Riding School Dilemma! Need advice. (long post)

TheWorldOver!

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Oct 30, 2007
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Hello,

I have a dilemma. :confused: I started going to a riding school for over a month now and I love the instructor. She is fabulous. But the apprentice on their staff who’s supposed to teach us the fundamentals of horse prep work isn’t doing it and on top of it has an attitude. For newbies like me, they are supposed to stand right over you to explain and help with the prep work until you do it fully on your own. I nicely explained to my RI that I need her to help me more with prep work. She said she will work on the girl. Well, I had yet to put on a bridle with my eyes closed. And I am ticked off. For $70/hour, I hadn’t even picked a horse’s hoof. The girl would always tell me that “for now she will tack the horse up so we won’t run late for my lesson” even though I would arrive a half hour early.

So I found another school with staff that actually show me every step of horse work, and they have great teachers. Oh yeah and they charge only $50/hour. So you would think it's a no brainer right? Stay with this school. Well the thing is that I had gotten used to my first school horse whose trot is smoother and more fluid and his saddle is flatter. The horse at the new school is bouncier and the saddle is higher although it’s general purpose. So it’s like I have to learn the sitting trot all over again. Plus even though the teacher is good, I had gotten used to my first one.

I’ve been wrecking my brain trying to find a happy medium. :eek: Even when I master putting on a bridle, do I keep both schools for the sake of a RI or am I crazy? And to think that the first school gets $20 more out of my pocket. Help! :confused::confused: My brain is turning to mush!
 
well one way to look at it is that even at the other, more expensive school the chance that you will get to continue to stick with that school horse and saddle are slim.

no matter what you will have to learn to sit different horses and in different saddles. Its just a part of learning to ride. You may feel like you are going back to the basics now, but in the long run learning a larger variety of horses and the specifs of taking care of them will benefit you.

I say stick with the cheaper school.
 
I'm a two riding school person for a variey of reasons and yes one of those was the same as you I initially liked one of the horses better.

BUT over time I have ended up on alot of different horses and as I have improved I have found the bouncy trot horse easier etc. So I wouldn't use that as a reason to stay at the more expensive school....

However if you can afford two lessons a week I personally have found going to two different places really valuable to my riding.
 
Definitely a no brainer - move to the new RS - all horses are different and in many ways the bouncier horses are BETTER to learn on as they help you to develop a secure seat.
 
I agree about learning to sit trot on a variety of horses.
One can tell from your post that learning to pick out the hooves and tack up is important to you. Quite right. it was to me. But to some people it isnt.

At an expensive school in the UK I was asked whether I wanted that? Rich people always had grooms to do that sort of stuff. And some clients still expect a yard to be run that way.

This is not a once and for all decision. At different stages of learning to ride, one needs different levels of instruction.

Given your priorities, I would go to the less expensive school - say for 3-6 months till you have the basics of handling the horses.
Then, as you get competent, reassess. Consider your progress in riding and the quality of the tuition? After a time you may be ready to move back to the expensive school with the smoother (?better) horse and the better instructor. It may be that the horses and instruction there will be exactly what you then need.

The alternative is to split your education - to learn to ride at one school and book the stable management lessons at the other yards? I did book separate lessons to learn the picking out the feet, grooming, tacking up side.
 
Thank you so much to everyone for your replies. :) I have one more question: for those who have kept both your schools, hasn't your progress made your first RI wonder (or has she/he asked you) if you are going to another school? Can't they tell that you are now progressing faster than before? If they ask you, what do you say? :confused:
 
I agree that riding and learning on a variety of horses is a good idea. But why is the prep girl not doing her job considering all the money you are paying? I would tell her that you are arriving a half hour early next lesson and that you expect her to be there to help you. Is there anyone besides the instructor that you can go to with this problem? If that is her job, she should be doing it.
 
Oh believe me laura jeanne, I have. I didn't exactly "throw the girl under the bus" as we say but I did tell the RI that the girl needs to be more attentive during the first few lessons until I get it right. To the girl's fairness, she is the only helping hand they have on weekends and she is all over the place tending to all the horses and their stalls. But I couldn't care any less about it. For $70 she'd better showing me until I get it right. She hadn't even shown me any safety precautions, unless I ask a question about it. And of course, eventually I will learn all the ground work and do it perfectly so I won't need to depend on her but in the end, I need to figure out why should I be loyal to that school? I need to weigh the pros and cons.
 
Thank you so much to everyone for your replies. :) I have one more question: for those who have kept both your schools, hasn't your progress made your first RI wonder (or has she/he asked you) if you are going to another school? Can't they tell that you are now progressing faster than before? If they ask you, what do you say? :confused:

Be absolutely honest with both schools - let the first know you are going elsewhere because of the poor value for money on the stable management side but that you wish to continue to ride their horses to gain a wider experience and the same ( in reverse ) for the new school.

Any business that wants your custom should respond positively to this - you are the customer and they should not get complacent that they are getting away with poor service!
 
Another option if you really want to continue at your present school. For the $70, have one whole session with your RI on grooming and tacking up. Especially on a rainy day if you have an outdoor school!!
 
No neither of my RI's have busted me for being at another school because I look more improved:eek: I need two leesons a week to everyone elses one!

When I joined my second school I was honest that I was at another one, although have changed instructor there so she probably doesn't know I go elsewhere and I never mention.

My original riding school doesn't know I go to another. I am such a wimp when it comes to things like that and I am not sure of the benefit of telling them. I also don't want to get into the senario with my RI's of comparing what I have been taught at each school. I am happy to work out the information for myself if it differs and use your guys on RI to really clarify it:)
 
I feel the same way kiwigirl. I don't have the guts to tell the first school. Not only that, but if i decide to continue with both schools, I won't have the guts to tell my second school that I am keeping my first! :rolleyes: (nothing is ever simple, is it?)

Also, something you said above on your first post staid with me. You said that you found a bouncier horse easier. Why and how? Tell me your secret because I have yet to stick to my bouncier horse's saddle when trotting, and my instructor keeps stopping him when on lunge line to correct me. She is right, but I'd rather keep going for a few more seconds in order to find my rhythm again.
 
No riding school should mind you riding somewhere else. You arent their property! You can ride where you like. Tell them or dont tell them - it's up to you. I ride loads of places and it's never crossed my mind that it might be a problem. And if it is, tough!
The only potential pitfall is if your instructors teach differently, you may find you are spending all the time undoing what the other one taught you, then going back and having the undoings undone!

Personally Id go to the cheaper riding school - you need to learn to ride a variety of horses anyway. And for $70 an hour (about £30 I think, which is average for a good lesson here) you deserve your money's worth - if you arent getting it, go somewhere where you are!


xxx
 
I feel the same way kiwigirl. I don't have the guts to tell the first school. Not only that, but if i decide to continue with both schools, I won't have the guts to tell my second school that I am keeping my first! :rolleyes: (nothing is ever simple, is it?)

Also, something you said above on your first post staid with me. You said that you found a bouncier horse easier. Why and how? Tell me your secret because I have yet to stick to my bouncier horse's saddle when trotting, and my instructor keeps stopping him when on lunge line to correct me. She is right, but I'd rather keep going for a few more seconds in order to find my rhythm again.


When I said I found the bouncier easier - I meant that by over time and continuing riding this horse it has got easier...... he is still the bounciest horse I ride though! For me it has been time in the saddle and being relaxed and trying to feel the movement/absorb it that has really helped me with this horse. Also over time my leg had become more secure and my core strength has improved so I am generally more balanced on the bouncier horses! Although this horse had a big bouncy trot (especially when coming down from canter!) he is the most calm, schooled horse that I ride which is a joy:) He is so chilled out and I happily canter him round and round the arena with no fear of him tanking off or doing anything silly. Whereas my nice smooth horse at the other school, is not so schooled and has fast scary canters at times:eek:
 
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