Modern Riding Schools

[SO1]

After loosing my pony I have been riding at a RS. I have not ridden at a RS for 20 years and it has changed so much.

The range of activities is now very broad. There are long hacks, short hacks, lessons, BSH challenge awards, dressage and jumping competitions and adult horse mornings which include pony pampering, 2 riding sessions, refreshments and a stable management session. They sometimes have visiting instructors. They have a cafe.

The online booking system is really easy. They sais technology has made a huge difference. Each horse on the database has weight limits, and a profile and then riders have a profile so when someone books a list of suitable horses for them comes up for them on the computer. When you book you can put notes on your booking for requests.

I used to ride at this RS 20 years ago but left as I actually got quite frightened when riding some of the school horses. I then got a share horse and then when that was sold my own pony who I had for 15 years. I would not say I am a better rider now than I was 20 years ago as I have been a bit spoilt as Homey was very easy.

I do think the RS has really upped its game in terms of its offerings. I am actually enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. I ride once or twice a week normally one lesson and one hack. I am particularly enjoying the hacking which is off road in the woods.

Obviously not the same as having my own pony. At the moment I am not sure if I will buy again as my parents are getting old and I may end up having to devote my weekends and holidays to helping my sister care for them. My Dad is a very difficult man, not in good health and would not easily accept a carer. However my sister has said if he ends up in a wheelchair we probably would not be strong enough to get him in and out of the chair and help him with his personal hygiene so he might not have a choice about accepting a carer.

 

[criso]

Glad you're enjoying it.

I like the idea of the online booking system and choosing the horse though I wonder if that would have made me play safe and choose old favourites.

What's interesting is what pushed me out of the same establishment and into getting a share were some of the diversifications which they were starting then.

I was enjoying the lessons and the horses I rode and did evening jumping competitions on.a Friday. I was much braver then than I am now and had a reputation for jumping anything.. They had a deal with a dealer that meant horses came in on a trial basis, some didn't work out, some were seriously nice and didn't hang around because they got snapped up and some stayed in the riding school.

Bank holiday pub rides were legendary if a bit hair raising. They always did the hacks through the woods, I would occasionally do them in the summer evenings when it stayed light late enough.

Then they started offering the adult horse mornings which didn't effect me but they also changed the evening I rode to an adult riding night. It was 2 hours, one riding and some sort of lecture or theory. The management was probably great for those who had only ridden in a riding school and not had their own horse but were a bit basic. They were doing BHS stages and kindly said, I could do 1 and 2 straight away with a bit of exam prep but it wasn't something I was aiming at.

They mixed levels too much which meant the lessons were too basic especially jumping. We didn't seem to go out on the cross country field anymore.

It was nice to have a bar and a drink after but I would have preferred the riding to be arranged into ability appropriate groups then different groups come together after to compare notes which is what used to happen when it was just normal lessons.

Unfortunately I couldn't do the other evening where there was a appropriate group through work commitments.

But it all worked out as I moved on, I shared a lovely ex show jumper for a bit then bought my own and am now addicted to bay TBs.

Eta I do think I was a better rider then as having to get on a strange horse and work out how to ride them and cope with different temperaments made me more adaptable.

.

 

[eahotson]

After loosing my pony I have been riding at a RS. I have not ridden at a RS for 20 years and it has changed so much.

The range of activities is now very broad. There are long hacks, short hacks, lessons, BSH challenge awards, dressage and jumping competitions and adult horse mornings which include pony pampering, 2 riding sessions, refreshments and a stable management session. They sometimes have visiting instructors. They have a cafe.

The online booking system is really easy. They sais technology has made a huge difference. Each horse on the database has weight limits, and a profile and then riders have a profile so when someone books a list of suitable horses for them comes up for them on the computer. When you book you can put notes on your booking for requests.

I used to ride at this RS 20 years ago but left as I actually got quite frightened when riding some of the school horses. I then got a share horse and then when that was sold my own pony who I had for 15 years. I would not say I am a better rider now than I was 20 years ago as I have been a bit spoilt as Homey was very easy.

I do think the RS has really upped its game in terms of its offerings. I am actually enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. I ride once or twice a week normally one lesson and one hack. I am particularly enjoying the hacking which is off road in the woods.

Obviously not the same as having my own pony. At the moment I am not sure if I will buy again as my parents are getting old and I may end up having to devote my weekends and holidays to helping my sister care for them. My Dad is a very difficult man, not in good health and would not easily accept a carer. However my sister has said if he ends up in a wheelchair we probably would not be strong enough to get him in and out of the chair and help him with his personal hygiene so he might not have a choice about accepting a carer.

The riding school sounds brilliant. I hope you continue to enjoy it and most particularly if you become a carer.Caring for the carers,it's very important on humanitarian grounds but also if you go down what happens to the people you care for.
I feel very strongly about this.My mother was very difficult and I had to have a huge row with her to make her accept carers.She was cross about it but my sister was the main carer and she was nearly on her knees.
My husband is just beginning to need carers.A bit of a luxury at the moment but will become a necessity in the future sadly.He has also been a bit grumpy but I ignore it and his whole family support me.When people get to this stage they can become very self centered and unaware of the needs of others.You and your sister take care.

 

[Pmf27]

Wow, that riding school sounds fab! So glad you're having a good time with it all.

My old riding school was the antithesis of that, you'd have to book in with whoever was on site at the time and they'd scribble your name in a book with a pencil - then when you show up for your lesson you'd be lucky if they hadn't double booked your slot.

I couldn't book a weekly slot because they saved those for "the regulars" even though I'd been riding there every week for over a year.

Instructor would usually be up to 30 minutes late and lessons offered were pretty much the same every week. It's what pushed me into getting a share and I've not looked back.

Would definitely want to return to a riding school if this sort of place was on offer ?

 

[Carlosmum]

As admin for a small children's riding school each child is expected to come weekly in their designated slot. Ponies are allocated by the instructor based on suitability.
We are looking at ways to modernise the system, ensuring regular payment is the most difficult, most pay by bank transfer, but its sometimes difficult for the girls on the yard to know for sure that someone is up to date with payments.
Online booking would not work for us.

 

[stangs]

ECPro is a gamechanger. I wasn't keen on it to start with, but it made booking things much easier for someone like me whose schedule fluctuated a fair bit. Never got to choose a horse at any of the RS I rode at though, so it was touch-and-go as to whether I'd be riding one horse for weeks or changing between horses. I do miss the (relative to owning a horse) variety you get at riding schools.

 

[Glitter's fun]

You are very lucky indeed.
I can't choose horses. I asked if I could avoid a certain one because the poor old soul is so stale she ignores the rider completely & follows the one infront regardless of any aids. They took me off her for a couple of weeks but then she resurfaced again!
The lessons are the same every time- walk round, weave round cones in walk, trot round, trot round cones....
One hacking route - walk & trot in the same places then turn round & go back.
YOU HAVE A BAR?! Toilet isn't even working at ours.
Did I mention I'm looking for a share!

 

[SO1]

Yes there is a bar and restaurant it is glass fronted and overlooks the indoor school.

I think it popular with parents when their kids are having lessons.

It certainly was not like that 20 years ago.

You are very lucky indeed.
I can't choose horses. I asked if I could avoid a certain one because the poor old soul is so stale she ignores the rider completely & follows the one infront regardless of any aids. They took me off her for a couple of weeks but then she resurfaced again!
The lessons are the same every time- walk round, weave round cones in walk, trot round, trot round cones....
One hacking route - walk & trot in the same places then turn round & go back.
YOU HAVE A BAR?! Toilet isn't even working at ours.
Did I mention I'm looking for a share!

 

[SO1]

It is a really good booking system. They have all the lessons, courses and events on there and which instructor. It only show things that are within your ability.

ECPro is a gamechanger. I wasn't keen on it to start with, but it made booking things much easier for someone like me whose schedule fluctuated a fair bit. Never got to choose a horse at any of the RS I rode at though, so it was touch-and-go as to whether I'd be riding one horse for weeks or changing between horses. I do miss the (relative to owning a horse) variety you get at riding schools.

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

I think your riding school sounds amazing but I think it is the exception rather than the norm at least in my experience although thankfully I don’t have to use one these days. I know of a few through friends and they are not of that standard. Hopefully it is very successful and continues for a long time to come.

A lot of RS are run on a shoe string and haven’t moved with the times on client expectation.

 

[criso]

Yes there is a bar and restaurant it is glass fronted and overlooks the indoor school.

I think it popular with parents when their kids are having lessons.

It certainly was not like that 20 years ago.

Maybe not 20 years but a bar was there in the same location in 2004/2005. Possibly opened not long after you left. Not a full blown restaurant though just crisps etc in the way of food.

Evening adults usually stopped for a drink post ride. Before that we went down the road to the pub but onsite is a bit more inclusive. You didn't exactly have to be invited but if it didn't get mentioned in front of you, you might not know a pub visit was planned. Plus you'd meet other groups.

When it first opened there was another group and a stage 1 group at the same time as mine so it got busy.

It was just when they started the adult evening club that it all got ruined for me as they mixed up those groups in the rides.

 

[teapot]

ECPro is a gamechanger. I wasn't keen on it to start with, but it made booking things much easier for someone like me whose schedule fluctuated a fair bit. Never got to choose a horse at any of the RS I rode at though, so it was touch-and-go as to whether I'd be riding one horse for weeks or changing between horses. I do miss the (relative to owning a horse) variety you get at riding schools.

It is a really good booking system. They have all the lessons, courses and events on there and which instructor. It only show things that are within your ability.

@criso - the list of horses doesn't come up for the client, only those who manage the system, so it only allows you to allocate a horse that meets the criteria of the rider who has booked the lesson. Categories are weight, height, ability, and takes into account max hours the horse can work too, but it's not fool proof. I remember being in a meeting about it with them, and we had to point out the biggest thing you can't factor into AI allocations (which is an actual option rather than having a human do it) which is that you could have the best rider in the world, but because of confidence or health or whatever, they wouldn't necessarily (read automatically re AI) be on the most advanced horses. Or someone super capable in an arena, wasn't out hacking. They hadn't thought of that! You can also set it to release the named allocation at a specific time before the lesson, whether that's three days or 15 minutes.

I've set up ECP more than once and it has its back user issues for sure, but those behind it are very receptive to change or going 'you do realise x doesn't work in a working yard environment'. It's expensive to have if you're a smaller riding school sadly on a monthly cost basis, which is a real shame I feel as the smaller places are probably the ones least IT minded.

Re where I ride a client - same as you @SO1 - lots of variety that even includes 70cm+ arena eventing day course/clinics over decent fences, great facilities, excellent senior coaches, lovely horses, rider specific physio on site, hacking is limited though sadly.

Sadly my biggest bugbear is availability. One, yes one, senior coach private lesson spot on a Saturday is utterly ridiculous, and it's not because they're permanently fully booked, it's because they don't run them They also happily cancel lessons for absolutely no reason, so getting some continuity is difficult (for example the two weeks over Christmas no privates or groups will run, only the odd clinic...) or swap group lesson coaches last minute and not tell anyone, which would be fine if it was like for like experience/quals coaching swaps, but it never is.

 

[teapot]

As admin for a small children's riding school each child is expected to come weekly in their designated slot. Ponies are allocated by the instructor based on suitability.
We are looking at ways to modernise the system, ensuring regular payment is the most difficult, most pay by bank transfer, but its sometimes difficult for the girls on the yard to know for sure that someone is up to date with payments.
Online booking would not work for us.

Online booking or direct debit would work very well in that situation, especially if they're having the same slot every week. ECP would allow you to take a monthly subscription for each client on a rolling/monthly set up for example, and you could book each client in for a month or quarter at a time.

 

[Birker2020]

Yes there is a bar and restaurant it is glass fronted and overlooks the indoor school.

I think it popular with parents when their kids are having lessons.

It certainly was not like that 20 years ago.

We had a cold, dark and draughty viewing area alongside the indoor school where Mum or Dad would sit huddled with the other dedicated parents watching the kids.

In those days I'd ride anything but always preferred the 16.3hh mare or 16.2hh chesnut Charlie who used to do the odd rear, i loved riding him when I was 14, they were challenging, unconventional and amazing!

I'd rather roll over and die than ride a rearer now!

 

[SO1]

I agree I think it would work well for that sort of thing.

When you book on ECP you make a payment. So your lesson cannot get booked unless the payment is made in advance.

I am doing a four week one a week challenge award and booked and paid up front for all four lessons.

People doing stages are booking for 12 lessons and paying in advance. So that would I think work for the small riding school where children are expected to commit to a certain time slot every week. On their record you could just give them the one option of that time slot.

It looks very clever there is even a token system for volunteers at the riding school to book lessons. If you cancel with 48 hours you can move your booking to another slot.

The option to book 10 lessons and get one free.

There is also section for incidents which I believe stores information on accidents.

Online booking or direct debit would work very well in that situation, especially if they're having the same slot every week. ECP would allow you to take a monthly subscription for each client on a rolling/monthly set up for example, and you could book each client in for a month or quarter at a time.

 

[teapot]

When you book on ECP you make a payment. So your lesson cannot get booked unless the payment is made in advance.

I am doing a four week one a week changing award and booked and paid up front.

It looks very clever there is even a token system for volunteers at the riding school to book lessons. If you cancel with 48 hours you can move your booking to another slot.

The option to book 10 lessons and get one free.

There is also section for incidents which I believe stores information on accidents.

Indeed and the client gets a copy which has to be signed electronically!

Token system, credit system, monthly subs, simply one off bookings - it offers a lot of options!

 

[SafeInSage]

As others have said, this is definitely the exception and not the norm. I’ve been to a few riding schools at different times. My local one is awful - coach just sits in the corner talking to the parents/her friends/employees. She doesn’t teach, just gives instructions of ‘canter now’ - no real constructive criticism. Baffles me that they have good reviews - mostly from parents who get to have a chat while their kid sits on a horse with no progress.

Admittedly, I’ve been to some incredible ones too. Talland is by far the best I’ve been to, but I wouldn’t classify that as a traditional riding school at all.

Another local one is supposed to be good, but at £50-75 per lesson with an instructor who has no qualifications (not looking down on this, my private coach has none and is fab, but also doesn’t cost £50!), I’d rather a 2hr drive to Talland where I know I will get a high quality instructor and horse.

OP - have you considered sharing while you’re out of owning? Might give you a bit more lenience with your time.

 

[teapot]

Have you had a price rise for next year yet @stangs @SO1 ?

 

[SO1]

They have not opened up bookings yet for January except for courses.

Have you had a price rise for next year yet @stangs @SO1 ?

 

[stangs]

Have you had a price rise for next year yet @stangs @SO1 ?

Haven’t received any emails about it, no. But I’ve also not had any lessons recently, so missing out on any information they’ve been telling people in person.

 

[Stacey_xo]

After loosing my pony I have been riding at a RS. I have not ridden at a RS for 20 years and it has changed so much.

The range of activities is now very broad. There are long hacks, short hacks, lessons, BSH challenge awards, dressage and jumping competitions and adult horse mornings which include pony pampering, 2 riding sessions, refreshments and a stable management session. They sometimes have visiting instructors. They have a cafe.

The online booking system is really easy. They sais technology has made a huge difference. Each horse on the database has weight limits, and a profile and then riders have a profile so when someone books a list of suitable horses for them comes up for them on the computer. When you book you can put notes on your booking for requests.

I used to ride at this RS 20 years ago but left as I actually got quite frightened when riding some of the school horses. I then got a share horse and then when that was sold my own pony who I had for 15 years. I would not say I am a better rider now than I was 20 years ago as I have been a bit spoilt as Homey was very easy.

I do think the RS has really upped its game in terms of its offerings. I am actually enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. I ride once or twice a week normally one lesson and one hack. I am particularly enjoying the hacking which is off road in the woods.

Obviously not the same as having my own pony. At the moment I am not sure if I will buy again as my parents are getting old and I may end up having to devote my weekends and holidays to helping my sister care for them. My Dad is a very difficult man, not in good health and would not easily accept a carer. However my sister has said if he ends up in a wheelchair we probably would not be strong enough to get him in and out of the chair and help him with his personal hygiene so he might not have a choice about accepting a carer.

Oh wow where is that? Would love to go!

 

[SO1]

Trent park.

https://trentpark.com/horse-riding/

Oh wow where is that? Would love to go!