Is it rude to NOT take lessons from the barn instructor?

Hello! My new boarding barn has an instructor on staff who teaches English and Western horsemanship. However, she doesn't specialize in my discipline. I also sense that her teaching style and my learning style aren't going to mesh well. Would it be rude of me to hire in an instructor who specializes in my discipline? She's a nice lady and I don't want to make myself unwelcome at my new barn, but I really want to specialize in a certain discipline and focus on that in my lessons.

I can tell you that where Sarah lessons, you'd have to take your horse to another instructor to take lessons from them. You'd have to check your bo's regulations, her insurance may not allow you taking lessons from someone else at her facility - which is how it is for us.
But...spoken in the right tone, and explained, it would not be rude as long as you explained it to her and she understood.

I didn't think of that.

Well, maybe I'll take lessons from her on my horse, and go someplace else to take lessons in my specialization on another horse. If I can scrape up that much money, that is, lol!

She seems to be a very good teacher. I just haven't heard any mention of anyone taking lessons in my discipline of interest. I'll talk to her about it, though.

Of course it's NOT rude. It's your money, time, and horse in the end. Especially if you didn't take lessons from her and you are new to the barn. I'd just start taking lessons without any explanations unless asked. And if asked just be honest and say you want to take lessons in a different discipline.

Talk to the BO and explain that you wish to continue with your current instructor. Hopefully they'll understand where you're coming from and allow it :). If the barn's instructor doesn't specialise in what you do, then there's really no point to throw money away when you already have a good instructor.

Ditto. Most BOs will be understanding if they don't provide the type of instruction you're wanting. I think it's most important to discuss it before hand and figure out what works best. If you bring it someone else it's not uncommon for them to charge your trainer a "use of facilities" fee though.

It can't hurt to ask, but some BO's are good about it, some aren't. I helped a student find her horse when she was ready to get her own, but since I didn't have any room left, I suggested a barn close by for her to board at. I knew the BO, had sent her boarding business for years. When my student took her horse there, the VERY FIRST THING out of the BO's mouth was, "you realize your instructor WILL NOT be allowed to come here to teach you or to help train the horse". No reason was ever given, but I suspect she wanted to railroad the poor girl into taking lessons from her instead. Needless to say, that was the last business I sent her way.

I'm just speechless. We have lots of advertising for boarding in the local equiery for both - very expensive and cheap barns, and almost every ad has that "your instructor is welcome" statement. I do believe though in really good places they require the instructor to sign liability paper (or whatever it's called), but still people are not forced to use the "barn" instructor.

While our BO has allowed certain boarders to bring in their own instructors (ie: when some western pleasure kids came to board for a while in our completely hunter/jumper/dressage barn), business-wise it's not always the smartest idea IF space is limited. If you had a stall or two open up would you rather fill it with someone who's been active in the lesson program, paying to go to shows with your instructor, supporting your barn, etc etc? Or someone who's really only just going to be paying for a stall? (this might depend on if your BO wants to run a BOARDING barn or a SHOW/LESSON barn) In the WP situation it made more business sense to let the stall go to an active member of the barn. However, we weren't on a waiting list at the time and that family was great so our BO let them in.

Another thing to think of is that every BO has a barn reputation to keep. Unless you know the trainer and support them 100% you don't necessarily want just anyone coming in and ruining that. Unfortunately there are a heck of lot of crappy trainers out there and I wouldn't want to be associated with them.

So I understand why BOs are leary. If I was a BO I would be. I would NOT be rude about it though and more then happy to explain my reasoning on the matter.

A barn only allowing their instructor to teach is not an uncommon thing at all. In my neck of the woods it is more common than the opposite. There is an endless list of reasons for this, including insurance, scheduling, business, etc.

Just ask the barn owner if they allow outside instructors and if they do are there any ring use fees, etc.

If an outside instructor is allowed then there should be no issue with you taking lessons not with the barn instructor. If they have an issue with it, it is their problem, not yours.