Exclusive use of arena in lessons? Advice needed please!

[nemain]

Hey there,

Not our horses, no. They're riding school horses and are normally pretty easy-going. The one I'm riding has developed problems with stiffness/neck soreness in the last few months which isn't helping his confidence, and the one my partner rides is a bit full of beans now she's not allowed out overnight.

The riding school itself is mid-sale and noticeably lacking in staff at the moment, so I suspect the horses aren't really getting the time, money or attention they need to be in the best condition for nervous riders. (I was relieved to have a lesson with a substitute teacher a few weeks ago who instantly recognised that my horse is behaving oddly for him - she came over and felt his neck muscles and said she thought he was sore and stressed and that she'd never seen him shying away from things before.)

 

[teapot]

I'd be finding somewhere else OP - you want and need a rs that's welcoming, encouraging and provides exactly what beginners need.

 

[gnubee]

The way you have described your private lesson, tbh I think you would be better off in a group if you have to stay at that school as at least in a group everyone is coordinated and not just doing their own thing.
Things that sound bad about your current situation include:
- complete lack of organisation (school chaos and double bookings)
- failure to deliver what you are paying for (if your instructor is teaching course building at the same time and you don't have private use of the school that is not a private lesson)
- inappropriate horse for building your confidence as a beginner (possibly your partner too- there may be reasons why your horses aren't as kind as usual but none of those justify continuing to use them for people struggling to handle them)
- instructor hasn't spotted your dwindling confidence and hasn't responded appropriately when you raised it.

I've been at a lot of riding schools and seen most of the issues above in some I thought were pretty shamnolic, but never seen them all in one place. Stick a pin in the phone book and pick any. It's not likely to be worse anywhere else and there are some really great is ones out there.
PS IME the best ones for beginners are often not the most expensive or bhs approved etc. Try a few to find a set up you feel comfortable with. Also don't rule out group lessons - it can be really helpful to see what everyone else is doing and hear the advice they get, and the other horses in groups honestly never cause nearly as much confusion as you describe having in your privates.