A LONG-STANDING equestrian centre will be closing down next year after a drop in customers and the pandemic being “the second last nail in the coffin”.

Wix Equestrian Centre, in Clacton Road, started as a simple menege to hire out in 1987 and has since grown to become a bustling centre.

The venue offers two spacious indoor arenas, a scenic five mile farm ride and a well-stocked feed shop, but the facilities will be shutting down at the end of February next year.

Jenny Hall, 61, of Wix, who runs the centre, said closing down was “a difficult decision” but it was not taken “on the spur of the moment”.

She added: “The numbers have been falling over the last few years and it is inflation that has done it this time.

“It is the fuel costs to get people to drive to there with their horse boxes or towing vehicles.

“They have cut back on leisure activities and that’s what we are.

“Also we have an animal feed shop and that will be closing as well. The cost of feed has shot up over 60 per cent on most horse things last year.”

Jenny said no plans have been made to sell the venue but she is looking to make an alternative use of the buildings.

To honour all the bookings already made, the venue will stay open for another year and let customers find an alternative centre.

Jenny added: “ It’s very sad because I have been there since the beginning. I helped set it all up with my parents.

“Sometime you have to be sensible and you have yo look at the numbers dropping. “We have shut a couple of things over the years.”

The lockdowns also played a major part in the closure of the centre after being classified as an indoors venue.

Jenny said: “We didn’t quite recover from that .

“Covid was the second last nail. The last nail was the inflation and the fuel prices at home.

“Thank you to all the customers over the years.

“We are sorry it happened but sometimes things have to change.”