A riding school's open day drew in crowds of around 500 people – raising thousands of pounds for new stables.

The event at Aldersbrook Riding School featured the chance to groom mini Shetland ponies, as well as horse jumping and dressage.

There was a display of horseball – described as, “rugby on horseback” by members of British Horseball Teams. The sport wowed spectators with players jostling, passing and hanging from the saddle to scoop up the ball from the ground.

There were also bouncy castles, face painting, a display of the Filipino martial art modern arnis – and even shoulder and foot massages.

An organiser said: “The day raised thousands of pounds for the project to build new stables and allowed so many people to discover the horses and the riding school.

“Our drive to save the stables for future generations has inspired wonderful involvement from the community, on a regular basis as well as organising this event.”

The most popular feature of the day proved to be the pony and horse rides, with one mum saying that her three-year-old did not want to get off and has been talking about nothing since.