I tried so hard to make this place work, but they disappointed me so often that I decided to stop riding here. First of all, charging $40 for what Glen Grove calls a 30 minute riding ""lesson"" is ridiculous. There is barely any teaching going on. From my experience, and from what I witnessed, the instructors are disinterested and mostly watch the riders they are ""teaching."" Secondly, every one who works here is unfriendly. The instructors are generally apathetic, but they are better than the young ""working-students"" who hang around the barn. They are at best unhelpful and standoffish, but at worst rude, bratty, and totally unprofessional. They ignore everyone else at the barn and act like they own the place. I have even overheard them talking about inappropriate things and wild nights out in front of children taking lessons.
I paid for my lessons myself, and chose to leave Glen Grove. But as a warning to parents sending their children: I noticed instructors virtually ignoring kids when the parents weren't present. They have them walk/trot around the arena with out saying anything more than ""heels down"" in the span of 15 minutes. If you are paying for a riding lesson, I would think there would be teaching involved.
It is really too bad, because Glen Grove is one of the only barns located close to the city and the Northern suburbs. Yes, the barn is old, and it could be much better taken care of, but I could deal with all that. I just wish the people who worked there were nicer and at least pretended to care!
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