What riding level am i?

[alliwantforchristmas]

"They have a foal called Oliver and a 3 yearold stallion called Percy who i think hey are going to geld because he tries to mount every mare in site and only experienced workers are aloud near them."
Read more at http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/foru...t-riding-level-am-i/page3#zUeDektVl27Ojzk3.99

no way ... this thread is a joke, it must be ... this can't be a proper riding school ... it's a disaster in the making! Novice riders shouldn't be struggling to get riding school horses to pick their feet up either.

And the word you are looking for is 'allowed' not 'aloud'.

OP, if this truly is your riding school then take the advice of the experienced horse folk on here and find yourself a better establishment. Health and safety, not to mention welfare issues, abound in what you have written.

 

[JFTDWS]

... this can't be a proper riding school ...

I wish I had your faith :eek3:

 

[alliwantforchristmas]

I wish I had your faith :eek3:

Gawd ... don't say that ... I've worked in two in the south Wales valleys, but they were never as bad as this! This reminds me of the first place I ever went to when I was 10 (and we are going back some now) - rides taken out by the owner on his nutty stallion, horses taking off left, right and centre on the tracks through the woods and tacking up being a death defying exercise with about 20 horses packed into a barn and kids with saddles and bridles wading through knee high muck and straw before riding!

 

[JFTDWS]

I know of a few very dodgy places - fortunately the one I learnt at when I was 10 is no more! - although possibly not so extreme as this sounds. But I'm generally of the opinion that there's always someone out there doing something even more unbelievably stupid than I consider possible...

 

[horselover02345]

Im not saying this in a rude way. Horses have a my of there own, just because they are trained doesn't mean they will be perfect. She will pick up her foot but barely, she i a cob and i think she finds it hard to balance when i pick up her back hoof(bare in mind her feet are giant). Like i said the stables are undergoing changes, my welfare is not at risk.
It is a proper riding establishment, people who DON'T work at the stables are only allowed to see the front yard horses which are friendly. Just because they have a foal and stallion doesn't mean its not a proper riding school. They are training Percy like how they trained willow. Its also my choice if i want to find a new riding school but it isn't a option.

 

[alliwantforchristmas]

I know of a few very dodgy places - fortunately the one I learnt at when I was 10 is no more! - although possibly not so extreme as this sounds. But I'm generally of the opinion that there's always someone out there doing something even more unbelievably stupid than I consider possible...

lol, well, I guess that's a realistic outlook! I must be naive - with all the health and safety rules out there and insurance so high I thought riding schools had to be a lot more careful these days ...

 

[alliwantforchristmas]

Im not saying this in a rude way. Horses have a my of there own, just because they are trained doesn't mean they will be perfect. She will pick up her foot but barely, she i a cob and i think she finds it hard to balance when i pick up her back hoof(bare in mind her feet are giant). Like i said the stables are undergoing changes, my welfare is not at risk.
It is a proper riding establishment, people who DON'T work at the stables are only allowed to see the front yard horses which are friendly. Just because they have a foal and stallion doesn't mean its not a proper riding school. They are training Percy like how they trained willow. Its also my choice if i want to find a new riding school but it isn't a option.

ok, OP, sorry ... they do have a mind of their own, and they are not perfect, you are right - and many times you will learn more from the ones that are 'less than perfect'. But horses that attack others, or buck, or are 'green' are not really suitable for novices, and a stallion trying to mount every mare in sight does not paint a great picture of your school. I appreciate when money is tight - we were always skint when I was a kid and I was happy to get to ride anything, no matter how unsuitable. I hope your new instructor sorts the place out and you progress as you obviously want to.

 

[horselover02345]

lol, well, I guess that's a realistic outlook! I must be naive - with all the health and safety rules out there and insurance so high I thought riding schools had to be a lot more careful these days ...

Sorry if i'm sounding rude, its just that the pony that i use to ride there has a pelvis and back problem and is at Physio. Tivvy is good kind of, he won't kick you or bite etc. I f pebbles is in front of you you have to be quite far away or they will put her at the back of the ride. Also the application says, if i remember ' the riding school is not reponsible for any damage done, horse riding is and will remain a dangerous sport' then you give consent, etc

Willow is green but not that green if you get what i mean, he will move if you put a block near him and he canters on the wrong lead. He is almost as good as a fully trained horse but has barely any downfalls. The stallion is always kept in the stall whenever non workers are there and most horses are in the pasture during the week.

 

[JFTDWS]

ok, OP, sorry ... they do have a mind of their own, and they are not perfect, you are right - and many times you will learn more from the ones that are 'less than perfect'. But horses that attack others, or buck, or are 'green' are not really suitable for novices, and a stallion trying to mount every mare in sight does not paint a great picture of your school. I appreciate when money is tight - we were always skint when I was a kid and I was happy to get to ride anything, no matter how unsuitable. I hope your new instructor sorts the place out and you progress as you obviously want to.

I remember a few naughty buckers at the (less than stellar) RS I learnt at nearly 20 years ago - but nothing that would attack other horses, and they were pretty careful about the few that were known to throw the occasional kick. None of us are daft enough to think horses are machines, but a well trained horse is so far removed from the OP's description. It's a massive issue, I think, in this country, that many people don't really get to ride properly trained animals in RS environments.

 

[millikins]

Op, are you in the UK? Just wondering as "posting trot" kept in a "barn" when not at "pasture" are not the most usual way of describing horse care here. In which case all us talking about H&S, BHS and Pony Club is probably of no help.

 

[JFTDWS]

Op, are you in the UK? Just wondering as "posting trot" kept in a "barn" when not at "pasture" are not the most usual way of describing horse care here. In which case all us talking about H&S, BHS and Pony Club is probably of no help.

It's a teenage horsey internet thing, all these Americanisms. The OP is in London: http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/foru...ng-School-London-SE12&p=13128122#post13128122


Five minutes on fb has unearthed a number of photos of children being led on lead reins (properly, not by the noseband), so I'm not sure they'd be over-whelmed with the publicity they're getting on this thread... That said, their group sizes are very large for a school of that size, and the surface is making me cringe. Oh well.

 

[millikins]

Ah thanks JFTD Have to say that RS looks almost identical to my most local one in Surrey, not great but not awful either.

 

[JFTDWS]

Ah thanks JFTD Have to say that RS looks almost identical to my most local one in Surrey, not great but not awful either.

I'm intrigued by how cheap their lessons are for London. That concerns me a little, but it doesn't look in any way as awful as the OP's posts suggest!

 

[Michen]

Diffucult does not necessarily mean dangerous. There were certainly difficult horses at both riding schools I learnt to ride at!

Beginner/novice like others. Horses in a riding school are never difficult just opinionated. They can be lazy and stubborn but very rarely actually dangerous.

Just keep learning and riding you have the enthusiasm. Doesn't matter what level you are at.

 

[horselover02345]

It's a teenage horsey internet thing, all these Americanisms. The OP is in London: http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/foru...ng-School-London-SE12&p=13128122#post13128122


Five minutes on fb has unearthed a number of photos of children being led on lead reins (properly, not by the noseband), so I'm not sure they'd be over-whelmed with the publicity they're getting on this thread... That said, their group sizes are very large for a school of that size, and the surface is making me cringe. Oh well.

Yh i hate the flooring too it always gets in my eyes, don't know if they are resurfacing or not. The little girl on the little piebald on the lead rein doesn't belong to the school, they are livery owners but some of the school horses are put on lead reins. The skewbald with the long mane, she was new and they put newbies on lead for a few weeks, i don't know why.

 

[horselover02345]

Diffucult does not necessarily mean dangerous. There were certainly difficult horses at both riding schools I learnt to ride at!

Don't know why its so cheap, its not central london which is about £90 for a lesson. The first riding school was £7 for half an hour, i do understand their reason as they are a charity.

 

[horselover02345]

Op, are you in the UK? Just wondering as "posting trot" kept in a "barn" when not at "pasture" are not the most usual way of describing horse care here. In which case all us talking about H&S, BHS and Pony Club is probably of no help.

I am in London, its just i say the stuff in all the ways because i research on English and American sites. I sometimes say fields. I don't know why i call it a barn as its a outdoor yard. Posting trot, rising trot, its not really any different its just different ways of saying the same thing.

 

[gnubee]

All the terrible things on this thread that people dont believe are still happening in riding schools definitely are. Ive been to the ones that breed their lame horses to a colt they "rescued" from market, the ones where anyone riding a certain horse gets spurs and/ or draw reins regardless of their ability, been instructed that I must lead a horse with 2 fingers through the nose band rather than by the reins (and also just asked to hold onto a headcollar to turn out because they couldnt be bothered to find lead ropes). I have been plowed through as a brand new customer at somewhere I really didnt stick it out very long because they send you to turn your horse out after a ride when all the others think its time to come in for their feed as soon as you open the gate. Yes, there are good places doing it right, but of the 10 places I rode regularly before I got my own, only 3 of them had none of the (IMO very serious) faults listed above. Horses with pretty much all the issues OP lists above were there at all of them (albeit that only about half of them would let beginners ride those horses).

That said, one of the best things to me about the situation OP describes is that they dont seem to be rushing into jumping. If you are somewhere with a string of reliable jumping ponies and prepared to keep the fences at a sensible height it can help keep people interested and teach something new, but the vast majority of places Ive seen have students jumping before they are really in balance in canter with the horse and lack the reflexes or steering to deal with a horse trying to run out/ stop/ not on the right stride for a fence. They then proceed to put up the fence throughout the lesson regardless of whether people are doing it well at lower levels, and end up with riders injured or losing their confidence, and more and more horses with jumping issues thereby compounding the cycle.

I literally only know of one riding school that teaches jumping at what I would consider an appropriate pace. The majority go way too fast, and a couple are very reluctant to do any jumping at all. The ones that dont like to teach it at all did IME lose far fewer riders to injury or giving up through lost confidence.

 

[horselover02345]

All the terrible things on this thread that people dont believe are still happening in riding schools definitely are. Ive been to the ones that breed their lame horses to a colt they "rescued" from market, the ones where anyone riding a certain horse gets spurs and/ or draw reins regardless of their ability, been instructed that I must lead a horse with 2 fingers through the nose band rather than by the reins (and also just asked to hold onto a headcollar to turn out because they couldn't be bothered to find lead ropes). I have been plowed through as a brand new customer at somewhere I really didn't stick it out very long because they send you to turn your horse out after a ride when all the others think its time to come in for their feed as soon as you open the gate. Yes, there are good places doing it right, but of the 10 places I rode regularly before I got my own, only 3 of them had none of the (IMO very serious) faults listed above. Horses with pretty much all the issues OP lists above were there at all of them (albeit that only about half of them would let beginners ride those horses).

That said, one of the best things to me about the situation OP describes is that they dont seem to be rushing into jumping. If you are somewhere with a string of reliable jumping ponies and prepared to keep the fences at a sensible height it can help keep people interested and teach something new, but the vast majority of places Ive seen have students jumping before they are really in balance in canter with the horse and lack the reflexes or steering to deal with a horse trying to run out/ stop/ not on the right stride for a fence. They then proceed to put up the fence throughout the lesson regardless of whether people are doing it well at lower levels, and end up with riders injured or losing their confidence, and more and more horses with jumping issues thereby compounding the cycle.

I literally only know of one riding school that teaches jumping at what I would consider an appropriate pace. The majority go way too fast, and a couple are very reluctant to do any jumping at all. The ones that dont like to teach it at all did IME lose far fewer riders to injury or giving up through lost confidence.

There are quite a few horses that can jump and i have seen then jump, the ones that i said have problems don't jump. I can balance at canter but when i had a advanced group lesson, Alice was being lazy so my instructor gave me a whip, from then until the end of the lesson she was flash and started going into a half gallop and i had to hold onto her mane. I've done ground poles and i know my two-point position, i could possibly do a small X. When the old owner was in charge, the website said that they couldn't do jumping due to a small arena but the school is bigger than the one at the riding school i use to go to that do jumping courses. I think the instructor wants everyone to be comfortable in all 3 paces before jumping, we have 10-11 people in each lesson and only 7 can canter including me.

 

[Tnavas]

There are quite a few horses that can jump and i have seen then jump, the ones that i said have problems don't jump. I can balance at canter but when i had a advanced group lesson, Alice was being lazy so my instructor gave me a whip, from then until the end of the lesson she was flash and started going into a half gallop and i had to hold onto her mane. I've done ground poles and i know my two-point position, i could possibly do a small X. When the old owner was in charge, the website said that they couldn't do jumping due to a small arena but the school is bigger than the one at the riding school i use to go to that do jumping courses. I think the instructor wants everyone to be comfortable in all 3 paces before jumping, we have 10-11 people in each lesson and only 7 can canter including me.

Many decades ago I did my training at Brawlings and on weekends we would hold Indoor Showjumping - a full course - the indoor is 20m x 40m - some people do like to make the most ridiculous excuses. I called in there a couple of years back and was saddened to see how dilapidated it had become. Was a top yard in its day.

 

[Tnavas]

Double post!