We’re delighted to invite the local community to an Open Day at Bourne Vale Stables on Saturday 16th May, from 11am to 3pm. The afternoon is our way of welcoming new visitors through the gates. Whether you’ve ridden before, your children have been asking for lessons, or you’ve simply driven past the yard for years and wondered what we get up to, this is the day to come and see for yourself.
The Open Day also marks the launch of two new programmes for the spring and summer. Tiny Tots, a Friday afternoon session for children aged three to five, offers a relaxed first introduction to ponies in a low-pressure setting. Alongside it, we are launching a new adult novice class. The Open Day is also a chance for any adult who has always wanted to ride to come down to the yard, talk to our instructors, and find out how we might help them realise a lifelong dream.
Both programmes reflect a wider belief that has shaped the centre for more than sixty years. That time spent with horses is genuinely good for people of every age. That feels even more relevant in the digital age, when adults and children alike are spending more and more of their time on screens. With more people looking for hands-on, off-screen activities to share, the Open Day is our way of opening the gates to people who may never have considered how fun and enjoyable it is to spend time with horses. The afternoon also happens to fall within Mental Health Awareness Week, which feels rather fitting for a day given over to the wellbeing benefits of being around horses.
Since 1962, Bourne Vale has been a working stable yard at the heart of the local community, family-run and now into its fourth generation. Over the decades we’ve taught thousands of children and adults to ride, watched friendships form, and welcomed riders of every age and background.
Visitors will be able to take a yard tour at 11:30, 12:30 or 1:30 to meet the ponies and see how the centre runs day to day. Children aged three and over are invited to a Sit on a Pony session between 1pm and 2pm, which can be reserved in advance by calling the office. Pony grooming will run throughout the afternoon, and refreshments will be available on site.
For those interested in the longer story of the yard, a heritage tour at 2pm will take visitors back as far as 1800, share some of the lesser-known stories along the way, and stop at one item on the yard that pre-dates even that.
The team will be on hand to talk through everything we offer, from adult and children’s lessons to Pony Club, birthday parties, holiday activities, and our new Tiny Tots and adult class programmes.
“We’ve spent more than sixty years welcoming people through the gate, and there’s still nothing quite like watching a child meet a pony for the first time,” says Anna Cooper, third-generation co-owner of Bourne Vale Stables. “We see how much family life happens on a screen these days, and the simple act of being around the horses and being exposed to the outdoors is good for confidence, calm and connection in a way that’s hard to replicate anywhere else. The Open Day is our way of opening that experience up to families and adults who haven’t yet had the chance to come and see what we do.”
The Open Day is free to attend and there is no need to book the day itself.
Please note: Sit-on sessions for ages three and over should be reserved in advance.
Saturday 16th May, 11am to 3pm Bourne Vale Stables t: 0121 353 7174 | w: bournevalestables.co.uk