Should I be sharing a school for this price

[Dressageconvert]

Guess I’m just having a moan. I’m a pretty competent rider riding at one of the countries top well known equestrian centres with one of their very senior instructor but not the senior on an advanced dressage schoolmasters. I love it but I frequently have to share my allocated bit of the school with kids, liveries etc often 3-4 others and their instructors. This means 1. I can’t always hear what my instructor says and 2. I often can’t do lateral work; half pass shoulder in etc because there’s either a kid bumbling around or another instructor in the way. I pay £65 for 45 mins. I’m interested to know what others pay/experience in similar situations.

I recently finished with a very well known dressage instructor. I paid £45 for 25 minutes one to one with no one else using the arena/school. An hour was £75 sole use of the school/arena with the one to one instruction but I had been going for a while. I believe new clients pay around £90ph but again its one to one and sole use.

I'd be pretty cross if I had to share. Could you go at a quieter time perhaps when children are less likely to go. Alternatively speak with your instructor and tell them you find it distracting and could your lessons just be for you. Be prepared for them to increase their fee though if you want to stay with them and have sole use of the school.

Thanks for your answer. Is that on your horse or on the instructors/riding stables school master?
I’ve been going for a few years but it’s recently got more expensive I guess that’s why I’m annoyed. Unfortunately I can only ride after school.

Initially I used my own but as I progressed moved onto one of theirs at no extra cost to me to give me a more balanced lesson/experience. I'm not sure if this is normal but I must admit I would expect a similar type of service paying a similar amount of money.

Would you consider moving elsewhere? If you really don't fully enjoy it I would be tempted to look somewhere else, especially at the price you are paying. It can be really distracting having other riders in the school with you and it can hamper any progress you should be making.

I did find with DD her instructor kept holding her back and not progressing her. A member of staff told me it was because they didn't want her to leave (declining numbers and only limited opportunities to move to intermediate dressage so most people moved on when they reached a certain point) so didn't push her as much as they should have. She left anyway as she felt she wasn't progressing.

Is your instructor a bit greedy and not turning down lessons due to the money and also not progressing you because you may move on so they will lose their income?

That's ridiculous OP. I would be mighty pee'd off at sharing a school for a lesson, never mind only having a quarter (unless it was massive!) anyway.

It is a really massive school my bit is 20 X 40m, there were 7 lessons going on in the whole school private and small groups plus 3-4 liveries riding. But there's nothing remotely like anywhere near me, I know others, who probably feel as I do who've tried them and come back! My nearest even remotely equivalent is a 45 mile drive away and many were underwhelmed when they went! Some say its unique n the whole of the UK! Its not just the horses some of whom are pretty special but the instructors are pretty unique too.
Its such a shame.
I'll get over it I has a bad day at work yesterday and was just a bit annoyed yesterday.

"Is your instructor a bit greedy and not turning down lessons due to the money and also not progressing you because you may move on so they will lose their income?"
I'm progressing well, I have moments when I even I think I look pretty good although other when I don'
Its a very busy popular place to train and I have to book well in advance so I guess they don't worry if people get fed up and go elsewhere.

That must be very annoying and i would be peed off too, though tbh it isn't that expensive if they are providing the horse, I pay £55 for 45 mins and i take my own horse up to the clinics. Can you say anything to them or will it fall on deaf ears?

I don’t think it’s that expensive either actually , but I suppose that depends on where it is , you’d pay about that weekdays at our local riding centre and be sharing a school .

Talland?

Can you ask for a mike so you can hear, and ask instructor if she can keep others out of your way?

Talland was my first thought! You have priority if you're doing lateral work. Speak to the instructor, they may have some solutions/ideas