too many riders in a lesson

[fudge]

Hi, just a query about the number of riders that is appropriate in a lesson. I've been having a weekly lesson for two years now and the number of people joining the class has jumped to 9 on a busy day.

this is beginning to frustrate me especially when we have an indoor lesson as we take it in turns for some schooling moves and it takes ages to get a go, meanwhile your just trotting round waiting!!! also if you canter to the back of the group its so busy that the canter is usually very short.

is this normal or should I seek a different school?
I love my riding and it's not an issue if some people don't show for the lesson but when its a full house it drives me mad!

[horselover]

In my opinion, that is a very large number for a class unless it is a very large ring. In any case, I am pretty sure that you don't get the instructor's full attention. When I taught lessons at camp this summer, if I had more than 4 kids, I had someone in the ring with me to help teach or else some people don't get the instruction that they should be getting.

I know it's hard to switch barns, but if i were in your place, i would either take private lessons or switch barns. You are not getting what you are paying for, and it's also dangerous.

[Maci]

9! Are you SERIOUS! I think that's way too many people, and that's very dangerous, especially how big/small the arena is, which, no schooling arena is big enough to support 9 horses and riders in one time! I think you should opt for private or semi private lessons, or swith schools, like said above. You are not getting the right attention a beginner needs, and NOT your money worth! I think 4 or maybe 5 would be the maximum!

Maci :)

[Dizzy]

to me as if £ notes are at issue here. 9 riders is an awful lot, you will be getting very limited instruction, and that isn't fair.

I would ask for a smaller group all at a similar experience to yourself so that you can benefit from your already limited riding time.

Although riding schools do need to be run as a profitable business, the customers should be able to learn and enjoy riding horses. I dread to think of the chaos caused by 9 people in a school or outdoor arena. What do you all do, just follow each other round or are you 'parked'somewhere each taking turns?

If the classes can't be made smaller, 'hoof it' out to somewhere where you will benefit and get your money's worth.

Lesley

[Allie]

at the Girl Scout camp I volunteer at, we put up to 10 girls/horses in the arena at once simply because the demand is so high. But we also have a minimum of three people in the arena. We run 100+ girl through the program in a day and there is always a waiting list. It costs them I believe $15 and they ride for an hour and have 4 different workshops. Just saying it can be done with that many in the arena, and it really isn't unsafe.

That said, at a private riding school at which you are paying for weekly lessons, 9 does sound excessive. I would personally say probably 4 maybe 5 should be the max for a traditional group. If there is only one instructor and 9 people it doesn't sound as if you would really learn much. Depending on your finances, you may want to switch to either private lessons or a different barn. A simple solution may be just to ask if you can switch to another, smaller group that rides at a different time.

Allie

[floppy]

where i work the owners are the two instructors. The husband teaches all the private horses and owners in the yard and also me even though i dont have a horse of my own, i ride his hroses and also he speaks english so its easier for me if i dont understand something, i belive he teaches also aduls who dont have their own horse but have ben riding for a long time, he teaches single lessons, or you can share a lesson with someone...but i think 3 people it the max. his wife teaches all the youngsters and she has usually about 4 horses and one pony to each hour lesson.
However when it comes to rainy days or early evening and you want a lesson it can be absolute chaos because you will have a lesson with someone and sometimes there will be up to 9 horses in an indoor riding arena and it causes alot of frustration and friction between everyone because people are always in the way of each other because its hard to avoid small clashings. But its also very dangerous to be riding in a large arena that appears rather small when alot of horses are in it and also some hrose there are very green so it can be. But what can one doo when these people all have to work during the day ? when the weather dry at night then one can use the floodlite arena outside...and its ok

[Wally]

I don't like to teach more than 4 at a time, I don't think it's fair to stuff a group lesson until there's no room to move. With 4, everyone gets a good shot at everything and no one has to wait ages. My nerves wouldn't stand 9 thundering round, I'd also feel I wasn't giving value for money.

[JoeyJoJo]

I had a lesson last week that had 11 horses and riders in!!! That was crammed and it also took 1/2 an hour to organise the lesson!!!

[floppy]

I fidn it extremely frustrating when i see the yougner children having lesson with so many horses in the arena..and extremely dangerous...if a horse flips out with a young rider on board..i dont even want to think it about..it makes e think of when i go out hackign with a friend and her usually sensible 13yr has a freak attack and my young 6yr old has to copy everything the other horse does...so can you imagine the same senario happening in a arena with little place to get out of the way?

[Maci]

What floppy mentioned is how my instructor feels. She never teaches more than 5 to a lesson because horses are big animals, and usually most of her lessons have a beginner of some sort or a younger person, and with lots of horses, you're just asking for an accident or something to go wrong.

Maci :)