Side saddle lessons (and falls) at riding school..irresponsible? ...opinions?

R

rolsterlady

Well-Known Member
Joined
6 July 2011
Messages
311
Location
Cornwall
www.kindphotography.co.uk
My friend and I went for a side saddle lesson at a local riding school earlier this year, just for a bit of fun really and to try out something different.

In my first lesson, the instructor had me cantering and jumping, and i felt a little like i was being made to run before i could walk! I didn't mind too much as I felt quite balanced and was on a safe horse, but as she put the fence up a few inches, the horse I was riding ran out, and I flew straight out the side door and landed on the jump. I was okay, just a bit bruised. Got back on and jumped the smaller fence again. My fried refused to jump as the didn't feel ready (I probably should have done this too!).

I didn't go back for a few months as I had only gone for fun and couldn't afford regular side saddle lessons, on top of lessons with my own horses! However my friend carried on with the lessons and went about once a month. I went back with her after her 4th/5th time to have another lesson for fun. They only do individual lessons so my friend rode first, and was put on a young horse. As my friend was riding around in walk, the instructor light-heartedly said to me 'I hope this horse is okay today, she's never been ridden in a side saddle before'', which shocked me but she said the horse was very safe and assured me that horses adapt very well to side saddle.

Anyway, after a bit of walk and trot, canter work started and the horse looked a bit fidgity to me. On the 2nd attempt to canter, the horse threw a HUGE buck and my friend fell off. She hurt her back and hip and was in too much pain to get back on. I was given another horse to ride for my lesson. My friend is still suffering from the pain a few months on and is having scans etc on her hip soon to see what damage has been done, but she isn't too bothered about letting the riding school know/taking legal action.

What are your views? Do you think the riding school/instructors were in the wrong? (we had a different instructor each time) or do you think it is acceptable as they are horses after all and things can go wrong!? I'm not too bothered about my fall but I think my friends could have been easily prevented.

Sorry for long post!
 
Whilst i`m not one for litigation, I think the school does have a duty of care, and it could be considered lacking if the first person to ride that horse sidesaddle was a customer!
 
The school was being negligent - to use a young horse with a side saddle on for the first time for a client is irrisponsible.

She should write and let them know how she feels - if she should need an operation or long term treatment she may very well be entitled to sue them for damages. They will have insurance.
 
I'm anti the current if it moves sue it culture in this country. But this is beyond irresponsible if they put a paying customer on a young horse wearing a side saddle for the very first time. I agree with Evelyns post entirely.
 
I think you should let the riding school know that they probably were a little gungho, but not sue. Apart from anything else it gives you a chance to air your views to the people concerned and give them a chance to learn from it and hopefully moderate their behaviour.

But very importantly, the lesson you and your friends should learn from it it to say NO occassionally ..... although it is not easy to do it is important to have the courage to do it! The point of a lesson it to encourage you gently, not push you to the edge, so if the instructor is pushing you too fast, just say you want to consolidate what you have learnt and not go any further.
 
It's not unheard of to be w/t/c and even jumping a small jump in your first side saddle lesson if you have had lots of astride riding experience before. Not if you are a total beginner with riding in general but if you have ridden a fair bit before, then you already have the muscle memory to hold/steer the horse without thinking and how each gait feels so you can concentrate just on side saddle riding.

In my 1st side saddle lesson on my horse, we were walk/trot/cantering but no jumping as I told the instructor that I did not want to jump at all- dressage only.

The problem with side saddle is that it IS secure BUT when you do come off, because you can only come off sideways, your hip and ribs take the brunt off it and you fall HARD. I've come off several times before, the last time I broke my ribs going over a tiny 1' fence (LOL so much for dressage only)!!
I hate falling off side saddle.

How young was the horse? A horse shouldn't really take a side saddle until it's at least 7 or 8 when it's finished growing. It says that in all the side saddle books.
 
jokadoka said:
You get on a horse, you take a chance, whether it's side saddle or not.
Click to expand...

Not when the presumably qualified instructor says to a third party "this is a young horse and has never had a sidesaddle on before". That comment should have been made to the girl having the lesson so she could make the choice of whether to ride that horse or ask for another one.

And this is the reason why riding schools have insurance. You PAY money for them to ensure a reasonable duty of care which in this instance appears to be lacking.

If the girl is unable to work (no idea how old you are) then she will have loss of earnings, and the problem could well affect her the rest of her life.

I would suggest she speaks to CAB to see what the options are for her.

Of course people expect to fall of horses regularly, but falling off sidesaddle is quite difficult, and in the space of 5 or 6 lessons, 2 people managed to fall off. Something is totally not right about this!
 
Definitely negligent. If they'd given friend a chance to ride a different horse and not one that had never been ridden sidesaddle and she still chose to rude the youngster it would be different.
 
I don't think any legal action should be taken but maybe scare them into being careful in future with a letter explaining your friends situation and why shes injured. You say she had been a few more times than you, maybe they presumed she was capable of being the first on this horse side saddle? Especially if said horse was safe astride.
 
rolsterlady said:
What are your views? Do you think the riding school/instructors were in the wrong? (we had a different instructor each time) or do you think it is acceptable as they are horses after all and things can go wrong!? I'm not too bothered about my fall but I think my friends could have been easily prevented.
Click to expand...

Evertyone has focussed on the fact that horse was wearing a side saddle for the first time - and that is one thing that DOES suggest negligence. But the fact you had a different insructor each time - that would worry me too! I am a very experienced (and qualified) instructor but I wouldn't attempt to teach side-saddle - I've maybe sat in a side-saddle half a dozen times but I am NOT qualified to teach side-saddle. Very few riding schools would have ONE competent side saddle instructor, let alone several!! Maybe the fact that the youngster had never carried the side saddle meant none of these instructors could actually ride side saddle themselves!!!!

I would be talking to an equine solicitor! If the riding school was negligent (and I'd put some money on THAT!) then they have to be stopped before more people are hurt.
 
As your friend had been quite alot, I reckon they had assessed her capabilities and put her on this horse - I've seen lots of bucking young horses used in (for example) stage 3 standard lessons at very well known riding schools. I hate the suing culture and if it carries on then riding will be priced out of the market for all but the elite.
 
It doesn't matter how well they assessed her abilities, a paying client should not be the 'crash test dummy' for a horses first side saddle experience! Surely common sense dictates that the horses first experience under side saddle should be by someone experienced in it who can judge how well the horse is adapting to it?

It wouldn't be acceptable for a paying client to try a horse over its first ever fence in a lesson, or take it for its first ever hack so I don't really see the difference.
We go to riding schools to ride more experienced horses to give us confidence and experience, yes there are risks involved but this is just pure negligence.
 
jokadoka said:
You get on a horse, you take a chance, whether it's side saddle or not.
Click to expand...

Good luck with that attitude, if you teach yourself You are a lawyers dream ;)

The rider and law expects a duty of care, to put a novice side saddle rider, who technically has only had a few ss lessons, onto a young horse who had not been tried in side saddle before is in my opinion negligent.
I'd Write to tell them how i felt about the situation, await their reply, and base the action i would take on that reply.
 
jokadoka said:
You get on a horse, you take a chance, whether it's side saddle or not.
Click to expand...

As an ex riding school owner! - This is not so for a riding school where they have a 'duty of care' to ensure their customers are safe. If the horse was normally ridden in a side saddle and the rider fell off as they had lost their balance then fine - but in this case the horse was young and wearing the side saddle for the first time - this is irrisponsible. The horse should have been ridden by staff for several sessions to ensure that it was safe to put a client on.
 
Oops, further to my previous post, i meant to say, you also have a duty of care to yourself, why didnt any of you question the fact you were being put on a young horse untried in ss ? I know hindsight is a great thing but your instructor did tell you, and you proceeded with the lesson. Saying that doesnt change my opionion on the staffs duty of care to you, I still feel they were wrong to use this unproven ss horse
 
Crikey, how things change. When i was child, side-saddle lessons consisted of us hoiking one leg over the pommel and off we'd go! All this negligence guff takes away any thrills (and occasional) spills you get when learning to ride.
 
marydoll said:
Oops, further to my previous post, i meant to say, you also have a duty of care to yourself, why didnt any of you question the fact you were being put on a young horse untried in ss ? I know hindsight is a great thing but your instructor did tell you, and you proceeded with the lesson. Saying that doesnt change my opionion on the staffs duty of care to you, I still feel they were wrong to use this unproven ss horse
Click to expand...

If you read the post properly, you will see that the rider of the young horse did NOT know it was a young horse having the side saddle on for the first time. The instructor mentioned it to the OP who was not the rider in question. My point was, that IF the rider in question had been told, she would have had the opportunity to request a different horse for the lesson and maybe would have ridden it quite differently HAD she decided to remain on that particular horse.
 
PonyIAmNotFood said:
I don't think any legal action should be taken but maybe scare them into being careful in future with a letter explaining your friends situation and why shes injured. You say she had been a few more times than you, maybe they presumed she was capable of being the first on this horse side saddle? Especially if said horse was safe astride.
Click to expand...

My friend is quite a nervous rider, even astride, and the previous instructors knew this, but i'm not sure how much the instructor from this lesson knew about her and maybe she did expect her to be more capable after a few lessons, but i still think the principle of putting her on a young horse who had never been ridden side saddle, was not right!
 
marydoll said:
Oops, further to my previous post, i meant to say, you also have a duty of care to yourself, why didnt any of you question the fact you were being put on a young horse untried in ss ? I know hindsight is a great thing but your instructor did tell you, and you proceeded with the lesson. Saying that doesnt change my opionion on the staffs duty of care to you, I still feel they were wrong to use this unproven ss horse
Click to expand...

I agree completely, It wasn't actually me having the lesson it was my friend, who wasn't told about the horse being young etc. The instructor told me in conversation. Maybe i should have said something but I thought the instructor was responsible and knew the horse well, so didn't really question it! Will in future though.
 
I think you should let them know how you and your friend feel. Maybe go somewhere different the next time as this is totally irisponsible. Its not save as all and clearly they should know not to put the fence up high enough for someone who hasn't ridden in side saddle alot? Also the fact your friend was on an unsafe pony.
 
marydoll said:
Oops, i meant to say, you also have a duty of care to yourself, why didnt any of you question the fact you were being put on a young horse untried in ss ? I know hindsight is a great thing but your instructor did tell you, and you proceeded with the lesson.

This is exactly why I replied the way i did.
The "blame somebody else culture" is getting way out of hand, people need to take responsibility for their own actions, and animals can/will be unpredictable at all times....
Click to expand...
 
rolsterlady said:
My friend is quite a nervous rider, even astride, and the previous instructors knew this, but i'm not sure how much the instructor from this lesson knew about her and maybe she did expect her to be more capable after a few lessons, but i still think the principle of putting her on a young horse who had never been ridden side saddle, was not right!
Click to expand...

Then you should have made your feelings known at the time!!!!!!!!!

Blazing saddles - I'm with you all the way!!
 
maggiesmum said:
It doesn't matter how well they assessed her abilities, a paying client should not be the 'crash test dummy' for a horses first side saddle experience! Surely common sense dictates that the horses first experience under side saddle should be by someone experienced in it who can judge how well the horse is adapting to it?

It wouldn't be acceptable for a paying client to try a horse over its first ever fence in a lesson, or take it for its first ever hack so I don't really see the difference.
We go to riding schools to ride more experienced horses to give us confidence and experience, yes there are risks involved but this is just pure negligence.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, depends on the level to which you aspire. How are you ever going to learn to sit a buck or school a youngster if you aren't given the experience. I think it would be perfectly acceptable for a stage 3 pupil to pop a horse over its first cross pole if she was aspiring to learn how to improve horses/youngsters. Haven't read the thread properly but I would suspect even wanting to learn side saddle suggests a fair degree of competence?
 
I too hate the suing culture that has sprung up in this country, and I can't count the number of times I have reminded a rider that a horse has it's own brain, BUT:

This - I totally agree with:

maggiesmum said:
It doesn't matter how well they assessed her abilities, a paying client should not be the 'crash test dummy' for a horses first side saddle experience! Surely common sense dictates that the horses first experience under side saddle should be by someone experienced in it who can judge how well the horse is adapting to it?

It wouldn't be acceptable for a paying client to try a horse over its first ever fence in a lesson, or take it for its first ever hack so I don't really see the difference.
Click to expand...

Common sense. Seems to be severely lacking these days.
 
scarymare said:
I would suspect even wanting to learn side saddle suggests a fair degree of competence?
Click to expand...

The style of riding you want to learn doesn't necessarily mean you are already competent at another. A friend of mine (non horsey, at the time) decided to learn, and went straight into side. When she went astride, she hated it, never did it again lol. Seems odd to us, as we all ride astride english style first. Think of all those who have started out western. Not everybody does things in the same way we might.
 
maggiesmum said:
It wouldn't be acceptable for a paying client to try a horse over its first ever fence in a lesson, or take it for its first ever hack so I don't really see the difference.
Click to expand...

So you wouldn't approve of the Aussie stockman who said to a new jackaroo: "Never been on a horse before?? Take that one - he's never been ridden before - you can learn together!":D

Seriously though - you're right! A client should NEVER be used as cannon fodder! (Neither should junior staff or working pupils!) A new horse - or a horse doing new things - should start with the most experienced rider available - and then be passed down the 'chain' until you find his level!
 
rolsterlady said:
My friend is quite a nervous rider, even astride, and the previous instructors knew this, but i'm not sure how much the instructor from this lesson knew about her and maybe she did expect her to be more capable after a few lessons, but i still think the principle of putting her on a young horse who had never been ridden side saddle, was not right!
Click to expand...

You are absolutely right! If the instructor knew nothing about the capabilities of the rider she was teaching then her actions (in putting her on a horse known to buck astride - and carrying the side-saddle for the first time) was even MORE negligent.

I would say your friend has a GOOD case for damages and she should pursue it. And if she needs an experienced 'expert witness' to help back her case, PM me!
 
I don't agree that rs riders shouldn't school young horses, ride anything with issues or be the first jump etc, i do all of that and i pay to do it, so i can be talked through rough patches and develop my riding with an instructors help. But i agree you should know what you're getting on and make an informed decision.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top