• Welcome to Hop Dog Stables

    Riding school & livery yard
  • Livery yard

    Respect for well-being
  • Riding school

    "Le paradis des Hommes est sur le dos des chevaux"

About Us

Who We Are

Welcome to Hop Dog Stables

Maïa and her team welcome you at Hop Dog Stables to share with you their passion for horses, equestrian sports and the country life. All activities are run in a very friendly atmosphere yet at a high professional standard and with years of experience. Set in the heart of Kent with great accessibility, the facilities include : two all weather outdoor arenas, a large airy barn, paddocks, tracks and direct off road hacking.

Maïa is a qualified Instructor BEES 2 (French equivalent for the BHSI) for which she has trained and worked in Saumur France at the Ecole National d’Equitation as well as with top riders and trainers like olympic dressage rider Serge Cornut, eventer Nicolas Touzaint amongst many other well known professionals throughout her time in France.

Since established in the UK, she has wanted to carry on training intensively in order to always progress as this, she knows, reflects on her ability to share her passion as well as excel as a professional rider and coach. To name only a few, she has trained with Jennie Loriston Clark and Sally Thurloway in the past when based in West Sussex.

Nowadays Maïa trains on a regular basis with Dressage Coach Damian Hallam (nb: recently nominated one of best top 5 coach in the UK!), Jason Webb from “yourhorsemanship” as well as with show jumper Julie Draper to help her with the younger horses for which she reckons jumping is essential to develop their mental and strength regardless of what one aims to do with them as they mature! Thanks to the help of all those people and a lot of hard work, Maïa has successfully competed horses of different ages and levels over the years mostly in Dressage but also in Eventing and Show Jumping. She is proud to have now trained horses up to Prix Saint Georges and Inter I Level so far.

Testimonials

From our clients

My daughter and I started having lesson’s with Maia over 6 years ago, we are now both accomplished riders and horse owners, we keep our horses at Hop Dog & still have regular lesson’s & training sessions with her.
Maia is an amazing teacher and sounding board, not only teaching people how to ride but how the horse is feeling too, which we have found really helpful and important!
Her knowledge of riding and horse care is extensive and she is incredibly kind and passionate, the welfare of the horse’s is her priority and we feel very lucky to have her looking after us and our horses.

Belinda and Florence

I wanted to get back into riding after a long break so started having lessons at Hop Dog. I lacked confidence with horses I didn’t know, but Maïa quickly put me at ease and the horses were kind and gentle. Before long I was hacking out around the woods and local lanes and had the chance to develop other horsey skills on the ground too. I’m really grateful to Maïa and the horses for this and for helping me to become a horse-owner again.

Celia

Maia’s patience, kindness, and knowledge over the past 8 years have allowed me to grow from a complete novice into a confident and competent rider. Her particular guidance when buying and learning to ride my first horse was invaluable, her reassurance and support made all the difference and is what turned me into the competitive showjumper that I am today. Alongside this, she has taught me everything I know about care and stable management enabling me to gain a broader set of skills. The warm and welcoming yard environment is what makes HopDog so special. I feel so grateful to have found the perfect riding school for me.

Charlotte

I came to hop dog a year ago with my two ponies who had previously lived out up until this point. The transition to a stabled yard routine was tricky for them but the hop dog team was great at making sure they had a structured routine with plenty of turnout to allow them to adjust. Maia also helped me dealing with behavioural issues with one of my ponies both on the ground and through ridden work. Due to the help of the hop dog team my ponies are now happily settled in and loving their new home. I am now able to enjoy both schooling and hacking in the lovely facilities at hop dog

Maddy

We LOVE Hop Dog Stables, Maia is so experienced and patient with her teaching. My daughter has been able to achieve more with her horse than she ever imagined, both dressage and jumping. I am a very nervous rider and Maia always pushed me enough to achieve more than I expect, is so patient with me and makes sure every lesson is positive, I always have a smile on my face at the end. Our horse is in the best hands, and we trust and value everything that is in place to look after him. We love the facilities, and we are so lucky to be able to hack straight in to Ham Street woods.

Rebecca and Olivia

Riding School

Equestrian Centre

Riding school

We pride ourselves in genuinely teaching people how to ride properly and also enjoy all the aspects of looking after horses without forgetting to have fun! Whilst helping our riders to fulfil their dream to connect with them, horses are also an amazing way to flourish mentally and physically: after all, the paradise of humans is on a horseback! We offer: lessons group and private, hacks, combine training, pony days, loans, coaching. All level welcome. Open Tuesday to Saturdays as well as most school holidays.

Horse or pony loans

Most passionate riders will want to become horse owner at some stage. At Hop Dog Stables, we believe that this should be a smooth, accompanied transition and over the years we have supported many of our riders through this dream! One very good way to do this is to loan a riding school horse or pony in order to start getting used to the responsibility and commitment but with support and a lot less risk. Cost start at £30 per week and you must be a member. Our loan options are very flexible so please contact us to discuss your needs.

"Le paradis des Hommes est sur le dos des chevaux"

François de Saint Marc

Livery Yard

Respect for well-being

Respect for well-being

We are here to provide the day to day care of your horses and to give you all the support you may want on your journey with them from their most basic needs to their exercise and make sure all is in place for them to be healthy and happy. For example our basic feed is fibre base and of high quality and to this you can add any supplements or extras to suit your horses specific needs. We have an open mined approach and are always happy to discuss when it comes to horse care!

Facilities and equipment

Our smart little set up includes a large airy barn with a tack room and a wash bay, two all weather outdoor arenas with jumps and equipment such as dressage boards and markers, tracks around our fields, paddocks and direct access to the lovely Hamstreet woods. We can offer parking for your small lorries or trailers and we have real  toilets! We have good off road hacking on our door step but for those more adventurous many TROT rides are accessible nearby as well as the beach (Camber sands) all at reasonable distance and for the competitive ones the access to the motorway and many show grounds is easy. 

Coaching

Over the years Maïa has trained horses and people to help them progress often beyond what they thought possible. Nothing is more satisfying than to bring a horse and rider to work as a team and progress through the levels each at their own pace and in the respect of the horse well being. It takes time, patience, experience and dedication to achieve a high standard of riding and train horses to the higher levels and the support we get is essential for it to succeed and this is why we take a lot of pride in coaching our riders and following their progress.

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Contact Us

Get in touch

Would you like more information? Please don't hesitate to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you!

Hop Dog Stables

Hop Dog Oast

Gill Ln, Ruckinge

Ashford TN26 2PG, Royaume-Uni

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