Ellesmere Riding & Trekking Centre — Local services in Llangors

I had such an amazing time on a trekking holiday with the team here.

Myfanwy (the owner, and very active rider, of the centre) puts her absolute heart and soul into not just the centre, but the horses, the amazing team that run it, and the surrounding community!

She runs a tight ship in ensuring you have the loveliest stay in beautiful local accomodation, with guaranteed bookings at the local fab pub (100% recommend the Plough and Harrow for lovely cooked food and beautiful settings) and getting door-to-door lifts if you don't have a car like me (which is no mean feat in rural Wales!)

The actual riding was amazing- they prioritise yours and the horses' safety whilst having the most fun. We rode in a group (not nose to tail) and despite all being strangers, it was just like being out with a group of your pals. We got so many beautiful long canters and gallops over the tops of the mountains with breathtaking views and through groups of beautiful wild Welsh ponies. I'd been given a packed lunch which was well-recieved on the side of a mountain looking over a lake and having our leader give us the local history and lore (and ofc the apple in my packed lunch was dutifully shared with my horse).

Our horses were so well cared for and evidently loved going on their treks- I was riding lovely Roxie who was forward going and great fun :)

Highlight of the holiday was helping to herd the whole stable of horses down the road to the local common where they have exclusive access to roam when they're turned out- such brilliant conditions for these ponies and horses.

I will definitely be coming back here, it's a small stables with a...

Unless you are a confident rider, I do NOT recommend this provider.

There was no safety briefing given or any induction whatsoever. There were no hi-vis vests provided to clients nor did the guides wear any.

We arrived about 15 minutes early as requested. Along with another family, we waited for 30 minutes past our booked time until we were seen to and kitted out. The guides did not introduce themselves.

Although I noted on the booking form that we were "complete beginners", we did not receive any instructions before or during the ride.

Since no instructions were given ahead of the riding session, one hour in, when one of the guides shouted that we were going to trot now, I almost fell off the horse. Apparently, I needed to hold on to the horse rein AND the saddle during the trot which I hadn’t heard as I was 5 horses behind the guide and well... horses do walk/trot noisily.

The riding sessions were provided by disorganised and inexperienced guides, who had no sense of safety or customer service.

Most of the horse-riding took place on country lanes whereby only about 20-30 minutes were in the countryside.

Good luck & hold on tight if you book with...

Earlier in the summer, my sister and I had the most amazing trekking experience at Ellesmere Riding Centre. We both hadn’t ridden for a good few years so we were slightly nervous, but we were quickly made to feel at ease by our lovely guide Phoebe. As we went during their quieter days in the week, my sister and I were the only ones in our group, which was really lovely! Phoebe really helped us build our confidence, and went at a pace that was comfortable and enjoyable for us, continuously ensuring we were both okay. Phoebe was so knowledgeable of the areas we went to and took us to the most beautiful spots over the Brecon Hills. The ponies we rode (Lance & Misty) had such lovely temperaments, and were so well behaved during our treks - this definitely made us feel more confident during our 3 days of riding. All of the ponies were well looked after and you could tell they were all loved by the people at the riding centre (this was key for us!). Overall we can’t recommend Ellesmere Riding Centre enough. We loved it so much that we’ve planned another trip back at the end of September, where we’re going to brave doing a full...