To have said this at the riding school?

[TigeToo]

I’ve been doing horse riding lessons for around 6 months now (after on and off lessons when I was younger). I was paired up with a lovely but very sedate cob called Frank. It’s a mission to get Frank to do anything other than a very slow half hearted trot. It was ok at first as I needed a slow steady horse to build my confidence up but now it’s just frustrating. I’m meant to be learning how to canter but I can’t get Frank to canter. The instructor shouts “give him a kick” which I do but he doesn’t give a shit. The instructor will then laugh and call him a lazy bones or something. Occasionally she’ll run up behind him doing a weird noise which might make him canter for 3 steps but then he’ll stop again.
Last week I arrived at the stables and was told “Frank isn’t available so I’ve got Toby out for you, he’s a bit more forward, are you ok with that?”

Well Toby was amazing! Still slow and steady but up for a slow canter when requested. He was perfect!! I had an amazing lesson and finally felt like I was getting somewhere (with lots of cantering!!)

At the end of the lesson I asked if I could have Toby again on my next lesson. She said that was fine and wrote his name next to mine in the booking book.

So imagine my horror when I turn up today and see Frank stood waiting for me. I said “I’m meant to be on Toby today” and she said “oh, sorry he’s not available this week”. So I said “As lovely as Frank is I really want to learn to canter now, is there any other horse available?” And she got pissed off and said “no, I’ve got Frank ready now”.

So I took Frank into the school. Absolutely pointless, walking around so slow that he literally stopped a few times. Managed a slow trot, no chance I was getting anything else out of him.

So when it came to booking next weeks lesson I said “can you put me down for a horse I can learn to canter with” and she said “I can try but Frank is the best horse for you really due to your height, weight and ability” (I’m 5ft 10in, 10.7stone). They have a massive yard full of horses. I have another friend who goes and has said she won’t ride Frank or Toby as they’re too difficult to work with.

I didn’t book at the time but after speaking to friend I rang them just now and asked if I could book in with Blaze, Pepsi or Toby next week. They said “yes, I’ll put them on as well as Frank”. I said “No, not Frank”. She got very defensive and said there were no guarantees that it won’t be Frank if he’s the only one available so I said I won’t bother then.

The lessons are expensive and I feel like the’re taking the piss out of me.

Frank 💙,bless him!

Sounds like he just can't be arsed!

I'd find somewhere new if I were you ,you're paying good money and if they can't be bothered to accommodate your requests,or at least try then take your business elsewhere.

Exactly! When "taught" the way the OP is being, there is a lot to unlearn.
As well as ZERO progress being made....

I wonder if you told them you were looking for a new school would Toby suddenly become available.....

Dear OP,
As an adult who returned to riding in my 40’s I do feel your frustration here. I too have had lots of ‘franks’ and used to have a running joke with my lovely instructor that I was getting more out of breath than my steed. The thing is, they will match each rider to the most suitable horse but keep in mind all the horses have to work relatively similar amounts so matching is not always straightforward. Also, at your weight and height you may well be limited in what you can ride ( most good schools aim for 15% to an absolute maximum of 20%) of horses weight to include tack. So the stables might be full of horses but some may be too small/ light/ TOO forward for someone just starting to canter. if you have otherwise been enjoying your lessons I would give them another go and explain you are frustrated and what would they suggest. No RS i know of will guarantee a particular horse so they are totally standard there. Ask what else you can try to get Frank going, sometimes incorporating poles, doing LOTS of upwards and downwards transitions, or riding outside of the arena can perk a RS horse up.

Bloody hell, @TigeToo Slugs are a pain.
Goodness knows why riding schools use them.
No horse should EVER need a “kick”.
A gentle touch with the heel ( an ounce of pressure, if that) should get a horse to willingly move into a canter from a standstill.

Sensitive horses are easier to ride.

Hell, if a sensitive horse was given a “ Kick” , she would be in the next County!

Definitely put your foot down.

£60 is a lot to pay to just plod along. You can do that on a donkey on a beach for a fiver. I can’t believe they would rather lose your custom than give you a horse you want. I’d maybe miss a few weeks and then ring and speak to the owner / manager and explain you love it but need to progress and you can’t do that on old Frank. If I owned the stables I’d be bending over backward to keep you.

I also agree with this. I am very like the OP and probably like a fair few women, had a lot of riding schooling as a child/young teen and then stopped, but still have interest in riding as an adult.

I specifically remember being taught not to "kick" the horses and if our form was off was told we were kicking the horse. Learning to canter is a joy and so many horses are happy to accommodate, it seems weird to put a rider who needs to learn on a horse that actively won't do it.

Tbh I have heard this on a loop where my DDs ride.
one horse like frank, the other a jumpy pony who is ‘unsafe’. Loads of parents complain.
However my DDs have stuck with it, ‘frank’ of this school is now a dream. They can canter, does everything. It’s funny to see him with other.
Danger horse is lovely too. No head shaking, prancing or random gallops.
I do think if you stick at it there are ways to manage any horse, and if you learn on a difficult horse you can ride any afterwards. Does frank need other prompts, a short whip to gently tap prompt? Is he trained to this? Ask.
You may not be ready for the others, they may have soft mouths or aren’t solid in training and a newer rider upsets them.

Maybe arrange to have a hack out instead of a lesson - not necessarily on Frank, but he might enjoy it too.
AND, if it's anything like the old-school Schools, there will; be spots where they EXPECT to canter, so you could learn without even trying!
Just sit tight 😬

.... and after six months of these so-called lessons, a safe, off-road hack with a couple of canters should not be too much to hope for.

(In my opinion)

@TigeToo Can you change riding schools?
Kicking is just sooo bad.
As is the instructor “Chasing” Frank.

You need a much more responsive horse, that you need sensitive aids on.

Ideally find a school that teaches classical riding and offers lunge lessons too. I fixed so many issues doing lunge work as I was able to concentrate on correcting/learning new things without thinking about anything else. I also found this useful when getting to grips with cantering and practising transitions within each pace without messing up too much so that when riding off lunge I had more control and accurate articulation of the skills I needed.

This is exactly what I was going to say.

Also, @TigeToo , if you’ve not cantered yet, I’d perhaps be asking them to teach you more trotting work (collected & extended) & lots of circle work (because you should be learning to ask for canter on a corner to begin with) as this will really help improve your hand position and leg work/position. If the horse is not working on the bit, ask your teacher to show you how to get them on the bit - he’ll be listening to you better when you then do ask him for canter.
If she’s not properly taught you hand and leg position, ask her again to clarify in more detail.

Also ask if you can do lots of trotting work without stirrups & bare back riding with just a bridle. That’s going to massively improve your seat so that when you are asking for canter, he knows you mean it. If your seat is engaged you’ll find everything so much easier.

At the end of the day, some riding school horses have had their sides kicked by so many novice riders, they’re almost deaf to it - which is why if you improve on all the above stuff first, it might be just the skills needed (that nobody else has been bothered to do) to perk poor old Frank up a bit.

I used to ride a ‘Frank’. In the school he was quite hard work but by then I had the skills after years of riding to get him to stay alert and listening to me, but on a hack across the fields, he galloped like the wind!! He just absolutely hated doing boring old lessons inside - outside he was one of the fastest horses in the school!

It's the Riding School that is being lazy, rather than Frank. No progress after six months..... Only so much "blame" can be put on the rider and/or the horse.

I taught my very novice husband on my ex-racehorse - and he was cantering and jumping after a couple of weeks. More so because the horse knew what he was doing - and there was NO style to it, I must admit.

It is QUITE unfair all round to stifle the progress to the OP wants to make. In her shoes, I would quietly find someone who will let me ride their horse and learn something that way (and taken out Rider Only insurance if required). Round and round in a school can be mind-numbing - especially for an adult I think.

Poor Frank. He could be old, sore, fed up and / or just completely uninterested. Yet he’s expected to lug beginners around day after day while being booted in the ribs and pulled in his mouth. There are ‘Franks’ all over the country and have been forever more. Bored, mistreated and in pain. Often over worked and not enough (or any!) turnout and time to be a horse.
No wonder he’s gone dead to the leg and doesn’t want to canter.
I bloody hate these old fashioned riding schools that encourage repeated kicking the poor horse in the side and chasing after them.
Horses are incredible, sensitive animals. If we must ride them at least learn somewhere that values the animals and has taught the rider and horse to respond to the seat and voice.
If I were you I would get some lessons on a mechanical horse that will get your seat right in all gaits and then find somewhere more suitable.

I can see both sides of this, having worked at riding schools in the past. £60 is a lot to pay for a lesson that you're not enjoying.

They might genuinely be a rubbish riding school, there are some of them about.

But honestly, I don't think most stables are putting riders on difficult/slow horses to upset them or make them feel frustrated.

Riding schools have to be incredibly risk averse these days, so putting you on a horse that's above your ability puts them in a difficult position if you have an accident.

As a complete generalisation, when riders are learning to canter, they often lose balance. More forward horses will sometimes speed up when the rider loses balance, which often leads to a fall or a rider who is scared. The riding school would rather have you on board the horse, but a bit bored, than ending up having a fall or being scared- particularly as, if you get seriously injured, that could be the end of their business (yes, they will have insurance, but if they have a major claim it may make future premiums unaffordable).

I will also say, I did used to find it very frustrating watching people ride certain horses and saying "they won't trot/canter" knowing that if they just gave one decent leg aid, then the horse would do as asked. And sometimes, I would demonstrate this in various different ways, but the riders couldn't do it.

I used to be very wary about getting on the horse to "prove" the horse would do a certain movement etc, as some riders find this really upsetting/humiliating.

Ultimately, it sounds like you don't trust the riding school, OP, so then you should go elsewhere- but when you do please don't overstate your ability. If you get over horsed, it genuinely can be a very scary experience.

I would actually suggest trying some group lessons- horses are often more forwards in a group, and it's less tiring for you, and there may be more suitable horses to ride- not every horse is suitable for private lessons!

It means applying pressure with your legs/feet to make them go. It's fine. It's not the same as standing on the ground and kicking them.

Surely you are the paying customer?

Email

Dear stable Manager

As you know I'm paying £££ for lessons. This is a hobby which I want to enjoy, I am giving you notice that I am no longer prepared to ride Frank as it is harming my enjoyment, when my next payment is due you will only receive it upon the guarantee I won't be riding Frank etc etc

They either want your money or they don't

I had my first experiences of cantering like this. After a while I learned to stay on but had no other skill which became a big issue when the horse I was riding ran and wouldn't stop running onto a public road where I ended up on the floor with a broken arm/concussion. I'm aware of other individuals at the same school (the one where I learned to ride badly) had similar accidents when the 'quiet, reliable' horses showed just how unpredictable they are, with the school later being sued by someone who had life changing injuries. I would advise anyone to steer clear of these schools as they are putting lives in danger and people - especially some non horsey parents - just don't question poor practices that can have awful consequences. I know we feel sometimes that health and safety has gone mad but when faced with what is actually a dangerous hobby then looking for schools who adopt tough safety procedures is justified.

Agreed.
School work is so boring for them as well .
They aren’t usually of great conformation, either, so not especially flexible for school work.

At least on a hack they get to see scenery and wake up a bit.

Find another riding school. Why pay for “lessons” which aren’t lessons? Please don’t kick the horses either.

It has just occurred to me that I am the human version of Frank

But not many people refer to it as kicking nowadays (do they?)....
Applying leg, leg on, giving a squeeze - are the phrases I would use.
In fact, the antithesis of kicking.

The more I read, the more I love him.

Tbf, most riding schools want to avoid an accident even more than they want to lose a customer.

There's also the issue of the fact that each horses can only be used for a certain number of hours each day/week for welfare reasons.