Edinburgh riding school needs our help – Helen Martin

More than half a million people are thought to have learned to ride at Tower Farm, and now it needs our help, writes Helen Martin.

A young girl on her pony at Tower Farm Riding Stables in Edinburgh (Picture: Neil Hanna)

IT’S great to hear that the Riding for the Disabled Association at The Drum in Gilmerton, a charity with 11 ponies to care for, is being supported through this crisis by Taylor Wimpey East Scotland.

Horses and ponies have a very supportive effect on humans with physical or mental problems. But equine maintenance is very costly.

That’s the case for Tower Farm Riding Stables at Liberton, the only riding school in Edinburgh, where they have 39 horse and ponies, plus 12 liveries (accommodation and care for privately owned horses). Their income (apart from livery) has shut down and costs are massive including bills such as insurance around £700 a month, water at £350, hay and feed at £3000, electricity £450, along with other factors such as licences, farrier and vet fees, and staff furloughs.

It’s not the case that riding schools are all rich and posh. I know that as I began my horse-riding lessons in Glasgow’s Dumbreck school when I was seven years old. I was a stressed and unhappy teenager for a while, but spending time with horses was an escape. Dumbreck closed down years ago.

I took up dressage in Yorkshire, gave up when I became pregnant. Moved to Edinburgh and tried to regain my ability at Tower Farm, but breast cancer ended that.

There are happy pupils of all ages and different incomes who have sporting ambitions or just love horses; some adults and children who attend regularly to raise their downsides of learning difficulties, anxiety, stress or depression; tourists who enjoy horse-riding and book in for rural hacks; and locals of all ages who just have the urge to learn.

Judy and Jock Forrest opened Tower Farm in 1972. But today their daughter Caroline Buckle owns the school and runs it with the manager of 35 years, Debbie Henderson. Months ago, they were beginning to consider how to celebrate the stable’s 50-year anniversary.

Not only do they usually have wonderful scenic route rides but they have competitions, equestrian stars who give lectures and demos, and horses who have performed at the Tattoo.

In normal circumstances they welcome people who just want to come and ‘speak to’ the horses, including residents from a local care home who, along with care staff, see it as a lovely outing.

Now everyone’s locked down and Tower Farm is focused on doing all they can to raise support with a JustGiving account. And as Caroline explained to me, one thing entirely blocked from her mind is the possibility of closing. Not because Tower Farm yields a fortune, but because they have 39 horses and ponies and two stable dogs who are ‘family’ and have to be cared for.

“Our horses are happy with their work. When the lockdown began they were confused but they’ve come to term with lazy days. We still have to groom them, deal with their coats, check their hooves, their shoes (£80 a set), and feed them whether they’re in the stables or in the field.

“We never get rid of them or put them down – unless it’s about ending suffering. As they get elderly they may ‘work’ less often or at levels they can still enjoy. Ultimately, they ‘retire’ or do gentle walks, whatever suits them. Closure? I won’t even consider that.”

Probably nor will those who have spent part of their lives at Tower Farm. Caroline tried to estimate how many had learned to ride horses there in the last 48 years. Half a million at least, she thought – I reckoned a lot more.

Not a charity then, but if you can offer support, check out www.towerfarm.org.