How much would you expect to pay...

[jumpthemoon]

...for someone to school your horse for you? For example, you haven't got time to ride in the week, you want your horse to work in a nice balanced outline, but you're struggling to get it round in anything more than walk, you can't canter because you get tanked off with.

There is an opportunity for you to have someone come to the yard, tack the horse up, school for as long as the horse is comfortable, untack, wash off and put the horses feed in for the night. The person has BHS stage 2 and BTEC ND, also you have seen their horse work and like the way that it goes/like their riding. They are capable of working the horse in a correct outline in walk, trot and canter and generally improving the horses schooling.

What would you expect to pay per session for this?

 

[saskia295]

TBH, I couldn'y care less what 'qualifications' someone has - it doesn't mean they can ride well!

If the person is capable and is genuinely working with your horse and improving its way of going, I think £20 an hour is reasonable.

 

[Chunkie]

I also think £20 an hour is ok, but if they are tacking the horse up, riding it, cooling down, untacking, putting to bed for the night, that is going to take more than an hour.

Are they getting the horse in from the field as well? If so, how long will they wait to ride it? It all adds time, so you could well be expecting to pay around £50 for that.

Jumpthemoon - that's my horse you're talking about - have you been watching me trying to school?

 

[keekee]

If it was a friend then probably £15- £20 but if not a friend i would need to know them quite well to trust them with my horse....

 

[vennessa]

My daughter charges £20 was glad to see most had put that

 

[jumpthemoon]

Thanks everyone - I'm doing the schooling for someone and I'm charging her £15 per time. I thought that was pretty reasonable, but YO was horrified when I told her how much I was charging

I wanted to check to see what the general opinion was on here.

The lady's problem isn't that she can't ride, she's a decent rider, she's just had a baby and hasn't ridden for a while, so she's out of practice. Because the horse hasn't done much either she is struggling to get any nice work out of her. I told her initially that if I didn't think I could do anything with her I'd say, and wouldn't keep schooling her for the sake of it, but when I rode her last night she went really nicely. I don't think £15 is too much - I wouldn't bother doing it for less tbh. Just wanted to check I wasn't ripping her off!

 

[Sunny_Star]

I would say £15 just because I currently pay my YO who is BHSII £20 for an hour of schooling, she has taught my horse lateral movements and is currently working on half pass and flying changes.
Sounds like I may get a good deal!

 

[burtie]

I charge £15 to ride horses at my horses yard. If I had to travel I would charge £20. For this I would expect the rider to be good enough to work the horse correctly and improve it at a novice/elem level of schooling.

 

[Ziggy_]

I voted £20 but my YO does it for £5. she will also hop on for free if you are having probs when she's around

 

[Kenzo]

Well that is very good of you, but I'd politely remind the owner for their sake, that no matter how much you charge (even if you paid them!) or how much work you put in, and how fantastic the horse is after you have done all this form them, it will all be a waste of time and their money unless they carry on where you left off.

I'm not trying to put a negative spin on this but its just as important that they understand this, because unless they have the time, the knowledge and confidence (which they could work on by having some lessons during and after all your hard work) once they got the horse back it will only slip back to its old ways or perhaps not be as good as you've produced and then you'll be gutted because you've seen how well you've transformed the horse....if you get my point.