If ever there was a time for us all to appreciate our local environment more and find ways of making the most of outdoor spaces – surely it is now. Our physical and mental well-being has also come more sharply into focus, and over in Barrington, just a few miles outside of Cambridge, there is a place where all of this can be discovered.
The South Cambridgeshire Equestrian Centre (SCEC), run by Christian Rawoo and James Shepherd, is part of a 260-acre farm set in the glorious Cambridgeshire countryside. As well as the centre and school itself, there are numerous pretty tracks for hacking and exploring the natural world in perfect social-distancing style. Set up in 2003, SCEC is a British Horse Society Approved Riding Centre and caters for riders of all abilities and from age five to currently their oldest rider of 75.
The facilities are both indoor and outdoor, so offering pretty much year-round riding, and alongside the centre’s own horses and ponies, there is a livery yard for private horse owners too.
Hearing from some of the regular riders at SCEC gives a real insight into the many benefits riding can offer. Recurring themes include confidence-building, emotional and physical mindfulness, developing muscles and core strength, teaching responsibility and developing perseverance, resilience and 'grit'! And unlike exercising on a piece of inanimate gym equipment, you are getting to know, and learn empathy for, a beautiful creature with its own personality.
So, whether you’re a parent of a child who's keen to learn to ride, a family who would like to be able to do an activity together, or an individual interested in the many aspects of well-being – then maybe horse riding could just be the thing to put ticks in all your boxes.
South Cambridgeshire Equestrian Centre (SCEC)
Foxton Road
Barrington
Cambridgeshire
CB22 7RN
Tel: 01763 263213
www.scec.co.uk
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