Ross Hemming, CEO & Founder, Leisure Ride Group
Since an early age Ross (Pictured, right) has been involved with horses and the surfaces they ride on. The son of a Pony Club district commissioner and a civil construction company owner, Ross has combined the two to produce market-leading surfaces and riding arena build techniques unrivalled in the industry. A (bordering on obsessive!) perfectionist in all things surface and arena related, Ross has spent the last 20 years improving and developing the art of riding arena surfaces, as recognised by 2012 Dressage Gold Medallist Carl Hester who retains Ross as his riding surface guru of choice. Ross is also retained by leading NH trainer Martin Keighley, who continues to enjoy considerable success with his string.
The family farm hosts affiliated and unafilliated dressage competitions, in partnership with British Dressage, meaning the arenas can be ridden on by hundreds of horses a day. This means you can rest assured that your new riding arena is built to the same rigorous standard by people who truly understand and care.
When not working on arenas and surfaces Ross enjoys good food, good wine, National Hunt racing, watching Rugby and F1, and also plays the drums in his band who play gigs all over Gloucestershire.
Re-waxing an arena
Toby Elford, UK Sales Manager
Toby is only too happy to answer your questions about our riding arena surfaces, fibre and wax products and deliver the personal touch as we take you through the process of choosing your new arena or surface.
A product of spending his entire youth in Stroud Pony Club (Under the watchful gaze of Ross’s mum, Glenys), and competing with his ponies & horses all over the country in showjumping and later, eventing.
Toby has an almost evangelical desire to improve the arena footing for the riders and trainers of Britain. Toby loves going to see clients and says his favourite part of the job is seeing the delighted faces of riding arena owners when work is completed.
When not in the office or out on site begging for a go on the tractor Toby likes plotting the future equestrian career of his 2 1/2 year old son, and is a massive devotee of National Hunt racing, especially attending meetings at Cheltenham, Chepstow and his new home of Plumpton.
The Construction and Installation team – Dave, Nick and Steve
They’d much rather be installing the surface or constructing your new arena than posing for photos, we had to beg them to stop for 30 seconds in order to take this one!
Meet Dave, Nick and Steve – The Leisure Ride legendary installation team for whom no job is too much to ask, whatever the deadline or particular challenges.
The chaps take a huge amount of care in their work and have literally thousands of hours of experience in installing all kinds of surfaces, arenas, lunge pens and gallops in all kinds of weathers – they will always go the extra mile to get it exactly right – including recently fixing the clients tractor in their own time so that they could harrow their new surface.
We believe our installation team to be the very best there is – the company couldn’t function without their dedication, professionalism and pride in their work. Oh, and the constant stream of ‘witty’ banter.