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 Expert
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| Say someone is paying you for lessons. They want to bring a friend+horse (that is not paying for lessons) with them. Friend just wants to ride around in the arena while lesson is taking place. Would you be okay with it? |
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  Fact Checker
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Location: Displaced Iowegian | NOPE ..... they are getting the advantage of listening to your lesson and not paying.....plus FREE arena use.... |
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 You get what you give
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Location: Texas | depends on who the friend is and if they ride or run barrels. if its a non horse person everything you speak will be in another language anyway. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1304
| Yes, but I'd charge them for arena use and not make it a habit of them coming when you're giving a lesson so they don't benefit! |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| Nope, I wouldn't want any distractions gor my student or myself while teaching them. I wouldn't want the liability either should something happen. |
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 Elite Veteran
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| I think you first have to take liability into consideration. What if said person gets hurt? Did you have them sign a waiver? What's your normal liability policy with students? Then, if that's all squared away...I'd still charge them for arena use even if they won't/don't listen in on the lesson. I think a fee will keep them from taking advantage of you. |
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 Own It and Move On
Location: The edge of no where | I wouldn't care if they did it once.....if they wanted to do it more often, I'd probably charge a bit. |
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 Cute Little Imp
Posts: 2747
Location: N Texas | MS2011 - 2016-06-08 2:18 PM
I wouldn't care if they did it once.....if they wanted to do it more often, I'd probably charge a bit.
I might allow it once, as long as the friend isn't a distraction and stays out of the way. It would bug me that the friend is getting free use of the arena, but I wouldn't make a huge deal about it. Just make it very clear that it's a one-time thing and that if she comes again, she'll have to pay for a lesson. |
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Expert
Posts: 2128
| Thank yall. I am glad to know I am not alone in my hesitation. I wasnt sure how I felt about it at first. I am going to allow it today. I dont mind if its just once as long as it doesnt become a habit and cause a distraction. I am super nice and laid back but I do not want to put myself in a position to be taken advantage of.
Edited by scwebster 2016-06-08 2:38 PM
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Expert
Posts: 1304
| I'd also make the person sign one of those equine liability forms barns give out, even just for today. |
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Own It and Move On
Location: The edge of no where | I'm just grateful for all the people that have allowed me free use of their arenas.....and try to pay it forward if they need somewhere to ride when it doesn't affect what we're doing now that I have a great place to ride. Ever been that person that just needed to take a young horse into different enviroments to see the sights? Or been visiting someone from out of town and want to check out what they're doing? |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
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Location: Kansas | MS2011 - 2016-06-08 2:51 PM I'm just grateful for all the people that have allowed me free use of their arenas.....and try to pay it forward if they need somewhere to ride when it doesn't affect what we're doing now that I have a great place to ride. Ever been that person that just needed to take a young horse into different enviroments to see the sights? Or been visiting someone from out of town and want to check out what they're doing?
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Expert
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Location: North Central Iowa Land of white frozen grass | Once is alright as long as you are covering yourself for liablility. But more than once is being taking advantage of by your student who thinks that they can just drag anybody along for free. |
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 Expert
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Location: Deep South | MS2011 - 2016-06-08 2:51 PM
I'm just grateful for all the people that have allowed me free use of their arenas.....and try to pay it forward if they need somewhere to ride when it doesn't affect what we're doing now that I have a great place to ride. Ever been that person that just needed to take a young horse into different enviroments to see the sights? Or been visiting someone from out of town and want to check out what they're doing?
Exactly what I was thinking.
I can't relate to all the people who said it would bother them that the friend is getting free use of the arena. I would not have ever been able to ride growing up if everyone thought that way. People were always super welcoming about inviting us to come ride and now that I have an arena of my own I make sure to extend the invitation to others. |
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Expert
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| hoofs_in_motion - 2016-06-08 2:54 PM MS2011 - 2016-06-08 2:51 PM I'm just grateful for all the people that have allowed me free use of their arenas.....and try to pay it forward if they need somewhere to ride when it doesn't affect what we're doing now that I have a great place to ride. Ever been that person that just needed to take a young horse into different enviroments to see the sights? Or been visiting someone from out of town and want to check out what they're doing?
Edited by scwebster 2016-06-08 3:07 PM
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 Ms. Marine
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Location: Texas | Yes I would be okay with it, as long as they sign a liability release and aren't acting a fool while using my facility. |
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Own It and Move On
Location: The edge of no where | scwebster - 2016-06-08 3:05 PM hoofs_in_motion - 2016-06-08 2:54 PM MS2011 - 2016-06-08 2:51 PM I'm just grateful for all the people that have allowed me free use of their arenas.....and try to pay it forward if they need somewhere to ride when it doesn't affect what we're doing now that I have a great place to ride. Ever been that person that just needed to take a young horse into different enviroments to see the sights? Or been visiting someone from out of town and want to check out what they're doing?
If she comes and watches a bit - you might get a new student out of the deal. I wasn't directing it at anyone, I'm sorry if it came across that way. It would probably be smart to get her to sign a liability waiver - just to cover yourself. |
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Cute Little Imp
Posts: 2747
Location: N Texas | BamaCanChaser - 2016-06-08 3:01 PM
MS2011 - 2016-06-08 2:51 PM
I'm just grateful for all the people that have allowed me free use of their arenas.....and try to pay it forward if they need somewhere to ride when it doesn't affect what we're doing now that I have a great place to ride. Ever been that person that just needed to take a young horse into different enviroments to see the sights? Or been visiting someone from out of town and want to check out what they're doing?
Exactly what I was thinking.
I can't relate to all the people who said it would bother them that the friend is getting free use of the arena. I would not have ever been able to ride growing up if everyone thought that way. People were always super welcoming about inviting us to come ride and now that I have an arena of my own I make sure to extend the invitation to others.
I look at it this way: lets say there are students taking lessons who are basically just paying for a lesson to have access to an arena, but don't necessarily need a lot of instruction. Then they find out other people are coming out and riding for free. They decide they don't really need as much instruction any more, they just want a place to ride, so why should they have to still pay for lessons when other people are coming for free? Then the instructor is losing money because her lesson time is filled with non-paying riders.
Now, if you own your arena and you don't care who comes and rides, and you don't have to be available to them, then that's your prerogative to let everybody and their brother use your facilities for free. The people who have a limited amount of time and either want or need to be there while there are riders are the ones who shouldn't let a bunch of people ride for free because that's taking up a time slot where there could be a paying student. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
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Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | As long as they stay out of the way/at the other end of the arena, and just this once, unless they want to start taking lessons to.  |
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 Expert
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Location: Missouri | Free use of the arena wouldn't bother me so much, personally. Like others have mentioned, as a teenager I would've never been able to finish out the horse I had if some people hadn't allowed me to come ride for free. That said, my two concerns would be liability issues, and and also if this extra rider getting in your way. One thing I wouldn't want to do is start giving 'two for one' lessons. But, if the other rider is on the other side of the arena, doing their own thing and isn't benefiting from the lesson, I wouldn't mind it being an occasional thing. |
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