Anyone has a DC who takes riding lessons?

[lmwbasye]

DS2 has expressed interest in horseback riding lessons and I was wondering what to expect pricewise (of course knowing that it would prob depend on the area of the country).

FWIW, this would be in NC.

TIA!

[brittone2]

Do you HS? For some reason I think you might? When we were in NC, in the CH area there was a place that offered a discount to HSers, as they wouldn't be able to fill those daytime slots during the school year typically. I don't think you are in the CH area, but if you have an active HSing community it may be worth calling around to see if anyone has a program like that or would be interested in starting one.

I am on the east coast, but north of you, and where I am, the least expensive but decent place charges about 35 per hour as part of a group lesson. They don't start until age 6. SIL grew up riding (as did I) and she was very happy riding there. It is a lower key stable where people show, but don't own $50K horses. Where I am, 55-60 per hour or greater is more typical, even for a group lesson. Semi private and private are often more.

THe least expensive place has their pricing up and this is what they charge:


Private Hour: $60
Private 1/2 Hour: $30
Semi-Private Hour: $40
Group Hour: $35

But this is substantially less than a lot of places in my area, and the rates are low enough that SIL and her friend each drove nearly an hour from opposite directions to ride there because it was affordable. SIL felt the quality of instruction was still good. They offer a slight discount for buying X number of lessons at a time.

In my area, another place charges 35 per half hour for a group lesson, 40-45 for a semiprivate half hour lesson. An hour group lesson or an hour private/semiprivate is obviously more. I think those rates are more typical in my area.

I have been involved with volunteer work in a therapeutic riding program in the past, and would like to get back to that and/or hippotherapy. In that case, facilities will sometimes trade riding time for volunteer work, or I could ask for it as part of negotiated rate as a paid employee.

[infomama]

Price will vary and most will give package discounts but for a reputable trainer you can expect anywhere from 30-40 a lesson.
This is for English riding, hunt seat. I dont know what western lessons run.

[flashy09]

There are a few good barns in NC that charge $40-$50 for hour long beginner lessons. PM me your location if you want any help on choosing a barn, I am in the hunter/jumper world and know most of the professionals or at least their reputation.

[fauve01]

My DD started private lessons last summer in SoCal. when she first started it was $65 for one hour. the trainer had to be there (supervise) for the whole thing: getting the horse ready (tacking up), then 15-20 riding, then getting all the gear off the horse and returning the horse to the stall. After a while, when DD was able to tack up by herself and the instructor was satisfied dd could do it well enough, the lessons went to $50 per hour. The trainer is still around, nearby in case we need her, but DD pretty much tacks up by herself: she checks the book to see which horse she's riding, gets that horse out of the stall and puts it in the crossties, grooms it, fixes the saddle/girth/bit/bridle. then it's about 30 minutes of riding instruction, then dd completely takes all the tack off and puts the horse away (usually the trainer has another lesson or just leaves to go home).

i guess eventually dd will have a group lesson, but i can't remember the length of lesson or price. i want to say it's a bit more money, but it's a bit longer riding time.

ETA: dd is doing English riding.

HTH!
A + DD 10-03

[sophiesmom03]

In CT we have 30 minute private lessons for $45. Tacking, grooming, all ground work is supervised but done outside of that time frame. DD1 loves to spend time with the horse so thy let her groom etc as much as she likes, other kids show up to get on and hand the pony back afterwards.

I'd recommend looking for a very safety conscious stable so she gets the best experience on and off the horse. Ask about safety measures, rules about helmets, behavior around horses etc.

[squimp]

I'm in Oregon, but our lessons are $35 per hour each for a 2-kid lesson.

[lmwbasye]

Thank you everyone! That was around what I was thinking but hadn't considered asking about safety procedures, etc, so I really appreciate the input there.


There are a few good barns in NC that charge $40-$50 for hour long beginner lessons. PM me your location if you want any help on choosing a barn, I am in the hunter/jumper world and know most of the professionals or at least their reputation.

I will be staying in Bolivia, NC while DH is deployed....am willing to travel up to an hour or so, if needed, for the right place. I assume I'll have to head towards Wilmington, anyway, since that's my closest city.

I figured this was a good time to try it since he's been asking for quite awhile and it will be most-likely something they do in the UK.

We do homeschool right now, so I will also look into that as well.