How strict is your riding school/what are the horses like?

[PonyIAmNotFood]

Just a bit of a nosey one really, what sort of insurance and health and safety ethic does your school have? What are the horses like?

I go to two atm, one i've been at for 12 years one I just started in september with the uni's riding club. The first is brill, a nice range of horses and people hardly ever fall off or have accidents. But this is due to the no jumping over a foot rule, no hacking, only individual cantering, no trainee instructors and the upmost care taken to never have a situation that could be slightly risky. The horses are VERY safe, bombproof and confidence giving, well schooled but most aren't very forwards unless you are a good rider when they can be forwards. Most have been there upwards of 5 years and all need to be ridden with a crop, and almost all are in snaffles. The health and safety policy is super strict and tighter than any other place I know.

The second also has an excellent range of horses, but I have seen 3 people fall off in the 10 hours I have ridden there. They have looser rules, we jump up to a metre in lessons, canter as a ride and you can hack. The horses vary, they have the plods and cobs (but they only need to see a crop and they're off, and many are in gags and all have martingales) But also use a lot of new, fast, spooky and lively horses on the lessons. There is a high turnover of horses and a lot are working livery. Sometimes the horses appear to be too much for the riders but i've not seen a fall that was down to the horse, always the rider can't sit to a simple striding mistake the horse makes or a predictable refusal. The health and safety policy definately appears to be looser than other places, though not to the point of danger just they don't seem to be giving in to the pressure of the claim culture.

I love both schools, the first one is more dressagey and I feel I could get picked on more for my position without worrying about the horses too much, but the second though I don't get as much out of it lesson wise I do like riding more difficult, young and less well schooled horses.

So what are your schools like and which would you prefer? (just to clarify i'm not leaving either, they're both beneficial for different reasons and both are super fun!)

 

[Tillytoo]

My school is seems to be a happy medium, every one has to sign a disclaimer and agree to abide by a code of conduct, hats to be worn any time you are near a horse including on the ground. Jump lessons up to a metre at your own risk, you can hack out in a group with an instructor once you are judged to be competent at canter.

The hacking takes place completely off road on the south downs.

Huge variety of horses both in shape and size and temprement to suit all standards of rider, and I have never (famous last words) fallen off here. RI are fully qualified but young and enthusiastic.

I LOVE this school. :inlove:

 

[pharoah]

My school is pretty much a happy medium. Usually if anyone falls off (it's usually me) it is down to rider error and not the horse. I've been there 4 years and probably seen as many falls. The horses are mostly owned by the RS we have a couple of working livery horses. There was one scary lesson i had on a working livery horse but the horse is no longer there but the instuctor was on hols so we had a different instructor. The RI is great I really like her and none of the horses are too challenging although sometimes it would be nice to ride something a little challenging. We do canter together but that's because our group has pretty much been the same people for years so she trusts us. We do jump only teeny weeny ones I'm not sure on the policy for jumping. Hacks are on a weekend walk, trot and canter. Our RI pretty much lets us do lots of things. Health & Safety has gone mad in this country.

 

[Wally]

Every accident in our accident book was down to rider error, and mostly undignified slithers once the horse had coem to a stop in an effort to catch them!

One fall off the mounting block, one mother slamming the gate on her own daughter.

 

[skyenfaye]

My old riding school was probably the worst school in the world! On my first lesson they took me up to do XC when i couldnt even canter never mind jump! In jumping lessons they went really high! The horses arent fit for the riders most of the time! Once when my horse ran into a corner (I had tried to turn him but he wasnt having it) mmy instructor took my whip of me, held my horses reins and hit the horse 4 or 5 times on his rump! And i dont mean taps, i mean she brung the whip right up above her shoulder every time! On my lesson one horse reared, there was 3 falls, my horse bolted with me twice and took me over the jumps by his own choice, I lost my stirrups over the first jumo and landed behind the saddle so was riding bareback in a way, After the lesson on of the other instuctors who had been watching when my horse bolted came up to me and said she was really impressed that i stayed on and that she thought id fall. :yellowcarded:

But recently i have started a much better school. They breed and produce eventers to a good level so they have a good understaning of horses. The instuctors all compete in a disipline regulaurly and are really friendly. Most of them are really good at explaining things and repeat things to me until i understand it.
On my first lesson they put me on the slowest pony in the word! it was hard enough keeping him in walk never mind asking him to trot! i felt so safe that it was unreal!
Now in my lessons i ride a SLIGHTLY more forward going pony, She still takes a lot of effort to get into canterr and stops as soon as i ask her. Becasue i was scared to canter (Due to the problems with my last riding school) we spent lots of lessons having a small canter down one sinde and only 2 lessons ago after about 6 lessons there did i manage to keep pony in canter for the full lap of the school. Last lesson we spent the whole lesson working in a forward seat and at the end of the lesson i was asked to pop a tiny jump. She sneekly put the jump up a bit so i didnt get scared seeing it going up.
All in all id say my schools quite safe. There isnt a height to jumping that i know of but you can only do something if there 100% sure you can manage it and your never put in a dangerous situation.

 

[eml]

I am probably closer to the first one described...a few people do fall off but usually fairly accident free.

Only my daughter and I teach and we own all the horses. We do jump and have exam students doing 1m courses and XC but in normal lessons we usually stick to about 60cms and concentrate on style and correct riding.

Horses and ponies are all riding club/pony club allrounders capable of doing a novice dressage test and jumping a SJ course. They are not all suitable for novices however as most have too many 'buttons'!! I do keep a few saints that are anyones ride and work off my voice. Mostly they are generally considered 'more difficult' or 'sharper' than many people are used to in other RS but that is because I like them to react more like the sort of horse someone will buy as a 'first horse' and will not have anyone kicking or pulling on reins!!

New horses are always ridden in a lesson first by daughter and then by better riders/exam students before being used in general lessons once we know how they will react. All horses are in some variant of a snaffle, no martingales, no drops/flashes.

 

[beakysian]

Every accident in our accident book was down to rider error, and mostly undignified slithers once the horse had coem to a stop in an effort to catch them!

One fall off the mounting block, one mother slamming the gate on her own daughter.

:giggle::giggle::giggle: Just had to explain to hubby what had made me laugh out loud in such an unladylike manner :Redface:

Mostly they are generally considered 'more difficult' or 'sharper' than many people are used to in other RS but that is because I like them to react more like the sort of horse someone will buy as a 'first horse' and will not have anyone kicking or pulling on reins!!

This is a really good approach eml, what a good idea. Coming from a RS it seems such a step up to even the mildest of privately owned horses.

My first RS was a little bit like what skyenfaye has described although *thanks lucky stars* I was never taken out to do XC. The horses were bought, more or less, on the RI's (also the owner) whim so there were a couple of home-bred sport horses, 2 ex-racers, some strong ponies that probably needed something more than a snaffle (in my novice opinion) and some cobs bought from the local gypsies. Some had lovely temperaments but the RI's favourite were naughty mares When my friend fell off over a 60cm jump - never having jumped before - landing flat on her back, no-one cared that she was totally winded and possibly hurt: she was told to get up, and jump back on. No health & safety forms, accident book, first aid or even any concern. I also went on several hacks that, to begin with, I enjoyed, but quickly started to realise we weren't very safe as the horses would tank off as soon as they reached grass (habit taught by the RI) and riders were allowed out with no assessment and regularly came off.

Current RS seems suitably sensible - filled in a health form, have only jumped tiny cross poles in the school so far and I am finally allowed out on my first hack next week :biggrin: They aren't religious about their H&S but I feel in safe hands and that I'm not being rushed into anything that feels unsafe.

 

[Native Lover]

Current RS seems suitably sensible - filled in a health form, have only jumped tiny cross poles in the school so far and I am finally allowed out on my first hack next week :biggrin: They aren't religious about their H&S but I feel in safe hands and that I'm not being rushed into anything that feels unsafe.

I do believe we currently go to the same school if you havent changed in a few months...

From Skyenfaye.....I logged on to my mams acount to check and then forgot to log out...:redface:

 

[melmo1313]

EML's description sounds like the riding school I used to go to about 10 years ago ... *before* the world of H and S really existed! I loved it though and never felt 'unsafe' ... or if I did it was my own nerves! In the later years after I worked there, I used to get popped on the 'new' and more dificult ponies as they were getting used to the lessons.

I've worked for a horse camp in the US that was also v similar. they were Western, but insisted all kids under 16 wore helmets when riding which is unusual over there, and adults can if they like as well. Their horses are very well established, there are some absolute 'saints' and she used to have a 'grading' system as to which horses you could ride as you got more competent. Now I tend to go to visit every year or every couple of years and if she needs a new horse picking out or a bit more work training, it's usually my job for the few weeks I'm out there hehe. She runs barrel shows and while I don't feel confident enough to 'run' the barrels, I'm quite good at training the horses to learn the patterns in a trot/canter out.

 

[Wally]

Hmmm, such a lot of folk came unstuck when they got on ours and "kicked" in spite of stern warnings before they got on.. "don not kick any of my horses"

 

[bitsnpieces]

The riding school that I was at for many years (learnt to ride there and worked there when I was young) was really quite higgldy piggldy - although there was rarely any jumping all the ponies were quite quirky but most falls were due to rider error. There were a few horses/ponies that were quite tricky but very rarely were people asked to ride them if they couldn't handle them.....didn't mean they always stayed on though

The one thing that always sticks in my mind about that RS was that although it didn't really cater for people that wanted to do big jumps or anything too serious it gave both me and my sister a good, down to earth start and taught us to ride sensitively. There was always another horse to master and get the knack of and that was a really good challenge! Also working and helping on the yard from a young age gave me lots of experiences that I wouldn't have had if I'd learnt to ride somewhere else

 

[PonyIAmNotFood]

I can't believe some of the schools people have described are still open and not begging for mercy in a court somewhere with someone sueing their a**es!! It's good that most other schools have gone for a happy medium in the health and safety craze, hopefully it'll stay that way and not all will have to go as far as the first one I described to keep from being sued. I actually think if anyone tried to sue them they wouldn't have a hope in hell of winning as you sign so many things and there are so many procedures in place to prevent this.

 

[Laura_107]

My RS has a good balance of health and safety without being too prescriptive and allowing for common sense. I have never once felt unsafe there and trust my RI and the horses completely, they specialise in novice/nervous riders, and although none of the horses are kick along plods, they will all take care of you and have good brakes (if you ask them to do it correctly). On my first ride at the RS my RI told us if one of her horses ever takes off with us it will be because they thought that was what you were asking them to do, they will all come back to you when asked. They all have their quirks, and none of them are simple 'kick to go, pull to stop' types, but my RI would never let anyone ride like that. They are all well schooled, or on their way to being well schooled, and none are pushed too hard, many will work from voice commands. They have a range in sizes, though they dont seem to have any finer horses. Most of their biggies have Clydie in the them and the smaller ones have Highland/native in them.

They school and hack, not sure about jumping yet. You have to have an assessment before being allowed to hack. We haven't cantered on a hack for months because the ground has been too wet, last week ironically it was too hard! The horses are extremely well cared for, and have been brought back to fitness after the winter slowly.

Those who have read my other threads will know I have been to a couple of very bad riding schools, and I have no idea how they are still open...though I note both the horror RS's I have been subjected to have had their BHS approval removed, and the second one has been sued in the past. I adore my current riding school and will not be going anywhere else.

 

[Trewsers]

One riding school we used to go to didn't really do much jumping. You weren't allowed to use a whip on the school horses (which I think is a good thing) and group lessons weren't that big - so nobody got left out. Individual lessons were taught by a variety of people from YO to YM. Only complaint I had was that if you'd booked a lesson then liveries could come in and use the other half of the school, it wasn't a big school so I didn't like that aspect. I felt I needed the whole school to myself in the early years!
Second place we went was totally different, very scary and professional - lots of kids in bp's and all the latest up to date equestrian fashions! Adults were the same too! All the teachers were bsi or what ever the top qualification is, and they had very strict rules about cancellations and fees and such. They had specific jumping lessons and these were never group only individual.

 

[PonyIAmNotFood]

Trewsers, the individual jumping lessons sound like a better idea to me, more than once in my lessons at the school that does jump, someones been jumping quite high on one pony while we were supposed to walk round the edge and someone elses horse has played up taking the instructors attention away from the jumper, which could potentially be dangerous. So I can see why only individual jumping lessons would be offered. I'd be quite annoyed if a livery was allowed in the school while I was on a lesson though unless it was like 90 by 30 or something.