Published at 15:52, Wednesday, 23 April 2008

Big plans: Louise Lyon intends to open a riding stables at Flimby

MARYPORT businesswoman Louise Lyon hopes to be riding high with plans to open a trekking school in West Cumbria.

She has bought a field in Flimby and a pack of ponies for people young and old to share her passion for riding.

She also hopes to offer therapy sessions for troubled and disadvantaged youngsters where they can develop by bonding with the animals.

Louise, 27, said: “We’ve managed to buy a field on the bridleway in Flimby. We’re hoping to get the plans in and get a school and away we go.

“From there we can trek the bridleways and get into the woods to do some really nice riding, away from the roads.

“There are a lot of visitors who come to Maryport now, with the aquarium and such like. Much of the work would be from children learning to ride.”

Louise, who has been a big fan of all things equestrian since she was a little girl, currently has eight horses, including her prized show jumper, and two which she uses for a horse-drawn carriage wedding business, which she set up three years ago.

She added: “I’ve been building up and collecting some really quiet ponies of different sizes and ages along the way. I’ve got five now and would probably get another small pony for very young kids.

“Whether people are returning to riding or even if it’s somebody wanting to take it up for the first time, we’ve got some really nice horses for them to ride.

“We also hope to go into equine psychotherapy for troubled children or those with drug problems. There are quite a lot of courses on which they learn to look after the horses.

“They realise the horses rely on them to look after them and it helps them to progress.

“No matter what their background is, the horses treat them just the same.”

Louise intends to submit a planning application to Allerdale Council this month.

She hopes to get approval six weeks later and would start work on building a couple of stables and an all-weather training school as soon as possible after that.

Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk