Can anyone find a livery stables where I can keep a horse as close as
possible to the village of Cold Ash in Berkshire England.  By as close
as possible I mean ideally within 5 miles of Cold Ash.  The postal code (zip
code) would be RG18 9JJ.  The stable must be of a recognised standard
and able to maintain the horse and provide a full range of services eg
veterinary services, farrier services etc. The horse would need to be
stabled in the winter and in the field in the summer.

Hi - this has been an interesting question to research. I'm afraid I
can only give you a partial answer at the moment - the rest (and the
best, hopefully) will come tomorrow.

Okay: let's start with the furthest from you. The best I could find
online was this school:

Ashford Hill Riding School
Woodside, Goose Hill
Headley
Thatcham
Berkshire RG19 8AS
Tel: 01635 268587

They offer the kind of livery service you require, but I suspect they
will be much too far away from you. The lady at the end of the phone
was extremely helpful, though, and told me that she was *sure* there
were livery stables closer to Cold Ash, but that she couldn't put her
finger on names and numbers.

So I called the Riverdale tack shop in Thatcham. The man there
apologised for the fact that his wife - who knew all the local
stables, and who had the 'phone book - wasn't in. However, he did know
that this riding school -

Curridge Green Riding School
Orchard End Curridge
Thatcham Berkshire RG18 9EA
Tel: 01635 200694

also do a full livery service. They are also rather far from Cold Ash,
alas.

He swears, though, that there is a livery stables in Ashmore Green.
I'm sure this will be the right place for you. I will call back
tomorrow when his wife is in the shop and, hopefully, should be able
to get the details for you.

Meanwhile - Ashmore Green's not too far for you, is it? I think it'll
be the closest we'll get.

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Clarification of Answer by grimace-ga on 27 Jun 2002 11:35 PDT

Thanks for your kind response! Here's how I found what I found:

I searched google for +livery +berkshire, which took me to this site:

Riding4U
http://www.riding4u.co.uk/itmidx1.htm

From then it was a phone call trail. I called Ashford Hill, and they
recommended asking the tack shop - I got their number from

Yell
http://www.yell.co.uk/

I also used a map from

Multimap
http://www.multimap.com

to get a feel for the local area.

Glad you liked what I've found so far. I'll post the Ashmore Green
info as soon as I can.

grimace

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Clarification of Answer by grimace-ga on 28 Jun 2002 02:21 PDT

Okay -

The best place to try is Northcroft Farm in Ashmore Green. Their phone
number is 01635 878789. They do a full livery service and are
reportedly very good. The contact to speak to is Eliot Newman.

Otherwise, you could try Ross Chadwick at Elmhurst Farm (also in
Ashmore Green). Their number is 01635 860227. They *may* do full
livery, but my contact wasn't certain.

Another place to try is Maple Ash stables in Snailsmore Common (sp?).
You can reach them on 01635 247094. Again, they may not do full
livery, but are definitely worth a try as there is "very beautiful
riding up there".

Hope this all works out for you. I couldn't possibly post this answer
without plugging my source, the very friendly and patient Riverdale
Equine Centre in Thatcham. Their number is 01635 863199; I hope you
will be able to repay the favour they've done me by using them for
your saddling and tacking needs.

Thanks again,

grimace

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Request for Answer Clarification by sheilakm-ga on 28 Jun 2002 07:57 PDT

Dear grimace-ga,
This is not a request for clarification - but having already posted a
comment I couldn't find any other way to post another one....am I
missing something here?

Anyway, that's great information you have given me and I am going to
follow it up immediately....you have been very helpful indeed.

Best wishes

sheilakm-ga

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Clarification of Answer by grimace-ga on 28 Jun 2002 09:29 PDT

No problem. As I said, I enjoyed researching it.

Happy riding!

grimace

Dear Grimace-ga,
super swift info.  Yes, please do get the Ashmore Green number for me.
 It would definitely the closest for me.  You definitely get a 5 star
rating for that.  How did you do the search?  Thanks very much indeed!