Park Palace Ponies are a team of inner-city horse lovers who are on a mission to bring horses and ponies back to the city of Liverpool.
The team have started a crowdfunder to help them continue to bring inner city horse riding to the people of Liverpool and build on the success of Park Palace Ponies.
Over 3,000 inner-city youngsters aged 4 to 10 have finished the learn to ride pony course and can now trot off lead rein since its launch in 2017. The typical path for these riders would be to continue their riding experience at one of Merseyside’s full-sized riding schools. However, they have come to a stage when there are no available riding schools in the area. With the increasing number of Merseyside riding schools closing or being demolished to make way for housing complexes, there are a large number of riders who have nowhere to continue their riding experience.
Unfortunately, over the last two years, COVID has severely hampered the capacity to gather finances for a full-size riding school. Many of the local riding schools have closed as a result of COVID’s negative impact on their companies.
Following discussions with a sympathetic and supportive landowner, the riding school now has the opportunity to open a pop-up full-sized riding school with 8 horses, with the possibility of expansion in the future, with a right to buy clause.
In order to achieve this, they have to raise this money through public grants and discussions with the local council, but unfortunately, this has come to nothing.
The crowdfunder has until the 8th of June to raise £75,000. This is £30,000 for a one-year lease of the land and buildings, and £45,000 to build stables, an arena, and convert the garage into offices and storage.
Park Palace Ponies currently operates as a social enterprise, managed by a group of voluntary directors. Walkers’ Woods will be run in exactly the same way. Park Palace Ponies have brought so much joy to the local community and have challenged existing beliefs that horses and ponies belong in the countryside.
The Riding School really needs your help to fulfil their mission to continue to make horses and ponies commonplace in the city of Liverpool once again!
You can support them here: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/walkers-woods-riding-school
