CZ550Kevlar Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 My 5 soon to be 6 year old daughter is pestering me for horse-riding lessons, i have absolutely no idea what to look for and how much i should be paying etc, i have looked at a couple of places websites and oh my giddy aunt they are damned expensive. Does anyone know of any off the beaten track places that exist around me that would be cheaper but still good? also what am i looking for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 There a brittish horse society (or similar orhanisation) that will have lists and check them out before going/booking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Sweepy Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 I used to go round the horsey set and offer to clean out stables and groom the horses for free rides your little one might be a little young at the mo but I started at seven just went with an older child. Never did pay for a riding lesson. Mind you soon lost interest when boys came on the scene offen think of taking it up again (the horses not the boys ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pimpkiller Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 I've never met anyone whose ridden horses and not had many broken bones. Just pass her a loaded shotgun, its safer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CZ550Kevlar Posted March 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 I've never met anyone whose ridden horses and not had many broken bones. Just pass her a loaded shotgun, its safer That`s one of the main reasons i don`t like the idea, i trust horses as much as i trust one of my farmers prize bulls, my personal opinion is that horses should be pulling farm machinery, making glue or feeding dogs, it`s not like an incident is going to be minor, probably far from it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pimpkiller Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 don't bother, all girls go through a horse faze but it never lasts, its all too much trouble, you will probably end up going into a weird time share scheme with other people ive had loads of relatives have a go with horses, it lasts a couple of months (usually badly) then you have to get rid of the thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CZ550Kevlar Posted March 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 she has got the idea in her head from my sisters 2 girls, she has a horse for some reason. i was entertaining the idea but a group lesson is showing as about £30+ for 30 minutes which is crazy, i want to pay for her to have a little ride around not race a thoroughbred in the 3:30 at Ascot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pimpkiller Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 you've got the right idea, its all not worth it. You just cant trust horses, let your kid ride one and her next ride will be in a wheelchair. Im sure someone will disagree with me soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamus Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 (edited) First off I'll say that I'm not a fan of horses in any way, but my wife is and it was inevitable that my daughter was going to learn! She's 7 and has been riding for about 18 months. No broken bones, in fact not fallen off yet (although has managed to hang on a couple of times!). A group lesson costs us £14 for 30 mins and and it's £16 for a 30 minute private lesson. £30 for 30 mins is extortionate! Shame I can't help with stables local to you, but none of the ones around me charge anything close to that. For what it's worth, the ponies they use are as docile as hell and they pay great attention (in as much as they can still be unpredictable) to the safety aspect. My daughter has to wear her hat and protective impact vest before she goes near the ponies, let alone ride them. We did have a part ownership in a horse for my wife a few years ago but it was an utter ball ache in just about everyway (I had to go and repair the electric fence in its paddock on an almost daily basis as it used to charge through it). So I recommend if it ever comes to that, don't do it. As a passing thought I expected my daughter to get bored of it too, but she absolutely loves it, has joined the pony club etc etc. Edited March 9, 2012 by Seamus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROY Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 my 9yr old loans a horse at a local pony sanctury. We take her off at 9am and pick her up at 5pm shes gone all day and gets a lesson / ride out as well as learning to care for ponies and horses costs us £21 for a whole day of horsey entertainment for her. You may be better looking for a sanctury rather than posh horsey types. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyska Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 (edited) Have a look at the Pony club website, you may pay a little extra, but you can be assured that the place will be insured, the instructors are well qualified, first aid is available. I pay a lot, a month for my daughter, but she is doing fantastic (she competes in show and hunter), and yes, it can be a dangerous game, I only put on here not too long ago that my daughter is having extensive dental surgery after an accident and suffered some rather nasty facial injuries. But thats so rare to happen, she was just very unfortunate. I pay about £100 a week, but thats riding, pony club exams, pony club nights etc Don't let that put you off though, your little one will learn self confidence, gain core strength, learn to care and look after a sentient animal and find friends in a social circle away from school... Don't forget decent safety equipment! Edited March 9, 2012 by kyska Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR1960 Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 don't bother, all girls go through a horse faze but it never lasts, its all too much trouble, you will probably end up going into a weird time share scheme with other people ive had loads of relatives have a go with horses, it lasts a couple of months (usually badly) then you have to get rid of the thing. I wish, mine's had horses since she was 5 (she's now 15) buying suitable land round here is impossible, it just never comes on the market, so £100/month DIY livery/horse, £40/month bedding, £60/month hay, £50/month feed, £500 for a saddle, £500 rugs, £100's assorted tack, cleaning stuff etc etc So at £20/hour a lesson is really just the tip of the iceberg. (mates rates using her own horse that is) If they're keen the best way is have a nip round the local livery yards and ask about. There's always someone who does cash in hand lessons or knows someone who does, the one's who advertise all cost a fortune. And rather than posh horsey types you'll soon find most people with horses are skint, mainly because they have horses!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeds chimp Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 I wish, mine's had horses since she was 5 (she's now 15) buying suitable land round here is impossible, it just never comes on the market, so £100/month DIY livery/horse, £40/month bedding, £60/month hay, £50/month feed, £500 for a saddle, £500 rugs, £100's assorted tack, cleaning stuff etc etc So at £20/hour a lesson is really just the tip of the iceberg. (mates rates using her own horse that is) If they're keen the best way is have a nip round the local livery yards and ask about. There's always someone who does cash in hand lessons or knows someone who does, the one's who advertise all cost a fortune. And rather than posh horsey types you'll soon find most people with horses are skint, mainly because they have horses!! we or should say SWMBO has two horses that she keeps at her mums house with the stables and trust me its not cheap at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKPoacher Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 A private 30 minute lesson should be around £20. After a few of those she'll be able to move onto group lessons which are cheaper. I started riding at 53 and wish I'd done it forty years earlier (if only for the totty). I'm now living on a farm and could in theory have my own horse, but as JR has already pointed out, they cost a fortune to run and if you are blighted with a horse that needs constant veterinary care can be very expensive indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 IF the price of lessons is putting you off then nip it in the bud..... running a horse makes a V8 Defender look cheap to run and a sound investment..... http://www.pcuk.org/index.php/centres?option=com_sobi2&sobi2Task=search&Itemid=9999 http://www.bhs.org.uk/Riding/Starting_To_Ride/Where_to_learn.aspx I used to ride, never broke anything coming off a horse... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 I've never met anyone whose ridden horses and not had many broken bones. Just pass her a loaded shotgun, its safer here is one, never broken a bone and thats considering we started before health and safety went mad and lived somewhere where we could have ponies and ride them quite energetically from about 8 years onwards. Best advice is stop looking online and start asking other parents, you'll find far cheaper places and once they can ride you may well find someone willing to share work and some costs on their own pony that can work out cheap. Whats killing riding lessons is the no win no fee compensation culture we have, when we used to have lessons if you fell off it was an accident now there is blame to be attached Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscarsdad Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 A private 30 minute lesson should be around £20. After a few of those she'll be able to move onto group lessons which are cheaper. I started riding at 53 and wish I'd done it forty years earlier (if only for the totty). I'm now living on a farm and could in theory have my own horse, but as JR has already pointed out, they cost a fortune to run and if you are blighted with a horse that needs constant veterinary care can be very expensive indeed. If only for the totty? Well I would add caution to this this...my previous 3 girlfriends before my current one were all horsey women...yes they had fantastic legs etc but every single one was completely mental! Obsessed is not the word for how they are with the horses! All of them ended up in hospital through equestrian injuries (although to be fair cross country is probably the most dangerous or one of the most dangerous disciplines). They all had no money and I am still owed a few thousand as well! I did learn to ride (I even learnt to ride a horse as well!) and it is very enjoyable. I even toyed with getting my own horse but I am glad I didn't due to the huge expense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarn2215 Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 I am a horsey bird and although it has been years since I have been to a riding school for lessons, I was shocked recently when I had the 2 daughters of a family friend come to help with my horses on a weekend and I realised that although they could sit to a walk trot and canter, they actually had no idea how to control the horse. So make aure that you check the following: that the instructors are all BHS AI or above qualified that the school is a BHS Approved riding school (check the date on their certificate) check that their insurance certificate (this should be displayed somewhere) ask them what their ehos to teaching is. if the kids are going to follow each other round and they arent going to learn to ride independantly then in my experience this causes more accidents. Look at the condition of the horses, are they covered in mud, do that have a glazed look, do they look lame etc ask if you can watch a lesson to see what they are like. and lastly if there is anything that you are unhappy with then walk away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscarsdad Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 Above post best advice on here so far by a long way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyska Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 Above post best advice on here so far by a long way. I agree.. Although some pics would be useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKPoacher Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 I went to a riding school near Sheffield and the instructors were hopeless. All they were interested in was gettimg my money. They put me on a horse that was spooked by cyclists and took me out into the woods where there was a cycle track. In my first three lessons the horse reared every time a cyclist went past! In the school it wouldn't do three steps without having to be kicked on. Then I went to another school and it was different again. Not only did I learn to ride, but I got to experience problem horses (they ALL have problems) in a controlled and safe environment. I can't wait until the local riding school over here opens next month. Oscarsdad; Yes, you are right. Not only are the horses whappy and expensive to run, the women seem to be too. Still, you only have to ride them for an hour, then walk away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pheasant Feeder Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 I am a horsey bird and although it has been years since I have been to a riding school for lessons, I was shocked recently when I had the 2 daughters of a family friend come to help with my horses on a weekend and I realised that although they could sit to a walk trot and canter, they actually had no idea how to control the horse. So make aure that you check the following: that the instructors are all BHS AI or above qualified that the school is a BHS Approved riding school (check the date on their certificate) check that their insurance certificate (this should be displayed somewhere) ask them what their ehos to teaching is. if the kids are going to follow each other round and they arent going to learn to ride independantly then in my experience this causes more accidents. Look at the condition of the horses, are they covered in mud, do that have a glazed look, do they look lame etc ask if you can watch a lesson to see what they are like. and lastly if there is anything that you are unhappy with then walk away! Excellent advice, but to find the ones local to you, visit a couple of tack shops in your area and ask the staff which they would recommend. The horse world is a small world and the word gets round quite quickly, whether good or bad. After visiting a couple you will start to find which ones have a good reputation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR1960 Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 (edited) Above post best advice on here so far by a long way. Maybe, however, sadly none of that guarantees it's a decent school, with decent ponies or that you'll get a decent instructor, and with regards the OP it'll cost an arm and a leg. Local word of mouth is still the best way to find a good instructor, especially if you have no experience yourself. Edited March 9, 2012 by JR1960 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvbus Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 As said word of mouth is the best way, just like finding a permission. Get some lessons under her belt & a bit of experience. There are plenty of ponies out there that have been outgrown that owners want someone trustworthy to ride, often for nothing. Best way to find out about these is through pony club or from somebody who already goes, most of the ponies have been passed round the kids as they grow and are well known by the parents, if you do decide to buy one at a later date it takes most of he guesswork out of getting a good one. My eldest daughter started when she was five and she absolutely loves it. I'd much rather she was out in the countryside, keeping fit & active enjoying life rather than being stuck in front of the telly! Don't be put off, ATB, Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harpoonlouis Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 My girls both started lessons at about 8 years of age. By now I am probably on the hole for about 50K though they are now paying their own bills but.. Horse ( now 4 off) Livery Vets Insurance Back Man Tooth Man Farrier Lessons Transport Worming Feed Tack Clipping Competitions Hunting Showing Breeding Internationals And the time....... However They don't drink, they don't do drugs, they can get out of bed in the morning, they have friends all over the country, they don't have eating disorders and they aren't pregnant! The benfits are huge and so are the costs but Hey Ho that's life. Our 20 year old hunting pony Holly and my daughter "playing". I get older everytime they do this stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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