What type of horses would you expect to see in a RS?

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As title Really!

What would you like to see in a RS if you were going to one? Please state heights and general character/ schooling etc too. Thanks!!
 
When I ran a RS we had all sorts from a 17 hh TB to Shetlands, welsh secton D's ISH's all sorts .
The sections D's were excellent small but up to wieght and great workers and cheap to feed.
 
A variation, would like to see a range of sizes and different levels of difficulty, so ranging from novice rides to experience rides, you see far too often loads of novice rides and as soon as people progress a bit they have nothing to progress onto horse wise. Breed wise, doesn't matter really as long as the horse suites :)
 
I like to see horses and ponies that would be/are capable of going out to local shows and competing competently at Prelim/Novice dressage 2'6" plus showjumping and small unaffiliated ODEs. Is it marmalade76 on here who often puts up pics of her RS horses out competing? Schoolmasters at upper levels great if you have the need; it tends to be a fairly specialist thing up here though.

A decent range of heights and types, I don't mind being put on 13hh ponies but I'd prefer the opportunity to ride something different too sometimes!

Generally just horses and ponies which look well and are happy in their work :)
 
Depends on what the RS was aiming for. If they were just aiming to teach the basics to a good standard then I'd expect a range of heights from little ponies to decent weightcarriers of mostly tolerant, bombproof types with decent basic schooling and the ability to pop a small fence. If the RS was also looking to cater for more experienced riders then I'd expect a few more "quirky" horses with a greater level of schooling and ability.
 
rhino said:
I like to see horses and ponies that would be/are capable of going out to local shows and competing competently at Prelim/Novice dressage 2'6" plus showjumping and small unaffiliated ODEs. Is it marmalade76 on here who often puts up pics of her RS horses out competing? Schoolmasters at upper levels great if you have the need; it tends to be a fairly specialist thing up here though.

A decent range of heights and types, I don't mind being put on 13hh ponies but I'd prefer the opportunity to ride something different too sometimes!

Generally just horses and ponies which look well and are happy in their work :)
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I think her username is charlie76 or something like that! :)
 
Think it depends who your main audience would be. I know yards where it's mostly children that learn, then the parents will occasionally decide to ride so you wouldn't need many of the same height. Whereas, if it was for children/adults, I would probably try to have a good mixture of heights, not necessarily type. Ideally, you'd probably have a few of the same heights for 15hh as that sort of height anybody could go on. Then I'd probably expect to see a few less, but maybe a wider range of bigger horses. A 16.hh, a 16.1hh, a 16.3hh but again - would depend who you were catering for. I'd probably expect the bigger ones to be more school master type. Some that are working on prelim, some novice and some more advanced. I think it's essential that RS have horses who can allow for progression because so many people don't learn to ride properly because they only have horses who can go around the track following. Not all of course. I'd expect some horses fab on the flat, some fab at show jumping and some that are fab at xc so you have the confidence giving horses too.
 
Beans2000 said:
Would you expect a couple of each type or say 1 15.2 1 16.2 etc etc
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A couple/few of each.
I rode in a riding school, prior to buying a newly backed horse. The idea being to get a feel for a number of different horses after riding my other exclusively for 15 years.
As a smaller adult, I was okay for 13.2HH upwards and was given a different one each week until I rode a working livery horse who didn't get much use as although a pony, he needed an adult/more competent rider, so I then had him all the time.

I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed riding all different sorts, from ploddy to sparky and if I was horseless, would happily go back there.
 
rhino said:
I like to see horses and ponies that would be/are capable of going out to local shows and competing competently at Prelim/Novice dressage 2'6" plus showjumping and small unaffiliated ODEs. Is it marmalade76 on here who often puts up pics of her RS horses out competing? Schoolmasters at upper levels great if you have the need; it tends to be a fairly specialist thing up here though.

A decent range of heights and types, I don't mind being put on 13hh ponies but I'd prefer the opportunity to ride something different too sometimes!

Generally just horses and ponies which look well and are happy in their work :)
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Agree with Rhino :p

The problem for a lot of riding schools is that unless a yard has a large number of good riders, who all want to ride at different times, a decent horse capable of a bit more won't be used very often and might not cover its running costs. You can put someone good on a ploddy safe beginners horse; it's not quite so easy to do it the other way around! It's hard for a lot of schools to have a real range.

I found my horse in a riding school, but he was probably only working two or three hours a week because he wasn't suitable for a wide range of riders. If I'd fallen in love with one of the useful ones working ten or more hours a week, I don't think they would have been as willing to part with him!
 
Another question! This is all in theory by the way I'm not going all Alan sugar and making the next best RS!

Would you use your own horses for more advanced riders? Would it be discrimination to only cater for over 16's??
 
Where i ride there's 11hh to 17.2hh, safe and sensible to younger horses to schoolmasters who know it all. Ideal. I don't think an over 16s only would make money, too many clients are children and ponies are cheaper to keep!
 
Without our helpers we would never get anything done! Most our ponies are a 30 min walk away, we would lose a good 1hr30 of teaching time if our helpers didn't get the ponies in andd tack up for us!
 
It was me with the pics. I no longer work there but we had ponies from shetland size through to heavy hunter types. The ponies ranged from lead rein /first ridden types to ex pony club ponies. The horses ranged from cobs to ex comp horses. All were kept well schooled by the staff, ponies were kept lunged and long reined. They also competed regularly against outside people and often beat them! All the horses need to be safe but I prided myself in keeping them all forward thinking and responsive to the aids, even the horses for Novice riders. They also all worked in a correct outline and were hacked.
We also had a selection of ex polo ponies which the teenagers loved.
 
So you pay your Helpers with a free lesson once a week? Would insurance be covered to let competent Helpers hack out to give horses a break? Do you make Helpers claim disclaimers??
 
The school I leased for many years had 32 horses and ponies of varying heights and weight carrying abiltiies.

Most of the horses were TB's off the track - school owned by an ex jockey eith a brother still training TB's. So we had a good selection. Ponies were often given or leased to us after they had finished their competition career or rider had grown out of them. A few came from the meat man, often described as unsuitable for a child, most only needed a firm hand - most likely come from an inexperienced riders home with parents who had no idea!

Ponies were a mix of Welsh and English Riding Ponies from 12hh to 14hh.

A couple of cob types

We had a maximum weight of 13stone

All the horses and ponies were free moving and well schooled so that riders could learn to sit correctly and apply the aids efectively before being expected to sort out the naughty ones. All jumped kindly and held their own in outside competition. All my horses and ponies did mounted games and could thrash outsiders as they were taught slowly and carefully and knew the games as well as the kids.

I hate seeing riding school horses being thunked in the ribs with unstable legs - this is so unfair to the animal. A school horse does not need to be a slow plodder but must be obedient and well schooled.
 
Beans2000 said:
I just can't stand the riding schools where everyone wants to stay and 'help' lol
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Those kids are the mainstay of your school!

I had up to 25 young people who 'helped' at the school - some as young as 6 & 7 and ranging to 17year olds.

They started 'work' at 8am Saturday and Sunday and finished at 5pm. During the day they were responsible for having the horses and ponies tacked up and ready for riders. Each was given a set number of horses/ponies to care for. They had to be groomed, tacked up, fed and watered throughout the day. They were held responsible for these ponies being ready and if they delegated the work they still had to check the work was done.

We didn't catch as normal but called the ponies in and allowed them through the gate into the yard where they went to their tie ups or yards. It did save a lot of time. Helpers were also expected to go and muck out the paddocks between rides and did this with good heart because they ALWAYS got a free ride. They had the choice of a lesson or free riding at the end of the day. They cleaned all the tack every saturday and sunday and I was as tough on them finishing on time as I was about their start time.

They were very appreciated and would be taken to MacDonalds for Xmas each year, birthdays were celebrated with a present and cake. I'm still in touch with many of them who have thanked me for treating them with respect and giving them an excellent grounding in work ethics.

I could not have run the school at the weekends without them. I rarely had to growl at them, when I did they respected the fact that they had failed me by not doing their allocated tasks. In 9 years I only had one time when they failed to muck out the paddock they were given and I withheld their afternoon ride. They never let me down again. Some of these children stayed with me for the 9 years I ran the school.
 
Beans2000 said:
Didn't mean to offend the proper hard working Helpers I meant the ones that hang around and so nothing!
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This was the reason I appointed one of the older helpers to be supervisor and why jobs were allocated.

I was once one of those helpers! Kids need to be given a clear list of tasks as they are not yet mentally attuned to going and finding a task to do. Most of the time my helpers just played around. But they had their tasks to do and they knew they had to have their ponies ready on time. Give them too many jobs and you would be considered to be taking advantage of them. Often too they need to be shown how to do a task, think of them as future grooms/riders and treat them accordingly.

And finally they MUST be rewarded! An old Chinese proverb ' Work without reward is punishment'

I can remember becoming dissolusioned about the amount of time I worked and not getting my promised ride.
 
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