Riding instructors/trainers: am I right to be angry?

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bluemoon123

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One for the professional riding instructors and trainers who participate in this forum - and thanks in advance for your thoughts.

I am lucky to have my own ponio on livery - but while on a weekend away with my partner, I booked a confidence giving lesson at a what is supposed to be very reputable riding school. Essentially it was to kill an hour while he was playing golf! I made clear my limited abilities repeatedly to the school - and that I was seeking a confidence giving lesson on a schoolmaster (to apply what I would learn to my own ponio).

The first I rode broncked within five mins of the warm-up - luckily I stayed on. I indicated at that point that i have lots of competition on in the weeks ahead and wasn't interested in getting injured. My instinct was to pay in full for the session (which I was very happy to do) and leave immediately. They suggested another horse - I stupidly said OK. It threw me...twice -and then bolted for good measure!!

At the time I was in shock but now I'm actually quite angry (and sore). But do I have a right to be angry? For anyone reading this, I suppose the moral of the story is always trust your instincts.

Tea and biscuits for reading.
 
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I am not a RI. But I just wanted to say, you have every right to be angry and I hope you didn't pay! What a shambles!
 
Yes you have a right to be angry. Only ever taught freelance myself but that's not on. Even if you'd booked it saying you ride at a high level with nerves of steel they should assess you before putting you on anything that's not a novice ride. One horse can be described as a one off out of character thing, but with 2 they're a lawsuit waiting to happen. And last time I taught officially was about 8 yrs ago when health & safety weren't as bad!
 
At the end of the day horses are animals and if you don't fancy getting injured you shouldn't be taking part in a high risk sport. But then again it is the responsibility of the RI to find suitable horses.
 
Hmm.

You have your own at livery & when away went to a reputable (registered with BHS?) riding school

Alarm bells are ringing for me as there is no information regarding how the RS dealt with your problem 1st horse.
Then you having a 2nd horse - and 2 falls :confused:

I am now very concerned that you
1. Were allowed to get back on
2. Were allowed to ride away for the 2nd time and not put on a lunge in a secure area.

What did the RS instructor do when you came off?

I have a lot of other questions too, but in the main am very baffled as to why the catalogue of problems arose from what you deem a reputable RS :confused:

More info please as no instructor would let an unknown client at a RS get back on to ride free & then be dumped again.

So - more info please OP....
 
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What possessed you to get back on the second one after it had thrown you not once but twice?! I think you have to take some responsibility here, for that at least!

I think you are right, after the first horse turned out to be unsuitable, you should have said thanks but no thanks and walked away. Yes, in your shoes I'd be angry. On the other hand, I wouldn't have got back on the second horse after it had thrown me off once, let alone twice...so the second fall and subsequent bolt would not have happened.
 
Thanks guys for the feedback so far. To HeatherAnn - I am the first to say I have very limited abilities. I do have my own and have competed (low level) at dressage, xc and showjumping. Most recently, we got a clear round at our first hunter trial (my own is still quite green himself, hence why I was seeking the opportunity to learn from a schoolmaster experience).

To Fuzzyfox - I think I'm too easy going/guillible to be honest with you. But I would agree with you - surely the whole thing should have been dealt with completely differently?
 
To SpottedCat - yup I know - I was completely stupid. I suppose I didn't want the falls to get the better of me. The irony is that it was supposed to be a confidence builder - but if I didn't get right back on, I felt it'd effect me for what I do myself. Yes i fully admit i was so STUPID. For anyone reading this thread - take it from me - TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS
 
So what did the Riding School do? Did they literally take one horse away and hand you another one? That seems most bizarre!
 
What did the riding school say about the falls and the horses? I'm not one for too much over the top health and safety and I'd hate riding schools to be reduced to only having "plodders" but what you say sounds worrying, even to someone who has fallen off riding school horses and ponies as many times as I have!

Given that you said you wanted a confidence giving ride and that you fell off the first horse, I am surprised that they didn't whip out ploddy mcplod for your second horse!
 
I can't see how this is OP'S fault?

As a RS thee should have Horses that are suitable for first timers. Yes Horses are unpredictable (even the RS ones) but to have 2 Horses misbehave in the space of a day, says to me this RS clearly doesn't have the suitable Horses needed to run a safe RS.

Was the yard BHS approve OP?
 
I don't think anyone said it is the OPs fault, but if you are looking for something to give you confidence, getting back on after falling off not just once but twice, is probably not the best idea, which the OP admits. She could have saved herself the second fall and the frightening experience of being bolted with if nothing else! Also - she'd already sat on one horse, which had bucked with her, then she fell off the second horse - this is the point at which you mentally say 'they can't cater for what I want, time to leave', isn't it?!

I'm not absolving the RS of anything at all, or saying the OP shouldn't be angry, simply saying that the OP could probably have made smarter choices to avoid the second fall and the bolting....which should never have happened anyway as she should have been on the lunge by this point at the very least I'd say.
 
LaurenBay said:
I can't see how this is OP'S fault?

As a RS thee should have Horses that are suitable for first timers. Yes Horses are unpredictable (even the RS ones) but to have 2 Horses misbehave in the space of a day, says to me this RS clearly doesn't have the suitable Horses needed to run a safe RS.

Was the yard BHS approve OP?
Click to expand...

I don't think anyone is saying it is the OP's fault.

Whilst they should have horses suitable for a first timer, a visiting rider wanting a schoolmaster type lesson who has their own horse probably doesn't want to be put on a horse that is dead to the leg and ploddy. They probably want to sit on something responsive and well schooled. Perhaps there is a misunderstanding about the level of the rider or perhaps the horse is having a bad day but the rider falls off, none of that is too worrying or unusual, although normally riding schools err on the side of caution with riders that they are assessing.

What is odd is firstly that the first horse was just taken away (normally instructors in my experience pop you back on the horse even if you just walk about with the instructor close by and then end the lesson or switch horses) and secondly that the second horse also bucked her off and that even after the second fall the rider was put in a position where she could fall off three times in one lesson.

Most instructors would be VERY VERY wary if a rider had already fallen off twice. This doesn't happen much and normally if it does the faller will be popped on a total plodder that has already been worked in and given chance to regain their confidence safely if they are ok to get on at all.

I've spent a good 25 years riding in riding schools and I don't think I can remember seeing anyone fall off three times in one lesson, although I did it once myself. However that was back in the late eighties when no one had heard of health and safety and I was an over confident kid in love with a mare with an evil buck.

The last time I saw someone fall off the same horse twice in an hour the instructor sent the horse out and refused to use it again for jumping. The lady in question who had done nothing wrong was popped on an ultra safe horse who had behaved through the whole lesson and popped over a little jump twice.
 
For the record, I fully agree Spottedcat. I was plain STUPID and gullible - and I should have listened to my instinct. I come from a time where (pre- Health and Safety rules) where you get back on regardless - but that's not always appropriate and there's actually no shame in looking out for yourself.
 
I feel so sorry for OP, but I don't think its just a case of being unlucky with the riding school. Where I ride once a week, its a BHS yard and has been for 25 years and I am terrified of the horses there! I have been thrown off the same horse 3 times in a lesson (after that I refused to get back on) and generally fall off ALOT due to the horses being really fresh and 'spooking' at anything to justify turning themselves inside out and moving from one end of the school to the other in a matter of seconds! I've never had to fill out an accident form and after a year of riding with my heart in my mouth, I now ride elsewhere once a week as well.
I feel there is no middle ground between a riding school with plods and a riding school with hyped up ex competition horses!
 
Not sure how long ago it was but I would be looking to get my money back.

Did you confirm your information verbally or written via email? Just useful to confirm about you stating confidence giving.

If they are BHS registered I would be making a complaint to the BHS.

I would also be asking to get a copy of their accident book as they should have filled it in both times when you fell off. This is just useful to corroborate your story.
 
TBH, if you feel off one horse, could you not have said yourself you needed to be on the lunge? Having said this, if you are of an ability to compete clear in a hunter trials, then you should be able to judge for yourself that after the first fall off teh second horse, not to risk yourself any further, let along get back on to not only fall off a second time but be bolted with. In horse sports we all have a voice and a say over our own safety and with you (in your opinion) limited knowledge, but the ability to have your own horse and compete XC (i dont even do this), then you should understand the consequences. Needless to say the risk of an injury/concussion going unnoticed....

Sorry if i sound harsh, i really do not mean to be. Horse riding is a dangerous sport and if you honestly feel like this, then why not write to the BHS governing body and highlight your concerns?
 
Thanks BlackHorse. To be honest with you, I wasn't sure really if a) I have any right to be feeling a bit angry, and b) if I do, I have anyone to escalate this to. I come from an era (pre health and safety) where you get back on regardless - and I suppose, mentally I didn't want to let either of the two falls get the best of me. But I'm appreciating the commentary/advice shared here, which was my reason for posting
 
I agree with LEC - plus, they should have got you to fill out a form with all your details on - emergency contact, any medical history that's relevant, your experience etc. So all this should be on file at the riding school, along with the accident book.

I think you have every right to be angry - I guess for me it's like being in a taxi with a driver on their mobile phone. I will (and have!) ask them to either use handsfree or stop using the phone, and I have also asked them to pull over and let me out without paying if they won't. I'd still be allowed to be angry if I'd been in a crash and hadn't done that, but I'd also be feeling a bit annoyed with myself for putting myself in a situation I knew was dangerous and avoidable.
 
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As an RI I am genuinely puzzled that the OP was handed a second horse. Whenever my clients have a spill (not often, but it does happen) I always make sure they get back on if they are uninjured and take it easy for the rest of the lesson. I really cannot think why you would swap horses - unless the first horse was hurt? I interview new clients and do an assesment ride with them on one of our old schoolmasters before deciding where they will go in our lesson program. As a one-off ride I would certainly have erred on the side of caution and provided a nice quiet all-rounder.
A few years ago I tried out a new instructor and had a smilar experience to the OP - I was given a 16hh ISH (I'm 5''3 and small boned) which the RS had only had a few months and admitted they were still getting to know...I got bucked off. Got back on, paid the lesson and filled out the accident report but never went back. To my mind it showed a real lack of concern for both horse and client.
 
I don't think the OP fell off the first horse. I think it bucked with her, she indicated she wasn't comfortable riding it further, they exchanged it for one which bucked her off twice then bolted with her.
 
Having worked in a riding school for a number of years, if we had a new client, we would if anything under horse them i.e. put them on a complete school master no matter how experienced they told us they were! Only when we got to know clients would we put them on something a bit sharper but being a riding school, all of the horses were as bomb proof as you would ever get a horse so I am actually quite surprised reading your post! I would be very angry as this kind of riding school gives good one's a bad name! Is it BHS or ABRS registered? If it is, I would probably report it!
 
^ This absolutely, minus the clause that all riding school horses are or should be as bomb proof as you'd ever get ;)

To the person who thinks there's no middle ground in riding schools, I know of at least two large BHS-approved centres where they have exactly this - they're large, yes, but it means they really do have something for all capabilities, aspirations, heights and weights.
 
OP you have not confirmed whether the RS was BHS approved? I agree with the others it all sounds a bit odd. I once went for an assessment at a riding school where they had 2 levels of horse they always put you on the quietest horses for your assessment before deciding whether you were capable of riding the next level horses.

It seems odd that when you asked to be taken off the bucking horse that they then put you on something equally or even more unsuitable! I did however have a slightly odd situation years ago when I returned to riding after a 5 year break. After the RS realised I could ride they started putting me on a youngster every week because there weren't many adults small enough to ride her. This horse was very forward and I felt a bit nervous of her but when I requested to be put on something more steady they ignored me and seemed to keep putting me on this horse out of spite for me complaining. She then ran into the arena fence and my instructor went mad at the RS owners and insisted the mares owner who was another instructor schooled her properly before letting any customers near her.

If it is the case it is shocking but perhaps they got the hump because you dared to complain? Just an idea
 
I'd say you have the right to be annoyed - I fell off once in a jumping lesson an was promptly told off by the FBHS instructor, through laughter as apparently I looked quite hilarious sailing over jump by myself, and told to get back on and do it properly.
Now this is a different kettle of fish completely as I hold my hands up I rode at the jump like an idiot and deserved to be ditched. All recorded in accident log etc by yard and all protocol followed, however I'm sure there'd be a few who gasp in shock and horror that a RS can let you fall off one of their horses...Christ, some people seem to expect them to come with seatbelts in this day and age!

If you can honestly say you didn't ride in a way that caused the falls then yes, be annoyed and if I were you consider asking for a refund/letting BHS know.

Out of interest, where was it? PM if you'd prefer.
 
I own a RS and if a horse came out and bronced with a rider I would change horses too, however it is NOT ok for a riding school horse that broncs to be used in lessons, and certainly not an assesment lesson (which this should have been tbh). If the horse was known to do this then it was very poor judgement on the part of the RS. Then to go on to bring out another unsuitable horse is baffling. I can only assume that they either had no other horse available for the lesson and didn't want to lose the money, someone clueless chose the horses, wrong tack was used in one or both cases (which could of course cause broncing, bucking and bolting) OR you have a very electric bum OP!!

I have a couple of very steady neddies that I use in assesment lessons, both CAN buck (ie. if you bring legs too far back when ask for canter, but that'll teach you o use your legs properly ;)) bit they are only little bucks and so far no-one has come off from that. Yes, people have fallen off these horses, but only in very rare circumstances and only I have to say when the rider was a bit more than useless :o

What a shame for you to have such a terrible time and a big thanks to that RS for tarnishing the reputations of RSs everywhere!
 
I am a riding instructor and have worked in alot of different yards. In my current yard we would always give new people an assment lessons on an old school horse to see what they can do, how they sit and how confident they are. You can tell alot about how people ride on a old polddy school horse i think. If it was a one off confidence lesson i would have out you on the lunge on a horse that was good on the lunge. I find people walk away from lunge lessons feeling confident and riding a little better.
In regards to the accident you should not have had to ask for a different horse. Your insturctor should have decided that straight away when it started bucking. The horse may have had wrong fitting tack, in pain or just having an off day (which happens). I have done this before and i think its the right thing to do. If it was my yard i would have given you one of my old realiables to get your confidence back after the first horse. So i do think being given another bucking bronc was very unperfessional.
Falling off is all apart of riding and I do know some yards that are terrified of people falling off and leave people on the lead rein for months and months. You cant learn to ride if you have a fear of falling off.
From my understanding on situations like this yards always charge for a riding lesson even if something like this happens because if they dont they are saying there at fault. (i am not in the UK so it could be different). I am sorry this happened and i hope it didnt ruin your confidence
 
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