which riding school

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tetly

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30 December 2012
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Ashford, Kent
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From my last thread, ( am I too old ) a few of you replied saying that you lived near me, Ashford Kent. and to pick a good school.
So yes I am going to book up lessons.
For those of you in my area, which schools do you recommend.
As most of my work is up town, I was looking at a school on the way home in Maidstone called Squirrells. Their web site looks good.
All inputs greatly appreciated.
 
tetly said:
From my last thread, ( am I too old ) a few of you replied saying that you lived near me, Ashford Kent. and to pick a good school.
So yes I am going to book up lessons.
For those of you in my area, which schools do you recommend.
As most of my work is up town, I was looking at a school on the way home in Maidstone called Squirrells. Their web site looks good.
All inputs greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Whats made you think about learning to ride?
Do you have any past with horses?
Do any family members ride?
Motorbikes are better alternative for mid life crisis and loads safer.
If you do go for it,where will it stop? BUYING A HORSE?
Think long and hard
 
paddocktractor said:
Whats made you think about learning to ride?
Do you have any past with horses?
Do any family members ride?
Motorbikes are better alternative for mid life crisis and loads safer.
If you do go for it,where will it stop? BUYING A HORSE?
Think long and hard
Click to expand...

In answer to your questions.
As i enjoy being outdoors, I thought riding would be a good way to enjoy the outdoors, and use it as a form of relaxation.
I have ridden in the past, when I was about 8, for about 2 years. But due to parents finance situation it was stopped.
No members of my family ride.
Motorbikes. Been there done that.
Not a mid life crisis - that would be the Ferrari. I wish.
And as for buying a horse - probably not. Then I have said no to other things and found myself doing the opposite.

Happy New Year.
 
tetly said:
In answer to your questions.
As i enjoy being outdoors, I thought riding would be a good way to enjoy the outdoors, and use it as a form of relaxation.
I have ridden in the past, when I was about 8, for about 2 years. But due to parents finance situation it was stopped.
No members of my family ride.
Motorbikes. Been there done that.
Not a mid life crisis - that would be the Ferrari. I wish.
And as for buying a horse - probably not. Then I have said no to other things and found myself doing the opposite.

Happy New Year.
Click to expand...
Go for it mate ,men make the best riders as we dont over complicate it .
If you rode at early age it will all come back just 3 gears and overdrive, simple.
I find i get alot of attention from them ladies but dont know if its from admiring my horse skills or from my good looks and wit.
 
ive been looking at deepdene stables in faversham to try out (i live in hythe and ride in hawkinge) and wanted to go for a hack there. i havent tried it as i havent found the time, but their website looks good
 
You are right to ask here and may be on other Forums.
Because even the best BHS recognised school with a wonderful website may not have the right teacher or horses for an older adult beginner. My OH did fine aged 67, but that was because I had paved the way in total ignorance and made all the mistakes. I was like you, not knowing anyone who rode.

I always visit a school before booking a lesson. I would visit two or three schools in your area and ask if they have an instructor used to teaching older beginners? Ask if it is possible to arrange riding lessons with that person so as to have some continuity.
See if it is possible to watch them teaching - otherwise you may need a lesson or two to find out which teacher is right for you.
Riding schools are not like ordinary schools - students are free to move to another school, or ride from more than one. As you progress you will discover how much of your learning you want to do in a school (enclosed area). Or whether you might get on better at a school where you learn to ride out hacking.
You asked on the other thread about gender? When I was learning to ride, I did meet men just beginning. There was no prejudice against men but it did seem to me that the teaching approach was different. Men progressed very quickly - cantered sooner in their riding education e.g. the third lesson and two young men confessed to me that riding wasnt for them. They had been terrified.
Everyone aims to canter a.s.p. so they can qualify to hack out or to join a class (cheaper) - and because it is a visible mark of progress. But believe me it isnt compulsory and it isnt something you need to do soon just because you are a bloke.
The other thing I knew nothing about (and neither did they) was learning to ride on the lunge. The lunge line is attached to the bridle of the horse, the instructor holds the end and the horse is asked to circle round the teacher. The student sits on the horse, but the speed and direction of the horse can be controlled by the teacher. Many riding schools give beginners a few lessons on the lunge, as a short term measure. But other instructors (often described as classical) use lunge lessons long term to teach balance and security in the saddle. You will learn to sit easily in walk ,trot and canter. With lunge lessons there may be no spectacular progress but it is very effective and very safe. So bear it in mind as an option either now or if you are not enjoying a conventional school. My OH was taught this way. He is now 73, an avid canterer and has never fallen off.
You are very sensible to come on this Forum and ask advice. Do keep reporting and asking questions as you go. I hope that you will get some better informed answers than mine and that you will enjoy riding as much as we do.
 
Clara39 said:
You are right to ask here and may be on other Forums.
Because even the best BHS recognised school with a wonderful website may not have the right teacher or horses for an older adult beginner ........................................................................ I hope that you will get some better informed answers than mine and that you will enjoy riding as much as we do.
Click to expand...




Clara39
Thanks for the reply, most encouraging and informative.
 
No experience in your area, but for a variety of reasons my riding has been confined to riding schools for the past few years so I have some general advice to offer in the choosing of a school:
- many riding schools, particularly at the cheaper end, will only have a couple of horses suitable for adult male riders; in the long term this is not going to help you progress very fast as you will not be benefiting from the same breadth of experience as others. The number one factor for me in recommending a riding school for an adult male would be how many horses there they can actually ride. When you ring places up, tell them your weight and ask how many different horses they have that you are a correct weight for - some you may need more experience before they will put you on, but at least those horses are available for when you have progressed.
- cheaper is often cheaper for a reason, and in my area (annoyingly) prices do tend to be a pretty reliable indicator of quality.
- (but) if you are only having walk/trot lessons to start with there may not be a massive difference in teaching quality anyway and 2 cheaper lessons per week at your level may help you progress faster than one really good one for the same price.
- The place you first learn to ride doesn't have to be the place you stay forever; as you develop you will be getting less benefit from just being on a horse going through the motions, and will (ideally) receive more useful tailored advice from instructors. Its a good idea to try out other stables in the area relatively regularly to understand what they would be able to offer you so you are making an informed decision about where you are having your regular lessons. A lot of people fall into very unsatisfactory relationships with riding schools and are very loyal, but ultimately end up giving up because they can't understand that their problems are not with horses or riding, but with the way "their" riding school works no longer being ideal for them. After you pick a place and get walk/trot established, I would strongly recommend taking lessons at 3 or 4 other places you are interested in and seeing which experience you like best. As long as you leave places amicably there is nothing wrong with moving on, leaving the door open to come back in the future if they become the best place for you again. If you can already walk and trot from your previous experience, I would go straight in to trying out a range before you pick one to settle down and progress with for a bit.
- Its very hard as a beginner to gauge this (or possibly as anyone at all except with the benefit of hindsight) but you want somewhere that will progress you at the "correct" pace. Its an utter minefield, and I would say only about 20% of the stables I have ever been to really get this right. Essentially, you want to be improving and being challenged and kept interested, without being put at undue risk, feeling out of control, or being consistently packed around by a horse who knows the entire riding school routine inside out and back to front with no input from you. You will get a feel for this more as you gain experience, but some indicators of things going too slowly are riding the same horse for months on end (unless instructor has explained to you why this is a good idea for a particular goal you have), not moving up through group lessons at a similar pace to others in the class (or faster if there are a lot of young children in the class; as an adult you will have better balance, strength and muscle awareness so generally speaking would hope to improve at a faster rate at the beginner levels), doing the same exercises each week without perceiving that you have improved at them over the course of say 1 month. Signs it is going to fast are harder to spot (not least because our egos tend to want us to think it is just because we are brilliant horsemen), but include falling off on a regular basis (I expect to come off a couple of times a year give or take, maybe see someone else come off in a group lesson once a fortnight or less often for flatwork, but have been places where someone comes off pretty much once a week, with often multiple people coming off in a lesson; those places are not places I would have wanted to be as a beginner who wasn't the best judge of my own limitations!), pushing on to trickier things before at least some competence in earlier levels is achieved (e.g. jumps going up constantly throughout the lesson regardless of how well you have managed at a lower height), and generally feeling out of control. If you notice indicators of these factors I would strongly recommend trying somewhere else for a bit as it is not at all unusual for riding schools to be downright dangerous about the things they are letting beginners get on with.

Am aware I have made it all sound a bit impossible to actually find the right place but the key is to arm yourself with as much knowledge about your available options as possible, and then choose somewhere which makes you feel challenged and safe, and most importantly where you are having fun.
 
Hi I am the manager at squirrells riding school and we are located at the top of bluebell hill, we have been open at this location for 18 months but as a riding school for 4.5 years. Hayley Squirrell is the proprietor and is very well respected as a great instructor, all of our instructors are qualified so you would never find yourself being taught by anyone that hasn't been there themselves. We have a range of horse and ponies from Alfie our tiny Shetland who gives pony rides to the kids to Lawrence our 18hh horse that can quite happily do elementary dressage.
We are extremely proud of our school and we have strived to make it a place for everyone rather than be known for just one thing so we have clinics with Robert pickles FBHS and Alex Hudson, cross country, beach rides, hacking, regular lessons, bhs training, show jumping, dressage and fun shows and are holding sunshine tour and cricklands qualifiers this year.
If you are interested feel free to pop in anytime for a look around we are always more than happy to have visitors
Louise x
 
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