My first impression of the Spanish Bit was a good one. The owner seemed friendly and helpful, the ponies/horses were gorgous and the instructors were all enthusiastic and knowledgeable.

The instructors i had throughout my time there were all fab and have made me the rider that i am today. Without their persistance and patient attitude, i may not have the confidence i do now.

A downside to the lessons is that we were only allowed to jump a max of 2"6 which was fine at first but as i continued to improve, it started to become boring. Also, due to the amount of group lessons going on at one time (e.g.3 or 4 with around 5-6 people in each group) it was hard to jump a course due to only having use of half a school.

The ponies and horses were relatively well treated, however do not get their backs checked at all, wear saddles that do not always fit and are worked 4-5 hours a day, with very little food.

I had been a weekend helper for 3 years there, spending saturdays, sundays and school holidays helping out with yard chores. However due to having limited responsibilites (e.g. not allowed to turn out, not allowed near livery horses or in any of the school horses stables etc), i decided i wanted a loan horse/pony to improve my jumping and horse care skills.

Upon finding a loan, i gave the owner 3 weeks notice to say that i would no longer be able to help on saturdays but would continue to come on sundays and school holidays. I did not see this as a problem as the school already had far too many weekend helpers and i had given plenty of notice.

The owner's reaction astounded me, saying that she "never wanted to see me again." However when i asked if i should go home there and then, she briskly said no and made me work the rest of the day giving me the cold shoulder whenever she saw me.

I have not been back since and i am now enjoying building a bond and improving my riding with my loan horse. However i have heard from some of the livery clients and staff at the Spanish Bit that the owner has been saying bad things about me and my family which is not acceptable.

I would recommend to any beginners/happy hacker to go to the Spanish Bit if you want to learn the basics. But for the more experienced i do not recommend going.

Also, be aware that although the owner may seem friendly to your face, she may be saying horrible things about you to others behind your back, as i have heard her have many a rant and moan about clients (epecially those who are not as wealthy as she is!).