Heavy riders and red tape prompt closure of Babeny Farm, Dartmoor’s longest established trekking centre

Famous Dartmoor trekking centre, Babeny Farm, will close at the end of the season

Dartmoor’s most famous trekking centre, Babeny Farm, is to shut in September after more than 35 years in business.

Babeny Farm at Poundsgate will cease trading as a trekking centre on September 2. The news will come as a bitter blow to the many people who have trekked across Dartmoor on Babeny horses, but proprietor Dee Dee Wilkinson has decided to concentrate on the farming and livery side of the business with her husband Darren. She also cited the increasing cost of insurance, much heavier people wanting to ride and the restriction on when families can take holidays as prompting the decision.

“This is very sad in many ways as Babeny has provided a trekking service to customers far and wide, internationally and nationally for many years. It has given numerous happy memories to people and for many their first ever experience of being near and riding a horse. We have no doubt that it will be very sadly missed. But the horses are at an age where they need replacing, and getting those good replacements can be difficult, and we are finding increasingly that people are getting heavier, so we are unable to let them ride as it isn’t fair on the horses,” she said adding, “Running a trekking centre also takes its toll emotionally due to the risk, and physically as its seven days a week through the summer and then the winter.”

A clearance sale will be held on September 8 and the yard’s current incumbent of horses will be sold when the right home is found.

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However, the yards thriving livery yard is set to benefit with summer clinics, picnic rides and demonstrations to increase. The Babeny Riding Club will also be reformed and a packed agenda of activities will be created.

“We are in the middle of Dartmoor with fantastic riding, and we’re also very lucky to have an all-weather arena so the set up is perfect for our liveries, and I’m really looking forward to spending more time with my own horses taking part in clinics, rides and competing,” said Dee Dee.

By announcing the decision early, Dee Dee hopes that as many people as possible will take the opportunity to take up the reins and ride across Dartmoor before the curtain comes down on Babeny Farm Trekking in September.