GURUGRAM: Golf Course Extension Road is better known for towers and traffic than for horses, but a riding school has been running just off it since 2019. Duke Horse Riding Club, in Sector 58 near the Grand Arch building, offers lessons for children and adults, short joy rides and guided trail rides into the Aravali scrub. This guide sets out what the club's own website and the documents linked from it say, as read on the morning of 8 October 2026.
The address on the site is Pusherden, near Grand Arch IREO building, Sector 58, Golf Course Road, Balola, Gurugram 122102. According to its about page, the club was set up in early 2019 by Dushyant Sharma from South Delhi and Kate O'Brien from Ireland, who met on a flight. The club says it opened to the public within six months of that meeting.
Riding happens in two short windows a day, because of the heat and the horses' routine. The site lists opening hours of 6 am to 9 am and 5 pm to 8 pm, and says these can change with the season and the weather. The contact page gives Tuesday to Sunday as riding days, with batches at 6, 7 and 8 in the morning and at 5, 6 and 7 in the evening, grouped by riding ability.
The facilities are listed in some detail. There is a 60 m by 40 m enclosed sand arena with LED lights for evening riding and a shaded viewing area, a smaller 15 m by 30 m arena for young children and joy rides, and a separate show jumping and advanced riding arena. The club says the sand surface is all-weather, so riding can continue on wet monsoon days. Parking, washrooms, a changing room and lawn seating are also listed.
Lessons last 45 minutes and are taught in groups of four or five riders, with an instructor and ground staff present. The club says it takes riders from two years old upwards and from complete beginners to competition level. A single lesson is available for anyone who wants to try riding before signing up. Private lessons can be arranged, but the site says they are meant for experienced riders and not recommended for beginners.
Trail rides, rules and what the price list shows
The Aravali trail ride is the club's most distinctive offer. The site describes guided rides through the Gurgaon hills, from gentle hacks to faster cross-country rides, with ground assistance for beginners at an extra charge. Trail riders must be at least eight years old, and the club asks for two to three days' notice. The club calls the experience unique in the city; that is its own description.
Riding is not the only use of the grounds. The site's menu lists a bonding-with-horses experience, photography sessions and events, and the brochure mentions birthdays, photoshoots, corporate events and educational workshops. The club says its horses and ponies are schooled and come in a range of sizes and temperaments to suit different riders. Members get 15 per cent off when booking the location for a shoot or celebration, according to the brochure.
There are firm rules. The club has a weight limit of 90 kg for riders, which it lists under health and safety. Bookings need a 50 per cent deposit that is not refundable, and cancellations within 24 hours mean the deposit is kept. A separate arena rules document asks riders to keep at least one horse length from other horses, pass left shoulder to left shoulder, and move to the centre of the ring if a horse runs loose. Parents are asked to brief children on these rules.
Prices are set out in a brochure linked from the riding page. As of 8 October 2026, 8:56 am IST, that file lists a 15-minute joy ride at Rs 500 for any age, a cart ride for up to two children at Rs 500, a 45-minute group lesson at Rs 1,500 and a 45-minute private lesson at Rs 3,000. A 30-minute group show jumping lesson is listed at Rs 2,000. The trail ride is Rs 2,500 for a standard 90 minutes and Rs 3,500 for a premium 120 minutes.
Membership changes the arithmetic. The brochure lists a membership fee of Rs 10,000, with lesson packages of 8, 16, 24 and 36 rides at discounts of 25 to 40 per cent, from Rs 9,000 for eight rides to Rs 32,400 for 36. Members also get 10 per cent off trail rides, according to the brochure. Discounted packages are only for members, and the site says they can be shared within a family if everyone holds membership.
Readers should treat these figures with some care. The price brochure is a file dated March 2023, and it describes the Rs 10,000 as a one-time membership fee, while the riding page calls it a yearly membership. The riding page also speaks of discounts of up to 50 per cent, while the brochure stops at 40. Anyone planning lessons should confirm the current rates and membership terms with the club before paying a deposit.
For other ways to spend a morning outdoors near this part of the city, this site has a guide to the Elevate adventure park at Gwal Pahari, a visit guide for the Aravali Biodiversity Park, and a look at farm day picnics near Gurugram for families with younger children.
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