Livery yards and unqualified instructors

sophie3121

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I have been at the same DIY livery yard for more than twelve years. About three years ago the owner of the farm introduced a commercial livery yard. The person running the yard has no insurance and no qualifications and has started giving riding lessons for payment to children mainly on their own ponies but sometimes on her pony. Is she in breach of any regulations associated with riding schools? Can the owner of the premises be held liable if there are any claims related to the instruction she is giving?
 
I'd be inclined to ring up the local authority and ask them whether she's registered or not.

If the woman isn't qualified or insured, then she shouldn't be teaching, end of. I'm a professional teacher in another field (the fitness industry, not riding instruction) and we have to be qualified AND insured, and have a current first aid cert plus Child Protection/disclosure. And we can't teach without it.

I'd also be inclined to contact the BHS as well...............

I offer DIY at my yard, which makes me a YO. But I wouldn't dream of offering riding tuition as I have diddly squat qualifications to do so!!

If someone has an accident in this woman's "lesson", then they'll have no protection whatever if they are seriously injured. Plus the fact that the kid's parents are being blatently ripped off in being asked for payment from someone unqualified.

Shocking, and appalling.
 
If she's offering lessons and providing the pony for the lessons, then she essentially needs to be registered as a riding school.

If she wants to teach, that's fine, the quals vs no quals discussion has been had here a million times - HOWEVER, she would be mad to do it without insurance.

And of course she needs to be registered for self-assessment and pay her taxes on her income!
 
I'd be very careful given you livery with this YO. Having an anonymous user name would be a start.

Some of the best riding instruction I've had has been from people whose qualifications were years of experience with horses and a gift for communication. I paid in beer rather than money, but I'd have been happy to pay in whatever currency she preferred. Its not unusual for instructors to suggest using their school master every now and then either.

That said operating with out insurance is pretty sketch. Personally I wouldn't knowingly have a horse at a livery yard that wasn't covered by insurance. I'd have thought the point of not getting insurance for a yard would be to keep it under the tax man's radar. If I was going to torpedo a livery situation I was otherwise happy with I'd phone Inland Revenue.
 
She may well be declaring her income via a self assessment, that's a different issue to whether she is insured or not. Local authorities have different requirements relating to "riding establishments" so a look on their website will give you the info.

Personally, if you are happy with the yard then why would you want to stir up potential trouble for someone? You may be misinformed and it is up to her if she is silly to choose not to insure as she is putting herself at risk.
 
I think that people now are obsessed with qualifications & seem to believe that only someone with 'qualifications' should be allowed to instruct people in riding. Many people are 'qualified' through years of competing & producing horses. I see people on this forum booking clinics with various professional riders & I seriously doubt if any of them hold any qualifications at all.

There used to be a saying "Those that can, do & those that can't, teach". I would take someone with experience rather than someone who has passed a few exams any time.

You need to asses wether the 'instructor' is someone who can teach you stuff or not & then decide yourself if they are suitable for your needs.
 
I agree, I've had some amazing lessons over the years by people with no qualifications but tons of knowledge and a way of making things understood easily. It's true that people seem to rush to have a lesson with a professional rider yet these people don't have qualifications. There are a lot of very good people out there who enjoy just belong others improve.
 
I'm afraid I'm another who firmly believes that qualifications don't necessarily translate to effective teaching - some "have it" and some just don't - regardless of the letters after their names. Our dressage coach hasn't done the BHS "thing" but she HAS competed and trained to a very high level (both dressage and SJ) and has the ability to really read a combination and come up with the appropriate training, exercises, etc. She is, by far, the best trainer we've ever had - and I've had plenty of years training with BHSAIs and Is previously.

On the flip side, we had a jump clinic/lesson with a well-known, international event rider a couple of years ago, and - although it was fab to have met her and for Kal to have had a lesson with her, and I have a lovely signed picture of her with Kal and Z on my living room wall - she wasn't much cop in the teaching department . . . perhaps she is better 1-2-1, I don't know, but I wouldn't pay for another clinic/lesson with her. Very much an example of someone who can definitely "do the do" but doesn't necessarily have the gift of passing on the knowledge to someone else (or perhaps someone else not at her level).

Back to the OP - as long as YO has appropriate insurance in place, and isn't defrauding the government, she can pretty much crack on . . . as for the license, I think it depends how she markets/positions the yard - but I could be wrong (yes, it has been known to happen ;)).

P
 
Qualifications mean nothing. I have had lessons with many different "qualified" instructors and they were boring and not particularly effective. There are manya fantastic qualified instructors out there, but ultimately a good instructor is a good instructor and a piece of paper from BHS isn't going to change that.
The lack of insurance is worrying though and something that might be worth looking into. Just bear in mind that you are risking your place on your livery yard.
 
I agree that she should have insurance however other than that I cannot see your problem. We have a livery yard and most of the insrustors our liveries use are not qualified. We have one BHS qualified instructor (only to AI level) comes to the yard and there is not a cat in hell's chance I would pay her for lessons - she is clueless!!
 
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