Would this be a deal breaker

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Donuts

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Looking at new yard as moving areas, really love one that I’ve seen however they have said no outside instructors. Would this be a dealbreaker for you?
 
I do have transport and I could travel, it’s just the amount of time that takes. I quite like having a lesson in the evening after work.
 
Donuts said:
I do have transport and I could travel, it’s just the amount of time that takes. I quite like having a lesson in the evening after work.
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I guess that's your answer then. I rarely have a lesson at home as I like him to travel as a matter of course and like him to visit various arenas. But if you like lessons at your home base, with a particular trainer, then this yard doesn't sound suitable.

For me, I'd be more interested in what the hacking is like.
 
That would depend on if their onsite instructors are people I’m likely to use, whether their facilities are good enough that I’d want to use them for a lesson and whether I had someone I liked who I could travel to.

I’ve not been on a yard suitable to have an instructor coming to me at the same time as having a rideable horse for AGES. Not due to yard rules but either lack of arena or arena not being very big or surface being a bit crap for riding on due to irregular maintenance schedule.

I coped by using an instructor with their own facilities and only having a couple of lessons a month (& working weird hours so if I got up at 6am I could have a 45 min lesson before work!).

Yeah it’s mildly annoying but it gets the horse used to working away from home.

If I knew there was zero chance of me ever using their onsite instructors and going offsite was going to be difficult I probably wouldn’t tbh. If the yard was being run by someone whose methods I really respected and wanted to learn / they’d be on my list of people I’d like lessons off anyway then yeah I’d accept it and have lessons in my more “niche” disciplines (TREC & WE) offsite as that would normally be the case for them anyway!
 
A decent yard locally has stopped all outside coaches.
Reason being that 2 refused to provide their insurance cover, one did something v v dangerous. Yard wasn't prepared to deal with idiots.
Shame about not having the decent ones back, but they do now have a monthly visiting trainer for clinics, who is universally well thought of.
 
It completely depends on what the resident instructor is like. My daughter’s horse was on a yard where the owner was a BE coach and outside instructors weren’t allowed. Livery included a weekly lesson and there were regular clinics onsite with other instructors. The yard was absolutely fantastic - well-run, excellent facilities, good hacking, fantastic turnout - so it wasn’t a problem at all.
 
If the resident instructor was decent and AVAILABLE at times that suited me, then it would not be a problem. I'd probably still box out to my coach to train at their facilities and keep continuity, but maybe the resident instructor would grow on me.
 
I can understand a yard not wanting visiting instructors due to the inconvenience of needing to book the arena etc, and some competition type yards need it free for their own lessons or schooling. But it wouldn’t really appeal to me, depends how willing and able you are to travel if the onsite instructor isn’t what you want. Personally as a very small scale YO (not an instructor) I like having visiting instructors and seeing the different things they do.
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
A decent yard locally has stopped all outside coaches.
Reason being that 2 refused to provide their insurance cover, one did something v v dangerous. Yard wasn't prepared to deal with idiots.
Shame about not having the decent ones back, but they do now have a monthly visiting trainer for clinics, who is universally well thought of.
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I hadn't thought of it from this POV, but it totally makes sense.
 
Nari said:
While I don't have regular lessons nowadays it would still be a deal breaker for me because of the attitude it implies.
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Same. Even if I never had a lesson in my life, this would be a red flag to me. as for booking, I would expect to have the same rights as anyone else to book facilities, whichever instructor was involved.
 
As a YO and a Coach, it's not totally straight forward. As has been mentioned INSURANCE - what is covered by the yard? I always expect to see proof of insurance from any outside coach and it must be at least the same value as mine is. Secondly if it is a small yard the impact on the YO/Coach has to be figured into the decision. Also if an outside coach is coming onto the yard and using the facilities - at no cost to themselves - they are gaining an income from my school, my school maintenance and my poles etc. I run a small yard but charge a fee for outside coaches (with insurance) to use my school.
 
It would concern me that everyone may be expected to subscribe to the same school of thought, expected to do everything in the same way and anyone that did or trained anything different would find themselves the yard outcast - however, it may not be this way, I think you'd pick up on this vibe walking around.
 
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