they will get some good news.
 
Without it I would never have found Sam either.... Leanne helped me shop for a horse and found Sam for me, I cant believe it could not be there soon... very sad indeed.

What can we do to get onto the planners? edit to say I just put my thought to them on the planning site!

Just to add lots... If worse came to worse put my name down for whisky please.
 
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It'll be sold off over my dead body. I'm with Lots and Nat on this... Leanne, who owns the place is a reet proper STAR and she's only moving because the land the RS has been on for FIFTY YEARS has been sold to property developers so she HAS to move..... makes me larf - all this talk about not wanting her to move over the road because it's an area of natural beauty... never mind that on that same piece of land a few years ago planning permission was given for a gert big ugly barn to be put up to be used as a brewery.... :banghead:
 
I think the planning concerns might be because they think the current site will just relocate over the road, the current stables have been around a LONG time but knowing that the site has been sold for redevelopment (it was sold a few years ago) the RS haven't invested money in keeping them looking spick and span because they're due to be knocked down!

The new site is PERFECT for the riding school and much safer for the children, although all the horses and ponies are good in traffic it's always a worry crossing a busy road.

I grew up in this area and I know just how many riding school have closed locally over the years, we can't afford to loose another one. Especially not one that is in safe walking distance from both the primary and secondary schools.
 
the best thing for them to do is to LOBBY the developer and get them to help as part of their PR exercise, i.e. they wouldn't want to be seen as the people who close down the school and kill all the horses.

that might also buy them time i.e. a delay for the work to be commenced, and perhaps also sponsorship

it could take up to a year to get planning permission depending on whether they have to appeal etc. getting a lot of local and national press, would help, get in touch with Sport England and the Olympics - this is where grass roots riding stards.
 
WE GOT IT! The planning meeting was today and I was asked to speak on behalf of the supporters, the most nerve wracking thing I've done in years, knowing just WHAT depended on the results!

It was VERY hard to call and there was a lot of "your ruining the countryside" and "not in my back garden" and even a "why is the carpark not there, horse rider's must be lazy"!!!

So excited for the new site, it's going to be fantastic! :D
 
Brilliant, Lots... well done! What's all this "not in my back yard" cr@p? The RS has been there for FIFTY years, FFS!!!!

Where IS the great laydee... she hasn't died from the shock has she? :giggle:

Or did she hot-foot it to Cheltenham....?
 
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That's such great news, Lots! Well done to all concerned. It just goes to show that it is worth fighting for something you feel passionately about!
 
That's such great news, Lots! Well done to all concerned. It just goes to show that it is worth fighting for something you feel passionately about!
 
Brilliant, am so pleased. Sounds like a proper riding school, but much, much more, and establishments like that so deserve to keep going.
 
newrider.com