Those on livery - how do you share school useage?

we have one school.

There is a booking sheet in the staff room and you can book the school in half hour slots. 2 horses allowed in together.

Lessons get priority.

Generally in the 'rush hour' 4-7pm it is accepted that you only book one half an hour slot however at any other time you can book for an hour or more.

There are 24 horses on our yard but only about 1/3 of them use the school so the system works well for us all.
 
We have a book and you write down what time you are using the school however you can only book the school on the day unless you are having a lesson/ horse viewing etc and then you can book in advance (as many weeks/months/ years as you want!). Also no more that two horses in the school at a time but you must ask permission to go in the school with someone if it has already been booked and if the person who has booked the school does not want you to use the school with them then you cannot. If you are lunging then only one horse in the school. Cannot use it for more than 45 mins unless lesson/horse viewing etc. All poo must be removed from school after you have used it. We have two schools.
 
We've had just these sort of discussions in the last week! Problem isn't riding with other liveries (which are not many and the majority are OK riding in with at least one other); more about turning up to ride and finding the arena is booked out for visiting lessons or on arena hire. In that sort of scenario, writing a booking on a board or in a diary doesn't work for punters - because you have to turn up just to find that there's a booking, yet you've travelled X far just to find out that you're going to be sat there twiddling your thumbs or pony-polishing until the arena is once again free.

Still, from the sound of it on this thread, we're luckier than most as access to a covered and lit large arena is largely not a problem!
 
Ours operates a first come first served basis (there are only 3 of us) No one has ' the right ' to the school but we just text each other if we have a lesson and that's Ok otherwise 2 of us are happy to ride together and the other is happy to wait if we clash... but tbh that's a rare occurance as one works nights and wants to ride first thing in the morning, one works days and wants to be in at 5 - 530 ish and I tend to ride about 2 o'clock as I work split shifts atm... it works really well (at the weekend we tend to go out together for a hack so no clash there either!)

(God don't we sound twee)

Bx
 
Do not have a school on the farm where I keep mine, but on farm across the way they have one, even though i'm not a livery there I can put my name in the diary in their tack-room and book it anytime (however always leave it fairly last minute so as not to hog the best times and annoy resident liveries!) Was at a yard a few years ago where we had a school and as long as it was flatwork nobody minded if there was a couple of horses in school at same time though.
 
There is an extremely large outdoor arena and also an indoor school. Everyone is expected to share and we often help each other with what we are working on this way . If you want sole use then you book in advance for a £5 fee. Those turning out to muck out have a 10min rule as riding is a priority and they can move their horse to the lunging circle or walker instead. Seems to work well.
 
At our yard, you book the school if you either have a lesson or you want to practice a dressage test....... other than that, you have to share with others. I tend to ride at about 06:00am before work, therefore, do not have to share the school...... BUT, there are other liveries who are cottoning onto this and starting to ride early before work rather than after work, so may have to re-think my strategy (sp)..... hmmmmmmm
 
we all just get on with it really ask if someone is in there already but no one really minds sharing we have a board for booking lessons so you can get it to yourself and the occasional arena hire. tends to work well for us as we all help each other if we are in the school all put away what we got out or ask if person after you wants it and clear up our own mess :)
 
I would be mightily peed off if I was at a yard that pre-booked evening slots for sole use and wouldn't go there. If I owned a yard I would ban kids in the school after 6pm because theyve usually been at the yard since since 3.30 -4pm so why didn't they ride earlier? instead of getting in my way standing around gossiping in the corner when I want to school or careering around cutting me up. However I'm currently at a yard where there two outdoor arenas and mostly I am on my own at night or with one other so we have school each if we want it. Thats the other extreme and I actually prefer to share a school especially when its dark and spooky as it helps settle my horse.

Unless someone has a horse with a specific issue then there is no sole use of a school even when there is a lesson. But then it is not very busy.
 
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