Fed up with my RDA school.

laura jeanne

laura jeanne

Active Member
Jan 7, 2004
3,760
3
38
USA
Visit site
How can you explain a volunteer organization that continually disregards offers to help when I know they could use the help??

The latest incident: the person in charge of the horses (wrangler) is vey ill but my offer to help exercise the horses has gotten me nowhere. A couple of weeks ago, when I went to groom my "buddy" horse, he said that the new instructor had to see me ride first. So this weekend, the new instructor was there but she said that the wrangler had to see me ride. I mean, I have been riding for 6 YEARS!! And all you have to do really is mount, walk/trot.

I am so disgusted. They will have to beg me to help next time they need something. There is no excuse for continually passing the buck and not ever being ready to accept the help that is offered.
 
Doesn't sound that unusual or unreasonable to me. It's quite easy for a person to over-judge their own riding ability, and one person's 'riding 6 years' might mean 3 times a year on a friend's horse, another person's might mean riding daily for 6 years. Some RDA horses while a breeze in RDA can be quite different in a different context, and they rightfully want to be sure you are up to the job. Also a person might have been riding 6 years but be very heavy with the whip or on the bit, and they certainly don't want their horses messed up.

IMO you should accept that your offer to help will be taken up if they can verify yours and the horses' safety, and be glad to be involved with a responsible and organised setting.

Karen
 
agree with Gnasher. My daughter had to have an evaluation lesson to judge which class to put her in. She had been riding all her life and had 4 horses one was a mental arab. In half an hour she was showing the instructor dressage and jumping 3 foot. But they still had to make sure on a safe one because she could have been telling stories. She was put in advanced to learn more which is what she wanted, but those horses are often hotter than the ones for beginners lessons. They didnt know her form a bar of soap.
 
Yes, I understand what you are saying but my problem is that they need the help and have still not made an effort to even set a time to watch me ride. Plus, I have been working there for a year and a half. Anyway, I can ride my RS horse any day of the week so don't need to ride their horses. I was just trying to help them out.

The horses are utter plods and all they do is walk, trot a bit and make sure they will walk in and out of the arena. Maybe walk them around a field or walk around some barrels.

All I'm saying is that an all-volunteer organization should follow up on people who offer to help. I think they are just very clicky and also disorganized. Oh, and plus, they let a teenage daughter of one of the people there ride and I had to show her how to pick up a horse's hoof to pick it out!! Blah, I am not going to mention it to them again.
 
didnt realise you had been there that long, thought you were new there. I think if they cant put time aside and are clicky, go somewhere else where they will appreciate you more.
 
I still volunteer as a substitute sidewalker/leader whenever someone else can't be there. I am also planning to help again this year take the kids to compete at the rodeo and I help with other events too. That won't change regardless of whether they want my help exercising the horses or not.
 
Sounds silly and as someone offering your help you shouldn't have to but could you book yourself a lesson. They would not be able to avoid seeing you ride then. I can unserstand everyone elses posts but as you say if they need help then it would be in there interest to spend half an hour watching you ride so you could give them hours upon hours of help in return.
 
It may be because of insurance, because I know at the RDA that i volunteer at they weren't insured for able bodied riders untill just last year, which meant able bodied riders weren't allowed to ride their horses, and the only time i got to ride was when i hired a horse for a lesson, but now they are insured and i get to ride a bit more :D.

Also the horses at my RDA are very ploddy in the lessons, but as soon as a more experienced rider sits on them it a different story, but all the more fun i say :D.

Anyway, I hope they at least give you the chance to show them you riding soon :).
 
laura jeanne i sympathise i really do....you've certainly stuck it out longer than i did. I met a new friend when i started RDA and we've both since left! It was also very cliquey, disorganised, one minute begging for help, the next treating you like you're stupid and using you. I had one lesson where we rode the RDA horses to see what it's like for example to have no sight, so were led round with eyes closed. The RDA RI did pretty much bash my confidence as a rider, but these horses were old and bored, it was hard. Ironically, the friend i met there helped the above RI with her own horses, exercising them and i helped her! So it's ok to ride her own horses when SHE needed it!

I've done enough voluntary work in my life and it's not fair to be treated that way. I really hope you get it sorted out, maybe find somewhere else?

Good luck hun, it's not a nice position to be in.
 
newrider.com
Top Bottom
Back