Difference between riding school horses and privately owned

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bluewhippet

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I am an experienced rider - have worked at stables as well - but the majority of my riding has been done on riding school horses. Because I am not a novice I have ridden the problem riding school horses mainly.

Trying out horses for sale, I cannot believe how responsive they are next to the horses I am used to. Even the calm riding school horses have become pretty numb - they just do the right thing.

I have been taught that changes in the distribution of my weight will affect the horse, and have always tried to ride as though that is the case, but it doesn't really work! Same with give and take with the reins and light contact with the legs. But doesn't really work!

Just wondered if anyone else has had the same experience.
 
Yup. Had a lesson on a riding school horse who used to do elementary dressage - found him lovely, but heavy in the hand and quite unresponsive. Had a lesson on my friend's mare, and she's just so much lighter and more alert to your aids!
 
if I was constantly kicked in the side, I think i'd become numb as well..
It's pretty frustrated but I figure that if you can ride a numb-sided riding school horse, you'll be able to ride anything once you figure out which buttons to push
 
Another way to look at things is that riding school/commercially used horses are generally a lot fitter than pleasure horses due to a higher workload!
 
Its not just riding school horses, its however people school them. I find riding school horses numb and badly schooled, and by badly schooled I mean unable to bend correctly, unresponsive to aids, leaning on your hands etc etc. But I know some privately owned horses who are like this as people don't know how to school them. I'm sure not all riding school horses are like that but lets be honest, they want them safe so that if a novice accidentally gives an aid to canter or whatever the horse isn't going to do it. Mine will walk to canter from the subtlest aid which would not be useful for a novice who can't control their legs.

Its difficult when all you get taught to do at a riding school is kick kick kick to keep the horse going, because you can't keep a proper position and therefore I don't think you develop a proper seat. Again not saying all riding schools are like this just in my experience. You'll soon get used to riding better schooled horses.

I actually went back to a riding school last year to ride with a friend, after 5 years of privately owning/riding friends horses and I could not believe how badly schooled the horses were. I consider myself a decent rider but you cannot school a horse in 1hr if the muscle/suppleness isn't there.

ETA - Its funny how riding schools will teach you textbook things, like the exact subtleties of the aids and shifting your weight, yet on horses that wouldn't react if you sat there flapping, let alone from a subtle shift.
 
I think that is true, you do definitely adapt your seat after a while and I am having to work hard to get my legs doing what they should be doing.
 
Or they rebel and become the toughest, numbest, angriest horses that just get ridden on the leading rein or given to people who enjoy a challenge ...
 
We bought an ex riding school pony as a first pony for my daughter.
Said pony was brought on and successful competed to advanced medium dressage! He was 10 when we bought him. He's now back to being a happy hacker due to an injury but hopefully will end up back in the dressage arena in anothe 18 months.
 
Further to what bluewhippit said, personally, I don't see why I should pay for a lesson to be given a horse that refuses to respond or teach me anything.

I've had this before - I paid £40 for a private lesson on a horse who I couldn't get to canter. I wasn't allowed a whip and was told to get on with it. Needless to say, I never went back.
 
This is probably why I have found 2 horses I would love to buy in 2 weeks. The second really is perfect but the first was definitely quirky - just a lot more fun and full of feeling and potential the horses I have been used to.

I have been wondering why other people are having a horrible time finding the horse for them, and feel a bit embarrassed how easily I have found one - but that is probably the reason - I am easily pleased!
 
All the horses I have had have been privately owned. However, my latest mare whom I've had just under 2 months, is a riding school horse. She is actually very responsive to my aids and I fail to see much difference between her and my other horses.

When we bought her and moved to our yard, the stable we had been allocated was on it's own, so she would have no other horses for company at night. I expected this to be a problem along with other things like being left in the field on her own, hacking alone, bringing in from the field before the other horses come in etc. But she has really surprised me.

One thing I have noticed though is that she has tested me a lot more than any other horse. She tries to push the boundaries a lot, but as long as I stand my ground with her and not let her away with anything, she backs down.
 
blood_magik said:
Further to what bluewhippit said, personally, I don't see why I should pay for a lesson to be given a horse that refuses to respond or teach me anything.

I've had this before - I paid £40 for a private lesson on a horse who I couldn't get to canter. I wasn't allowed a whip and was told to get on with it. Needless to say, I never went back.
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I had exactly the same thing, I deliberately asked for this particular horse as he had been new to the RS the first times I rode him and he was lovely, very responsive. 12 months later he was dead to the leg :eek:

I also think it all depends on how long they have been at the school and if they get any proper schooling along the way.

some horses are sold from riding schools as they're horses but in fact are only suitable for more experienced riders so they sell them on, these are usually the ones that are nice but just too responsive for complete novices
 
I rode a lovely TB who was wonderfully responsive and great fun to ride when I was living in Hungary. Went back to visit relatives a year after living in the UK, rode same horse again & could not get him to do a darn thing. Head tossing, side stepping, and very very defensive - turned out someone had been loaning him and it was due to their riding he became that way. :(
 
soulfull said:
some horses are sold from riding schools as they're horses but in fact are only suitable for more experienced riders so they sell them on, these are usually the ones that are nice but just too responsive for complete novices
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Interesting thread! In our instance, we sold on some superb horses,as they really took riding - not the anyone's sit on and daydream and pose in an outline sort - but the sort that could (and were, with 70%+ scores with staff at dressage events) produce fantastic stuff but they needed really thinking about and riding carefully. Not difficult horses, and never put a foot wrong, would happily "bimble" with a less demanding rider - but these were young or really nice hroses with a lot more to give than "bimbling"!!
Whilst we had many clients that were MORE than capable of producing the work, we realised that for the once a week hobby rider (even those who are very good for that - not all riding school riders are the same, some of ours are hard working professionals with families who have years riding experience but just do not have the time or financial situation to have care of a horse full time. ) they are looking for rest, relaxation, FUN - often at the end of a days work and unlike horse owners who can have downtime, hack out, etc - this was their once a week ride and for the most part wanted to basically sit on a nice schoolmaster that looked good and did the moves, for a relaxing ride and a morale boost perhaps!
 
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Both my horses are ex riding school. I wouldnt class either as novice rides, not because they are sharp especially, but because they are both extremely good at sussing out people, and will refuse point blank to work. I think thats probably normal... why work hard for 4 or 5 hours aday if you can avoid it ?
 
Circe said:
why work hard for 4 or 5 hours aday if you can avoid it ?
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This is why i love my horse - the moment his saddle comes out, the ears get pricked and he's eager to go out before i've even got all his tack on.
We don't school for 4 hours a day though - the most we do is an hour and a half, which i think is enough if he's working properly
 
I think as everyone else has said, there is a world of difference between horses that have been used in a riding school and are used to novices riding them all day just bimbling around and learning w/t/c, and properly schooled horses.

Funny story, I did my work experience at a riding school [a crap one!], just across the road from my livery yard where I had my ex eventer on DIY livery. On my first day they asked about my weekend and I told them I'd won the open SJ at a local show the day before. Later I had a lesson on a pony there, and I couldn't even get it to canter. I found out a few days later that they'd been slagging me off to my YO about the fact that I'd obviously lied about winning the class as I couldn't even get one of their ponies into canter - luckily she put them straight!!

I don't think it is just RS horses though, and its certainly not all of them - some will always be too sharp to be ridden by novices and so will be given to more experienced riders. Plenty of privately owned horses aren't schooled properly either though - it amazes me how anyone can enjoy riding a horse that is wooden and dead to the hand and leg - its worth putting the schooling in just to ride a horse that is light and responsive!
 
These threads always amuse me.
I love the way that you apportion blame to the RS horses when you can't get them to canter, etc. It couldn't possibly be your riding - oh, no, the horse isn't 'responsive enough'.
A decent rider can ride ANY horse...
S :D
 
The riding school that I learned at quickly sold on any horses with talent as they proved too much for the clients in the main. What was left was the safe-as-houses horses without much spirit.

Before I got my own horse again I hunted high and low for a riding school with decent horses and decent instructors. I couldn't find anywhere within an hour of me and gave up looking in the end!
 
blood_magik said:
This is why i love my horse - the moment his saddle comes out, the ears get pricked and he's eager to go out before i've even got all his tack on.
We don't school for 4 hours a day though - the most we do is an hour and a half, which i think is enough if he's working properly
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I have to say, I have yet to encounter a RS which works horses for 4 - 5 hours a day.
Why are you all seeking out such abusive *****holes? Find a decent riding school, for devil's sake.
S :D
 
Shilasdair said:
These threads always amuse me.
I love the way that you apportion blame to the RS horses when you can't get them to canter, etc. It couldn't possibly be your riding - oh, no, the horse isn't 'responsive enough'.
A decent rider can ride ANY horse...
S :D
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IMO (and it is just an opinion) a riding school horse should be there to teach you how to do things - not refuse to do them.
Yes, there are horses that are not for novices but surely the instructor should be able to pair horse and rider so that they actually get somewhere rather than spending half an hour arguing which, in my case, ended with me giving up riding for 4 years as I felt totally useless.
 
My FB is ex-riding school (7 years). When I bought him, no one but me had been riding him for nearly a year anyway, but prior to that he had become sneaky, lazy and a rearer and tanker when he had had enough and the kids were all scared of him as he took great delight in dumping them off! I don't think I have done anything special with him except formed a good bond - he is definitely a one or two person horse these days and knows what I want almost before I ask him. He does not suffer fools gladly though, and if you don't know what you are doing he will play up - as OH found out when he began riding him. :D

I let one of the kids jump him the other day (while I was in the UK), because she is a bit too big for the ponies that WILL still jump at the RS and she was astonished at how responsive and 'up for it' he was in comparison to the other poor, resigned creatures. I had to tell her NOT to apply leg on the approach, just let the reins out and he would do the rest. OH said girl was a bit pale after FB did his normal 1m leap over a 60cm jump!
 
blood_magik said:
IMO (and it is just an opinion) a riding school horse should be there to teach you how to do things - not refuse to do them.
Yes, there are horses that are not for novices but surely the instructor should be able to pair horse and rider so that they actually get somewhere rather than spending half an hour arguing which, in my case, ended with me giving up riding for 4 years as I felt totally useless.
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They are just horses, for devil's sake. They don't 'refuse to do things' - YOU are not asking them properly.
Learn how to ask properly, instead of flouncing home when some effort is required, and you might find you develop a relationship with the horse (yes, you can develop a relationship in the space of one hour's lesson) rather than a battle.
S :D
 
I agree with you shilasdair.
Im not a fantastic rider but i learnt to ride my boys the correct way, so they do what im asking. The majority of the clients couldnt get my boys to canter ( for example ) and would then call them lazy and ask for another horse to ride.
It works both ways. People dont want to spend hard earned cash to ride unschooled tired horses, but they also have to accept that if they are going to progess they have to stop riding the push button horse.
Also, just to add. I havent ridden at a rs in the uk for several years, so cant comment on workloads, but come over here and i'll point you in the direction of more than one stables that use the horses for several hours each day.
 
I agree with Shiladair. Riding at a riding school is a great thing to do. lf you only go once a week, it's rare that you get the same horse every week. You get the variety of riding horses of different breeds, sizes and responsiveness. You have to adapt your riding to each and every horse, and then when you get to buy your own, you have an idea of what you are looking for. My first horse was a welsh x - it was what I wanted at the time because I enjoyed riding that type in the riding school. I then sold him and rode at riding schools for several years before being able to buy another about 7 years later. By this time, I was going to a local riding school and schooling the new horses for them, and I knew that I wanted a TB, so that's what I've got now. It's good to get the experience of riding so many different horses.
 
Shilasdair said:
These threads always amuse me.
I love the way that you apportion blame to the RS horses when you can't get them to canter, etc. It couldn't possibly be your riding - oh, no, the horse isn't 'responsive enough'.
A decent rider can ride ANY horse...
S :D
Click to expand...


Absolutely agree with this. I used to be head girl of a well respected, decent riding centre.
The amount of times the poor horses got blamed, when actually it was the riders fault.
We actually did a demo once on some of the school horses. We started off riding them in a novicey way, cue horses being horses, took the pee, it looked like a shambles! The audience were asked to close their eyes for 10 seconds... Completely different horses it seemed!
All the horses at that yard were schooled in the week by the staff properly, including the kids ponies. If asked correctly, they were lovely, if not, they would do what they were asked, which could sometimes be very little!
I know that people have to start somewhere and some riding schools are not great, but it is often the rider, not the horse that is the problem.
 
Interesting thread. I've had mixed experiences, I went to one of those big, disorganised RSs for a long time and had very mixed experiences. There were a lot of typical RS ponies but at the same time a few really interesting ones - the place was big enough to have enough more experienced riders to be able to have more difficult horses. I rode an amazing, mad, talented polo pony, a couple of unschooled babies and a real bucker and they all had so much to offer and taught me a huge amount. Even most of the real plods respected a sensitive, careful rider. Sometimes I found the biggest problem was the instructors having half an eye on your private lesson but mainly chatting to someone over the gate! A few really inspirational instructors though.

I went to another place that was very small and taught by an ex-BSJAer and that was an incredible experience. One of the horses just wouldn't move unless your seatbone-use and 'bum aids' were dead perfect, that taught me so much. And they had a great ex-eventer too.

I also exericised for a great little place that only goes by word of mouth. Most of theirs are connemaras and welsh Ds and all very nice: well-schooled but often quirky and challenging.

So mixed experiences! I learnt a huge amount from my riding school days and sometimes feel it gave me the confidence to not dismiss the really stubborn ones as they often have more to give than meets the eye!

K x
 
Feel i have to stick up for riding schools and the horses they have. I worked at a riding school for just under 5yrs and many of the horses their had been their for 10 yrs or more. The horses learn to be steady and look after the rider, they get used to heaps of different rider and yes they become lazy they sort of do the minimum they can get away with. However each and every one of our horses would perk up with a more experienced rider on them with plenty of transitions and possibly a tickle from a schooling stick to start with, they just know who they had to actually work for. All our horses would regularly compete in our own dressage and jumping leagues with our clients and often won against privately owned horses. I am proud of the horses at that riding school i really am and i have to say anyone who could not get a tune out of any of them was just not good enough they would not have been in the top lesson yet they would have to work up and learn to ride the horse. They all looked great, were well cared for, much loved and had a safe future. We would regularly had clients asking to buy the horses.
 
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