Do I expect to much from my instructor?

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little-mis

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Had the same instructor for years and always found him really good to the point he is helping me back my youngster now however of recent I am really struggling to justify sticking with him any longer.
I arrange lesson times and it seems to mean nothing and I'm expected to sit and wait for him to turn up as and when it suits. I should have had a lesson tonight at 4.30 by 5 he hadn't turned up So I call And all he could say is "I'm busy doing things for myself" when I asked what time he thought he would b here he said "I don't know." I left the yard at 6.30 and he still hadn't turned up. I wouldn't mind if it was a one off but I have 4 lessons a week and its every time he is anything up to an hour late with no phone call to let me know.
Am I expecting to much for him to be on time or at least phone and let me know he is running late?
 
thats not really on in my opinion - presumably you are paying him to teach you? If so, he should keep to the time he says.
my instructor is my YO and she's fab at letting me know if she's running late or needs to do another day.
 
No your not expecting too much for him to be on time. And on an odd occasion he is running late I would expect a better reason than I'm doing something for myself.
I'm expected at work at 9am I can't just show up when I fancy. This is no different as far as I'm concerned. Would he wait for you for two hours if you were running late and would you expect him too?
 
bin him off

he clearly doesn't need your money if he's acting like that! id look for someone else who's more reliable! you have a life and "your own stuff" to do as well!
 
I would find another instructor. It sounds in all honesty like he isn't really interested in teaching for whatever reason. If it was only ten-fifteen minutes here and there then fine if they are genuinely running late through traffic or work etc, but to just give a reason of 'doing stuff for himself' is a very bizarre way to behave IMO.
 
I think turning up on time is the least you can expect TBH when you are paying someone to teach you- obviously 10-20 minutes as a one off can happen, but to regularly be over an hour late is unacceptable.

It would be worth trying a few new people. I am sure you can find someone who behaves more professionally and you click with.
 
Thanks I have to agree. The thought of finding someone else when I ha had lessons with him for so long is daunting but needs to be done. Off to find some numbers to call.
 
I definitely wouldn't put up with constant lateness, the occasional 10 minutes is fine provided you receive an apology but if you've arranged a time they should be there
 
When I bought my first horse, I learnt about "equine standard time" which is about 1-2 hours behind normal time. I then bought a farm and learnt about "farmer standard time" which is 1-2 days behind.
 
As a freelance I am on time for my lessons, and also expect my clients to be. Nothing more annoying when you're self employed than to turn up to teach to find the horse still in the field and the customer sitting drinking coffee.
It's rude and unacceptable all round.
 
Ours is great time keeper and if 2 mins late texts. My person who exercises can be late , last time I did speak to her, not nastily but she us paid do I do expect a standard of service. Taking the wotsit with you I'm afraid
 
If you work with horses at times you will be late. My rider is always late but I just factor that in, my instructor is a very good time keeper. If she is running late she texts. Ten , fifteen minutes would not bother me, hours late means you are not important, I would look around for a new instructor, you might find its the best thing you could have done.
 
case895 said:
When I bought my first horse, I learnt about "equine standard time" which is about 1-2 hours behind normal time. I then bought a farm and learnt about "farmer standard time" which is 1-2 days behind.
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That made me belly laugh! Spot on!!!

OP do not allow yourself to be treated like this! He is taking money from you, expect professionalism. That treatment is anything but.

Also ask yourself, if that is his attitude to you, how much effort is he actually going to be putting in, when he does actually deign to turn up to teach you?!

Change immediately and I think you may be pleasantly surprised at what you start to achieve! :)
 
case895 said:
When I bought my first horse, I learnt about "equine standard time" which is about 1-2 hours behind normal time. I then bought a farm and learnt about "farmer standard time" which is 1-2 days behind.
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Oh my God, I have quite literally laughed out loud, read this to my OH (not horsey) and he also laughed, I have a feeling this could be a new "thing" in his life!
 
Waiting for 2 hours without any idea of when he is going to turn up or if he is going to turn up is not acceptable.

At the very least if someone is running more than about 20 minutes late you need to know otherwise you have your horse tacked up and waiting for 2 hours which is not fair on you or horse.

I presume he did not turn up after you left 2 hours later and did not contact you to inform you he was not coming.

I would not be surprised if he did not want to teach you any more but has not got honesty to tell you and hoping that you will give up having lessons with him due to his unreasonableness!
 
my instructor lets me know if he is going to be late, we both work with horses and have both been late or had to cancel, we give each other as much notice as possible, never would either of us just not turn up or not let the other know if we were running late.
If your instructor has so little respect or concern for you or your horse then I doubt he puts much effort or thought into teaching you.
 
He is taking the mick. Ditch ASAP. As other have said the occasional 10 minutes, fine. But that is above and beyond bad customer service.

At 4 lessons a week I expect if you do leave him he will come begging back to you, I imagine you are paying him a significant amount and he is just not bothered.

You may well find a new instructor who takes a different approach will give you a whole new lease of riding life.
 
case895 said:
When I bought my first horse, I learnt about "equine standard time" which is about 1-2 hours behind normal time. I then bought a farm and learnt about "farmer standard time" which is 1-2 days behind.
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This made me laugh

Kat said:
Are you paying full market rate?
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Paying full rate.

SO1 said:
Waiting for 2 hours without any idea of when he is going to turn up or if he is going to turn up is not acceptable.

At the very least if someone is running more than about 20 minutes late you need to know otherwise you have your horse tacked up and waiting for 2 hours which is not fair on you or horse.

I presume he did not turn up after you left 2 hours later and did not contact you to inform you he was not coming.

I would not be surprised if he did not want to teach you any more but has not got honesty to tell you and hoping that you will give up having lessons with him due to his unreasonableness!
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I haven't contacted him and he hasn't contacted me so I really don't know.

He did the work on my youngster last year and we got him to the point of walk and trot with rider on and turned him away over the winter. The 4 lessons a week was short term whilst he is brought back into work and then will decrease as my horse gets use to being back in ridden work. I could understand if my horse was a complete nutter but he hasn't put a hoof wrong he loves his work and even worse worships the ground my instructor walks on.
I understand that at times things go wrong in the lesson before or traffic is bad but not every time.
Got a few numbers to call tomorrow so fingers x I will find someone else quickly.
 
Nope it's not on, when my instructor realised a couple of weeks ago that he was going to be late he messaged me to let me know, we all know things in the equine world very rarely runs to time, but that's what mobile phones are for, and it is basic courtesy to let someone know if you can!
 
If you're happy with him otherwise then I'd talk to,him and try and find out what the problem is, or agree a way forward eg he must text if late. But I've never encountered this and would def put me off. I'd be looking for another.
 
Sounds like it's got too cosy .
I would move on to someone else .
I can cope with late people but being told "I am doing something for my self " would ended it there and then for me.
 
I opened the thread expecting to see a concern about insufficient speed of progress or something like that ... but this is outrageous!
I always text my clients if I am even 5-10 minutes late. All my clients work, and they fit riding lessons in between or around shifts. They have children, dogs, friends, other obligations. On the very rare occasion where something comes up that would make me VERY late (e.g. an accident at previous client, serious traffic jam, etc), I always give them a ring/text and ask if they would like to cancel/postpone rather than wait 30-60 minutes. I need the money, it's my work, and so it's important to me to have happy clients. Would never leave someone waiting around ...
 
its not only the lateness that would have made me change by now but also if he is so unworried about being there or telling you he will be late then is the standard of lesson going to be to the same cant be bothered frame of mind? I would be finding someone else to take over
 
No, I do not think you are expecting too much at all! I get that some practitioners like vets and farriers can run late due to things "cropping up" but tbh, there's really no excuse for a trainer to be habitually late/a no show and it shows a marked lack of respect. Even when my trainer (who runs her own livery yard) was travelling over half an hour (one way) in rush hour traffic to teach us, she was on time 95% of the time and on the rare occasions when the traffic was bad/something cropped up at hers, she rang or texted to say she was running behind.

Honestly, I would find another trainer - one who treats you (and your time) with respect.

P
 
No, I do not think you are expecting too much at all! I get that some practitioners like vets and farriers can run late due to things "cropping up" but tbh, there's really no excuse for a trainer to be habitually late/a no show and it shows a marked lack of respect. Even when my trainer (who runs her own livery yard) was travelling over half an hour (one way) in rush hour traffic to teach us, she was on time 95% of the time and on the rare occasions when the traffic was bad/something cropped up at hers, she rang or texted to say she was running behind.

Honestly, I would find another trainer - one who treats you (and your time) with respect.

P
 
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