WES Approved Venues
Western riding needs the right setting: the right surfaces, the right facilities, and coaches who know what they are doing. These are the venues we have assessed and are confident recommending to our members.
Each one has a real connection to WES, through a WES Professional instructor on site, a track record of hosting WES-affiliated events, or both. So when you arrive as a WES member, you are somewhere that understands western riding and takes it seriously.
Every venue below has its contact details, facilities and what it offers, so you have everything you need to get in touch.
Burley Villa School of Riding
About Burley Villa School of Riding
Burley Villa is a BHS-approved riding school set within the New Forest National Park near New Milton in Hampshire. The venue is known for offering western trail rides directly into the ancient woodland of the National Park, giving it a distinctly atmospheric offer that is unlike most other western facilities in the UK. The western element is led by Tammy Greaves, a WES Professional Level 4 and former western riding champion.
The centre offers both English and western riding, with direct access to the forest for trail riding, lessons in an indoor arena, and outdoor schooling. The style of western riding on offer here is trail and pleasure-focused rather than competition-oriented, making it particularly well-suited to newcomers and leisure riders looking for an accessible and scenic introduction to western riding.
Facilities
- Indoor arena
- Outdoor arena/school
- Direct access to New Forest National Park trail riding
- Stabling and visiting livery facilities
What they offer
- Western riding lessons (English and western saddle)
- Forest trail rides in western saddle (selected Thursdays and Sundays, other dates by arrangement)
- Children's riding experiences - Pony Trails, Brush n Rides
- Holiday hacks
- Western clinics and training with Tammy Greaves
Contact and booking
Website: www.burleyvilla.co.uk
Facebook: facebook.com/p/Burley-Villa-School-of-Riding
WES connection
Tammy Greaves is a WES Professional Level 4.
Fallowbrook Western Riding Club
About Fallowbrook Western Riding Club
Fallowbrook Western Riding Club is based in East Peckham in Kent and describes itself as the biggest western riding club in the South East of England. The club's coaching is led by Pauline Norton, who holds the distinction of being the only UKCC Level 4 western coach in the country, as well as being a British Horse Society Accredited Professional Coach, and a former British Reining Open Hi-Point Champion. Pauline is also the WES Welfare Officer and a WES Council member.
Fallowbrook occupies an interesting position in the WES ecosystem - it is not a commercial riding school in the traditional sense but operates primarily as a riding club, running clinics, training sessions, and WES-affiliated events for members in the South East. The club's association with Pauline Norton gives it an unusually high coaching standard and a strong governance and welfare grounding.
What they offer
- Western riding lessons and clinics
- Training sessions for club members
- WES-affiliated competition and events
- Coaching by the UK's only UKCC Level 4 western coach
Contact and booking
Facebook (club): https://www.facebook.com/groups/718669746639342
WES connection
Pauline Norton is WES Welfare Officer, WES Council member, WES Professional Level 2, and a WES Judge.
Oakridge Arena
MidlandsAbout Oakridge Arena
Oakridge Arena is one of the UK's best-known and most versatile western equestrian venues, set in the Nottinghamshire countryside near Newark. The centrepiece is a purpose-built indoor arena that is claimed to be the largest reining arena in the UK, with a 500-seat capacity, and the facility has built a well-deserved reputation as a serious training and competition hub for western riders across the country.
The venue is home to the Oakridge Western Riding Club (OWRC) and hosts the Sherwood Shows series, offering WES-sanctioned western competition throughout the year. Training is delivered by UKCC instructor Lee Rutter across a full range of western disciplines, with reining a particular speciality. Lessons are available on the centre's own horses or your own, and all levels of ability are welcome.
Facilities
- Indoor arena (international reining specification)
- 36 indoor stables with rubber matting
- On-site cafe and bar (open for events)
- Arena hire available for private use and external events
- Electrical hook-up and elsan points for horseboxes and caravans
- On-site English and western tack shop
- Accommodation available
What they offer
- Western riding lessons and clinics
- Reining training
- Sherwood Shows western competition series
- OWRC Summer Camp
- Arena and venue hire
- Quarter Horse stud and sales
Contact and booking
Website: www.oakridgearena.co.uk
Events diary: oakridgearena.co.uk/events-diary
Facebook: facebook.com/Oakridgearena
WES connection
WES instructor on-site: Lee Rutter (UKCC).
Sovereign Quarter Horses
About Sovereign Quarter Horses
Sovereign Quarter Horses is one of the most established western equestrian facilities in the UK, set on Horse Creek Farm in the heart of the Cambridgeshire Fens just outside March. The business was founded in the 1970s by David Deptford and his father Henry, making it one of the longest-running western operations in the country. It was also one of the first fully licensed western riding schools in the UK. David and Sarah Deptford have run the business together since 1990.
Sovereign is a thoroughbred breeding and competition powerhouse as well as a public-facing riding centre. The Deptfords have produced multiple European Champions and horses that have earned the prestigious AQHA Champion Award - one of the highest accolades available to a Quarter Horse. David has represented Great Britain on the British Reining Team on multiple occasions. The venue hosts some of the biggest western shows in the UK and attracts competitors from across Europe.
Facilities
- Indoor arena 30m x 60m with year-round all-weather surface
- Semi-open sides with full electrical lighting for evening use
- 19 permanent indoor stables with capacity for 150+ temporary stables
- Gallery cafe overlooking the arena (open on show days)
- Licensed bar
- Outdoor parking and camping for tents and caravans
- On-site western store
What they offer
- Western riding lessons (Monday to Friday, on centre horses or your own)
- Western experience days
- Camps, clinics and shows
- Horse training
- Demonstrations
- Venue hire
- Quarter Horse stallions and horses for sale
Contact and booking
Website: sovereignquarterhorses.com
Events calendar: sovereignquarterhorses.com/apps/events/calendar
Facebook: facebook.com/SQHWesternRiding
WES connection
David Deptford is a WES Professional Level 5. Sarah Deptford is a WES Professional Level 2.
Valley View Ranch
About Valley View Ranch
Valley View Ranch is a full-service American horse ranch set in the Herefordshire countryside near Ullingswick, owned and operated by Bruce and Tina Lawrence. It is a 5-star licensed riding centre offering western riding tuition, breeding, ranch holidays, venue hire, and events. The ranch has a strongly distinctive identity - bunkhouses, wagons, a western saloon, and a clubhouse give it an authentic ranch feel that is hard to replicate elsewhere in the UK.
Bruce Lawrence is a WES Professional Level 5, a qualified UKCC coach, and a multiple British Reining champion. The ranch is the most varied and immersive western offer in WES's approved venue list, attracting riders for everything from single lessons to multi-day residential camps with evening entertainment.
Facilities
- Multiple indoor and outdoor arenas (including an 80m x 40m outdoor arena)
- Extensive stabling
- Clubhouse
- Western saloon
- Licensed kitchen
- Cross-country course
- Large parking for horseboxes
- Camping facilities
- Western-themed bunkhouse and wagon accommodation
- Tack Shack equestrian retail on-site
What they offer
- Western riding lessons (private and group)
- Western experience days
- Multi-day camps and clinics
- Ranch holidays with accommodation
- Alternative provision educational programmes
- Venue hire for clubs, shows, and events
- Horsebox and trailer sales
- Gift cards and lesson packages
Contact and booking
Website: www.valleyviewranch.co.uk
Events: valleyviewranch.co.uk/events
Lesson booking: appointment.com/vvranch
Facebook: facebook.com/vvranchequestrian
WES connection
Bruce Lawrence is a WES Professional Level 5 and WES Area 6 County Rep for Herefordshire.
Somewhere you can trust
Assessed, not rubber-stamped
Approval is not a rubber stamp. We look at the facilities, the coaching credentials and the experience on offer before a venue is listed.
Coaching that knows western
A WES Professional instructor on site, a track record of hosting WES-affiliated events, or both.
Find a WES ProRight for every step
Whether you are booking your first western lesson, looking for somewhere to train before a show, or finding a venue for a clinic in your area, you can trust this list.
Three steps to approval
Check you fit
A facility with qualified western coaching and a real connection to the WES community.
Tell us about it
Email dan@wes-uk.com with a short description of your venue, your coaching credentials and the area you cover.
We take it from there
We look at the facilities, the coaching credentials and the experience on offer before a venue is listed.
We would love to hear from you
If you run a facility with qualified western coaching and a real connection to the WES community, get in touch.