'We have a month's worth of money left' Chestnut riding school tells of pandemic heartache

Chestnut Riding School in Pot Row, Lynn, has been operating in the area for over 30 years with director Hayley Read, 46, facing the heartbreaking option of putting 17 horses down.

Hayley said in tears: "We have a month's worth of money left, and we are surviving on donations.

I have had no subsidies from the government and am surviving on Universal Credit, which doesn't even cover the rent."

The family run riding school has a wide clientèle base in the area, and is one of the remaining riding schools left in West Lynn.

Under the lockdown, Hayley has not been able to operate her business, but finds she has 'slipped through the net' when it comes to government aid.

DEFRA and the Council have said she must have a contingency plan in place if her business were to fold during lockdown, but due to 17 of her 20 horses having no sale value, the only option would be to

put them down.

Hayley takes on horses that have more specific needs and are more suitable for an experienced handler, they are very much loved by Hayley and her family who have spent years rearing and training them.

The horses cost anywhere between £70 and £100 a week to keep, and Universal Credit simply does not stretch to that amount.

Hayley explained: "Most of the horses we look after have some kind of disability and have no sale value, however we all love them and the kids who ride with us love them too.

"One of our males is 25 years old with one eye and a bent ear and he would have to be out down, that would break my heart."

Hayley could barley cover the feed bill for her horses last month and her 23-year-old daughter Kelsey, who was once an instructor at the school, has now taken a job at Covid testing centre to make ends meet.

Her youngest daughter,Tally,16 is currently studying for her GCSEs.

Hayley, who raised her children alone and built her business with dedication and hard work over three decades has said: "I taught my daughters to be self-sufficient and have shown them the meaning of hard work, in this respect I feel

I have failed them both."

In the current conditions riding lessons can't even operate on a one to one basis.

Hayley said: "I understand that, we all have to keep safe, but my horses are my staff and it's not like I can put them on furlough, I couldn't even put my own daughter on furlough.

Many riding schools are suffering at the moment but the saving grace of many is that they have working liveries and this means the horses they keep are owned by others and the cost to keep them is covered."

Hayley is terrified for the future, she said: "One second I was financially stable and now I've lost everything, I feel like I've been left behind in this pandemic and I don't know where to go from here.

"Of course the government's priority is the NHS, but I can't help feeling heartbroken."

The leisure and entertainment sector has been particularly hit during lockdown and business like Hayley's, which have provided a service for many years, are suddenly finding themselves having to close down.

Vital parts of the social fabric are being lost as they are deemed 'non-essential' but Hayley argues that hobbies and leisure provided a much needed release for stress: "Many of my clients are NHS workers and it's so great

to see them come here and forget their troubles. I don't want to lose this place and I don't want my clients to lose us."

James Wild MP has been contacted for comment on the matter and will respond in due course.

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