Small barn or big stable? Group or private lessons?

Question

Hello! I've been riding about 6 years, I used to have a full time lease on a horse and work in a stable I guess for about a year. I've taken lessons in bigger stables (although still pretty unprofessional) and small privately owned barns. I've been out of riding for about 4 years, I took some lessons about 2 years ago but then had to stop because I moved. I want to get back into riding seriously and I'm looking at taking lessons at a bigger stable. I think I want to take 6 lessons a month, 4 "regular" lessons and 2 on the lunge line with a heavy focus on building a secure seat. Does that sound reasonable, or should I cut it down? Should I look at small barns or stables this time do you think? Should my 4 lessons be group or private? What do you all learn best from and enjoy most?

Answer 1

Sounds just like my situation!

I took lessons for about 7 years at a very big, well known barn in our area-but I took group lessons, and let me tell you, it was a massive group! About 10-12 kids in each lesson! At the time, I didn't mind-hey I had nothing to complain about, I was riding and that's all I wanted to do!

However, my family's house burned down and I had to stop. About three years later, once I had a job and could pay for my own lessons, I decided to take them again-I went back to the same big, group-lesson place. After about a year of that, I had to stop to move away to college.

Well, the college I moved away to wasn't at all what I was hoping it would be, so I dropped that and moved back home. Got another job, started working, started at a closer (and much better) school, and decided "hey! It's time to ride again!" This time I did it differently;

I went to a smaller barn, took private lessons, and am half-leasing a horse.

I have to say I much prefer the smaller barn, and the private lessons. In the group lessons I RARELY got individual attention, if at all. Despite riding for 7 years, I was all over the place because of lack of correction from the group lessons (and being out of the saddle for a while). With that many kids, and only an hour to ride, the instructor is pretty much forced to look at only the worst (hazardous riders) and correct them. In the private lesson (with a much better instructor I must say) I have gotten the attention, correction, and instruction I need that I never got in the group lessons.

I think group lessons are okay, if you have less than 4 people in your lesson. The more people you have in the lesson, the less personal attention and instruction you will get directed to you, so just keep that in mind!

My lessons at the big barn were once a week, for an hour. That was all the riding I ever got to do at that place because they had so many clients and had the instructors had hardly any time to fit anyone in anywhere else (thats what you get for having one barn close to a city-pretty much the only barn that everyone who wants to ride in Cleveland goes to).

My lessons at this smaller barn are one hour, one a week. But I get 4 days a week with the horse I half lease. I would looove to take more lessons, but unfortunately being a college student means my wallet is very very very thin.

Answer 2

Even though private lessons are great with one on one time with the trainer focusing on only you, group lessons help you learn how to maneuver around other horses. I think you'll get more out of group lessons, and maybe if you're lucky at one point you may be the only one there. :)

Answer 3

Group lessons are fun because you make a lot of friends, but you might not move as fast because the trainer usually wants everyone to be on the same page. Also, with an arena full of other students, the trainer wont concentrate on everyone at once. So if your making a mistake you wont get noticed!

On the other hand, private lessons wont be as fun, but you will move up and learn more faster because the trainer can focus on only you.

So maybe do both!  

Answer 4

I'm not sure how to define large or small stable, but I was fortunate to learn to ride at a stable with both an instructor and an instructor / trainer. They have about fifteen horses boarded, of which five or eight are typically in training. The instructors have a philosophy of "teaching you to ride horses, not just how to ride this horse", and I think that approach has a lot to do with helping to improve my seat. In a year, I rode seven horses, some of which were not completely finished.

This also came in handy when I went looking for my own horse, because I knew what I liked and what I didn't like among the horses I had ridden at the barn, and I wasn't worried about riding a new horse.

The instructor / trainer combination is great, because you can  learn some things about training that can be useful when you buy your own horse and even can help during your lessons, warm ups and cool downs.

I started at eight lessons a month, and then after about four months added four self-practice sessions on top of that. Now at one and a half years, with a horse of my own, I ride sixteen to twenty days a month, and have between four and eight lessons in there, depending on what I'm focusing on and how much self-practice time I need between lessons.

Having both an indoor and outdoor arena allows you to ride and lesson year round - which in my experience keeps you on the path to improvement rather than requiring a big reset every spring. But you do have to be determined to go ride on some of those cold nights.

I like both private and group lessons. I think group lessons are helpful, because watching other riders and their strengths and weaknesses really help me understand my own. It is always helpful to watch other riders in the lesson or outside of lessons, and even to watch trainers at work - you can use this to see what different levels of riding really look like. And private lessons are a great way to get concentrated time on your key areas and needs.

I was also very happy that I was given my own time with a horse as soon as it was safe for me and I had good enough habits to not backslide without constant correction from an instructor. There is something really helpful in once in a while (at least once a week) just listening to the horse and your body without interruption.

There's no set speed for how fast you are going to "get better". The more you ride and the fitter you are, the faster you will go. I think twice a week is minimum if you want to improve, and I try to have twice a week lessons be no more than a day apart (Mon / Wed or Tues / Thurs). I also rock climb a day a week (two days if I can) which keeps my general fitness up - riding is great for legs and core, but upper body strength is also important, as is stretching and flexibility.

Finally, if you are focusing on your seat, a really excellent book called "Balance in Movement" by Suzanne von Dietze helped me a lot (even though I ride Western rather than English). You can find it at http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksea...

You have wise thoughts on owning a horse. Take your time - you do want to know all of those things you listed so that you are a horseman / horsewoman rather than just a rider. I have an article I've written at http://www.temporaldoorway.com/stable/ar... which talks about what you need to know and how to prepare for horse ownership. Maybe it will be helpful.

Good luck and enjoy riding!

Answer 5

Don't take a group lesson- you hardly learn anything. Private's the way to go.

Go to a small barn because they give you personal attention,and you actually GO somewhere w/ riding.

Answer 6

Sounds like the 6 lessons is a good plan if you are fit enough for it. I preferr the smaller barns bc they tend to be more personal and focused on you. But Ive ridden at some larger stables and still benefited greatly from them as well. I like to have private lessons, i benefit the most from the one on one time... but i also like the group lessons bc its fun to rider with other people, and you can learn from their mistakes (sometimes its easier to fix something when you see someone else doing it)

With your two lunge line lessons, you would obviously have a private lesson, so maybe for the others you could take group lessons....

You just need to do what you feel you learn the most from

Best of Luck!

Answer 7

Hi!

Most people have a lesson about every saturday. I used always dream for my saturdays. Small barns and stables tend to be go more with what you can do.

I went to a large stables for 2 years and hadn't even jumped!

But i moved to a smaller stables and they are so friendly and on my first lesson i jumped 3,2ft

Answer 8

well..............my advice for you is to get and I mean buy your own horse and take private lessons. you will only get better. its hard to get a good seat on a horse if your riding someone elses. every horse is different. anyways, I guess I am old fashioned. I always had 3 or 4 of my own to ride and train everyday. so goodluck!

Answer 9

Since you don't own your own horse, you are not tied to a certain stable,  could you take lessons at one then later another?  also what are your goals?  I personally have benefitted most from one on one training with an instructor.

I would also suggest to you that a good 50%+ of your learning can be done away from the barn.  Riding a horse is really the end result of proper ground work and understanding the horse well.  A person can be taught a good seat, proper riding technique and all that, but if they don't understand the nature of the horse and their role in that interaction, one spook can be disastrous.

Please forgive if you've already done this, you didn't mention it anywhere in your experience or what you know.

You can find all sorts of books, video's and segments on RFD-TV from prominent trainers regarding proper interaction with the horse on his level - how does he think, what does he think and why does he do this or that?  What is my role in our herd of two? (or more?)  People like the following off the top of my head have LOADS of great information that will tie your knowledge of proper riding technique to all other aspects of your relationship with a horse:

Buck Brannaman

Pat Parelli

Linda Parelli

Chris Cox

GaWaNi PonyBoy

Clinton Anderson

Linda Tellington Jones

Dennis Reis

John and Josh Lyons.

Craig Cameron

Curt Pate

Monty Roberts

also check out books by these folks - western Horseman books has a bunch of 'em by lots of these people that are easy reads with lots of great info and pictures to exemplify.  Dennis and Pat even offer home study programs with videos, equipment, cheat cards, journals and all sorts of stuff to replicate their clinics right in your living room.

Most of these "natural" horseman who teach us how the horse thinks and how to use that knowledge to build the best relationship possible do have roots in the western and ranch scenes - but their knowledge comes from outside of the bounds of discipline or style.  In fact, Linda met Pat Parelli as a result of pure frustration.  She was a high-level competitor at something like dressage - an english discipline anyways - with Dutch Warmbloods.  She'd been having difficulties with them and as a last ditch effort attended one of his clinics.  She tells in her speeches how she thought "what's this cowboy going to teach me about horse?  He doesn't know how to ride like I do..." and since then they've gotten married and they make a GREAT pair to listen to in their clinics.

If you'll round out your riding knowledge with knowledge like this from books and such, you'll be a much more prepared person to apply all the riding techniques you've learned and fully understand wny they do or don't work for yourself.  You won't need a trainer or instructor and you'll be prepared for owning your own horse sooner.  Also, at 21 you are at the point where such learning can be very useful to you.  Setting goals large and small and marking their achievement will help you build patience and persistence.

Good luck!

Answer 10

That's true about bigger barns!!! There's one close to where I ride and we all call it the "evil empire." That place is insane. It's like $800 a month for board. Anyway, I've heard a lot of riders complain about the place and the lack of advancement. I ride at a very nice mid-sized barn and I have a trainer. I take one group class a week and one private class a week. That way I get the best of both worlds. I'm 42 and I love having kids ride with me. I've actually learned a lot from watching them. Of course they're way more advanced than me, but I'm getting there. I got beat at my last show by a 5 year old on a pony! Anyway, try a class private and a class group. I truley enjoy both. Have fun!