Santolina Stables has been teaching children to ride from its Wokingham base since 1990. The family-run school provides group and private lessons alongside a packed programme of activities aimed at younger riders, including pony days, pony camps and a Saturday Santolina Pony Club. Tots Trots and walk-outs are available for the smallest riders, and the school welcomes complete beginners.
Disciplines on offer cover the main interests of a busy children's yard. Mounted games and show jumping training form the core of the competitive side, and the stables also runs an in-house competition calendar plus cross-country schooling. For riders whose interest is in a different direction, equine-assisted therapy sessions are provided. Birthday parties are held in the on-site party barn, making the venue a popular choice for a different kind of celebration, and Christmas events round out the year.
The facilities are set up for year-round riding. Two 20x40 metre floodlit all-weather outdoor arenas allow lessons to continue when conditions underfoot would otherwise stop play, and the 18 stables house the school ponies. A cross-country course gives riders varied schooling, and the yard is completed by a tack room, office and toilets for clients.
The school holds a five-star licence from Wokingham Borough Council, is ABRS approved and is staffed by BHS-qualified instructors. It is also DEFRA-regulated. Opening hours run from 9:00am to 5:00pm Monday to Saturday and 10:00am to 2:00pm on Sunday, though the yard closes on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays in term time and on Thursdays and Sundays during school holidays. Santolina Stables is located in Wokingham, Berkshire, postcode RG41 4EA, and enquiries can be made by contacting the school directly.