Managing external school bookings

[Annagain]

We have a basic 20 x 40 outdoor school at the yard. It's always been open to external bookings but the YO has never advertised and hardly anybody ever books it. We have two liveries at the yard (they've been there a while but only recently found out it was actually possible for people to book it) who have told all their friends about it so since outdoor sporting facilities have been able to re-open in Wales, the world and his wife is booking it. We've been so used to having it pretty much to ourselves for so long this is new territory for us. It might be temporary until some of the bigger indoor schools and the 5 mile travel limit is lifted but I'm sure some will find it convenient and it's cheaper than most in the area.

We'd like to be constructive and suggest a way of managing it to everyone's satisfaction so I'm trying to research possible methods of managing it. We're thinking of suggesting a blocking off time for liveries when the school wouldn't be open for bookings - does 4.30 -7 on weekdays and 10-12 and 2-4 on weekends sound reasonable? There are 11 horses but only 7 are ridden and one of them is on box rest at the moment. We're also going to take our jumps out - the YO has been happy for us to have them in there and we're happy to share them amongst us but they're ours not the yard's and don't want random people potentially breaking them and running away.

What do those of you on yards with schools available to hire do?

 

[EllenJay]

That sounds reasonable - although I would wand 9-12 at weekends for liveries. Are liveries allowed to book the school themselves or are you only able to use it when it's not booked for by outside people? If liveries can book it then I would suggest that you make sure you pre-book in plenty of time so that you get the spot you want/need.

 

[ihatework]

I suppose as ridden liveries, provided those are the kind of times you all generally ride, then that kind of system sounds fair.

But definitely make it clear to YO that your jumps aren’t available to external hires

 

[Tash88]

I think you'd want a bit more freedom in terms of times at the weekend, but then it depends on the times that people ride and whether they are more likely to hack at the weekend.

Could you YO set up a whatsapp group or similar so she can let you know when someone has booked the school? Or have a diary on the yard?

And put a notice on the gate to the school with the rules - cleaning up after yourself, not using jumps etc.

 

[Annagain]

That sounds reasonable - although I would wand 9-12 at weekends for liveries. Are liveries allowed to book the school themselves or are you only able to use it when it's not booked for by outside people? If liveries can book it then I would suggest that you make sure you pre-book in plenty of time so that you get the spot you want/need.

We haven't needed to book it until now so there's no system in place. With only 7 ridden horses, all of whom also hack and people working differing hours, we never have to book and rarely have to share the school - although we all do happily if it comes to it. If one of us wants to lunge we just wait until it's free - it's rare that it's not. I'm really the only one who has a visiting instructor and I usually have a lesson at 8am on a weekday so there's never anyone else around but if it was a more popular time, I'd message the yard What's App group and ask if anybody minded me having sole use for that hour. The reason I thought of those hours is they are when the school gets used most by the liveries.

 

[Annagain]

I think you'd want a bit more freedom in terms of times at the weekend, but then it depends on the times that people ride and whether they are more likely to hack at the weekend.

Could you YO set up a whatsapp group or similar so she can let you know when someone has booked the school? Or have a diary on the yard?

And put a notice on the gate to the school with the rules - cleaning up after yourself, not using jumps etc.

Yes, most of us hack at weekends so it's not that big a deal. The notice on the gate is a good idea, thanks. YO will also need to provide a scoop as we use one of ours at the moment. We already have a What's App yard group and that's where the YO has been telling us when the school isn't available. So far there hasn't been a clash but we'd like to suggest putting something in place to avoid the issue before it happens so everyone knows where they stand and it doesn't cause ill-feeling.

 

[planete]

We have a private FB group for the stable and all the liveries book through that. Any outsiders who want to use the school are invited to join it and book.