I've been trying to get onto Gryffeside since 2016 but the stars and circumstances have never…read morealigned, Karen has always been honest about what you are looking for and if the yard would suit (I was looking for full livery at the time). I finally have managed to become a very proud member of the Gryffeside livery, I keep pinching myself! We were meant to move a couple of weeks later, however, we had to move a few weeks earlier than planned and Karen could not have been more supportive, kind or helpful. Probably the most welcoming bunch of liveries as well! One of my horses arrived at the yard very lame and my other one was acting as her companion. So they were staying in overnight and out in the hardstanding pens during the day. To say he is a grot monster is an understatement - think hose pipe every morning! Karen has not once, but twice thought of solutions to help me out - first putting them into the rubber turnout overnight so I wasn't mucking that stable out and they both got turnout, but then when my mare was ready, pairing her up with her mare so she had quiet company and introducing my gelding to his new herd. The yard is so well thought out - my boy was starting to pile on the pounds and the hard standing pens and paddy paddock has been a godsend! That indoor is also what dreams are made of. The yard is beautifully maintained - from the land and fencing, to the arenas, you can see the pride Karen and Willie take in it. The stables are spacious, with automatic waterers and there's tonnes of well thought out storage space - I have a lot of stuff between two horses and it's still all neat and tidy opposed to crammed in. Seeing really is believing (and I don't just mean the storage). There's a lovely place to socialise called the Wendy house - fully equipped with a fridge, kettle, toastie maker and a microwave. So if you want to stay there all day, you can. Karen is really accommodating of needs, so if you are thinking of coming and joining us, come and have a look around and a chat. I have two horses with varying needs - one is on the best of both package (mainly living out) and my other horse is on the standard living in at night in winter package. You also have the option of grass livery, so there really is something for everyone. I am looking forward to many, many happy years here as part of Gryffeside and can't thank Karen and Willie enough for having us!

I have had horses at Gryffeside for the last 11years and I can honestly say that we have enjoyed…read moreevery day there. I think it's down to the fabulous facilities and the excellent way the yard is run by Karen and Willie. They are there for you and your horse, whether it's Willie helping with your horse, car or trailer or whatever you need help with as he can turn his hand to anything. Or Karen looking after your horse just like she would her own. Every horse is an individual, and treated as such, and their little likes and dislikes catered for, nothing's a bother. I have no hesitation leaving my horse in their care, I know that when I am at work or on holiday they are well looked after, in fact some people would say spoilt. The other brilliant thing about Gryffeside is the other liveries, you couldn't meet a nicer bunch, always there to support you and to have a good laugh with you. So it's a 10 from me."

Dumbreck is a family run riding school, where my daughter began taking riding lessons Staff are…read morevery friendly , helpful and encourage the children to gain their confidence around horeses. Set in the most beautiful of settings Pollok Park, one can enjoy the semi rural setting and get the kids active in a skill which develops the ideal of responsibility for animal welfare, and keeps them physically fit at the same time.

My wife, daughter and I visited Blackstone Clydesdales a year ago, April 2024 and since that day I…read morehave been wanting to write a review, which I rarely do. It is 50 weeks since we went and it is still fresh on our minds. My wife and daughter rode these majestic monsters, while I, with limited experience (no skills) got to do cuddle time - i had to do something... BEST EXPERIENCE EVER!!!! It was a virtual fantasy to be able to pet these friendly animals and little ones too who just finished weening. they all came up to me (and daughter when she was done riding) and we got to feed them carrots which they were of course happy to have. The owners were fantastic people and made the experience out of this world with the rapport, guidance and fun banter as this American struggled a couple times to make it past his brogue :D. I'm sure my Boston accent didn't help. i would absolutely do this again without skipping a beat, and my wife and daughter feel the same. When my daughter, who just turned 11, heard me tell my wife i was writing a review on Blackstone, lit up wanting to see if the horse she rode was still there. Great memories were made that day for all!! Highly recommended!!!

Great people and beautiful animals, and an unforgettable experience! The Clydesdale's are amazing…read moreand you can ride them. They also have provided care for some Clydesdale's in need. Well worth traveling from Chicago!

This centre started as stud and livery stables and is now one of Britain's top equestrian…read morefacilities. It has two large indoor riding arenas, an outside allweather arena. Riding lessons are offered in the Academy by qualified coaches on their own horses or you can bring your own. The only off putting part of having lessons is that the people visiting the restuarant are able to watch you - not good if you are just learning. There is a large resturant, a smaller take away for riding competitors. Another resturant is being built. There is also a saddlery shop, although this is quite pricey. There is plenty of car parking, easy access off the M8.

We ate at their restaurant Palominos, and the food was good, with amazing detail to helping with…read morefood allergies. Sadly though, service was extremely slow as they actually forgot to bring the meals Cocktail bar was good. Equestrian ambiance made it fun. We stayed in a little cabin which was quiet, relaxing before a 6:00 am flight in Glasgow. A very quick drive to airport. That would be a fun place for a horse show, meticulous stables.

Oh reviewing a country club are we? Bet you didn't know I am secretly posh!…read more Ingliston is located in Bishopton, about 15 minutes from Glasgow Airport and is surrounded by lovely views of the countryside. It is first and foremost an equestrian centre and although it has been years since I have ridden a horse myself I believe Ingliston has the best facilities in the country. There are classes for everyone from the complete beginner right up to the most experienced competitive riders. They can teach you everything from how to care for horses and managing a stable to show jumping and dressage. However, if like me you love horses but don't fancy getting quite so involved, you can go on one of the stable tours to check out the great facilities and meet some of the gorgeous horses. If you've had an injury from horse riding or are just a bit nervous about getting back into horse riding after a few years away from it, Ingliston have a simulator which gently eases you back into the saddle so to speak and helps build up the muscles you would use when riding a real horse. At Ingliston there is also a boutique called Flying Changes where you can buy all the gear for your horse as well as clothing for yourself by the likes of Joules and Toggi. You can also pick up some lovely equestrian themed gifts for little ones and adult alike. Ingliston also has ten gorgeous looking lodges which you can stay in and while on the outside they look a bit like fancy sheds; on the inside they are very modern, spacious and stylish. I have never stayed in one myself but I have had a little tour round them and I recommend you check out some of the photos I have posted from the Ingliston website as they really are quite impressive little sheds! The reason for most of my visits to Ingliston is for some food. There are four different dining areas all with a different vibe to them. I usually eat in Palomino's which is a bistro and wine bar and have had some wonderful afternoon tea here and several delicious meals. I highly recommend the steak pie followed by the sticky toffee pudding. You'll need a good 2 weeks solid at the gym to work that meal off but it is definitely worth it! At Palomino's there are huge windows which face onto the inside training arena and you can watch the riders practice. The Salerno Suite reminds me of the grand dining room aboard the Titanic! It is very Art Deco with a lot of the features being inspired from London's Savoy Hotel. This dining area tends to attract an older crowd for things like dinner dances but it can also be hired as a wedding venue. There is a beautiful terrace which would make a great place to sip champagne as the sunsets on your wedding day. The Polo Rooms attracts a younger customer as it has a very vibrant atmosphere and is decorated like a cocktail bar in Ibiza! There are often live bands playing or (horror of horrors) karaoke, but don't let that put you off! The summer barbeques are always good fun and we have to make the best of any decent weather we get in Scotland! The Polo Rooms can also be hired out for smaller weddings or parties. The Clydesdale and Shetland suites are more your typical function suites. Ideal for small parties and the seating can be adapted to suite your specific needs. All in all I highly recommend Ingliston whether you are interested equestrianism or not. You can spend a few hours there enjoying a great meal or a few days staying in one of the lovely lodges and taking a few riding lessons.

An arena polo club in Central Scotland. A great place for a…read moretaster lesson, if you have ridden once or twice before, never in your life or an experienced rider. A great place to begin to learn polo in a safe atmosphere. The horses are so safe and well trained. Lessons £35 per person, no previous experience required. Kinross polo club is also the home of several universities including Aberdeen, St Andrews and Stirling.

After my horse got injured and we found out that she would be out of riding action for at least a…read moreyear, I started getting lessons at Busby just to make sure I didn't lose my edge. The first thing I realised from getting lessons again was how many bad habits that I used to pick up. That was great! Not that I had got a bit rubbish, but that the instructors could point them out to me in such detail. Second lesson, new instructor, she was like 'canter round, do a 20 circle and join the rear', to which I completed and then she mumbled, 'good next'. Clearly not as thorough or possibly as well qualified as the first, but I guess that s the luck of the draw. I knew for sure I hadn't progressed that much, and the fact that she wasn't even watching left me in disbelief. Actually a common problem at alot of stables I think, where some are much more positive about the job than others.

When I was younger my parents for some reason wanted to get me into horse riding but I've always…read morehad an irrational fear of horses for some unknown reason, I think it's the smell of stables, it makes me feel sick and I remember when I was around 5 my mum took me here for my first ever lesson. As young as I was I can still vividly remember the dingy stable, the awful smell and the awful horse riding outfits. I wanted to cry when they brought out the scabby old helmet which had been worn by so many other horse riders, it just looked disgusting. Oh and that smell. I could never ever get used to that. This whole day must have been so traumatic for me as I can remember it so well yet I was so young. My mum didn't stay with me as the owner told her to go home and pick me up in an hour and maybe that's another reason why I was so terrified, as I didn't know the people here and they clearly didn't put me at ease. I remember my horse kept stopping to do its business so I got very little riding done, complete waste of time. To my parents dismay I didn't want to go back and ever since I've been absolutely terrified of horses. I guess I probably did them a favour though, as horse riding isn't exactly the cheapest hobby in the world. However, I realise I was very young and horse riding was never going to be my thing. So for people who are actually into horse riding, then I'm sure the Busby Equitation Centre is pretty good, it is very popular and has been around for years. You can do a gentle spot of pony treking here, or more advanced horse riding events such as show jumping and dressage.

My boyfriend and I purchased a groupon for a day of canoeing and cliff jumping here at Go Country…read more It was a crackin deal, so we figured, why not, let's get some summer activities in before the cold temperatures are back. Sigh. This wee place is great. Not the newest of equipment the wet suits especially were a bit on the well worn side, but the staff are super friendly (and local- we saw them at the pub later that night) and very helpful. We went off with a group of about 25 or so for a wee canoe around loch ard over to some cliffs that were near by. My boyfriend and I were hoping to get a two seater boat, but there was a stag do there and other people who got to them first, so we were plunked in with one other guy we didn't know. His cousin ended up going with someone else in their boat. We were given a crash course on paddling and what to do if we tipped the boats and we were off. The leader of the group followed us along in an engine powered boat, making sure we were all safe and he was able to help if anyone tipped over their boats. Really funny guy, making jokes at those of us who seemed to paddle in circles. Once we got the hang of it, our boat made good time, with me sitting in the middle, probably the weakest out of all of us, it was fun none the less. Once we got to the cliffs, we parked the boats and hiked a bit before we swam across to the cliffs. They started us off with a wee cliff, which my boyfriend and I jumped off no bother. It wasn't until the highest cliff that I loved my life more than I thought and would not allow myself to leap to my death. Haha. It wasn't that high, and loads of people jumped a million times, I just went up, looked down, anxiety set in and I backed away. I got heckled a bit for not jumping, but that's ok. We had a blast none the less. After we'd had our fun, instead of hiking back to our boats, we were given the option of swimming back. I chose to swim, as it's been a while since I've swam anywhere. It was great fun! We paddled back to Go Country and that was that of our day on the loch. It was a lot of fun and should another groupon surface, I'd go back. The prices are a bit high for what you get (without a groupon).

I'd bought a voucher from Groupon for a canoeing and cliff jumping adventure experience. It's been…read morea great introduction, as I'd never heard of Go Country before, and now I know them, I'd definitely want to go back and do another activity with them. The experience was fantastic! A bit mental, but fantastic! We canoed over the loch, parked the boats (or whatever it is you do with boats) on the far shore, and then swam over to the little islands. I thought he was kidding when he said we had to swim, but nope, no joke. Then we climbed the little islands and flung ourselves off from various heights and positions. It was magic. I was really impressed with the whole set up of the place. There were 2 gentlemen dealing with us at the start, and they were really friendly and full of light-hearted banter, presumably to help us feel less nervous about the impending cliff fling. They issued us all with wet suits, spray jackets, life jackets and helmets, and carefully checked that we had everything on correctly. We then had a brief introduction on safety and how to paddle properly, and then off to the canoes! The instructor had a wee motor boat, which was good, as he was able to herd us all together with the boat like a sheep dog guiding its unruly herd, and was quickly able to get to any canoe that was struggling. He had a job on his hands, as in our group there was one canoe team who just could not steer and fell way behind - they ended up getting a lift in his boat, another one who were fighting against the wind with only two people instead of 3 and ended up hitching a lift by clinging on to the side of his boat, one canoe that took on too much water, and he had to give them a bucket to bail out with, and one canoe that tipped over, ditching the 3 people into the loch! And then he had a few people (myself included) who were havering over the big jumps. I must have been to the cliff edge about a hundred times before I finally jumped. This guy was patience personified. The facilities are a basic set up, but this is what you would expect. There are portacabin changing rooms, which are basic but clean, and chemical portaloos. Don't be expecting any hot showers when you're done. The setting itself is beautiful. When we were paddling back to base we had a stunning view of the hills, with Ben Lomond towering in the distance, and afterwards we sat on a bench just watching people and ducks go by on the loch. They have an inflatable water park which looks like it could be a real laugh, and other activities like hamster balling, kayaking, mountain biking, archery, climbing and abseiling and other various outdoor activiites. They'll even hire you everything you need if you want to do camping. Next on my list is gorge walking! They also have an agreement with the McDonald Forest Hills hotel which is directly opposite, so if you're with a group of people, and not all of you want to do the outdoorsy things, some people can choose relax in their leisure suite, or have a massage treatment instead. They really have thought of everything - it's a very good set up and I'm looking forward to doing another experience with them again soon.