BHS riding school approval system- opinions?

Loopy_Laura

Loopy_Laura

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Apr 3, 2002
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I just wanted to know what everyone thought of the bhs riding school approval thing?
No real reason :rolleyes: , just interested...
I personally have experienced some fab bhs schools but some uterrly dreadful that should be liscenced let alone bhs approved (but thats another story :p )!
 
They don't police it, once you have recognition that's you, standards are not required to be maintained.

Same with their AIs, once they have passed they are not required to maintain a standard, I have complained about certain AIs and the BHS say "If they came up with the standard on the day and have the certificate, that's that", even if they are on the register!

The BHS are out to make money, if they start to remove folk they won't get the inspection fee next year!, call me a cynic!
 
well i have no confidence it. I think for schools with a daily commitment to high standards its a shame as the ones who dont usually bother get to be BHS approved when they make the effort for one day.

having been on yards that have had there regular inspections i just htink whats the point. They are told prior to the inspection day that they will be inspected.

All yard staff then spend a week, grooming and washing horses/ponies that never usually get groomed apart from saddle bridle areas, cleaning tack, scrubbing stables, get handed a hoof pick so you pick out the feet of every horse/pony before it is moved, when in fact the poor things never get done usually.

the list coudl go on.

i have also seen better run establishments that are not BHS approved.
 
I agree when the BHS inspectors came to my yard all of a sudden we were wearing riding hats to handle, and the hoof picking thing too right! and the incessant cleaning of everywhere, wish the YO would rake her on bloody car park!
 
The BHS approval should be a good thing, but I do agree with what everyone else has said. However, I remember having to do a "helper training day" at the riding school where I used to work (average age was 11, I was 17 at the time :mad: ) because they were told to pull their socks up by the BHS, so I guess they must have had some sort of spot check.
 
i think people go to much on qualifications and approvals of instructers/yards, and think its a shame that a lot of people think that there instructer needs to be qualified in order to teach them well.some of the best lessons ive had are with people that are unqualified.
 
Jenni said:
All yard staff then spend a week, grooming and washing horses/ponies that never usually get groomed apart from saddle bridle areas, cleaning tack, scrubbing stables, get handed a hoof pick so you pick out the feet of every horse/pony before it is moved, when in fact the poor things never get done usually.
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god - reading that just made me realise how fantastically good the BHS yard I ride at and worked at for 3yrs is.

I think the BHS system can work but it needs standards to be set. The yard 9as mentioned aboved) that I worked on and still have lessons up there:

the yard would be swept atleast twice a day, all horses were throughly groomed (all were out 24/7) so many would come in caked in mud, everyone uses the mounting block (very rarely would you see someone mount from the ground) tack was cleaned at least once a week, etc etc

However I do know of yards that are approved and shouldnt and vice-versa
 
teapot - that is exactly why i think its unfair. you get fab yards that are wonderful and then those that dont bother are given the same approval.

we were horrendously understaffed and the animals didnt ge the care they deserved unless we stayed late or worked through lunches etc to do extra. sad state od affairs really.
 
I think for a riding school to have BHS approval is good in a sense that if anything goes badly wrong there is some come back! However, I should think that over half of the people who ride dont even know what the BHS is. They dont exactly widely publish their aims do they? Two of the BHS approved riding schools I helped out at worked their horses 5 hours a day 6 days a week and the other worked their horses 5/6 hours a day 7 days a week. How on earth did they get approval?
 
think for a riding school to have BHS approval is good in a sense that if anything goes badly wrong there is some come back!
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What comback? Every time I have phoned the BHS I have been fobbed off!
 
Jenni said:
teapot - that is exactly why i think its unfair. you get fab yards that are wonderful and then those that dont bother are given the same approval.
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i completley agree with you there the last riding school i was at (i was a livery there) you would probably think why on earth did they get BHS approval? but they did :(
 
Well I must be unusual because our BHS insections are done unannounced. We have an annual surprise visit where they tend to check the condition of horses tack etc and a prearranged Training Centre inspection where we have to present all instructors and horses in lessons at our highest level we train to(Stage 3 for us). Obviously this can't be done as a surprise thing as horses/students may not be available.

There is discussion at the moment in the BHS that schools should also have a * rating a bit like hotels with a secret inspector...that would be quite telling!
 
The best schools I learnt to ride in were not BHS approved horses were lovely instructors professional.

Dont rate any of the BHS schools in my area Im afraid instructors were useless!!!
 
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