I was saddened to read that the Pembrey Park Riding Centre was closing and decided to photo-document the passing of this wonderful facility.

The riding centre is situated in Pembrey Country Park; the ‘Things to Do’ page of the Country Park web site does not feature the riding centre, which is  disappointing, as the centre is in the park, and it offers substantive positive learning opportunities compared with the limitations of the amusements in the park.

The Pembrey Park Riding Centre web site describes its many offerings of horse-riding activities. The centre is a family run business, which focusses mainly on the opportunities for children and young people and provides tuition for anyone, even those without experience of horses. They also have a Children’s Riding Club where youngsters can achieve basic, achievable skills in horse management, riding, and care.

It was heart-breaking to see all the horse tack and equipment, just piled high to be sold to the public to clear the site; those wonderful memories are now just piles of ephemera that will soon be dispersed amongst their clients who hope to retain a tangible memory. I make no apologies for the up-front placing of the photo of the blackboard of messages from grateful students and customers who wanted to express their gratitude and fondness for all the staff and horses that have  given them so much joy over the years; it represents the feelings and emotions of their clients. It will be a shame to see this riding school disappear; it seems to me as though its always been there; but what will replace it? The owners’ are eager to invest a substantial sum of money in the site to refurbish the stables, but unfortunately, Carmarthenshire County Council (CCC) will only grant them a 12-month contract for the site, which of course is impractical. I can only imagine that CCC  has an alternate agenda; rumour has it that CCC is negotiating with an American conglomerate to purchase the whole Country Park site, but that of course is just a rumour.