What does your riding school offer for the money?

BreeC

New Member
Feb 18, 2006
29
0
0
Australia, NSW
What I mean is how much do you pay for lessons, why did you choose to go there and what is at the school like enclosed areas jumping courses round pens etc. I'm in between schools and I'm going to go to a new one soon but I was just wondering what others get for what they pay if you know what I mean? Because as I've said in other posts I paid AU$35 for 45min private lessons but the place where I did it at was ust a bunch of paddocks and a shipping container for an office and of course some small stabbles.
 
I've been on three riding schools

1st one i was in it for the riding school this had:

indoor,
outdoor,
jumping paddock,
big spacious stables,
big big tack room,
moors - hills to hack on
quiet roads
loads of fields
lecture room

this costs 12.50 for 1hr

2nd one i was in the riding school then became a livery this had -

outdoor 40x20
lots of quiet roads
fields
x-country course
spacious stables
big tack room - place for liveries to hang out
big office

this costs 6.00 for half an hour

3rd one riding school but i am a livery this has

outdoor 20x20
2 big fields need to travel
beach
dene
caravan walkway
roads
spacious stables
kidsclub with food, chairs heat for winter (indoor)

this costs - 8.00 for half an hour
12.00 for an hour
 
BreeC,

I used to ride in Aus - and (we are talking 16 years ago) was paying $30 for a private lesson - english and $40 for pvt western. English yard had two schools, one 'proper size' one that was sand and one that was just a field that had been turned into a riding area. They had some jumps - mainly oil drums and poles and a couple of wings. No xc fences. You could go on trail rides if you wished.

Western yard was a professional training yard and had indoor and outdoor schools, sand pen, round pen, horse walker etc.

So money wize, I don't reckon your too badly off, if things have only gone up $5 in that time!!!;)

This was in Llandilo (sp?) I think that was where the place was.
 
I used to go to another riding school but they moved to where I am now! So I just followed them. They have:
125’X 225’ sand outdoor arena
Grand Prix field
80’ X 210’ indoor arena
main barn with 30 stalls
second barn, attached to the indoor arena-17 stalls
3 tack rooms, separate feed room.
All paddocks are post and board that vary in size to suit the individual needs of each horse

Lesson Rates
Private 30 min. $40.00
Private 45-60 min. $75.00
Group 60 min. $40.00

Lesson Packages
Five private 30 min. $185.00
Five private 60 min. $325.00
Five group 60 min. $185.00
http://www.valleycrestfarm.com/index.php
 
I've been at my yard nearly 6 years and I have got:

2 outdoor all weather (rubber on sand) floodlit areans of good size.
Fantastic hacking with minimal roadwork
Jump courses on grass, grass dressage areans and a Working hunter course.
fantastic horses ranging from riding school ponies to competition horses (used in the RS)
fantastic instructors ranging from PTT upto BHSII
BHS training is avaiable
Club room with vending machine/kettle etc
About 6 stables (all horses are out mostly 24/7) but loads of stalls - 50 acres of good grazing and good fencing.
 
Expertise of the instructor is a main variable in lesson cost/value for me.

My dressage instructor charges more than twice what the instructors who teach where I board charge. She does offer fancier facilities, but the differences in lesson costs have less to do with this than with the cost of her time, due to her prominence as a competitor and instructor.

My showjumping instructor (at yet a third barn) charges less for lessons than does my dressage instructor, but more than the instructors where I board. She has the best facilities of the three barns I mentioned, with 2 indoor rings, 5 outdoor rings, and a XC course.
 
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So if Iwent to a small riding school that was just basically an intructer the horse and a fenced in paddock what would be the main difference? Which features of a riding school do you use and what would an intermediate use? Sorry bout all the questions its just I would hate to join a school and then find it wasn't good for me and change. I've already done that and it really stuffed up my learning and lessons cause te instructer is going to make me start from the begining again.
 
As far as I am concerned quality of instruction is much more important than facilities.You can have all the posh facilities in the world but if the instruction is no good you won't learn much. Conversely a good instructor will make sure you learn regardless of facilities.
 
I've just started at a new yard. I pay £38 for an hours private lesson with a BHSI instructor. They have a huge indoor school, outdoor school, XC course and lots of very, very nice horses.
 
£16/hour with a BHSAI or £16/1/2 hour.

2 large indoor schools with viewing galleries
Large cross country course
Spacious stables
Jumping paddock
Knowledgeable staff
Large tack room
Tack shop
Vending machine (hot/cold drinks)
On-site farrier
Variety of horses to suit all levels
Working/DIY/full livery
Examination Centre (BHS Centre for Excellence)
 
BreeC said:
So if Iwent to a small riding school that was just basically an intructer the horse and a fenced in paddock what would be the main difference? Which features of a riding school do you use and what would an intermediate use? Sorry bout all the questions its just I would hate to join a school and then find it wasn't good for me and change. I've already done that and it really stuffed up my learning and lessons cause te instructer is going to make me start from the begining again.

Have to agree with the others - the instructor, closely followed by the horses that you will ride are the key to your learning. And yes, you may need to move school as you advance - a school may have horses suitable for beginners, but maybe not once you improve and want to get into a specific field like e.g. showjumping. :)

Teachers and schools have specialisms, and there should be no hard feelings if you progress or move onto something else after a while :) Most places suitable for novices will not be teaching people wishing to compete, and vice versa.

Oh, and any decent instructor will take your current level and build on it - I'm sure you won't have to start from the beginning again! After all, if you know how to rise to the trot, then they hardly need to spend time getting you accustomed it it ;)
 
Our yard offers lessons either private £12 (I think - it was when I used to have them - haven't had them for a while) or £10 for a group lesson. OH and I used to have twice weekly lessons (we have our own neddies and keep them on the yard now:D ) The teachers are all fab - we used to really really enjoy ours, once we'd learnt the basics, the teacher used to ask us what we'd like to work on - sometimes we just had a nice hack (particularly if it was a hot day). Choice of schools, outdoor or indoor - depending on the weather. The lessons were meant to last half an hour - but we always ended up staying for much longer, its a lovely place to learn, no pressure and really friendly - just a bit far for you to come me thinks........!:D :D
 
Since where i take lessons i board my mare, i have to pay for all that

Board: $115
Feed: $3 bale, for 2 bales weekly
Health care: $75 (hoove trim, wormer, and money set aside for vet)
twice weekly lessons: $50

We have a 12 by 12 stall. Automatic watereres. BIG pastures. Lots of outdoor as well as indoor roundpens. Over 250 acres worth of trails. HUGE indoor arena.
 
Board is $300 a month for outdoor and $500 a month for indoor.
Outdoor includes the use of all facilities (indoor, racetrack and two outdoor arenas), as well as any doctoring.
Indoor includes extra feed, turnout, blanketing, doctoring and use of all the facilities.


Lessons are $25 per half hour and we have 3 trainers. One A level pony club coach who does most of the young riders and breaks the horses. One Grand Prix dressage rider, and one trainer who has her coaching level 1 (only two of them in Canada at the moment) So the training is definatel worth it.

The barn also offers training for horses (hence the name Aspen Creen Training Center) We aren't really a lesson barn, meaning that almost everyone owns/leases their own horse.
 
At my riding school they have a large, fenced off grass "school", which is like 2 20x40's shoved end to end, with extra space each side. It was £18 for an hour group lesson, which could be flatwork, jumping, or hack at RI's discretion. Private at my place obviously she uses the facilities available, but I normally say what I 'd like to do/work on. They are £33 for an hour. I learn alot and they are worth it. :)
 
Ours is an 20x30 indoor school, 20x40 outdoor, or occasionally 20x60 paddock.
Lessons are 18 pounds for a half hour private, 16 for a shared private, and 14 for a joint private (3 people). I think it's about 12 for a class (4-6 people).
There's about 38 horses (about 20 riding school ones) and around 8 instructors, of various qualifications.

Any help?

xxx
 
Here's what's offered at my yard (and mine is moderately priced for my area):

Riding lessons = $40 per 45 minutes
Shoeing from an outside ferrier = $120
12x12 box stall (feed included) = $250 <--- larger stalls are more
1 rectangular schooling arena (outdoor)
1 jumping arena (outdoor)
No turn out - but our schooling arena often serves as our turn out area
Free trailer parking

Everything else (ie. grain, worming, etc) I need to take care of on my own.
 
Mine's expensive

. . . but good.

Facilities:

Covered indoor arena (standard size)
Outdoor sand school (about 2x the size of the indoor school)
2 cross country courses - one small and one big
30 horses, all abilities, including a prix st. george dressage schoolmaster
25 ponies, all abilities/sizes
off-road hacking (cross country there too)
tack shop
BHS testing centre
BSHAI instructors plus guest instructors (including Robert Pickles)

Cost:

Adult private (regardless of instructor) - £59.00/hour
Adult group - £38.00/hour
Child private - £30.00/ 1/2 hour
Child group - £32.00/hour

Livery:

Horse - £262.00/month
Pony - £198.00/month

Owners w/ horses on working livery get half price lessons and unlimited free hacking (accompanied or alone). Livery includes all feed, shoeing and turnout and standard vet visits (so innoculations).

Honestly, the teaching is excellent - and I really like the way they take care of the horses (they don't overwork them), but I wish it wasn't so expensive - I currently have two private lessons a week, one of my daughters has a private 45-minute lesson and the other has an hour-long group lesson. Costs us a small fortune every month.

N
 
Myn includes:

Echoe(my part share) £60 a month
Spacous stables
tack room
concrete yard.
lots and lots and lots and lots of hacking
lessons - £12 1/2 £15 hr (I have free lessons cos of echoe)
grass arena
6 horses which are the best horses in the whole entire world!

i love it and its bliss

x X x
 
My last school was $200 a month [u.s.]

1 Outdoor ring with jumps
1 indoor ring with jumps
25 horse barn
5 separate stall with runs
30 1 acre paddocks
1 5 acre paddock

$50 for half hour private or for an hour group lesson
 
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