I booked a beginner lesson with Kristine and had a serious safety incident that resulted in injury.
Kristine put me on an 18-hand horse she had only owned for approximately two months. She mentioned that she did not yet have a properly fitted saddle for him and used another rider's saddle instead. During the lesson, she left me mounted and walked out of the arena to "get out of the horse's way". Shortly afterward, the horse became anxious and repeatedly bucked, throwing me off after approximately 45 seconds of riding. He continued bucking and running around the arena after I was thrown. I landed in the mud with neck and back pain and was shaken.
Kristine then got on the same horse, and he hopped around and started to freak out with her as well before she dismounted. We ultimately switched to another horse and I was able to finish the lesson.
I understand that horses can be unpredictable, but I trusted Kristine to make an appropriate judgement about which horse was suitable for a beginner rider. Based on my experience, I did not feel that this was a safe learning environment.
Kristine offered only a partial refund, but given the severity of the incident, I do not feel that adequately reflects what happened. I would strongly encourage anyone booking a beginner lesson to ask detailed questions about the horse they will be riding and the instructor's recent experience with that horse. read more