riding assessment

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janetboon51

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Hi I just wanted some advice. My daughter who is 27 has been riding since she was 4. She did all the shows when she was little and stopped riding when she was 15. She has now owned her own two horses for the last 4/5 years and has decided she would like to do her BHS Stage 1. We arranged to go for a private lesson where someone would give advice and so on. On arrival she was told the horse over there go and get it. It was a 15.2hh heavyweight. In the school she tried to put her stirrop leather right as it had been put on wrong. Also the irons had no rubbers in them. Come to the ride the horse would not move. She managed to get him to walk and trot but it was ever so slow. She said it didnt feel as though he had any more to give. The tutor told her to use her crop ( we dont use crops). With reluctant she did and got him to trot a little faster. To top it all the tutor then comes at her with a lunge whip and the horse surges forward. She was unaware of what the tutor was doing and was not prepared for the surge. She told the horse not to be scared and the tutor said hes more scared of me than he is of you. To top it all the tutor told her her balance was wrong, her hands were wrong and she would need 6 months of lessons to put it right. She did ride around the arena in walk and trot without stirrups. She is totally disheartened. She feels she is a total failure. He also told her that when she has the lessons she will be able to ride her own horse properly. I was so angry. I ride too but have illness. I would not have lasted 5 minutes on that horse I would have got off and gone home because all the work she put in with her legs would have killed me. Is this the usual way of riding schools and should we have complained about the horse. Any advice would be grateful just to console her. Thanks
 
I work at a riding school and I would have been sacked if I had treated a customer like that. We have a little group of school masters that range from 13hh to 16hh and will only give as much as you put in and are very forgiving of true novice riders. We would generally start anyone ne to us on one of these horses and progress from there. Equally though these horses are capable of working in an outline,basic lateral work and all have good jumps so they give us a really good indication of the level that a rider is at . If it was me I would be looking for another riding school ,asked to be shown around before your lesson see if you can meet the horses and the instructors and go from there. We try and have a consultation as such (bit like when you go to the hairdressers) and talk about the riders current ability ,where they would like to go with their riding and what they ould like to focus on .
 
Thanks for that response, I will certainly look around for another school. They were aware of her ability she went indepth about her riding history but was booked in with a lady when we got there we were told we had a man. Also the private lesson had two other ponies working with tutors in the same arena and it got a little tight in places nearly crashing.
 
Sounds like a crappy riding school to be honest!

I can understand why they tried her out on a ploddy horse just to make sure (some people grossly overestimate their riding abilities so I am sure the riding schools would rather be safe than sorry), but even so it sounds like a useless lesson.
 
Oh, just another thought: could you book lessons at the centre where the BHS exams take place? That way she could get used to the horses she might get to ride on the day of the exam.
 
You poor daughter! Agree with the above posts, it sounds like a really bad riding school, maybe put a post on here and ask if anyone in your area can recommend a good one?
 
thanks for your replies. I am not sure whether we should seek another school or get a qualified instructor to work with her on her own horse in an outdoor school near us.
 
1. How can a stirrup leather be 'put on wrong'? I am mystified about that one.
2. Stirrup irons don't need rubber treads.
3. If she is going to do BHS stages exams, she needs to learn how to use a whip (short) properly.
4. Maybe the instructor told her her balance/hands were wrong because...er...they were? And if she can't get a riding school plod to walk, trot and canter, it's going to take her more than 6 months of lessons before she gains Stage 1.
5. I disagree with the instructor sending the horse forwards with a lunge whip, but it sounds as though your daughter was not prepared to obey instructions, and the instructor became frustrated with her attitude.
6. I don't think you should complain about the horse just because your daughter can't ride it.
7. I don't think your daughter is suited to the BHS Stages system - she should try Parelli.
Hope this helps.
S
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She'll need to learn to ride "riding school type" horses if she wants to do her stage one exam as that is what she'll have to do the exams on.

You'd be surprised how many people who have had their own horse for years turn up for lessons prior to their stages exams with a superior attitude and very little actual riding ability. Normally the plod they are moaning about is actually a great "assessment horse" that only goes when asked properly but is actually capable of taking riders through stage one and two exams at least.
 
I think its much worse riding other horses when you have only ridden your own for years. Apart from the occasional sit on my daughters horse I have not ridden anything other than my Flicks for 6 years - so if this is the case with your daughter she may well find it hard.

The two goes I have had on my daughters cob recently have resulted in me being trotted off with and having a real job coping with so much movement!

The riding instructor she had doesnt sound very inspsiring so I would recomend you try another instructor, but as far as the horse goes, getting a slow mover to go forward takes as much skill as steadying a whizzy type.
 
For what it's worth, I am not sure I agree with some of the other posts. The instructor sounds critical without being constructive which is absolutely no good. As for the lunge whip, I would expect the instructor to tell the student he was about to do it, warn her the horse might shoot forwards and explain how she should ride as a result before he did it - otherwise it's not very helpful.
 
Janbohorse, I haven't seen your daughter ride, so obviously can't comment on her ability or the accuracy of the instructor's comments but - no-one should leave a lesson feeling demoralised like this! Either the horse's way of going was down to it being unsuitable (unschooled, not fit, unsound in some way), in which case it should not be used as a school horse, or it was indeed due to your daughter's riding, in which case it was the instructor's job to help show her how to ride the horse correctly. To shoo it along with the lunge whip was entirely counterproductive - it taught your daughter nothing. It may well be that your daughter is not as capable as you feel, but in order to progress, I think she certainly needs to find another instructor. I hope she finds one that can help her.
 
thanks all of you who posted replies. Such constructive criticism. She has read them all and agrees. Riding her own horse has brought some bad habits. She is going to find another school she likes and is going to start riding lessons from the beginning. She is a fairly determined person and is going to give it ago. She says that she doesnt blame the horse or the school but was hoping that the tutor was going to give her some valuable tuition. As it was he barely spoke to her. Thanks again, I am new to this forum but will look in as a regular.
 
Thanks for giving us an update - sounds like your daughter will make real progress as she has a good attitude. I hope she finds someone she is happy with!
 
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