How much should I be paying for private lessons?

[CHOOGIRL]

DD is 6 and has been riding for about a year now. I'm pleased with the teacher and have been paying £30 for half an hour weekly lessons. Today the school has announced the fee will be going up to £40. I don't have a benchmark, but that feels expensive to me. What do you think?

It's more than twice what I'm paying for the region's top dressage judge!

Depends where you are I guess. We pay £30 for half an hour which is a bit pricey and top whack round here, but I'm vv happy with the teacher

Thanks I'm in South London. The school is in Biggin Hill (Mayfield). I want to drop her an email to give feedback when I recover from the shock.

I pay £25 during the week and 30 at the weekend in herts and I am very happy with the teacher. X

I'm in Surrey and pay £20 for 45 mins with a successful dressage rider, have to fit in with her schedule but normally manage a couple per month. That's on own horse.

All the pony club instructors in our area charge £10 for 30 minutes on your own pony. I think this is a bargain as they are all fantastic instructors. We are very lucky.

We have the Chief Instructor from the Pony Club come out to us and she is amazing.Everyone has commented in how much the dds have improved.She is well worth the £20 an hour she charges.

That sounds a huge amount to me but we are in the North East so generally things are a bit cheaper. A half hour private lesson can range from £15 to £30 in the few schools near us, and the price doesn't always mean you are getting a better lesson.

I would ring around a few more schools and ask them their pricing structure. If you are really happy and can afford it though stay where you are

i pay 21 for an hour lesson with my sister and 18 for half an hour without her. theres no way i would pay £40 for half an hour at a riding school. maybe if it was a one off lesson with a top trainer but no way for standard lessons!

oh and im in kent

Thank you very much. I appreciate riding is not a cheap sport, but £40 just sounded a bit much for a 6 year old's hobby. I'm going to e-mail the stables with my feedback and also look for another school. Saintmerryweather are you in deepest Kent or Bromley/Biggin Hill end?

the last riding school we went to in Suffolk was between £26 and £39 for half an hour, depending upon the instructor's level of qualification/experience

privately people who teach/event at quite high levels will come out and give lessons for about £40 an hour or less if you share

could your daughter join a group lesson? or a pony club centre?

Thanks. Yes group is an option, she's done a couple of group lessons when the teacher wasn't available. They are £23 and they have max 5 in the group. Do you still progress as well in group lessons?

We pay 10 pounds for half an hour on our own pony - 15 if they give DP a show trim afterwards.

I pay £30 for hour on own pony, at my yard. Both the instructors
I use are well qualified with their intermediate teach- one is a show judge and one has competed internationally.

I rode at a riding school last year and only paid £20 for an hours lesson when I was at Uni. Have been for some more expensive lessons on a grand pric dressage horse at a school near to me and that was £60 for an
hour.

I'd say what they're asking you to pay sounds rather expensive!!

£40 for half an hour? Are you kidding? I pay for lessons on my own horse, and pay £15 for a riding club rally (hour and a half flatwork or jumping) where the group size is 3-5. The group exercises are excellent for watching and learning from others, and developing a good level of how to behave around other horses and riders. If I use a more advanced instructor, I pay about £20 for an hour's lesson in a group of 3. I've been going to an international showjumper (Paul Crago) recently, but have paid a similar price for a group lesson with the GBR dressage team Chef d'equipe Sir Richard Waygood. I once paid £45 for a one to one lesson with a former World Champion, and I was knackered after about 20 minutes.

I know you are paying for the hire of the pony as well, and keeping a pony is not a cheap venture. But £40 for half an hour seems really expensive. The young girl who occasionally rides my daughter's little pony is in the Pony Club at a PC centre, and I think she pays about £20 for half an hour. She's 8, and I wouldn't say she is having any bother learning in a group setting. On the contrary, I would say a lot more can be learned in a group lesson, from watching the others, and from having time to catch your breathe and get yourself ready for another try at something. I'd have to be really liking an instructor to pay £40 for half an hour.

I pay £54 for an hour's private adult lesson. Would be cheaper if I didn't need to have it in the evenings or on weekends. Or if I were a child, I suppose.

Oh, and am in Bucks.

I'm having an hour private tomorrow and it's costing me £27.

Where are you, Freddie? It sounds like the picture is quite localised. It would be good to know if I should be changing schools or not!

I'm in the midlands :)

8-yo DD1 learns in a group (£20 for 30 mins), and probably has more fun that way than riding on her own. We're in Cambs. I don't think I could afford £40!

im in the folkestone area op so i dont think my school would be much good to you