Jumping lesson

[Anchovies12]

Hi, just looking for advice. My 11 year old dd has been riding for a couple of years, weekly group lessons and polocrosse lessons. She got an hours private jumping lesson for her birthday (so a big treat as it was £) which she had today. The arena she was in was half flooded (obvs just unlucky) but then the pony she got wouldn't go and refused to jump. They swapped the horse after 40 mins and the new one wasnt much better. Queue lots of "hold the whip like a sword and really hit him..." We booked again for next week cos she was so disappointed but asked for a pony who might jump more easily. They were very offhand and said the point is you need to be able to get all horses to do as they are told and it is the fault of the rider not the horse. This seems a bit harsh considering she is still relatively a beginner and the lady taking the lesson commented sarcastically that she must have done something wrong in a past life to get that particular pony for a jumping lesson in half an arena. Just wondering what you experienced riders think? Is it just the luck of the draw?

Riding school ponies are in a very difficult position, in my experience (qualified instructor but working freelance with people with own ponies)
They need to be safe, as riding is a risk sport at the best of times. Safe ponies are generally not freely forward going, because if they were, there would be the danger of brake failure with an inexperienced rider.
RS ponies are often also bored and fed up (sour) and frequently sore from ill fitting shared tack (bhs checks mean that ponies should be healthy and not obviously injured or lame, but they are likely to be uncomfortable enough to affect 'performance')
Then you get young or inexperienced instructors teaching the least experienced riders, and you can see easily where things can go wrong

After all the years I've been around horses (qualified in the 80s) I'm still horrified that riders (and children in particular) are encouraged to actively pull ponies around and hit them. It shouldn't be like that.
Riding schools with considerate, well trained instructors with happy, well trained ponies are like gold dust.
Do you know if this one is on the list of BHS (British horse society) approved?
I'm sorry your daughter was so disappointed.

Also, from a practical point of view, assuming the RS is a reputable one, jumping lessons in a small group are preferable, as ponies can then take the lead from a more enthusiastic one if necessary.
It's easier and more fun for riders, ponies and instructors.

I take it that the lesson wasn’t at her usual riding school and you may find it more beneficial to book a private lesson there with her regular instructor and the focus being on jumping . If this was her usual school then I’d be looking for a new one pronto as even if it is your daughter and not the pony ( which is possible ) they should be tailoring the lesson better .

Yes was this her usual school OP or a new one you'd gone to specially for jumping? Agree with what's been said above re riding school ponies usually being pretty slow and dead to the leg (for good reason!), but have to say the majority of ones I've known perk up a good bit when they see poles and jumps and many really enjoy themselves doing a bit of something different to the norm, not saying they transform into whizzy jump-off ponies or anything but certainly they shouldn't have to be beaten and bullied just to go over a few cross poles - if they are that incapable or unwilling to jump, then they shouldn't be being used in jump lessons at all.

For this school to give her not one but two ponies that she couldn't get to go at all, something sounds off to me. To an extent I agree it's down to the rider to get the most out of each horse and of course if they don't know her or she isn't an experienced jumper, they aren't going to put her on their most forward going/best schooled pony, but your DD sounds as though she's generally capable and doesn't usually have an issue getting ponies going so I wouldn't be that happy with their answer.

I wonder, does the school usually do many private lessons? At the school on my yard, a lot of the horses, especially the beginner friendly, super safe, ploddy cobby types are far more used to being in a group and having a leader to follow - riding them in the school alone or even just in open order in a group does turn some of them even more slow/backward thinking than usual and occasionally quite nappy. For this reason I sometimes disagree with the common recommendation that people should book private lessons to start off with or to progress in a particular area, because, whilst good advice as it goes, it only works if the school is set up for private lessons and has horses/ponies used to it. Of course schools shouldn't really take bookings (esp £££ ones) that they don't have suitable ponies and teachers to fulfil, but plenty of schools do, particularly if they set up as being a voucher experience/'treat' place and don't rely on repeat custom! I think I'd maybe give them one more chance (sh*t happens, maybe the instructor was having a bad day or all their best jumping ponies had gone lame all at once or whatever), but unless it's better next time I'd withdraw my business and look for somewhere that has a bit more care and sympathy for both ponies and riders, as this doesn't sound a happy experience for anyone TBH...

It seems strange to me that if she was knew to jumping they would give her a pony that is likely to refuse and then claim it is down to her to get the horse over the jump. Initially I would have thought put her on something who is knows to be a happy and safe jumper to let her get a feel for it and build some confidence before moving her onto a pony who needs a bit more encouragements - for me this WOULD NOT equate to "hold the whip like a sword and really hit the pony...."

When I returned to jumping after many years I was put on a pony for the first few lessons who literally jumped for fun (safely and sensibly) and was a great confidence giver. This helped me build up confidence and get back into the feel and movement of it before moving onto other horses

Yes, exactly what itallwentwrong said.
How can anyone be expected to learn on a pony that isn't at least a bit helpful?
I stopped teaching at riding schools because I often didn't get to choose who rode which pony, and definitely didn't get the time to train the ponies to work at a decent level.