After a four-year break from riding following the birth of my son, I began searching for the right stable in the New York City area to resume my riding routine. I was amazed and disheartened by the lack of customer focus at each of the stables I approached. While my riding was a bit rusty, I have been riding since age 8 and have three fox-hunting experiences in Ireland under my belt.

Based on my own experiences, I would suggest the following to all the stables I contacted:

1) The person answering the phone should be both knowledgeable and friendly. If that is not possible, a message should be taken and the phone call should be returned promptly by someone who does know what the stable has to offer.

2) After the initial conversation, the customer should be assigned a horse and instructor suited to their abilities and goals.

3) A follow-up phone call or other contact should be made if the customer does not sign-up for another lesson to find out why.

In each case, the stables I contacted were failures at either number one or two and none took the time to learn if I had been satisfied with my lesson. In the worst case, the person on the phone was unfriendly, the instructor I took the lesson from was unavailable for further lessons and I was required to wear spurs because the horse would not move! Needless to say, no one inquired if I was happy with the lesson.

Laurie Niles