the people who run Bridle Rides

Bridle Rides was established back in the mid-1980's by Adrian Moyes and Sue Raikes, who started exploring bridleways nearly 30 years ago. They thought it was crazy that so few people took advantage of such wonderful networks and such an enjoyable activity, and decided to turn their hobby into a business. Bobbie Matulja, a former customer, bought it on Adrian's retirement at the end of the 1999 season and has been running Bridle Rides with the help of her husband, Phil, since January 2000.

Despite the BHS's Ride-UK project and other access initiatives, we are still amazed at how few people ride the bridleways. Adrian originally set Bridle Rides up to make it easier for other riders to share his enjoyment without the hassle of doing the research and arranging suitable accommodation - or the disappointment when rides don't work out.

During their first 3 seasons, Bobbie and Phil re-rode all of the 13 networks they inherited from Adrian and Sue - no mean achievement when you consider that Foot & Mouth closed the countryside for most of their second season in 2001. Bobbie says "For us, bridle-riding is much more than simply riding. Its a way of life which enables you to ride the countryside and take the time to enjoy and understand it. Our routes are designed to take in the most interesting sites and viewpoints, and there are short notes about local farming, geology and history incorporated into the route-guides.

Importantly for farmers and other rural business, bridle-riding is a way of getting money into the countryside. We believe that the best way of ensuring that bridleways are kept in good condition is to make sure that they are used regularly, which helps to ensure that resources are available to maintain them and to arrange for farmers and country pubs to make money out of them. Not by charging directly (they are legal Rights of Way after all), but by providing services that riders need such as accommodation, food, stabling and regularly updated route-notes for each ride".

		Who are we ? the people who run Bridle Rides


Bobbie Matulja - MD, telesales clerk, groom, rider and tea-boy - is the proprietor. Bobbie purchased Bridle Rides from its founder, Adrian Moyes, in January 2000. In the photo above she is riding her old horse, Monty, on her first Bridle Ride in 1998 when she was still a customer!
	This is Bobbie with her current horse, Herbie, on a bridleway near Ramsbury in the Wansdyke in April 2005. Bobbie and Herbie have been together since 1999, and when he's not bridle riding, Herbie turns his hoof to unaffiliated Prelim. and Novice dressage!
			Bobbie's husband, Phil, is her co-director and Company Secretary, and he does a lot of the route-checking on his mountain bike. The photo above was taken at a lunch-stop in the Dorset Downs.
Bridle Rides was established back in the mid-1980's by Adrian Moyes and Sue Raikes, who started exploring bridleways nearly 30 years ago. They thought it was crazy that so few people took advantage of such wonderful networks and such an enjoyable activity, and decided to turn their hobby into a business. Bobbie Matulja, a former customer, bought it on Adrian's retirement at the end of the 1999 season and has been running Bridle Rides with the help of her husband, Phil, since January 2000. Despite the BHS's Ride-UK project and other access initiatives, we are still amazed at how few people ride the bridleways. Adrian originally set Bridle Rides up to make it easier for other riders to share his enjoyment without the hassle of doing the research and arranging suitable accommodation - or the disappointment when rides don't work out. During their first 3 seasons, Bobbie and Phil re-rode all of the 13 networks they inherited from Adrian and Sue - no mean achievement when you consider that Foot & Mouth closed the countryside for most of their second season in 2001. Bobbie says "For us, bridle-riding is much more than simply riding. Its a way of life which enables you to ride the countryside and take the time to enjoy and understand it. Our routes are designed to take in the most interesting sites and viewpoints, and there are short notes about local farming, geology and history incorporated into the route-guides. Importantly for farmers and other rural business, bridle-riding is a way of getting money into the countryside. We believe that the best way of ensuring that bridleways are kept in good condition is to make sure that they are used regularly, which helps to ensure that resources are available to maintain them and to arrange for farmers and country pubs to make money out of them. Not by charging directly (they are legal Rights of Way after all), but by providing services that riders need such as accommodation, food, stabling and regularly updated route-notes for each ride".