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Doing Private Lessons Without Stepping On Toes

1K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  Cynical25 
#1 ·
Not literally. :lol:

Anyway, my BO does group lessons in the summertime, primarily aimed at kids 5-12ish. I've had a couple of people at the barn approach me and ask if I would consider doing private lessons with them. I've been hesitating to answer because I'm a little worried about what my BO would think, or if he might look at it as me "stealing business" or something along those lines. The people who have approached me are in an older age category and they aren't as comfortable doing the group lessons, especially when they would essentially be the only adults there, which they find embarrassing. One of the ladies was doing the group lessons last year but wasn't really enjoying it because of that.

The people who I've spoken to all have their own horses at my barn which they would be riding so it's not like I'm taking anyone from outside... I just really want to avoid making anybody resentful, since I would be paid for this and anything regarding money can be touchy, even between people with a good relationship, like I have with my BO. (And I'd be using BO's arena to teach in, if that changes anything.)

Obviously I'd speak to my BO beforehand, but does anybody have any suggestions on how to make something like this run smoothly and without conflicts? There aren't any other lesson programs anywhere even remotely nearby so he's got the monopoly at the moment. I don't have a lot of experience teaching privately, but I do the group lessons for my BO with a couple other instructors. (Which I would continue to do regardless since it reduces my board to almost nothing.) This would be a good chance to increase my "horsey resume" so I'd love to do it, lol. I'm comfortable with the idea of teaching and I definitely have the experience to give these beginners a solid baseline for the casual kind of riding they're interested in.

Soooo... Thanks. :)
 
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#2 ·
At my job there were a few "lower level" trainers who gave lessons besides the main trainer/owner. They each had to give a percentage of their earnings to the barn owners. I would definitely discuss it with your BO and I'm sure they will have no problem with it.
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#5 ·
Absolutely talk to the BO about it before you go any further with planning anything. Decide what your goals are. Are you just interested in helping out these few people who have inquired, or are you interested in the possibility of taking on additional clients? What will you do if other people like what you're doing and inquire about lessons? Will you consider taking them on too or will you decline? That will affect how you approach the BO about the subject.

If you're only interested in doing lessons for those people then I'd approach her and say "Hi Mike, I've had Jane and Susan approach me about doing private lessons on their own horses. Would you be open to letting me do lessons for them, and if so what restrictions or compensation would you want for using the arena? I'm not looking to take any other students, but I'd like to help these ladies out" If he's open to it then discuss the terms (perhaps an arena usage fee paid to him, conditions about how much you should charge for your lessons, restrictions on the hours you can do your lessons so they don't interfere with his, etc) and go from there.

If you're interested in taking multiple clients then I'd say something along the lines of "Hey, Jane and Susan have approached me about doing private lessons on their own horses, and I may be interested in doing lessons for other people if it works out. I would be willing to pay an arena usage fee to you per lesson or per month. I don't want to step on your toes or interfere with your business, so is this something that you would be open to? I understand if you're not!" If he's willing, then talk about the terms. If not, then thank him for considering the request and move on.

Some barns do better with multiple options for trainers as it opens them up to a wider range of potential boarders. Some do better with only one as that's what the BO is comfortable with. Approach the subject in an appropriate manner, move forward if the BO seems willing, and back off if he's not.

If he's open to the idea then make sure you have the terms clearly outlined. If he requires an arena usage fee (which I think should be expected) then make sure it's clearly defined before you ever do your first lesson. Do you pay per lesson, or do you pay a monthly/weekly fee for allowing you to do any lessons? If you're paying an arena fee will students write a check to the instructor and he writes you a check at the end of the month for lessons you've done? Are there any restrictions about when you can do your lessons? Say the BO has groups of 5 kids doing lessons in the arena every saturday morning from 10-2... are you not allowed to schedule your lessons then? If so, how will you schedule your lessons so they don't conflict? Will you have to check before each lesson you schedule? Such matters depend on the type of work you and the BO are doing and the size of the arena. Are you to stick to teaching existing boarders, or are you allowed to bring in new boarders (obviously paying board to the BO) and are you allowed to do lessons for haul ins? What are your lesson prices going to be like? Will they be comparable to the BOs? Will he allow you to charge less for your lessons, or will he want your prices to be the same so as to not lure people in because you're cheaper? Will you be more expensive because you're doing private lessons? Make sure ALL of that stuff and other issues have been addressed well in advance so neither of you are stuck trying to figure out a situation.
 
#7 ·
We're a very small barn in a not very horse-oriented area and nothing around here is really ever done in any kind of official way, so I'm not concerned about people looking for instructor credentials, just experience. I don't have any plans on going very far with the instructor thing, but it would be nice to do on the side since I do enjoy it. I have no interest in running any kind of big gig, but wouldn't mind introducing some people to riding who might not ordinarily think they could, because the other program is so child oriented. Genuinely hadn't thought about insurance so I'm glad that was mentioned. Something else to talk to my BO about. I doubt he has anything too fancy in the ways of insurance though, so I wonder what my best options are to protect my own behind when it comes to that...

I would be totally fine paying a percentage to him for use of the arena of course, that's only fair. Do you think, if it were to go through, that something like this should be down on paper just in case? (Percentage to be paid, maybe something about insurance or times that I would be instructing, etc.) I don't see any problems personally at this point in time since we're a close knit group and all very easy going but I'm also not the type to take risks.
 
#8 ·
I'm also glad that someone else mentioned insurance. Just about every barn in my area requires the individual trainer to have insurance if it's "off property". I'm guessing that since you do not own the farm your insurance would be considered "off property"? I would strongly recommend you getting insurance because if something happens under your instruction, whether it's the client's horse or not, you could most definitely be held responsible. Your BO's insurance most likely only covers him.
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#9 ·
Despite being just common courtesy, from a legal standpoint, you should absolutely seek written permission from your BO to run any type of business on their property. Spell out all financial obligations and limitations/allowances for use of the facility (ie. are you allowed to reserve the arena, are you allowed to let non boarders trailer in?)

Proper insurance coverage is huge. If something happens to one of your clients on BO's property, said client could sue you both - is BO willing to take that chance by allowing you to run a business there? Or perhaps your business grows rapidly to fill a gaping need in the community; BO may not be thrilled with the increased traffic from a grounds-keeping/powder-room stocking/parking limitations standpoint, never mind the increased chance for liability.

Or your BO may be thrilled with the possibility and even willing to direct people your way.

You'll never know until you ask. Good luck!
 
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