Reitstall Henntalhof

I had a disastrous ride there a few years ago, and I've never been that frightened on a horse before or since. I'd said I was a beginner with some experience. I used to ride a lot when I was younger and still go riding on every vacation, but at the stable the mood was already unfriendly and unpleasant. They asked me to get a horse ready, and I explained I hadn't done that in a long time. The instructor was riding with a friend and barely spoke to me. On an uphill paved road, she began trotting. My horse wanted to go ahead and then broke into a canter. When I caught up, she snapped that she was in first place. I told her I'd tried everything but couldn't slow the horse down. On the way back along the main road, it was Saturday and traffic was heavy. My horse was terrified of trucks and cars and completely panicked. I couldn't believe we were being taken along a busy road with people whose riding experience was unknown to them. Back at the stable, they just snapped orders at me to unsaddle, get the horse ready, take it to the stall and remove its leg wraps. The horse was still disoriented and agitated. I wanted to get away and was genuinely scared even to lead it into the stall and take off the wraps. I'll never go back to that riding stable.

At first, I would have given it five stars. By the end, it was down to one for us. I can't say how things are run now, but unfortunately my daughter stopped enjoying it altogether and wanted to give up riding completely.

Our pony ride with our six-year-old daughter was the first one and will definitely be the last. The internet said ponies could be rented for an hour, but we stood around on the farm for a while and nobody came over. I approached a woman in a farm T-shirt, who rather rudely told us all the ponies were out and we'd have to wait. When two came back, we asked people who had rented ponies how it worked. We were told to give €10 to the riding instructor who was teaching, then go. Nobody explained anything about the pony or the route. After 15 minutes uphill on Therstraße, both we and the pony had lost interest, so we turned back. It was disappointing and left a bad impression.

You can really unwind here. It's a first-class, welcoming place with a friendly family-run feel and a well-managed riding stable.