Where I live there are 2 riding schools in fairly close proximity. I have ridden at both a lot but both have different pros and cons. I really don't know which is the best, as one has better facilities and instruction, but the other has a much nicer vibe and I feel more comfortable. I'll lay them both out:
- Redway (not it's actual name)
I learnt to ride here when I was about 5. It has one instructor who's really lovely and very chilled out. They have one smallish outdoor arena. I rode here on and off between the ages of 5 and 13. Having learnt the basics of riding I didn't progress a lot. The lessons were very formulaic ie: spend the 1st 20 minutes between walk and trot, changing direction every couple of minutes, then have a canter on each direction then a cool down to end. I didn't learn loads but I loved riding and really got on with the instructor.
Then one holiday spent with my aunt in a different part of the country she took me for a lesson at her stables. It was then that I realised that despite having ridden for 8 years I didn't know squat about riding! The teacher was asking about trot diagonals and canter aids and I didn't have a clue what she was talking about. My seat was all wrong, my feet stuck out and I constantly let the reins slip through my fingers. (I cringe even now about how bad a rider I was). After that disaster lesson I realised that although I had learnt to sit on a horse at Redway, I had never been corrected on anything I was doing wrong, or taught anything technical. I was actually a bit angry as I had been spending my own money on these lessons for years and I had never experienced any other lessons until this point so I didn't know that they could be so different. So I decided to leave Redway and try the other local riding school.
- Barnfell (again not it's actual name)
I was now about 15. At first riding here was so great. They had an indoor and outdoor school, both a lot bigger, they had 4 teachers and a lot more ponies. Out of the teachers they had two adults who owned the business and used to compete and were obviously very qualified (I'll call them Sam and Nelly) then they had two girls who worked there and were in their early 20s and weren't qualified (I'll call them Val and Emma). You paid the same for all the lessons regardless of who they were with, and by default would have one of the girls unless you asked specifically for Sam or Nelly. I always had Val to start with as they don't make it clear that you can ask for a specific teacher. I was incredibly shy and she frankly terrified me. She was very temperamental and would sometimes be really lovely and sometimes effectively bully me in every lesson to the point where I was scared to go. However, my riding vastly improved, I learnt to jump, improved my seat, learnt the aids and gained a lot of confidence. One day I came and Val was ill so I got to have a lesson with Sam. It was the best lesson I'd had in my life, I learnt so much more, without being yelled at or made to feel uncomfortable. The next time I booked a lesson I asked for Sam again and ended up having a few lessons with her which were all great. But, every time I went and Val was there, Val would snap at me, glare at me or come and watch the lessons and make comments about my riding. She was incredibly possessive over her riders (not just with me, I witnessed this a lot and also my little sister experienced the same). I get that it's annoying if someone who you're teaching decides to ask for the different instructor, but also, why would you choose to be taught by a 20 year old who isn't a qualified riding instructor when at the same price you can be taught by a seasoned instructor who has loads of experience, used to be a competitive rider and is an actual adult! Not only that but Val and the other young teacher would constantly bitch about the others teaching behind their backs. (Eg. I was turning out the ponies with Emma and she outright says: what do you think of Val's teaching, I don't rate it). Eventually I couldn't stand being there as it was a really weird vibe and I couldn't deal with the stress of whether Val was going to be nice or horrible to me that day (I have generalised anxiety disorder and care a lot about what people think of me so it did really affect me loads). So even though the lessons were so much better I ended up going back to Redway as I literally started getting anxious about every time I had to go to Barnfell and riding was only ever supposed to be something fun.
So I went back to Redway and being a much better rider and having buckets more confidence I was able to articulate a bit more what I wanted. So I do jump there and I actively ask my instructor to correct my position all the time, but the level of instruction is still not close to what I had at barnfell. I'm now 17 and a better rider than I've ever been (though still no where near where I would like to get to as an equestrian) I am currently at Redway and the lessons are enjoyable but I do feel limited especially with the size of the arena, so for example I can't do a course of jumps, only ever one etc.
I realise this has been super long and convoluted so I'm going to try to sum it up in short below as a reminder:
Do I go for the stables with the lovely people where I feel comfortable but the level of instruction isn't amazing, or the one where I'm learning heaps more, but the staff are bitchy and competitive with each other to the point where it's a stressful environment.
It's a real dilemma as I really want to be a better rider and I need a good instructor to do that, but also riding should be fun, not stressful.