Green flags for a barn

I've seen so many people post about barns asking if they're a red flag.

Thought i'd make a list for people starting out, consisting of the green flags with the barn I'm at (after around 5 others), which really improved my riding:

  • edit: im realizing this is probably a bad point. i only meant it when they have 15 minutes to spare and the horse wont have any other riders that day so they can use the exercise, typically it's for something silly like me not being able to pick up trot/canter on a new horse.
    • if i dont understand something - they will spend more time on that lesson with me, they'll go over the 45 min/1 hour mark and not ask for more money. this is probably the biggest green flag for me, and im sure i just got really lucky - these people want to teach first, then get paid when they do a good job.
    • better phrased version: if i dont understand something - they will spend more time on that lesson with me (if their schedule allows it and the horse isn't tired). mostly because they always try to end on at least a semi-positive note for me.
  • first lesson at the new barn - let me groom and tack up my lesson horse with full supervision. they continued to supervise me at least the first 5 times.
  • if i tacked up unsupervised, they always double checked my tack, made sure i learned when the girth was not tight enough or too tight, made sure the girth wasn't pinching anywhere. never made me feel bad about making a mistake.
  • taught me to always double, triple check the girth before getting on. no other barn emphasised this nearly enough.
  • always let me lead my horse out of the stall, to the arena, in the stall.
  • eventually allowed me to get on and walk to the arena on my own, this gave me a ton of confidence once they trusted my skills.
  • don't try to please me during lessons - they tell me my mistakes as they are, but never make me feel bad. they will only yell if there's wind or if im falling asleep haha
  • I regularly ride with 2 different instructors. They are more than happy to switch, especially when they think im not understanding their explanation. No drama between them.
  • if we do trot only (which we did for the first 3 months at this barn, 3 times a week) - always constant change of rein. diagonals, circles, etc. its up to me to decide when i do them, but they will remind me if i havent done it in at least 1.5 circles.
  • no stirrup work till my legs are on fire. this helped me tremendously.
  • always let me know if a new horse im riding has any specific needs, aids, etc. if i dont see that im confusing the horse - they will always point it out instantly and correct me.
  • they don't praise me for doing something half-correctly, they genuinely praise me once i get it. and i love that personally.
  • a ton of work on the walk - turns, picking up speed on the walk, slowing down the walk, transitions.
  • i feel tired after every lesson, not exhausted - good tired. like you've just had a proper lesson.
  • there are lessons where i got a lot of advice on my position, followed by a lesson where they just let me focus on getting it right. they dont blow my brain every single lesson. if they see im struggling and can easily fix it - they'll point it out, if they see that i just need to continue getting those riding hours - they'll let me figure it out (as long as im not hurting the horse).

ok im done ranting. im just really happy seeing and feeling my progress.