Cecilia Norley’s Silver City Riding Academy is truly a dream come true.
The self-confessed horse enthusiast has been involved with the animals all her life, and each of her three daughters has ridden horses as they grew up.
Over the years, her experience with the four legged gallopers meant numerous people started requesting horse riding lessons, and while she was initially reluctant to open a school due to the high expenses and rigorous insurance requirements, she launched the academy in 2015 in Brookfield Avenue on the outskirts of Broken Hill.
While she says the Academy started off at a slow pace, a bit of a canter, you might say, after nine years in operation business is brisk, with customers travelling from Mildura for weekly lessons, and tourists from all parts of Australia keen to visit and ride at the school.
It’s not Ms Norley’s first business rodeo – she is involved in other businesses too – so she well knows how a business operates and what makes it successful.
Interestingly, a number of her customers at the Riding Academy are community services clients who she says benefit greatly from the sessions.
“We’ve had extraordinary results for community services who refer their clients to us. It’s a unique service and it’s been very beneficial for people.”
Aside from horse-riding lessons, Ms Norley also offers equine wellbeing programs. While noting she is not qualified as an equine therapist yet, equine wellness, “is a service that has absolutely turned around peoples lives”.
This has included taking ponies into private residences, schools, and the local nursing homes, directly to residents’ beds, and brightening their spirits
Aside from horses and ponies, Ms Norley also keeps chickens, dogs, cats, even goats, and next month will see the arrival of Hank, a highland cow.
All of the animals are used throughout her programs and for the overnight camps the property hosts.
Looking to the future, Ms Norley is optimistic that the business will continue its impressive growth.
“There certainly is opportunity to grow in the future,” she says.
