My trainer has a couple that do 3’6" but not in a riding school type scenario. Half-board at a minimum.
Even if I had school horses that could jump 3’6" still, it wouldn’t happen. 2’6 max for lessons and we are very up front about that. You want to jump bigger, buy one that will. A good school horse is a precious thing, and honestly, the liability risk is way greater then the risk of losing a client because you won’t kiss up.
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There is maybe one near me that had an angel of an ex GP horse that would do maybe 3’ or 3’3 with a skilled rider. He was perfect and simple, however due to his age used sparingly for that height. Was later leased out and sold to someone at my barn, where he would school 3’-3’6, maybe the odd gymnastic up to 3’9. I don’t think he did courses over 3’6, and showed the 1.10m one last season before retired. I guess I wouldn’t call him a “true” lesson horse. Like mentioned above, a horse as perfect and simple for that height has a much higher value to leased or sold to an ammy or talented kid, rather than in a lesson program.
That being said, at my barn the school horses rarely go over 2’6. Maybe do 2’9 in a gymnastic on occasion, but we jump our school horses as conservatively as possible (while still allowing the riders the opportunity to learn and jump) when in a lesson program. The unspoken understanding at my barn, as I’m sure it is at many, is that once the rider is ready for more, it is not the barn’s responsibility to provide a school horse for that purpose, thus not having higher level horses.
None around here…only one reputable barn still has school horses at any height any more and that one, being reputable, won’t let any once a week rider get anywhere near 3’ let alone higher. They are nice horses and can be leased for shows but only if the rider is really ready. Nice tack too. Clients forget that costs as do the lesson horses, often more then the lesson horse can payback, especially nice, safe local show quality horses.
I once had a co worker talk me into going to one of her DDs lessons but I insisted brining my own car, not riding along with her and her DD. The kid did jump something 3’6" or so. Simple rail on standards by itself that hadn’t seen a paint brush in years. Off a scary, giraffe style bad approach, bad spot, nose dive on landing and motorcycling around the corner on a cross canter and a lap around before it would stop… The railbirds cheered and trainer gushed praise. Co worker asked me what I thought and said be honest…well…since I did have my own car…just said they’d have to pay me to get on that horse but I never would have since it did not look healthy but did look lame. Did say the kid could stick in the tack but would get hurt then left. She never said a word to me after that, no idea what happened with the kid, never saw her again.
But she was, indeed jumping a school horse 3’6". Then again, even a steer can jump 3’6", it’s the pace, the leads, the combinations and in Eventing add the terrain.
IME being in more then a few training and show barns over decades, the potential clients who overstate their or their child’s experience also seriously underestimate the cost of lessons and horse rental. Ever notice many of these delusional people expect to pay what the previous barn was charging? And it’s, like, half what the responsible barn charges?
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Sounds like The Maestro Nick P’s hunter/jumper twin.
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I am an anomoly, then. I am in the northeast, run a sale and lesson barn, and have multiple horses in my moderately large lesson string that will do three foot lessons on a regular basis–and yes, these are weekly lessons. These are better riders, that for some reason or another, do not have their own horse, or the money to lease. A couple of those lesson horses are capable of the 3’ 6", and if I have a student at that level, we will teach lessons at that height. I don’t have any of my lesson horses go beyond that height. My reason for having some 3’ 6" horses available is so that if they want to do an equitation final at that height, and don’t own such a horse, if they are in my lesson program that are able to use one of my lesson horses. I have a different program, though, and riders here learn to do more than just ride, and as I am a sales barn, if I get a horse in that is nice and I think it would make a great school horse, I just keep it. I am able to constantly upgrade school horses to better and better ones; I think now I have the nicest mix of horses from absolute rank beginner horses through horses able to do the advanced riders. But. I am the anomoly. And, whenever I do sell a horse out of my lesson program, I have no problem doing it because buyers know these horses are good.
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At my last (barn) I jumped a lesson horse 2’6 to 3’ on maybe two or three occassions. But they were horses that did not have a heavy lesson load and we’re not jumping over 2’ on a regular basis. It was basically the barn’s rule that school horses didn’t jump over 2’.
I really doubt you will find schoolies that are doing 3’6 in lessons.
You are but you also run a sales business and have access to more horses than most. Plus you mention your once a week riders are already experienced riders currently horseless or financially challenged. Not talking about the same riders here.
The gist of this thread is the more common smaller barn that can’t carry too many, or any, extra horses that can’t give 6 hours minimum of lessons every week and not so real world experienced riders. The kind that think an hour a week should allow them to advance within a year from x rails or so to top levels.
My late trainer ran a big sales business, Always horses around for select student lessons. Select meaning well known and trusted riders on sale horses ( with owner consent) not suitable for 90% of the lesson clientele who would have no business on them. Most barns are dealing with that other 90% of lesson clientele and don’t get much extra income from sales or extra horses passing through.
Sounds like you are looking for something 3’6 which transfers to 42 inches which would be 10 hands two inches or a small pony. I would just ask around. Are you sure that is the appropriate height for you? Those things can be pretty sneaky.
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Same geographic area. We have a crazy magnet buried deep beneath the Liberty Bell or something
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I ride out of the community arm of a school program, so our situation is a little bit different in that horses come in as donations and we have been very lucky in our horses. We had a Jr/A/O jumper on his way down come in as a school horse, fully capable of the level 3/4’s, but he was quickly purchased by a client. We also have one in the barn who could be suitable as a big eq horse with 6 months of fitness and tune-up, and he will occasionally show with a kid at the 3’. But even with such wonderful donations, most of our horses are 2’6"ers or below- and they are all worth their weight in gold and we are incredibly fortunate to have them. I know it’s a different story somewhere like SCAD or Sweet Briar where 3’6" horses are donated and there are sometimes still 3’6" horses, but in a school program, it’s so much easier to keep them sound, fit, fresh, and happy at lower heights.
I subscribe to- you have to pay to play. Schoolies should do what they can tolerate and be happy with, and if you want to do the higher fence heights you need to lease or buy and be responsible for the amount of jumps you put on that horse.
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Thanks, everyone, for the input. I appreciate it!
As a non-horsey mom, I don’t get the parents who lie about their kids abilities and experience. First, it will be obvious as as soon as an instructor sees them riding what kind of rider they are and second, why would you want your child to jump on an unknown horse with a new trainer/barn at their max height? I would just never blindly trust an instructor or horse to work well with my kid even if I thought she could ride well. At our barn 2-2’6" is pretty much the max with an occasional 3’. And as a parent I’m good with that (and thats only with the kids/adults who ride multiple times a week).
Because they’re barn blind. As best as they can tell, little Suzie is Beezie Madden incarnate. You ride, so you can tell the difference. Many of them don’t.
I dont actually ride but I’ve sat through a couple hundred lessons by now so I’m learning! But I know some parents who send their kids to lesson with a nanny or sit in their cars the entire time and never watch. I find it a little sad sometimes.
Once in a blue moon my trainer will let me jump a jump or two at 3’ or 3’3 - on sale horses, or on the horse I previously leased & know very well whose current “mom” kindly lets me lesson on if she’s out of town for a few days.
I am close with my trainer, she knows I am capable of the height and won’t do something dumb. She also only lets me do this when I’m fit and riding a lot - not if I’ve been busy with work and just showed up for my first lesson in a month.
But our actual schoolies stick to 2’6 or maybe 2’9 at the end of a course if one of the better riders is on them. They are older and too precious to risk injury or a bad experience.
With my parents’ retirement and a move for work, I’ve had to sell my horse and won’t be able to afford one again for long, long time. If anyone in the East Bay has a 1.35m lesson horse, I’m also looking. I’d even settle for 1.25m, since I’ve been out of the saddle a few months. 
