Concerned about a school.

[JOLT]

Hi there, I'm new to the horse world. My 7 yr. old daughter went on her first lesson today. After about 10 minutes of brushing the 22 year old gelding, I had to put my daughter on the horse. Shouldn't an instructor have done that? She rode him about an hour. Within that hour, I saw the school owner's daughter whack her own horse on the head twice, an 8 or 9 year old girl with experience get bucked off and ended up getting the wind knocked out of her and crying in pain, and another father go to that horse and scream hit and tried biting the horses ear. Please tell me that not all schools are like this. Anybody know of a good stable in the Raleigh, NC area? Thanks for your help.

[stormchaser]

This is an example of a badly-run school. You should be concerned indeed! Who should run the school--riding instructors or parents?! (you mentioned a kid's father there)

A good school should be safe, have qualified instructors (or at least experienced ones), safe horses and a well-managed stable. At the very least.

[Denbenj]

blimey, this place sounds the dumps. Is it BHS approved? If so I would certnainley be making a complaint to the BHS ! But usually BHS approve riding schools are well ran and take time to train there staff properley. I think there is an area here on New rider website with riding schools in your areas

What awful start ..hope things get better for you soon!

[poohsmate]

if it were me i would not go back to this place, it sounds horrific:eek: :eek:
and needs reporting....

[Guest]

I really think you should look for another school.

A few things scream out at me.

Brushing the horse - no disprespect to your daughter or indeed you but on a first lesson how can they be sure you are 'horse safe' and know what dangers to look out for
Getting her on yourself - The instructor should have introduced themselves and familiarised themsleves with your daughter.
An HOUR - For a fist lesson and a youngsters first lesson that is a little to long, to begin with it's better to start with shorter lessons in my opinion
Whacking horse across head - Erm thats just cruel
Bucking horses - Not really suitable for a riding school horse

Your daughter will not learn to ride properly at this place - find a new school, you're right to be concerned.

[Sol_Gemma]

please change schools! www.bhs.org.uk you can search for schools here, it might be best to go round and visit a few then pick the one your happiest with

[JamesJackson]

Bucking horses - Not really suitable for a riding school horse

I disagree with that as a blanket statement. Not suitable for a beginners riding school horse, but some schools cover a whole range of abilities so might have difficult horses in (sometimes on schooling livery etc) for more advanced riders.

[Afellpony]

Get out of there quick!!!

[Trace The Ace]

Get out of there quick!!!

Ditto. What IS frightening though is that no-one can do anything about it, single-handedly. It would have petrified me, and I'm not a wus.

[Guest]

I disagree with that as a blanket statement. Not suitable for a beginners riding school horse, but some schools cover a whole range of abilities so might have difficult horses in (sometimes on schooling livery etc) for more advanced riders.

Ok thats what I meant to say:o I knew that would get a comment:rolleyes:

For a complete beginner there is nothing worse that a bucking horse to quash ones confident but the better you get the more of a challenge you can handle.

[LMayhewtx]

If you're in the US, your local pony club or the american riding instructors association can help you find someone. I like the suggestions on this website for finding/interviewing instructors and riding schools:
http://horses.about.com/od/learntoride/a/begin.htm

[Danyele]

Okay, that sounds like a bad school, but I have to say...

A) due to insurance reasons when we run pony rides we have to insist peoples parents put them on- I don't know how it works at riding schools though.

B) If the young girl had experience, then maybe she was riding one of the not so ploddy horses and it was having a bad day?

but anyway, I'd still move schools!

[chocchick]

Hi there, I'm new to the horse world. My 7 yr. old daughter went on her first lesson today. After about 10 minutes of brushing the 22 year old gelding, I had to put my daughter on the horse. Shouldn't an instructor have done that? She rode him about an hour. Within that hour, I saw the school owner's daughter whack her own horse on the head twice, an 8 or 9 year old girl with experience get bucked off and ended up getting the wind knocked out of her and crying in pain, and another father go to that horse and scream hit and tried biting the horses ear. Please tell me that not all schools are like this. Anybody know of a good stable in the Raleigh, NC area? Thanks for your help.
Doesn't sound good to me :eek:
Was your daughter sharing a lesson with the bucking horse? Presuming it was a more experienced horse and rider, why were they in a 1st riding lesson? Even if separate lessons, if near enough to upset your daughter or pony it is not ideal. It sounds wierd the father screaming at and biting a horse and no-one having a problem with this. Have you had experience of handling horses if you are new to the horse world, if not that worries me, as when I've been to new stables they insist on doing everything for me and bringing the horse out, mounting me, doing girth(important in case saddle slips), stirrups and telling me where to ride or leading me across. I'm not allowed to handle horses at my new stable without an induction course.
Hope you find a nice school and can give your daughter a more positive introduction to riding.

[eml]

The experience sounds dreadful and I am sure you won't be going back. The only point that might have some validity is asking the parent to put the child on the pony.

This is not a safety but a Child Protection issue where the instructor doesn't want to be in a position of physically handling the child. Sad I know but we live in a bizzare world. I now teach all children to mount from a block on lesson one. In theory I shouldn't even give them a hug if they fall off but as long as there are parents present as witnesses I always ask if a hug would make things better and then quickly get them back on their pony.

Having said that since the rest of the experience was so horrific I am surprised if they were bothered

[Wally]

As a parent and ex-riding teacher I'm afraid if they came to me for a hug they got one!
If they went to fall I would grab them and break the fall, instinct is a hard thing to overcome and if I can stop a child getting hurt by grabbing them then I will.......and stand up in court and defend my actions!

Your experience is not a good one from what you describe. Had any father tried treating my horses like that heaven help him....I'd be back in court again, defending my actions ;) ;) ;) :D

If I were you I'd try looking about for another school. Go and watch some lessons, first before you make up your mind.

[shugey]

Raleigh has a reputation for having some really good stables-why waste your time with a bad one!

[Imp]

You are best away from there ... those poor horses trapped in that prison :(

[Sparkie]

Get out quick! I wouldn't want to go to a place like that, even though I know my RS isn't perfect. We keep the parents out of the way at all times, as we feel it would be even worse if they rushed in to try and help with any problem, so they watch from outside. With the bucker though, we have a bucking pony at our school, although she is being reschooled and we're very careful with who rides her, as we are with any more difficult horses or ponies.

[FancY_FriesiaN]

I have never heard of anything like that, you should leave as soon as you can.
I wish I could help but I live in a totally different area.

[BeachRiding]

GET OUT! Quick!

[otl1987]

Of ourse not all schools are like this! I suggest you get your daughter out of there imidiately before it has a bd effect on her. I'm not from around there, but I suppose there will be a nice stable close enough... Good luck!:)

[SADIE144]

All i can say is disgusting. :mad: if you want your daughter to learn to ride and respect horses that is not the place to go. look for a school which is bhs or abrs regestered, as these schools have to be of a certain standard, and hitting and screaming is not one of them. Half an hours lesson would be as much as your daughter could handle at first.

[horseygal90]

B) If the young girl had experience, then maybe she was riding one of the not so ploddy horses and it was having a bad day?


Fine, I think most of us have been there BUT we wouldn't have had a complete beginner in the lesson. It's irresponsible to mix ability groups, not only do accidents occur when you have someone less/more advanced than the rest but also it singles out the person/s that aren't up to scratch yet.

I'd say find a new school! And report them... NR has a list of riding schools if you look down the right hand side of your screen, about the middle of the list.

[Tootsie4U]

She is in the States. NR's list cant help her, nor the BHS.

I'd stick with the advice to check out the local pony club or 4-H. And before you commit and sign up for any lesson, ask to view a few first. Use your *mom radar* to watch for safety and how they treat the horses during that time. Any bad vibes, vote with your feet, as they say :D

Trust your instincts. You know what you saw wasnt right and it wasnt.

[Afellpony]

I note she's in the States. There must be a body there which looks after the interests of the riding schools. If I were I find out who it is and report this stables pretty quick.

[Peace]

I note she's in the States. There must be a body there which looks after the interests of the riding schools.

Nope. Not unless the school is affiliated with some organization. Most aren't.

And I have to say the OP's experience is not unusual, IME. I wound up at an awful place for my first lesson, 'cause I didn't know any better and picked a school out of the yellow pages. I learned to always watch a lesson, and to have a long chat with the instructor, before going anywhere near a horse at a new barn.