After months of anxious anticipation, numerous phone calls and admin hiccups, we finally got a chance to ride at STCRC last Sunday. I must admit, the facilities are indeed world-class. The sheer size of the indoor arena was utterly luxurious, if not a little overwhelming.
In any case, I’m glad I don’t have to worry about glove tan-lines or wet weather riding anymore. And talk about being spoiled- even the sand on the ground was made out of some synthetic material which was virtually dirt-free but hell to get out of our clothes and boots (it came out in weird clumps). What more- the syces walked our horses right down to the arena, helped us mount, and then took the horses back to the stables for us after we finished our ride. Personally, I'd prefer helping to tack up / bringing my horse back to the stables... but unfortunately the riding school's policies don't allow for that...
The horses were all a little fresh and excitable. Mine was ultra sensitive and kept bolting at a certain corner of the arena and wanting to break into a canter, probably a reflection of my inexperience in riding highly-trained, non-school-master type horses rather than a problem with the horse’s schooling. The other advanced riders seemed to have pretty good rides, and the instructor seemed competent as well. It was just a little unnerving watching two riders (both kids) fall within the span of two lessons- one of whom was a novice rider who had a syce holding onto her pony when it bolted.
That being said, the horses and ponies are very new and will need time to settle down before they get used to the new place. Hopefully things will improve when all the teething problems get worked out (including the extremely vexing lesson booking policies).
Unfortunately, riders are not allowed to visit the horses at the stables unless they book stable management classes. That means no post-ride carrot-feeding, showering the horses or hanging around the barn after lessons- a huge pity imo!
Information:
Check out their website for more information
Type of riding: Mainly dressage. Jumping for Advanced riders only.
Riding fees: $60 per 45 min for public riders ($15-35 for students, see website for more details).
Location:
STCRC is a 10 to 15 minute walk from Kranji MRT. If you’d like to take the bus instead of walking the whole way, cross the road (from Kranji MRT), take almost any bus and alight after 1 bus-stop and walk.
I love STCRC!!! I ride there and the ponies are UTTERLY well behaved! The instructors are great too and all the staff are friendly. It is a very well maintained place only pity is that we're not allowed to enter the stables except for gymkhanas and stable management lessons. They hold many inter-school competitions, good experience for riders and LOADS of gymkhanas! It really allows the riders to mingle with each other. The horses are well-grommed too. I LOVE STCRC!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI love STC, though I always wished that we are are to Go in to the stables and maybe tack up our horses! That point aside, the horses are all really well behaved and the instructor are quite nice and funny:)
ReplyDeleteI love STCRC! The arena is awesome and all the horses are well behaved, if not cheeky:) the instructors are funny and thus lessons are nvr a bore:) though I always wished that we could Go into the stables to tack up our horses..: )
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