Is this normal? Kids lesson!

[meandmyself]

My nephews have been taking lessons for about seven weeks not and tbh I'm not sure if they're getting any actual tuition or even really improving! For four or five weeks, they've gone on a hack for 30mins - though all they do is ride along the track that goes around the riding school. They have had two lessons in the arena but didn't do much differently - the ponies were being led (more like dragged about) by leaders who are all slightly older kids. (Nephews are 5 and 7)

Neither of them know how to steer or stop, or even make their ponies go beyond kicking and it's making me wonder if we're paying for nothing! We also asked about then sharing a private lesson and were told it would only put them off as it would be too intense.

None of it lines up with my experience - I used to work with horses, though in a private school rather than a riding school and the kids were taught very differently - how to steer, hw to sit properly, "games" like touch your pony's tails/ears, around the world, that sort of thing. They were confident and seemed to progress much more quickly!

Aibu? Is this normal? If anyone is in the NE I can PM you the riding school name!

 

[GypsGal1718]

See if there are other riding schools around and if they can have one lesson there and see if they improve more. Imo I am not a fan of riding schools like the one you are describing.

 

[meandmyself]

They're on waiting lists for a couple of others atm.

 

[Melody Grey]

Maybe politely enquire as to when some ‘technique’ might come in? I appreciate it sounds like there’s a lot of just sitting on ponies going on, but it could be good for their confidence and balance to take things slowly without too many demands - my son got on much better this way and still does prefer hacking to schooling.

ETA- short, private lessons needn’t be too intense though especially if there are plenty of games etc involved? I’d have thought lots of schools would be happy to provide that.

 

[meandmyself]

We were turned down flat for private lessons! The owner was adamant that it would be too intense and would put them off but that's not my experience! (Though granted mine was in a private school that had horses and did lessons!)

 

[TheMule]

5 is a bit young to do much, but the 7 year old would certainly benefit from tuition. Private lunge lessons are the most useful way to learn at the beginning IMO

 

[Jenko109]

Sounds dull as dish water and likely to eventually put them off altogether.

Go somewhere else.

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

It sounds to me like you are paying for pony rides rather than riding lessons.

Is there a qualified instructor issuing directions to the young riders, have you watched a lesson to see for yourself just how much tuition (or not!) they are getting.

In theory having them hack outside around the school would probably be a nice relaxing chill down time after more intensive 'work' in the school. But it doesn't even sound as though they have been doing that.

 

[teapot]

Caveat coming of having been behind a desk with parents asking these very questions:

Not uncommon to break up the littlies total beginners' learning with lead rein hacks especially so if they've been stuck in an arena for weeks on end across a wet winter so far, but not every week. Ours used to be on a rota! Not ideal if they're being dragged around, helpers are meant to be there to help, not dictate so that's just bad teaching/organisation from whoever's in the middle frankly.

Five IS young to learn to ride though, and I think people expect far too much from their five year old when it comes to learning to ride a pony at the end of a busy school week imho. Re the private lessons - we used to say privates would be too intense, and they can be if you don't break the lesson up with games etc, for the reasons above. Also your bestest littlie beginner ponies tend to go a lot better in group situations, they're so much harder to ride on their own which then makes the process that much harder for the kid on top.

For where I was though, trying to schedule a half hour private was actually a pain in the backside. We simply didn't have the spare gap to do so due to very rigid lesson timetables, or indeed the right coach available at the right time. Plus from a business point of view, a half hour private wasn't worth it as they simply don't cover costs. So while I don't agree a blanket 'no we don't, sod off' is the best approach, sometimes there are genuine reasons why half hour privates just aren't workable

 

[meandmyself]

Thank you for the input!

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

When I worked at a riding school we often did a combination of a very short hack around the big field then in the school for a bit of learning.

We often did a bit of balance stuff at a standstill or walk on lead rein like touch your nose touch your knee and so on, you can also get them understanding rising in the saddle ready for trotting, then walking with one arm out to the side building up to then 2, also touching parts of the horse it all helps with getting used to being in a saddle and learning balance.

There is loads you can do at walk to get them prepared for trot we also had silly little songs for everything to make it a bit interesting.

Just walking for half an hour doesn't teach them anything really its just plain boring for them I would find somewhere else.

 

[Kaylum]

I suspect they are trying to preserve their school more than anything. .

 

[Burnerbee]

Where I learnt we weren’t allowed reins or stirrups for the first 6 lessons (we were on a lunge!)… different times!

 

[meandmyself]

Yeah, this is my experience too. Games to play to build confidence and balance. They do nothing like that on their rides!

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

I taught at an rs as a Saturday job, first things I'd teach would be stop start and steer, do some shapes, bending through cones etc. even on hacks we'd do how to thank cars, signal left right and slow down etc.

I wouldn't be happy if I was paying for the sessions your child is receiving. By all means go on the "hacks" but I'd also expect them to do things during them e.g. stopping, steering etc. they can still do it with a leader, who should be holding the pony and guiding it through what child is asking it to

For the younger children there were 20 minutes lead rein lessons but you were still expected to show them the basics.

 

[SOS]

I think they’re having you on and this sounds like a pony trek for children rather than lessons for learning to ride.

I started at a riding school at 3 years old having group and private lessons… not sure if they allow that now due to physical development but I can’t see how a private lesson is too intense if a riding school has qualified staff who are trained to teach taking into account age…

 

[black and brown]

Are these lessons being taught by a qualified instructor? If not, then I don't think you are getting what you are paying for. Perhaps the establishment isn't able to provide properly structured lessons for youngsters but won't admit to it.

 

[EventingMum]

I think this sounds more like a pony walk rather than a lesson. 5 is quite young for an intense 30 min lesson but every child is different. I closed my RS last summer but we would try and have riders do their first few lessons as a private lesson although this can be difficult time wise so wasn't always possible except during school holidays when children could come during the day. Initially children would be taught sitting correctly, stopping, starting and steering, much of this would be incorporated into games for children to help keep their interest, we often did 15 or 20 mins in the school and when they started to get distracted or show signs of tiredness we would go for a walk for the last portion of the lesson but on the walk we could still practice the stopping, starting and steering as well as talk about things we saw like colours of the horse, naming tack parts etc. We kept our lessons small, especially beginner rides, the bigger the group the more likely a child is to get distracted and switch off, also in a bigger group they are less likely to ask questions etc. Dragging ponies round doesn't sound good either. We tried to impress upon riders (and their parents/guardians) that the ponies were individuals - some liked walking more quickly, some needed more leg etc and the riders had to learn how to communicate with each pony individually. Over the years we found more people expected ponies to be completely robotic so from the begining we tried to teach respect for the ponies and an appreciation of their well being. From a business perspective bigger rides and ponies working longer hours makes economic sense but as a proprietor I couldn't do that - I would be failing my clients and, more importantly, my ponies.

 

[Merry neddy man]

www.bhs.org.uk is the website for the British Horse Society, have a look for a registered riding school near you. Well worth the extra cost for proper qualified instruction.

 

[misst]

My 6yo granddaughter has had a couple of private half hours and a few rides round tracks. She loved her private lessons where she practiced standing in her stirrups, steering through cones. Stop/start. "Round the world" and laying forwards and backwards. She did some short bursts of trotting. Lesson finished with a trot on lead through the wooded track . Plenty of variety and confidence building. She will restart in half term as the weather/school commitments/ new baby brother have made life a little busy .
OP I think you are paying for rides - nothing wrong with that depending on how much they charge.
Granddaughter also goes to a place where they do pony days in school holidays. They groom, poo pick, learn about tack and points of the horse, have a snack and a hot dog lunch and two woodland rides. There are also chickens, guinea pigs, rabbits and goats and donkeys . It's a lovely day for kids who enjoy animals and really well run. Maybe something like this would work better?

 

[Goldenstar]

I think it depends very much on the child and with some that sort of approach can be best way at first , because it’s no pressure They just get used to the feel of it all and decide if it’s something they love .
However you going to have to move on to somewhere more formal my favorite way is a mixture of one to one one the lunge at first and having the children in small groups .
I started exactly like that when my Mum saw that I was obsessed and I mean obsessed we progressed to learning in paddock in a small group .

 

[View]

When I was regularly teaching in a riding school, we started our young (5 years and over) riders off much as EventingMum describes. No more than 6 in a group, 6 good leaders, and an instructor. Instil the basics of start, stop and steer (no flapping kicks allowed), lots of reinforcement that the pony needs to be a willing partner and has feelings. Lots of fun games and exercises; Simon Says, around the world, thread the needle. No reins and no stirrups as part of this on day 1. On days when the school was just too hot, off for a walk hack in the forest "how do we ask the ponies to go right to avoid this tree, Sally?" "how do we ask the ponies to halt at this road junction, Alex?". A 30 minute private or semi-private for this age group meant 15 or 20 minutes in the school, and 10 minutes up the lane and back. We had a couple of parents grumble about the waste of time, and they were invited to take their business elsewhere if they still complained after we had explained the reasons. At this age, learning has to be enjoyable, and the instructor needs not just patience but a sense of humour. I enjoyed these lessons, because they all tried their best for me. Two words that were banned in my lessons "can't" and "won't".

Pony walks shouldn't be charged at lesson rates, though.

 

[Wishfilly]

FWIW I agree that what you are getting doesn't sound ideal, although it does depend a bit on how much you are paying for it. As a starting point, hacking can be good for generating interest and teaching balance- but if it's always the same route, I can see the children getting bored and not really progressing.

However, I also agree especially when days are shorter/evenings are darker that it can be very difficult to schedule 30 minute private lessons on a weekend- and it's often not really viable for a small riding school with only one sand school, for example! Obviously they should say that, rather than making excuses, but I imagine that will be part of the reason they are trying to put you off. I do also think a 30 minute private lesson for a 5yo who's only ridden 7 times is a lot- it's different to learning to ride when you're slightly older!

There is probably a reason the other riding schools have waiting lists and this one doesn't! Hopefully space frees up at another centre soon, and you can access something better. However, I agree it's important to understand that many 5yos aren't that co-ordinated yet, and often get tired/distracted relatively easily, and so may not progress as fast as a slightly older child! I will be honest, I do think lunge lessons are a bit much for most 5yos! You may find that with proper tuition, the 7yo may progress a lot faster than the 5yo (obviously does depend on individuals), which comes with its own problems.

 

[Wishfilly]

I think they’re having you on and this sounds like a pony trek for children rather than lessons for learning to ride.

I started at a riding school at 3 years old having group and private lessons… not sure if they allow that now due to physical development but I can’t see how a private lesson is too intense if a riding school has qualified staff who are trained to teach taking into account age…

It's very difficult to get insurance for under 5s now- I'm not saying impossible, but it is harder. In most cases, it isn't worth it, as the majority of clients will be older!

 

[SOS]

It's very difficult to get insurance for under 5s now- I'm not saying impossible, but it is harder. In most cases, it isn't worth it, as the majority of clients will be older!

That’s interesting! What age on average do most kids start to ride?

I bet it’s all very different from when I was younger, and my lessons were only 30ish years ago!

 

[misst]

My daughter started at 4 as she used to sit while her brother had a lesson aged 6. She cried so much the riding school used to let her sit on a pony and walk on the lead rein. That was an expensive mistake! Her brother gave up a year later and we got her first pony when she was 8. It was financially down hill from then on for 25 years

 

[Wishfilly]

That’s interesting! What age on average do most kids start to ride?

I bet it’s all very different from when I was younger, and my lessons were only 30ish years ago!

It probably does depend on the stables a bit, and this is a bit out of date, but I used to work at a stables which could take from age 5 upwards. I would say a lot of children started between maybe 5-8yo, but also we had some who took it up more seriously in their early teens/tweens having maybe had a ride on holiday, or sat on a friend's horse etc. The ones who started a bit older tended to stick at it for longer- possibly because it was something they really wanted to do? We also used to cater to a lot of adult beginners/rusty riders! I'd say we rarely got enquiries for regular lessons for children who weren't school age? On weekend days, we usually had one group of about 5-7yo beginners on the lead rein, and the rest of the groups were mixed ages, grouped by ability, but mostly probably between about 8-15yo! The younger children were far less likely to show up if it was wet/windy/cold etc, as well.

In the summer, we also catered to holiday makers who wanted to come for a trek, and we'd get more requests as to whether their 3/4yo could ride- but we were pretty much always fully booked through the summer even with turning people away due to age/weight limits, so it didn't seem worth changing the insurance for the owners!

I do think catering to young children is tricky- we found it difficult to source hats/boots that were small enough for very young children but were still safe, the ponies were too small for most of our experienced riders to ride, so more likely to get away with bad habits- if you've taken a group out on a trek, you're part way around and a small child decides they don't like going downhill etc (and that's the way home) you are a bit stuck, or they desperately need the toilet or similar! I know this can happen with older beginners too! *Most* young children also don't have such good balance, and you have to watch them really carefully to make sure they don't just wobble off the side! A few people have mentioned lunge lessons, but I wouldn't want to be that far away from a 4-5yo rider!

To be fair, some of this does reflect my own biases (I'm now a secondary school teacher), but I think it's much quicker and easier to learn to ride at say, 10, when you have a level of co-ordination and balance, and can more easily understand and follow instructions! Which is not to say you shouldn't let children ride/learn etc if they want to, but I do understand why riding schools aren't exactly targeting that market!

 

[teapot]

That’s interesting! What age on average do most kids start to ride?

I bet it’s all very different from when I was younger, and my lessons were only 30ish years ago!

It realistically comes down to insurance - where I was we would take 3yr olds for lead rein hacks because the insurance specifically covered it (at a premium), but there is limited progression 3 years to say 5/6 years. Kids who start at 6/7 fly through!

 

[MagicMelon]

Not sure if you mean NE as in NE Scotland but Im there and had a similar experience at my local riding school with my son. Obviously Im horsey myself but didnt have anything suitable for my then 5yo to ride. Took him to a few lessons there and gave up as it was so expensive for literally a pony ride. They had a huge variety of horse sizes and ages (had my very small son on a tiny pony in a large group of around 8-10 others including teenagers on 15.2's. Son was led by a young girl (early teens Id say) which made me nervous to begin with. The teenagers were very beginnery and were off lead so had barely any control and were always trotting up the ponies bums which made me terrified in case these ponies reacted and my very small son was being held by a child herself who would have no idea what to do. They just got dragged about with instructions being barked at them (turn left, do a circle, trot). Werent even taught absolute basics like how to hold the reins properly. Really bizarre. But certainly not what I was looking for.

 

[meandmyself]

God that sounds awful! North east England, but they sound in the same vein!