Houghton Country Avis 

I ordered a rug from an online store and was thrilled with the entire experience. The product was excellent, the communication was impeccable, and the delivery was impressively fast. Much appreciated!

My son ordered online some heated riding gloves for my Birthday. No batteries in the parcel. When contact a few day after to say order incomplete. He was blamed for not contacting sooner and was not believed and was told they can only check cctv up to 3 days.
After proof of purchase they said they would send replacement batteries this time ! They should check order is complete before sending out, instead of blaming customer!!!

Ordered a rug on Monday night, received today (Wednesday) Very pleased and great price. Thanks!

Returns process is cumbersome. The returns process on their website is about 1000 words long to understand what to do. Then when you purchase a label from them, it needs to be printed. I would estimate I have spent almost an hour of my time to simply create a return to this company.

I have spent nearly £150 with them and need to return a fleece as its too big.

Won’t be using them again. Sick of companies making it extremely difficult to return items back to them.

⭐ 1 Star – Extremely Poor Service – Order WEB538346

I placed an order on 18th June 2025 (Order WEB538346), and the parcel was left outside without permission and has not been received. I contacted the company immediately, and was told I had to wait for the delivery company to open a claim. It’s now been 17 days with no update, no communication, and no resolution.

I’ve called and emailed, but all I get are excuses. This kind of customer service is completely unacceptable. I’ve been left out of pocket and ignored.

I'm happy with the service and prompt delivery with this business. Thank you.

Purchased a rug online. Great product, great communication and speedy delivery. Thank you ☺️

I bought a pair of Ariat waterproof boots for my daughter's birthday in September. My daughter started using the boots in October and my first contact with the company's customer service was in November to say that a crack had appeared in the left boot and the zip was bulging and becoming difficult to zip. We've had these Ariat boots before, bought elsewhere, and were so pleased with them that this was the reason we went for another pair. I was told in the return email to clearly photograph the said faults and also the labels inside, which I did. Their response was to offer a refund or replacement item, which was brilliant. They also said this: "In order to do this we do require an image of the inside style label crossed through, as well as an image of the boots destroyed beyond further use, i.e. cut down the zip. This is to prevent any further use or resale of the item." Who would want to resell a faulty item? I went back to say we were happy to do as they asked but could they please send out the replacement pair first as my daughter didn't have another pair of yard boots. They refused saying that this has happened in the past and the said person kept the new and faulty pair. I then said okay so if we just ask for a refund can we keep hold of the boots? They refused. I then contacted Ariat who said they would be more than happy with Houghton sending them images of the faults and crossed through labels without them sending them them boots. I passed this email on to Houghton who again refused. We then finally bought a pair of wellies and then cut through the zip as requested, crossed through the labels and sent the pictures to Houghton. They then came back saying they needed to see a picture of the boot destroyed as in cut down the back. I went back to say to them that it felt like they were saying we were conning them in some way. The boot was now not wearable. They responded saying that the email requesting the zip to be cut away was a typo and that they've had people in the past repair the boot. How would they know this!! We then sent a picture of the boot cut down the back and they finally refunded us. Their customer service stinks! They make it as difficult as possible. I would like to stress that this is no way the fault of Ariat and no reflection on their products at all. We have since bought another pair of the same boots elsewhere and are more than happy with the purchase.

Rather odd this one because the product and postage was fine, however soon after ordering a security alert via Apple stating that my details were subject of a data leak and so I contacted them to inform them as such with a request to delete my details. The response back was very unprofessional with no confirmation they had deleted my details. Now I know who I would trust on security issues and it would not be the high and mighty author of the reply email. My family will not be shopping with you again.
Get your act together regarding your data or you will find yourselves with more than a disgruntled customer it will be the courts on data protection issues.

Fast and efficient service and very helpful customer service. Really saved the day for my daughters birthday with her main present. I would really recommend thankyou

Found exactly what I was looking for easily. Very reasonably priced (compared with other sites/shops)
Order arrived quickly and well packaged.

I would 100% recommend

Super customer service, lovely shop and staff amazing!

Visited instore after seeing an online ad, didn't realise they were so close. gorgeous shop and helpful staff.

bought some ariat boots and arrived on time. Second purchase without issue

Bought PS of Sweden reins. After just one month of use they snapped. I immediately sent HC a photo. They said they would contact PS. I’ve since been told the reins must’ve been subjected to force for them to snap.. I’m astounded, force on reins, unheard of! What a stupid comment. 6 weeks later I still have the reins (not been asked to return them for examination) and no nearer to a refund or a new set. Im appalled at the service I’ve received and will never use them again..

UPDATE
Received a full refund after reminding HC of their obligations as a supplier.

Returned a headcollar and provided proof of purchase over a month ago and refusing to refund me as the item has not been received by them although proof given! Customer services are ridiculous and I will NEVER use this company again for my equestrian needs!!! Your customer care is a disgrace!

I am having the most infuriating experience. In February I bought a SHIRES Velociti Dressage Flash Bridle. In March the flap holding the flash detached. I sent a picture to Houghton who claim the manufacturer @Shires demanded that I destroy the noseband before they would replace it for "inventory" reasons, even though the picture of the damaged item would legally/administratively fulfil the same purpose. This means a) I will be without any noseband at all until the company replaces mine - because what I was sold was faulty. And b) that I am being treated like some sort of scammer that is trying to trick them into a free noseband. Flipping infuriating. Then after I pointed out that the photo of the broken noseband was sufficient for "inventory" purposes, they then said, oh well the rest of the noseband may be faulty so we need to be sure.... (???!) Making it up as they go along. I've bought a product that partially fell apart in less than two months and they don't have the common sense or good practices to say, I'm very sorry, can we replace it immediately. This is the last time I use Houghton or buy Shire products.
As you can see from my other reviews, this is the first time have ever complained, all my other reviews were about great services, so I am not a habitual snarker, this is just stupidly bad customer service.

I went to this shop today to purchase a riding hat for my daughter. Due to Covid restrictions they were unable to fit. They stood 2 meters away and told me how to check fit, making me try different things to ensure fit. The sales assistant who was the owner, was more concerned about the hat fitting correctly for safety than a sale. I couldn’t fault the service. We will definitely be coming back.

Really disappointed. I have used Houghton on many occasions and love the smart shop with helpful staff, i have never however returned anything until now. After receiving a beautiful pair of jodhpurs for xmas i decided to exchange for a different colour but couldnt travel to Houghton due to covid travel restrictions as i live approx 15 miles away. I telephoned houghton to be basically told tough! Travel to exchange or post out with myself covering costs which i was told was £3.95. In unprecedented times like this you would think it not unreasonable to extend the 28 days exchange time. I dont want money back just exactly the same in a different colour.

Amazing service, really fast delivery, My ariat boots arrived in less than 24hrs!