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It is
said that riding a horse in an English saddle can be
likened to perching on a bar stool while its American
counterpart is more like relaxing in an armchair.
That
is the first thing Lynn Hemsworth tells people when they
arrive at Lazing Saddles to try a hand, and bottom, at
Western style riding.
Her
neatly named enterprise lies on a winding country lane
in the vale of Cawthorne near Barnsley and boasts not
much more than a barn, toilet and tea and coffee making
facilities.
Oh,
and ten beautiful horses grazing on rolling green
pastures. But this is all they need because the team at
Lazing Saddles created a relaxed and intimate
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atmosphere, something not invariably associated with the
highly pressured and sometimes highbrow equine world.
Lynn
is the vivacious owner and Amelia Burgess is her
manager. Between them they have more than 40 years of
riding experience, even though they are only in their
thirties.
They
met at another riding centre some years ago and when the
owner wanted to retire in 2007 they tried to buy it.
“We
were all set to go,” says Lynn. “But the lady changed
her mind at the last minute and the deal fell through
leaving us in the lurch with eight horses in tow and
nowhere to go.
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So we
got our heads together and were determined to find
somewhere for the horses so we could have our own
Western riding centre. That’s when we found this place
in February.”
She
is talking about the rolling hills of Elmhirst Farm
which is tucked away on
a country lane ten minutes ride out of Barnsley.
“We
are in some of the most beautiful countryside there is
to offer. People who come here can’t believe the
striking views that are surrounding us. But that is the
advantage we have over other places – you don’t spend
your day dodging traffic.”
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