a one hour lesson

[laura jeanne]

My lessons are an hour long, but between the tacking up and untacking, I don't seem to get more than 25 minutes for the actual lesson. This doesn't seem right to me. Does anyone else have this problem?

[HAYLEY GITTOES]

I would soon complain about that, normally the horses are tacked up and ready!! You should have 1 hour riding. I would defintly sort that out.

Let us know how you get on.

[Lucy J]

unless the lesson specifies horse & pony care as well as riding. our instructor asks for her pupils to be there 15 minutes earlier than their lesson to help and get tacked up and mounted.

[Bertie]

I have an hours lesson a week - would love more!!:p

If our horse is not tacked up it is our responsibility to tack him up (depends on skill level & how long you've been riding etc), this doesn't apply to everyone. But we are advised to arrive bewteen 20-15 minutes early so we can tack up and be ready to start the lesson - we then up tack and rug up but this is done after 1-hour in the school.

I don't think tacking and untacking should be included in your tuition time - ubless your being taught stable and horse management as well.

Maybe you could turn up at little earlier and tack up prior to your lesson time or do you have to be supervised tacking up???

Other than that highlight this to your instructor and ask whether this time should be taken out of your hours lesson???

[Yann]

If it's purely a riding lesson then that's not on, you should have the best part of an hour in the saddle being taught. I used to end up tacking my own lesson horses up, because I wanted to learn how. After a while though they didn't get tacked up for me if I was late:rolleyes:

[Foxylady]

They should really tell you to get there with enough time to spare to tack up and start riding so that you have a full hours lesson, are you paying for just the lesson or are you paying to learn horse management?
I work at a riding school and we tack all the horses up before clients arrive, even if the client is early we still tack up and wouldnt expect them to do it unless they were paying to be taught how to!!!
You should find out exactly how much and what your paying for, else your loosing your money and could be spending the same money on a full riding lesson somewhere else.

[eml]

Depends on your school and its custom. At ours more experienced customers do tack up but that takes them no longer than it would take a less experienced ride to be mounted and stirrups adjusted etc before moving to the school.. Everyone untacks but that is not counted as part of the hours lesson and is done in the overlap while the next ride is mounting etc

[T-bred]

When I would take riding lessons I would get there 15- 20 minutes early so that I could get my chaps on and to groom and tack up the horse. And after the hour lesson it was always are responsibility to take care of the horse. So in the winter we always had to put their blankets and sheets back on and in the summer we always had to take them to the wash racks and hose them off.
Anna

[anna_lindsay]

you're paying to have the actual lesson. you should complain, so at least you could get everyone in your lesson to arrive earlier to tack up, or have the horses tacked for you. you should be spending an hour in the saddle. alternatively find a different riding school! where abouts do you live (i've ridden in most regions of the uk!)

[laura jeanne]

AT this stable, tacking up and untacking is included in the lesson time. We do get there early but because we have the first lesson of the day (my husband and I together) , sometimes we have to get the horse from the field or something. Then the next lesson starts on the hour so we have to stop our lesson 10-15 minutes before the hour. Some days are worse than others. My husband likes to take lessons here, so even tho it makes me angry sometimes, I am still going there.

I have to admit there are things I don't like about this place, but on the whole, we learn more than just riding- helped feed the horses once, learn some ground training, and things like that.

I have started taking an extra private lesson a week at another stable that is much closer to my house. I'm now thinking about this as my "real" lesson because the actual riding is almost an hour.

[Jul]

Maybe that's taken into account in the price of the lesson? If you're paying normal prices then i'd say that was a bit wrong, certainly never happened to me when I've had a lesson, the horse is usually tacked up and ready. If I untack, its after the hour is finished.

[laura jeanne]

Forgot to say that we have to groom the horses before and after the lesson too. In the summer, we give them a bath after since it can get up to around a hundred degrees here and it is very humid in the summer. So this also takes time.

[kedwards]

Unless you're inexperienced and need assistance with tacking and grooming, I would expect to go in early to do them rather than have these things take up lesson time. Like Jul said, if you feel your getting a bargain anyway, it may be worth it, but it isn't the typical way of doing things.

[Equisgurl]

ugh, I know what your mean, its one of those things that really tick me off. I'm always on time for my lesson, come 20. min earlier and tack up my horse, my lesson is at 7:30, so most of the people arrive 5 min, before that, but couple always have to be late, then it takes them really long time to tack up and mount. But the worst part, our instructors really disregard the whole timing thing. For example our lesson was going to be inside, but since the previous instructor decided to stay 10 min. longer, we went outside. Then I really hate when its like 7:35, and my instructor is standing and chit chatting with some boarder, so pretty much every single time, we end up starting 15-20 later. really makes me mad, cause I only have 1 lesson a week, and I'm trying my best to learn as much as I can, and its really not helping. I wish people were little more organized.:rolleyes:

[Bertie]

Time Keeping is not something I think many yards & riding schools have quite comprehended.

However, that said we are lucky with ours as even if they are running 20-30mins late on the lessons the instructors will just strat our hour from when the lesson starts not when the lesson menat to start and we never finish in time either normally have 5-10 mins extra - which doesn't help with the time keeping issue :D :D

[TBEventer2002]

Every barn & instructor I have ever been around (and I have also been a working student, *helping* beginner students tack up for their lessons) has *EXPECTED* that students tack up their own horse (instructor will help if needed) and be in the ring riding and warming up (at least walking around) by the time your class or lesson is to start.

I have always been the type to come at least 1/2 hr early so that I can tack up my own horse, and I tend to work around trainers who appreciate that from all their students. If I am in a group lesson, my instructor is out there at the time class starts. If you come in late (at my level, we know all about tacking up and such as nearly all of us have been riding for several years so there is no excuse to need help; if you need help, you ask well before class), you just get that much less riding time.

However, if for some reason the lesson gets started late, the instructors will tend to give you your hour of *riding* time. It *may* throw the rest of that day's classes off slightly (if there is a particularly tight schedule that day, but it's *VERY* rare), but everyone is paying for their hour.

I purposely steer clear of huge riding barns that work on such a tight schedule that, as the previous class exits, the next class enters for their lesson. I would think instructors would be classy enough to allott at least 10-15 minutes between classes to take a break, if anything. But, hey, money is money and they have to make their living, too. :)

I am NOT saying that you spending 25 minutes in the saddle is OK. You are obviously paying per hour, and you should at least bring this up to your instructor as to how she suggests you split your time. If you are really unable to come early enough to tack up your own horse and get more than 25 minutes riding time, then you really should pick a different time to take the lesson (unless the program is very popular -- in that case, congrats on picking a fab barn! You truly will learn a lot, but need to better manage your time). If you can't come early, could you stay late? That way, you could at least ride til the "end of your hour" and just untack past your hour.

I personally don't think anyone who doesn't at least *WANT* to learn about management and at least tacking up your own horse doesn't need to be taking riding lessons. :( Just my opinion. So, laura, I commmend you on taking that initiative and wanting to learn!!!! :D:D:D

SORRY IF I HAVE OFFENDED ANYONE! :D

[laura jeanne]

TBeventer-

I do consider everything I do at the stable as worthwhile. I enjoy the grooming and tacking up time as much as riding!

I want to say something to the instructor this Saturday because I don't actually feel that we are getting enough instruction for the hour we are paying for. I hope I can do it and not just let it go the way I usually do.

[ponytude]

I get at the barn at least an hour or so early to tack up a horse for my lesson. We are expected to do this unless the horse is already being used and is tacked up or if you dont know how they will assites you. I enjoy tacking upp and grooming very much. I know lots of people tell me if ( *if They rode firstly) they were rich they would get my hrose groomed and tacked up instead of doing it themselve. I totally disagree. I would tack up and everything myself just because its the way I learned the sport.? Sorry I dont mean to offend anyone so please dont take any offence.


PONYTUDE

[horselverfrver]

I make it habit to arrive ten minutes early to my lesson. Fortunately the other girl in my lesson does the same. However, if you are in a group lesson, you may experience this problem: arriving early, and getting tacked up on time, while the other girl is just arriving. THEN, you have to wait until SHES tacked up. I've gotten a new trainer who lets you get on the horse when you're tacked up however.
Also: if you are a pretty good rider and can handle your horse, your trainer may let your ride over the lesson time limit(mine does), unless the horse is needed for something else right away.

[IrisSilverMoon]

I don't understand why you have to pay to tack and untack. that's what it sounds like to me. If you show up earlyto tack up are you still paying?

I can understand if you are supposed to tack up for yourself, my stable makes you do that too, but we don't charge for it unless you are late and it cuts into the actual lesosn time. If i havea lesson at 1:00 i will be there around 12;30/12:45 to tack up so i can be ready for my lesson at 1, if this were an hour lesson i would be done by 2 to untack for however long that takes. Is this what you are expected to do? or do you show up at 1 for the hour lesson and part of the lesson is tacking up? i dont' think you should pay to do something yourself like that, i would just start going earlier so you can tack up and be ready.

At my barn we make you go out to the field to get your horse and take it up yourself. If you can't do this or don't feel comfortable we will give you help (small children aren't allowed into the field), we don't even charge for that. If you are late to a lesson it will cut into lesson time and you'll miss out, that's why you hav eto get there early enough to get ready.

[laura jeanne]

We always get to the lesson early, at least 15-20 minutes. This time, we got there 30 minutes early. I was riding a new horse and he was covered with mud, so it took me a little longer than usual to get ready. The instructor said, "since you got here 15 minutes early, we'll finish 15 minutes early." We did not start riding til 9:10 (9:00 lesson) and finished at 9:35. We usually stop at 10 minutes before the hour so the horses can be ready for the next lesson if they are being used.

This is a small barn with only one instructor. I think this last lesson was a bit unusual, I'm not sure what was going on. When things like this happens there, I get angry and have even cancelled my next lesson a couple of times because of it, but other times are really great so I keep going back.

I know I need to speak up for myself, but never seem to be able to!!

[TBEventer2002]

That situation you just described is WRONG. W-R-O-N-G, WRONG!!! I would complain and find a new trainer. It is quite obvious why she is the only trainer there -- she probably is some level of an impersonable control freak.

Sorry to be so harsh, but I wouldn't put up with that kind of instruction. It's VERY discouraging! Trainers should ENCOURAGE their students to come a little early, not punish them by cutting their lesson short.

I wish I lived near you! I am certainly one to speak my mind when I know I or someone I care about is being wronged! :)

[IrisSilverMoon]

yeah, I think that's pretty lame. When you think about it you are paying to tack your own horse up. Its one thing to pay someone else to do it, but you are doing the work yourself, that's not part of a lesson. I would complain or find someone else.