Terrible Business.
As much as I respect Meadowlarke for saving horses being put for slaughter, this barn has a lot of downs (as many barns do, but these downs ruin the appeal to this barn, in my opinion of course). Just to start off, working for this barn is not enjoyable. The Owner is rude when you've made a mistake, there is no room to grow, no bonuses like an extra ride, workers don't get the working experience with horses even if you are highly experienced. The owner plays favouritism within the co-workers. Trying to get days off is murder and is frowned upon if needed. The Manager is rude to customers & plays severe favouritism amongst riders & co-workers. The Manager/Owner don't care about customers personal life, all they care about is that they get their money on time. They are money hungry, & there is no type of flexibility. They don't care if your schedule changes and can't make your regular lesson. They can't accommodate you in any shape or form. Some of the older...
As much as I respect Meadowlarke for saving horses being put for slaughter, this barn has a lot of downs (as many barns do, but these downs ruin the appeal to this barn, in my opinion of course). Just to start off, working for this barn is not enjoyable. The Owner is rude when you've made a mistake, there is no room to grow, no bonuses like an extra ride, workers don't get the working experience with horses even if you are highly experienced. The owner plays favouritism within the co-workers. Trying to get days off is murder and is frowned upon if needed. The Manager is rude to customers & plays severe favouritism amongst riders & co-workers. The Manager/Owner don't care about customers personal life, all they care about is that they get their money on time. They are money hungry, & there is no type of flexibility. They don't care if your schedule changes and can't make your regular lesson. They can't accommodate you in any shape or form. Some of the older students are rude, obnoxious & damn right ignorant. & God forbid you try to tell the owner about it. She doesn't solve any problems. If you are looking for high class showing within a budget you definitely won't find it here. They only participate in Challenge Series & the owners daughter shows at Palgrave. The coach (who by the way is the Manager of the store) is RUDE. I've caught her many times screaming at children, being negative and bringing them down. She also teaches Learn To Ride Programs and many parents that I know have told me stories how she denied a student because they were too late or their horse was dirty or they didn't follow dress code. This isn't a show barn, their shouldn't be a 'dress code' to follow, the barn is nothing fancy so the children shouldn't be told to dress like an 'A' class barn. ALSO, most of their instructor aren't properly certified. They only have a first aid certificate but don't have any equine certificate, which I feel should be mandatory. There are only one week out of a month you can watch your child ride, some parents want to watch their progress all the time. Not just once out of a month, for me that isn't enough. It's not a family friendly barn, or animal friendly. Most barns allow you to bring a friend or a dog with you onto the barn property, this barn doesn't permit it. All in all, it was a terrible experience.
Comments
BRAVO!!....I fully agree!!... wish more people like you would step forward... I have heard so many complaints about Meadowlarke and the way the business
is run by the owner-manager...she is like a warden!
Anyone who rides at this facility or works there..
look around, there is so much better!
We are sorry to hear that you feel so negative about your experience at Meadowlarke Stables, it's staff and riders.
We have had many employees that have been with us for years ( some for 20 plus years ). We also have many students that view Meadowlarke like a family and enjoy riding here and what Meadowlarke Stables offers. Each summer we have a large amount of students who have gone off to University/College return for lessons.
We offer multiple levels of Showing. Meadowlarke Stables hosts 6 in-house Schooling Shows each year. We also compete on the Challenge Series, a local schooling series. Meadowlarke Stables also gives our students the opportunity to compete on the 'A' Circuit.
Family and Friends are welcome to watch riders every lesson when we are riding outside. We have benches set up around each arena. In the winter months when we are inside, we do have set days which are "Viewing Days" where we invite family/friends into the barn/arena to watch lessons.
We do have a dress code for our riders in Level 2 and up. As in all organized sports certain attire is required. We ask riders to dress a certain way ( fitted collared shirt, breeches, half chaps/boots or field boots ) as this will help the instructor to see and correct any position issues, as well as having the rider in the appropriate attire to properly do their job.
We absolutely welcome dogs at Meadowlarke Stables ( we have 4 ourselves ) but they must be on leashes. Having almost 40 students an evening and upwards of 80 on the weekend, it would be a bit chaotic with multiple loose dogs.
We wish you all the luck with your riding.