There’s little sweeter in life than starting the day with an early morning stroll along the water’s edge. And I recently discovered how pretty darn near perfect it is to take that stroll on horseback.

Sally’s Riding School is based on the sunny east side of the Isle of Wight near farmland, harbour and the beautiful Priory Bay. The staff are a friendly bunch, who showed us the ropes with little fuss. I was put at ease despite my limited riding experience, and they gave free reign to those who knew what they were doing.

We timed our ride to catch the low tide round the headland before it got too deep. The definition of ’too deep’ is different on a horse, as they happily splash through up to their haunches without complaint.

Priory Bay is a perfect curve of sand, with no-one but the odd local to share it with. After kicking through sand and salt water, we headed up a narrow path, ducking under apple blossom, past an old manor estate, and on to the track headed back to the stables.

A little horse riding is always good fun, but to ride on the beach made it all the more magic. A perfect way to catch some fresh air, without doing all the leg work yourself.

Images by Bryony Rust