Frequently Asked Questions

Greenbank Farm is located at the top of Aynsome Lane in Cartmel, overlooking the Cartmel Valley. We are approximately one mile from the village. This is an old Lakeland farm built on rock so the ground conditions can be a little uneven in places. If the weather has been bad, we suggest you wear boots or old shoes as it can get a little muddy underfoot.

If you have Sat Nav, simply put in our postcode LA11 7ST and the majority of systems will bring you to our door. To find us from the M6 Motorway, exit at Junction 36 and take the A590 signposted for Barrow and follow this road for approximately 9.5 miles. At the top of Lindale Hill, take the slip road off the A590 signposted to Cartmel. At the end of the slip road, turn left and follow this road to the end. Turn left at the crossroads and continue to the end. Turn left and follow this road for approx 1⁄4 mile until you see a right turn signposted ‘Aynsome Manor Hotel’. Turn down this lane (very narrow) and at the T-junction turn right. This will take you past Aynsome Hotel. As you start to climb the hill, you will see a white farmhouse on your right. You've arrived at Greenbank Farm.

We suggest you arrive approximately 15 minutes before the time of your reservation. Come all the way up the lane until you reach the gate; parking is on your left. If you have travelled a long distance and arrive much earlier, you can head into Cartmel village where you will find a selection of places to enjoy a cup of coffee or browse through some of the unique village shops.

The Friesian Experience was initially created to help educate visitors about the Friesian horse and the importance of understanding and maintaining the very strict studbook (KFPS) they belong to. Today we welcome visitors from across the world and from all walks of life, all wanting to spend time with Friesian horses for different reasons. Whether you are considering buying a Friesian and want to do your research first, or simply want to spend time around the horses-- grooming them, walking with them, cuddling them, overnighting with one in our Stable Stays accommodation, or sharing a therapeutic session in the comfort of our Friesian Friendship Barn--we would be delighted to welcome you to the Friesian Sanctuary and make that unforgettable experience possible for you.

Individual - ideal for those who prefer a more 'one to one' experience with the freedom to do and ask what you want when you want and have the day just how you want it. Shared - these are best suited to couples, small groups of friends or family. From time to time, we can put a couple of 'individuals' together on an experience day if they have visited us in the past, but we will only do this if we feel both want the same type of experience. Our Events (Open House, Beach Days) are necessarily shared. Our Meeting the Horses Tour can accommodate up to six people so on any given day, depending on how many have signed up, you may have a shared experience. Same for the Yard Experience. Stable Stays and Friendship Barn Sessions, as well as any Custom Experience, will always be Individual.

Our Friesians can be available for photoshoots of your special events in the area or on our scenic Farm. For details, please look at the Photoshoots tab under Our Experiences. For commercial photoshoots, please contact Tracey at tracey@blackhorses.co.uk to discuss. You are welcome to bring your own photographer or we can recommend the very talented, local animal photographer, Sandy Kitching, who we're fortunate to have right on our doorsetp. The majority of the pictures you will see across our website and on social media platforms are her creations. Sandy can be booked to come and take professional images of you during your time with our Friesians for either a day or half a day. You can view a wide selection of her work at https://sandyanimalphotographer.smugmug.com. Ask us to check Sandy's availability when you book, or get in touch with her directly at sandykitching@me.com

We no longer offer riding experiences as we found over the years that having frequent, different riders with varying levels of experience, technique, and fitness took a toll on their wellbeing. Since their health and fitness has always been of primary importance, we took the decision to discontinue riding and focus on those Experiences of mutual benefit to both our visitors and the horses.

As of February 2025 - We are not presently offering the carriage driving experience but may do so in future. Our Friesian Driving experiences are open to people of all abilities and are an ideal opportunity to learn more about the Friesian horse and try your hand at driving. Novice drivers will be shown how to handle the reins before leaving the yard and will be given the chance to drive once we are out round the lanes. Please bring a pair of gloves and practical clothing and footwear. It is etiquette to always wear a hat when driving. Any style of hat is suitable but not compulsory.

Our Friesians like nothing more than roadtripping to the beach, splashing in the surf with soft sand underfoot, having playtime with their human friends. Bardsea Beach is a 40-minute drive in the horsebox from the farm. You can meet us there or follow us from the Farm. Our Event date are announced on the What's Happening tab of our website where you can buy tickets, and on our YouTube channel and Facebook page. We suggest you subscribe to our website to be among the first to know when these are announced as they're very popular! Peak Times: Weekends, Bank Holidays, May, June, July & August

Please wear comfortable clothing suitable for the Experience you've booked. Footwear that can withstand whatever the weather holds and will keep you steady on areas of muddy or rocky ground is advised for all the outdoor Experiences. Having a hooded, rain-repellent jacket on hand is recommended.

On arrival, please take note of the two fire assemly points located at the top and bottom yards. In the event of a fire, please make your way to the fire assembly point in the Arena which is located adjacent to the electric horse walker. If you have children traveling with you, please ensure you supervise them at all times when they are on the farm as we cannot accept liability for any accidents they may have.

We carry full Public Liability insurance with Carriage House Insurers and South Essex Insurance Brokers. However we can accept no liability for personal injury sustained whilst handling the horses. This is done so at your own risk; you are advised to have your own personal accident insurance.

Bookings can be made up to 12 months in advance for Mondays to Thursdays. Bookings over the weekend (Friday to Sunday) can only be confirmed a maximum of 6 months in advance. We operate all year round subject to weather conditions; however, we do not offer Full Day Experiences from 1st Nov to 31st March due to the restrictions with light. Peak Times: Weekends, Bank Holidays, May, June, July & August. We are open 7 days a week but as we don't have daily hours open to the general public, we ask that you make an appointment should you wish to visit so we can make sure someone is around to see you.

Your booking is not guaranteed unless a deposit payment has been received. You will be advised of this at the time of booking. Deposits are non-refundable and can only be transferred to an alternative date in exceptional circumstances. The balance payment is due seven (7) days before your visit. Payment can be made via using any major credit card. Alternately, we can invoice and payment can be by cheque or bank transfer.

In the event of bad weather, we still go ahead with the ‘Experience’ and ask that you bring suitable wet weather clothing (after all, we are in the Lake District!). However, if weather conditions would make the experience potentially dangerous (gale force winds, ice, etc), we are happy to reschedule to another day. Cancellations made for any other reason within 24 to 48 hours of your booking will be liable for 50% of the cost. Cancellations within 24 hours incur the full charge.

Cartmel is a very pretty traditional Lakeland village with a choice of accommodation for all tastes and budgets. A full list can be found at www.cartmelvillage.com--or you may like to try one of the following: • Greenbank Farmhouse - www.greenbankfarmholidays.co.uk - our 7-room farmhouse sleeps up to 16 people and includes use of a Hot Tub • Stable Stays at Greenbank Farm - A unique accommodation where you can stay next to one of our Friesian horses for the night. For more information, check out the Stable Stays page on our The Experiences tab or email www.stablestays.co.uk.

All eGift Cards and purchases from our site are valid for 12 months. PLEASE do not leave it till the 11th month to get in touch to make your booking, particularly if your card value is for a full day Experience which can only be used between March and October! As a charitable organisation, please do not put us in a difficult position by asking us to extend the card beyond this time unless it is for exceptional circumstances.

The stable accommodation can sleep up to three people on a bunk bed that has a double bed on the bottom and single bed on the top.

Your beds are made up with luxury Egyptian cotton bedding, cosy blankets to keep you warm, and hand towels. There are electric blankets on the beds for use during the cooler nights. We also provide luxury toiletries and even hot water bottles should you need them!

We provide basics such as saucepans, frying pans, cooking implements, hand soap, washing up liquid, tea towels, salt & pepper, and toilet rolls, so all you need to bring is any food you would like to cook and eat. There is a fridge, two hobs for cooking and a microwave. Of course, if you’d rather go out to eat, you will find a list of local pubs and restaurants in the Stable Stays information guide.

The stable is surprisingly cosy! For your added comfort, there are infrared heaters in the wet room and an electric heater in the living area, if needed. We are open all year 'round so in the winter months, you may like to wear additional layers; horses don’t like to be as warm as humans so their side isn’t heated. We provide heated blankets on the bed.

Your Friesian horse or Shetland pony will love spending time with you and they particularly enjoy being groomed and pampered. We supply a luxury grooming kit, head collar and pyjamas for the horse as suitable for the conditions. Your stable mate will be more than happy to roam around the small enclosed yard just outside the stable.

Your horse will appreciate carrots, eating apples, bananas, pears and of course we'll provide some healthy herbal treats! We provide two buckets of feed and two haynets for you to give them, one at dinner time and one for breakfast. If you are going out for dinner, we ask that you feed your companion beforehand, and should they finish their haynet and appear hungry during the night, we provide an extra haynet for you to give them.

You certainly don’t have to muck out their side of the stable unless you want to! We'll certainly show you how if you're unfamiliar, and all mucking out tools will be provided.

The Friesian Experience Sanctuary specialises in the education and welfare of Friesian horses and any animal lover wanting to learn about and spend time around them. We offer a range of Experiences you can read about on our website, including our Meet the Horses Tour which takes you around the farm to meet our beautiful black Friesian horses, to see them in their paddocks and stables, and you may even get to see some working or being trained in the arena.

Yes you can! We are fortunate to be in a beautiful part of the country with some fabulous hacking opportunities on our doorstep that you may both enjoy exploring during your visit. We provide adlib haylage, deep fresh bed of dust free shavings on a rubber matted floor*, access to an enclosed yard with rubber matting outside the stable and we also provide all the mucking out equipment you will need to save you bringing it with you. *Additional shavings available at £8.50 per bale. In line with our biosecurity procedures your horse will need to have a negative strangles blood test within 10 days of arrival.

• Our full address is: Greenbank Farm, Aynsome Lane, Cartmel, Grange-over- Sands, Cumbria LA11 7ST United Kingdom. We are a 15 minute drive from Junction 36 going North on the M6 motorway. • The nearest airports are: Manchester and Liverpool (approximately 1.5 hours journey by car) • The nearest major train station is: Grange-over-Sands (approximately 12 minutes by car) and we can provide details of local taxi cab firms who can collect and deliver you to the farm.

Yes, you can as long as it is well behaved, good around horses and stays on a lead.