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  Discussion on Lesson barn programs
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Member:
majoda92

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 19, 2008 - 1:08 pm:

It has always been my mission to offer riding lessons mainly for novice riders. We have an excellent reputation in the area,even if I do say so myself! The problem is that once a student progresses to a higher level of competence, of course they want more than just lessons. I encourage my students to get involved with 4H, and we do take a few kids to 3 or 4 shows a year. We were offering a few of our lesson horses as a part lease, which offered them 1 lesson a week and the opportunity to free ride the horse a couple more times a week, and go to the horse shows. The problem we have encountered with this arrangement is that the kid gets very attached and possesive of the horse, and then gets testy when we need to use the horse in our lessons. Of course, they also want the best behaved horse in the barn so they will do well at the shows! Meanwhile, we have the horses who really need the work sitting around doing nothing but costing me money, and the beginner riders are unable to ride them because they need the better riders on them! Sometimes, when these kids outgrow the horse they have been part-leasing, they expect me to buy a horse that will be suitable to them! Such a sense of entitlement!! Last year I tried to tweak the program so that these kids would have to work with our other lesson horses too, and also volunteer to help with our lesson program at least 2 hours a week. It was a total failure! I am really considering abolishing any form of part-lease, but it really does help financially in the winter when lessons really DrOp off. Any lesson barns/ instructors have any brilliant ideas? I would love to hear how other lesson barns get their students to progress without losing them completely.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Aug 23, 2008 - 7:03 pm:

Hello Diane,
I have worked for many large barns that both start students and then take them far up the ladder of whatever endeavor they specialize in. Many of those students have grown up and now I do their children's horses so I am familiar with their histories.

Though the problem of the "favorite" horse in the barn is an old one with the young kids, the problem of expecting you to provide appropriate upper level show horses in your rental string is not. Maybe there are other BO/M out there to correct me. And the favorite problem did not bring anyone's lessons to a halt. Leasing was standard at all barns with the specific details of the lease often varying between horse and owner. The favorite would be the most expensive. Diane, as I read this it sounds like you are allowing yourself to be pushed around a bit here. Do what is best for your students, and I think riding a variety of horses is good for the budding equestrian, and then let the chips fall where they may. The old saying of, "please all, please none" applies here.
DrO
Member:
frances

Posted on Sunday, Aug 24, 2008 - 4:26 am:

Hi Diane,

Maybe if you presented your tweaked program as a great training OPPORTUNITY for the kids (as DrO points out, riding different horses hugely improves your skills) they would feel more positive about it, rather than feeling it to be an unwelcome requirement which is forced upon them?

At the barn where I board my horse, we have about 8 girls now in their late teens or early twenties who have been coming to ride around 3 times a week for a year or two now. They have to pay for one lesson a week and then they can come basically as often as their time allows, as it helps exercise the horses. I have seen an enormous improvement in their riding; most of them can get a good performance out of even the more difficult of the horses now.

So perhaps a different presentation of the same sort of program might make the kids see it as the privilege it actually is (or might at least wipe the sulky looks off their faces!). Be a politician, and put a different spin on it!
Member:
imogen

Posted on Sunday, Aug 24, 2008 - 6:24 am:

In my experience the kids who are going to make it actually do not care which horse they ride and have both a humble and a competitive streak in them which enables them to see each animal as a different challenge. They usually enjoy doing all the different disciplines as well and are interested in the stable management/care of the animals too.

It is the less able ones who must have the best pony... I think that insisting on a number of times the pony must be used in the school is a good thing which pushes those who want to go up the ladder to think about purchasing a horse because of the inconvenience. I don't have a solution for you other than for you to constantly admire publicly the children who will ride everything so that the others aspire to that level of ability and encourage anybody else who teaches the kids to also do this.

I know that's how I kept riding as a kid - my parents could not afford anything other than basic riding lessons and certainly not to buy and keep a pony, so I worked the yard all Saturday to be allowed have extra rides, and these were always on the bold ponies... I remember that whenever I or one of the others did well in overcoming a bold pony's evasions in a lesson we got lavishly praised (by English standards that means someone said "well done!" instead of ignoring you!).

Also if a child develops a bond with a bold pony I think that is to be encouraged too as long as there isn't a safety issue.

A whole other problem is the parents who have the money, buy the kid a pony but will not give the time to transport the child and pony to competitions and support them, instead aiming to "park" the child at the yard for unofficial babysitting for the weekend...

Best wishes

Imogen
Member:
majoda92

Posted on Monday, Aug 25, 2008 - 2:54 pm:

Thanks so much for all of your insight! I think you are right, Dr. O., I was letting them push me around! You certainly can't please them all, and I should know that after so many years in the business. I have found in the past week that we do have a whole new group of youngsters ready, willing and able to step up to our new program. Should be interesting to see how the older kids react to the new competition! I have even decided to hold on to a couple of ornery ponies that I was considering letting go because no one wanted to ride them. The new group of kids have decided they actually like to ride them, and they are quite successful. Now we just have to convince the mom's that we are not going to get their kid killed! Always that little nagging detail of liability! Fortunately, New Jersey does have a good law protecting riding facilities from frivolous lawsuits, and we do have each rider sign a Release form stating they recognize the risks involved.
Thanks again for responding! Diane
Member:
beckyo

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 26, 2008 - 1:57 pm:

When I first started taking lessons I rode a really quiet school pony. After about 3 months, I was switched to a different horse every week. Each horse would have some sort of issue. Nothing that would kill me, but just enough trouble that I had to really think about what I was doing, and really learn to ride. Of course, I was an adult then, so no one had to convince my parents!
I think you should encourage the children to ride the more difficult ponies. This will make better riders out of them. Of all the people I know who ride, the one who rides best is a girl whose parents couldn't afford to buy much. When she was five, they bought her a $500 pony that bucked her off at least once a day. That didn't stop her from riding. When she was 16, she bought a $400 halter broke horse from an auction, at 18, she sold that horse (which she completely trained herself)for $8000.
It is the difficult horses that teach us the most. Remind the parents they are paying you to teach the children to ride the horse, not be passengers!
Member:
imogen

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 27, 2008 - 2:49 am:

I agree with Becky's comment about passengers. This is an issue which faces all teachers in all disciplines but is particularly difficult in horseriding where the development of appropriate confidence levels is vital but differs enormously from child to child and changes as their physical strength develops too.

Imogen
Member:
majoda92

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 27, 2008 - 2:45 pm:

It's been really interesting to see how the dynamic in the barn is now changing. The "newbies" have been helping out all week (last week before school starts) and the "oldies" have been conspicuously missing! Out with the old, in with the new, perhaps? We are having such a great week. Last Friday we adopted a little pony from the SPCA. Poor little guy was seriously underfed( only 350lbs!) We also got 3 little goats from the same place. Today we picked up a big, handsome Standardbred from the Standardbred Retirement group. We are really looking forward to working with our new projects! This should be a great learning experience for all of us.
Member:
starda01

Posted on Sunday, Oct 12, 2008 - 9:33 pm:

Diane-
I don't post often but I'd like to say how impressed I am with your thinking this issue through. I love that you have adopted animals and involve your kids with them as rehabilitation projects. I think it really gives your kids a sense of "ownership" to be involved. I know it does with my daughter.

Sara
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