Horseback Riding Lessons Are So boring...and Maybe Dangerous?

I'm with cooking M., it does not sound like a good place to be going. For the money you are paying, you should be getting more time on the horse. They also need to control the horses better. It doesn't sound like they have been fully trained, or badly trained.
Before committing to a new stable, ask to sit in on a lesson or two. This way if it actually sparks an interest, you know you are horse people. If it doesn't, then well find a new thing to try.

Find another place to ride. My daughter took maybe 6-8 small group lessons when she was 10 years old (she had never been on anything other than a pony ride). She was trotting a FULL size horse by herself on the first lesson and "posting" which is kind of going up and down in a certain way as the horse trots. She learned how to get the horse to go where you want right away and by the last lesson was getting the horse to cantor which is a pretty fast run (not a full gallop, at least I think those are the terms). If there is a lot of confusion around the place where you go and there are people running around anywhere near the horses that are involved in lessons, that's a recipe for one of two things - either someone is going to get kicked and seriously hurt or someone is going to get thrown off their horse. Please find some place safer to ride and go and watch some lessons so you can see how they do things.

I started lessons at 5 (my M. was a rider, but wanted a pro to teach me) and was competing by 8 with my M.. We've owned 5 horses at a time and competed on a weekly basis until my baby sister was born and I started having health problems a couple years later.

That school sounds HORRID. Don't switch to private there, switch to a different school!!!

Try a new school ASAP, you may not turn out to be horse people but that is NOT the environment to find out. It could also end up giving your daughter a long-time fear of horses or even animals in general.

Also, the horse constantly "stubbing" his toe could very well point to over-grown hooves, a common neglect in over-crowded or simply sub-par schools.

And horses who "attack" each other should not be used for lessons, period. Many advanced riders chose difficult horses that DO have dominance issues because they CAN and DO control it. I myself have ridden studs on a regular basis, who are often MUCH more dominant. If you have the skill, it's not a problem. BUT for lessons??? There's no excuse for repeat incidents of this during lessons.

The lessons should under control btw, children, novice riders and large, powerful animals are be a bad-match when things are not well-managed. Occasional (RARE) incidents DO happen in even the best of schools, but this school sounds like a poor excuse for lessons. Try a new one, look into it well, observe a lesson or too before starting them.

Also, I do find group lessons to be slow and boring just because of having more people learning at the same time. Private can be MUCH more fun and you can learn better and faster.

Good luck, have fun and be safe!

sounds to me like your not horse people and i would advise finding something you actually enjoy not going through the motions. no fun for either of you also you cant have people running around a horse if a horse cant see you and you walk up behind him he will kick. i know this and never owned a horse. if you do continue horse lessons find another class. that teaches safety first and what a tempermant of a horse is.

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There is no shame in stopping if you don't enjoy.

However, I've ridden and taken lessons for years, and if you're only getting 15 minutes of actual riding time when you sign up for a group lesson, that is not the norm.

Every place I've ever taken group lessons, the lesson is 45 to an hour (depends on the instructor) of actual riding time. I"m expected to show up 30 minutes before riding time to groom and tack my horse, then the lesson, then stay for 30 minutes to untack, cool, down and groom the horse.

People & animals running around and through the riding area can definitely be unsafe (I hope you are wearing your riding helmet!). Horses occasionally will pin their ears or nip, but nipping/kicking should be a very, very rare occurrence in a good riding program--these kinds of horses make bad school horses.

It really sounds like you should try looking at other places to ride. You can find a list of certified instructors at either of these places:
American Riding Instructors Association--
http://www.riding-instructor.com/instructors/

Certified Horsemanship Association--http://www.chainstructors.com/

If you know any horsepeople/horse owners, ask them for recommendations as well.

If you don't enjoy it, why waste your time? There are so many other things you can do with your time! As a side note, I took riding lessons in England. I throroughly enjoyed it. However, there was one day that they gave me a different horse than I was used to. This horse was being skittish this particular day. I had all sorts of warning signs in my mind that I ignored. I ended up nearly dying that day. I broke my femur. I nearly bled out in the surgery to fix my femur. I couldn't walk for 5 months. I still have issues with my leg, but mostly I do okay as long as I keep going to my chiro who keeps my hips aligned. Trust your instincts. If you are nervous about riding, stop riding. I so wish I had listened to my instincts instead of dismissing them. I learned a valuable lesson that day.

Every one likes different things. There's no shame in quitting.

Our daughter has taken both individual and group lessons and loves them both. She is someone who has said since she was probably 2 yrs. old that she will own her own horse(s) one day and I bet she will. Me and her dad enjoy going to watch her lessons nearly as much as her. We get to stand along side her for grooming, etc. and learn a little also. I'm sure some farms are better than others but in general most horse owners would NEVER consider putting you on a horse that stumbles or isn't the most gentle they have for a lesson situation. I've never heard of that before and we do have horse owners in the family who give us advise and discuss the lessons with us afterwards. If you have a deep love for horses and truly want to learn about them, switch to another farm and give it a try. If it's just a find-something-to-do-together thing, might not be such a good choice since it requires a good bit of training and commitment to really enjoy.

Horses go at each other to determine dominance... Just like any other animal. Just because a horse "attacks" another horse, doesn't make it a dangerous horse to be around.

The amount of commotion going on around the pen is a little worrisome, but remember that these horses are around this every day. Horses used in the lessons are the safest horses. The instructor wouldn't pick a finicky horse. He would choose the calmest horse.

I do think it's a little odd that it takes such a long time just to leave the pen. For children, maybe... But for adults? Then again you are doing this as a family, so maybe the instructor just wants to keep all of you at the same level. I would still think that he would let the adults have some fun in the pen, trotting and cantering, even if the kids can't. Maybe the instructor can tell that you're still a little nervous around the horses?

I would imagine you have a lot of horse options in Tulsa....right?

How old is your daughter? Does she need actual lessons yet? I agree, 15 minutes of riding and standing around for 1:45 minutes is too much to ask of anyone.

My little girl is a horse fanatic. So I recommend what we did. I found a reasonable priced place that boarded a lot of horses and asked around and found a women who would put my daughter on the horse and walk her around. That was $20 as I recall. Then the next year I found a gal who gave her private horse lessons. And they focused on cleaning the animal. That was also $20 for half an hour, maybe more or less, I forget.
It was a fantastic experience for her. She learned so much horse language and was totally hands on with the entire experience and there were no other horses to contend with.

I rode my whole life - I am 37 now, and I always loved it, though I always had my own horses, I have a friend now who has horses and we ride together, and the kids ride too, it is awesome.
BUT, I have a pediatrician living next door, they have about 200 acres and 8 kids, and not for one minute will he even entertain getting a pony or a horse for them. He said that where we live (tx) the most common injury is kids falling or being kicked by horses, he said it is the most dangerous activity there is. And it is true, it is like riding a big unpredictable deer, they are flighty and herd orientated, a plastic bag can make them want to run into traffic. I broke my arm falling off one.
If you don't like it that much, don't risk the danger.

If you don't enjoy the activity, then either quit or go to another stable that does things differently. Life is just too short for this kind of thing. Finish out whatever committment you have made here and then move on.

Sounds like you need to check out a different school. Do you LIKE horses?

I've been riding for a while and I love it -- but it's not for everyone. A couple of things:

1 - always wear a helmet. ALWAYS!!
2 - dominance issues happen; be the herd leader.
3 - sometimes, a certain amount of boring is needed while you learn the basics. Ask your new instructor (because YES you should try another barn) if you can have some fun activities at the end of the lesson (weaving through cones, backing through straight rails, kicking a large exercise ball -- all these are great at practicing control and yet can be fun and challenging -- especially the horsey soccer).
4 - after you try a different barn, if you're not having at least a little more fun then this is just not for you.

I can't tell you how much I enjoy my "barn time". It is so good for me both physically and mentally! Remember, though, that not every activity is for everyone. You can love horses but not like riding (my youngest is that girl!).

Good luck ---