Riding School's. (BHS/Non BHS)??

[tinkerella]

Hi

I have recently decided that i am going to start riding again after 12 years. I'm 23 now and finally settled and have the money to go.

Would you go to a riding school which is not BHS Approved?


I have found the most perfect riding school but it's a 50 mins drive and all the other bhs approved in my area are also at least 30 mins drive.

There is one school near me which is no more than a 10 minute drive but it is not BHS approved.

I would rather go to the one that is 50 Mins away but it would probably mean i could only have one lesson a month rather than once every two weeks.

Any advice??

x x x

 

[Steorra]

Would I? Depends on the riding school. Should you? Depends on you...

I've been to some BHS approved schools and paid alot for poor quality instruction from their stage 1 and 2 pupils, got nothing from the experience, and felt totally ripped off. I've also had some fab lessons at BHS approved schools...and some brilliant lessons with riders who have no qualifications at all.

Do you have enough experience, honestly, to judge whether somewhere is a safe / good place to learn to ride? Do you know enough to tell whether the horses are well cared for, whether the tack and equipment is safe, whether the instruction is of good quality? At a BHS approved riding school all these things should be guaranteed with in reason, at a non-approved school you will have to judge for yourself.

If you rode as a child (and have some common sense, which you sound like you do!) then within reason you should know what you are looking for. I would consider going to have a look at the local rs and see what you think. Here are a few things to look out for - if you notice any of these problems then steer well clear:

1 The horses look thin or poorly kept. There should be no prominent ribs or hip bones.
2 Look at the horses' feet - they should be neat and tidy, not overgrown.
3 The yard should be tidy with no equipment lying around (not spotless but not a health hazard).
4 Check out the tack room - it should be neat and organised, the saddles and bridles should be clean and well maintained. Old is fine, filthy or damaged is not. Check that each horse has its own tack.
5 Watch a lesson - do the riders and horses look to be enjoying themselves? Is the instructor attentive and offering useful comments, not yelling abuse or playing with her phone etc.
6 Talk to some of the other riders if you can - how long have they been riding for? How long have they been at this establishment? What have they learned?

If you haven't already, go and look around the other schools you are considering so that you have points for comparison. Good luck, I hope you have loads of fun, and I'm sorry to be a bit serious and offputting! You want to find a good place that you can enjoy so it's worth taking your time and doing your research.

 

[Bethie]

Why don't you ask on here for recommendations in your area, that's usually a far better way of finding a good service provider of any description and see if any that you've looked at so far are worth having a trial lesson at, or if there are any others you haven't thought of yet.

 

[Divasmum]

Bethies idea of asking people for recommendations in your area is well worth doing.