Riding schools..

leximac

New Member
Feb 8, 2009
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0
Cornwall
hi I'm currently looking for a riding school for my niece, she has Magic but could do with some proper lessons to bring her on a bit more so she can enjoy magic. (the aim is for next year them to have lessons together but as Neve is just 5, think a few at a school first would be best.

Question...is it generally accepted for you to go an watch a lesson to see if it's the right school and you like the way they teach, or should you just pay your money and take your chance and if you don't like it try another?

what questions should I ask when investigating riding schools.. I know I want them to actually teach neve (I can take her for a hack any day of the week) and she really loves to learn.
 
Go and watch a lesson, the RS where i go we often have 'strangers' watching us. I'm assuming they are people who are deciding whether they want lessons there or not.
OR could it be the olympic horse team looking out for someone to join :bounce:
 
When I was looking for a RS for my daughters I phoned round loads to begin with & instantly discounted the ones who were too snooty to even answer a couple of basic questions which may have been silly to them but made perfect sense to non-horsey me.

Then I arranged to visit the ones I liked the sound of to watch lessons. At some I saw the teenage helpers really not being helpful & sometimes beng downright mean to the little ones so they were out. I found just one school which was small, family run, friendly, casual & I thought would suit my kids. They have been going there for just over a year. It turned out that we loved the place so much I have gone from having no interest in horses to taking up riding myself.

The main thing on my mind was that if they seemed to not have the time or inclination to deal with you when they are trying to get your custom what would it be like once they had it?
 
Thanks, were in cornwall, neve is more than happy to watch a lesson (it's the stopping her asking the instructor questions and interrupting which will be the hard bit) lol...we're off to watch one this afternoon.
thanks
 
she has Magic but could do with some proper lessons to bring her on a bit more so she can enjoy magic.

I am a bit puzzled by this thread and about what you want?
What can a riding school teach a five year old that you cant?
One of our best riding BHS schools doesnt take children until they are 8 years old -partly on medical ground so not to stress the hips, partly because that is the age at which a child can start to control a horse independently.

You could indeed look for a school that is a Pony Club centre where there will be other children in her age group learning and a social life. You will also get some idea of what a five year old can cope with, attention wise.

Or is it that you want a school to take responsibility for your niece, rather than do it yourself.

My grand daughter started proper grown up lesson when she was 8.
Up till then it was lots of 30 minutes lead out lessons. She learned how to get on and off, how to hold the reins, trot sitting and rising and how to sit when going up and down steep banks or kerbs i.e. balance on a horse, confidence and shere enjoyment - but I would have thought these were things that you could teach on a lead rope hack?

There are technical things you can teach young children such as trotting diagonal - but I actually wasnt very happy with that. It seemed to me that a child needs to know why things are done and before learning diagonals, it is best to understand footfall in walk and trot and to be able to feel it through one's seat. I'd also like her to learn how to handle a horse on the ground.

So I looked for a teacher whose way of riding and teaching I found in line with my own. It is not good sending the child to someone who teaches by the BHS rules, if you are wedded to other methods. We have already had a thread where someone complained that children from a local riding school are taught to do things (e.g. kick or use a whip) she doesnt like to see on her horse.
So it could be confusing for the parents, if the teacher they pay tells them one thing and you - possibly with superior knowledge and experience to a young teacher - prefer something else.
I did take another grand child to a school lesson aged 5 - Good BHS school and ponyh club centre. It was a one off lesson, a birthday treat. She had an inexperienced girl teaching her and a pony that repeatedly put its head down and tugged the reins from her hands. It wasnt a success and the child has not asked to ride again. I cant think of anything better for your niece aged 5 than to go on riding with you.
 
honestly untill i went and watched the lesson yesterday, I did wonder if it would be worth it...

But the instructor and girls leading were very good, and the way they interacted with the child an spoke to them and gave them little rhymes to remember stuff..hands holding full teacups, of course I can and have showed her how to hold reins etc but am not going to think of things to explain it that she can relate to, (that didn't even occur to me!)
Rising trot...how do you explain that? (This may be common sense but I honestly can't remember how I was told to do it and there's probably loads of other stuff).

Also - whilst I know Magic is good, and neve has really good balance I can't help but hang on to her leg 'just in case' when trotting on the L/R...which she does tell me off for. so inpart it is about letting someone else take that responsibility for teaching her something that I am more than likely stopping her do.

There's a skill in teaching especially teaching kids...and i'm happy to acknowledge I don't have it or the imagination to think up fun ways of telling her rather than 'thats how we do it' - but I'm more than happy to let her practise what she learns elsewhere, and as she wont be learning 'ground skills' at the school we shouldn't confuse her as she learns handling her horse with me, she helps groom helps change rugs etc aswell as all the jobs mucking out, cleaning buckets and doing water etc..(and she's fab at tack cleaning:wink:)

The plan is not for a weekly lesson, but one each 3 weeks with practising at home in between she's not going to come off the LR for a while there's really nothing to her, but if it justs starts us of and gives us fun ideas then it certainly going to be a good start.
 
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