Students in Years 7-10 have recently enjoyed their first horse riding experience at Field House Equestrian Centre in Howden-le-Wear as part of our Summer of Sport initiative.

These were the first sessions in an ongoing activity organised by Miss Smith and Mrs Babington, designed to give students the opportunity to try something new and to raise awareness about the diverse range of equestrian sports available.

Following the success of Team GB at the Olympics last year, horse riding is enjoying a higher profile and equestrian centres across the UK are keen to support the next generation of sportsmen and women. Miss Smith, who has been riding since she was a child wanted students to see for themselves why she loves riding so much. She said: "Riding is such a fantastic activity. It offers lots of opportunities for those who enjoy competing, but there are many people, like myself, who ride purely for fun. Our students certainly had plenty of that!"

Eight students at a time attended the 30 minute sessions, where they learned about good riding posture and how to mount, dismount, walk and stop their horses safely.