I really want to ride like most of you know (from my last questions)band i have heard that sometimes you can work for a stable but get payed with horse riding lessons. is this true? and can you give me some info about it e.g. How long the lesson is, how old you have to be to do this.and where you do it (if you do it) and anymore information thanks loads i look forward to your answers!!!
Yes! I started doing this when I was 9 years old. Every Saturday, I donned my overalls and muck boots and traveled to a farm half an hour away. My parents signed all the consent and risk waivers and since I wasn’t getting paid money and I had no set hours, there was no minimum age requirement. I mucked stalls, cleaned run ins and paddocks, groomed the arenas, swept the aisle, and fed, watered, hayed, turned out/brought in all of the horses. I also helped get horses ready for other lessons, exercised and groomed horses that needed it, learned how to run an AI business and held horses for the vet and farrier. It taught me so much, and never cost me a dime! It was fantastic. With my particular agreement (yours will be different and you are allowed to haggle with whomever you work for) I was allotted one half hour semi-private lesson per Saturday, as well as how ever many supervised exercise rides were needed. There were often other opportunities to ride, and I was always invited along to shows, clinics and seminars. I was also allowed discounted private lessons if I wanted to pay for them (and I did!). I spent my whole Saturday at the farm, doing chores and riding and it was great! I stayed at this farm until I was 14, and they were forced to close due to bankruptcy (unfortunately, it costs a lot to run an equine business and when you don’t charge for your services and you keep buying tack, horse trailers and horses, you run out of cash quickly!) From there, I moved to another farm and did essentially the same thing, however, this farm had no where near the horses, the experience or the trainers that the first had. I was very thankful to have learned under some very knowledgeable and smart equestrians first, so I would know if what I was being "taught" by other so-called-horse-experts was correct or not.
For you, you have to find a farm that is willing to agree to such a proposal. A lot of larger farms will have one or two kids "working" for lessons, as they always need more hands to get things done, and one more kid in the group lesson isn’t that much more work. It will help if you have some experience, but a lot of the time someone will be willing to teach you, as long as you are willing to learn and respectful of their wishes. I would avoid private farms, as, at least in my opinion, the quality of horsemanship and the drive to know more about horses seems to be considerably less at these farms, when compared to larger farms who employ the best and expect more from their staff. Good luck! Have fun and learn as much as you can!
Well i started of at my stables on work experience from school & they decided to give me a job. In the uk usually people over 14 get paid but depends on the employer. We do have helpers working with us an yes they get a free lesson when ever we can fit them in as its only fair. They usually have half an hour in the school joining onto another ride which is suitable for them as theres no point putting some 1 who is a novice with beginners lol . I get free rides tho but i also get paid an i usally get to pick between a few horses an either go to the school on my own an school the horse or my boss will give me a 45min lesson but baring in mind working in an cooling your horse of should take 5-10 mins each hope this helps (:
Ohh an where about are you from? As i only know places in the uk lol
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Riding 11yrs & Also a riding instructor
Many do let you help out in the stables, which is a great way to learn how to do all the mundane things that our slave drivers would have us do to keep them looking and feeling their best! You would learn basics like skipping out, tacking up, grooming, leading, putting on and removing rugs etc.
You would need to be fairly strong and I believe that there is a law as to age – I think it is 16 but you would have to check this out with your local authority. And there are laws regarding breaks and safety.
Then somewhere in your day or weekend you would get a riding lesson. As I say, some yards do, some yards don’t and they should never exploit you or put you in danger.
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Riding instructor
I have done this many times. Firstly, it depends on the barn/instructor. If you choose a smaller barn, it’s more likely that you can get a job there. Start out by going to the barn and meeting the horses and the instructor. You may have to pay for a few lessons at the beginning, but after you become ‘friends’ or at least trustworthy, you can ask the instructor that you would really want to continue riding, but you don’t have much money. Tell them that you could do any chores around the barn, cleaning stalls, sweeping, organizing things. Make sure you work hard and never let the instructor regret doing this for you. And always remember that she still owns the horse you are using, so always thank her.
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5 yrs riding expirence at several different barns
Yes! I started doing this when I was 9 years old. Every Saturday, I donned my overalls and muck boots and traveled to a farm half an hour away. My parents signed all the consent and risk waivers and since I wasn’t getting paid money and I had no set hours, there was no minimum age requirement. I mucked stalls, cleaned run ins and paddocks, groomed the arenas, swept the aisle, and fed, watered, hayed, turned out/brought in all of the horses. I also helped get horses ready for other lessons, exercised and groomed horses that needed it, learned how to run an AI business and held horses for the vet and farrier. It taught me so much, and never cost me a dime! It was fantastic. With my particular agreement (yours will be different and you are allowed to haggle with whomever you work for) I was allotted one half hour semi-private lesson per Saturday, as well as how ever many supervised exercise rides were needed. There were often other opportunities to ride, and I was always invited along to shows, clinics and seminars. I was also allowed discounted private lessons if I wanted to pay for them (and I did!). I spent my whole Saturday at the farm, doing chores and riding and it was great! I stayed at this farm until I was 14, and they were forced to close due to bankruptcy (unfortunately, it costs a lot to run an equine business and when you don’t charge for your services and you keep buying tack, horse trailers and horses, you run out of cash quickly!) From there, I moved to another farm and did essentially the same thing, however, this farm had no where near the horses, the experience or the trainers that the first had. I was very thankful to have learned under some very knowledgeable and smart equestrians first, so I would know if what I was being "taught" by other so-called-horse-experts was correct or not.
For you, you have to find a farm that is willing to agree to such a proposal. A lot of larger farms will have one or two kids "working" for lessons, as they always need more hands to get things done, and one more kid in the group lesson isn’t that much more work. It will help if you have some experience, but a lot of the time someone will be willing to teach you, as long as you are willing to learn and respectful of their wishes. I would avoid private farms, as, at least in my opinion, the quality of horsemanship and the drive to know more about horses seems to be considerably less at these farms, when compared to larger farms who employ the best and expect more from their staff. Good luck! Have fun and learn as much as you can!
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Yes. I think though 16 would be the appropriate age. See what your Parents think also. Lessons are about 15 an hour, at least that is what I charge.
Make sure it is a reputable Stables. The lesson should be at least one hour long.
What I teach is not just riding, but the care of the Horse. Behavior and grooming, and most of all. Safety first!
Remember to always wear a helmet!
Good luck to you, and have fun.
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This is what is called a working student position. Some barns allow it, and some will not. I worked at a barn over the summer that had kids who looked about 11-12 (but I did not ask their actual age) working for them sweeping up the lesson horse barn and feeding/grooming/tacking/catching horses for lessons. Instead of getting paid, they got free riding lessons.
I am 20, and I did various task such as: handwalking injured horses, tacking up boarder’s horses before rides and untacking after, catching lesson horses, working with the vet/farrier/equine dentist to ensure that all the horses on their list got done, taking care of injuries, bathing, cleaning tack, clipping, and riding horses in rehab or training. But I have been riding for 13 years. What you will get to do will probably depend on your age and horse experience.
I worked 4 hours a day, 4 days a week, and for that I got 2 lessons per week. They were 45min private lessons right after I finished a shift (or sometimes during a shift), but I am sure the length of the lesson and when or how you ride depends on the barn.
Look for large boarding barns in your area or barns that have big lesson/show programs (like the place I worked had no less than 30 lesson horses- a big program). They will probably be glad for the (technically unpaid) help.
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Yes, that is possible. It is called bartering for lessons or sometimes called being a ‘working student.’
The answers to all your other questions will depend on the policies of the particular stable. So, you’ll need to contact stables in your area to ask those questions.
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It is possible! My friend does that. Works a whole saturday and gets a free hour lesson! It really depends if the stable wants to hire a extra hand and if they have the time on thier hands to look after someone under 16. There isnt a certain age- but some stables do have to put an age limit on it. Beware- the work is awfully hard and people working there often have to be strict because of the saftey issues. Mostly it would be poo-picking in the fiels- cleaning out stalls- cleaning tack- Not the good stuff, the tedious, hard stuff. good luck.
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To what the others have said, I’d add just one thing: make sure that if you exchange work for lessons, you and the trainer you’re working for both keep a written tally of what you’ve earned. I’ve known a couple of situations where there were some bad feelings because the trainer and the person working for lessons didn’t agree about how many hours of instruction the worker was owed. In one of the situations, I think it was a genuine misunderstanding between the two, just miscommunication; in the other situation, I would have bet money that the trainer was exploiting the kid who was doing the work. This was the trainer who I found out was charging me and other clients for supplemental feed our horses weren’t getting and doing other fradulent things. (FWIW, this trainer had the student working as a groom for her at horse shows and was charging clients $35/day for the groom’s services. None of that money was ever passed along to the student. Half a dozen clients billed $35 each for every show they went to. Money straight into trainer’s pocket. Can you say RIP-OFF???)
Also, make sure you and the trainer you work for have an understanding of how you will be compensated if for some reason you are still owed lessons and can’t take them. If you’re okay with not being compensated if you can’t take lessons you’re owed, that’s fine; but you should bring the subject up so you know the contingency is covered.
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i actually work on the weekends at my barn to ride during the week, but my trainer is very flexibe with things like that. it all depends on what the owner of the barn you ride at is willing to do. good luck
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Yes that is possible and thats a great idea! Two things you enjoy… for FREE!
All you have to do is ask the barn person at your barn. I mean like the person who runs it!
Hope this helped you! Good Luck!
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Yes.
Answer mine? http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Avx_ryUS7yWjIRWnQ8dKebfsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20090918014200AA4YDdb
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Yes I did this when I was a Kid! We had no money for lessons so after my paper route I went to a stable and mucked stalls and earned my riding lessons! This has been nearly 70 years ago!
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