This guide goes with the Setting up lessons video. It walks through creating a lesson type, choosing how lessons are priced, giving each instructor their own rate (with an optional deposit) and checking their teaching hours, and explains what each setting means and when to use it.
Watch the video
▶ Watch: Setting up lessons (about 2.5 minutes)
Before you start
- You need to be the owner or an admin of the riding school in Horsify.
- Add your instructors first (Organiser → Riding School → Instructors → Add Instructor). The full order of setup is in the Riding School Setup Guide (end to end).
1. Open your riding school settings
From your dashboard, open Organiser → Settings, then tap your riding school card (the one that mentions lesson types). The lesson settings are all on this one page; the buttons along the top jump to each section.
2. Choose how lessons are priced
Under Lesson Pricing, the How lessons are priced box has two options:
- By instructor (the assigned instructor's rate). This is the default. Each lesson is charged at the assigned instructor's rate for that lesson type, so different coaches can charge different prices. Deposits and pay-in-full rules only work in this mode, because they're set on each instructor's rate (step 5).
- By lesson type (the lesson type's base price). Every lesson is charged the lesson type's base price, whoever teaches it. Choose this if clients book by horse before you allocate an instructor, or if all your coaches charge the same.
The video leaves this on By instructor. Remember to save the page if you change it.
3. Create a lesson type
Scroll down to Lesson Types and tap Add Lesson Type. A lesson type is anything you teach: Private Lesson, Group Lesson, Beginner Assessment, Jump Clinic and so on.
- Lesson Type Name and Description. Riders see both on your booking page, so keep the description short and plain.
- Lesson Duration (minutes). The actual teaching time.
- Blocked Duration (minutes). The total time held on the calendar, including setup and turnaround. For example, a 45 minute lesson with 60 minutes blocked leaves 15 minutes to swap riders and tack before the next booking.
- Base Price inc GST ($). Always set one, even if you price by instructor. It's the fallback whenever no instructor rate applies. A lesson type with no base price shows a No base price warning in your list, because public bookings without an instructor would be free.
- Who it's for, Riding level and Offering type. These are finder tags for the "find your lesson" questions on your public booking page. Each one starts on Auto, which reads the lesson name (the box shows what Auto picked: for a lesson called "Demo Beginner Lesson", Riding level shows Auto with Beginner). Only change one when Auto gets it wrong.
- Allow Group Bookings. Tick this for group lessons, then set Maximum Group Size (at least 2). Leave it off for private lessons.
Tap Add Lesson Type at the bottom to save it. It appears in your list with its lesson time, blocked time and base price.
To stop offering a lesson later without losing its history, edit it and untick Active (this box only appears when editing).
4. Give the lesson to an instructor
Open Instructors (there's a link in the Lesson Types section), find the coach and tap Edit. Scroll to Lesson types & rates. There's a row for every lesson type. A new one shows Not configured with a Set Rate button.
Setting a rate is what records that this coach takes that lesson. A new coach with nothing set up is treated as taking every lesson type at its base price, until you start setting their rates.
5. Set the coach's rate, deposit or full payment
Tap Set Rate on the lesson's row.
- Price (inc. GST). This coach's price for this lesson. Another coach can have a different price for the same lesson, for example a senior coach charging more.
- Active. Untick to retire this rate. An inactive rate means the coach no longer takes that lesson.
- Requires Full Payment Upfront. The rider pays the whole lesson price when they book. This overrides any deposit setting.
- Requires Deposit. The rider pays part of the price at booking and the rest is collected after the lesson. Choose a Deposit Type of Percentage (1 to 99%) or Fixed Amount, then enter the amount. In the video, a $70 lesson takes a $20 deposit, with $50 collected after the lesson.
Tap Save Rate. The row now shows the coach's price.
Pricing by lesson type? Then this section is called Lesson types and each row just has Add or Remove, because the lesson type's base price is charged and there are no per-coach rates or deposits. The last lesson type can't be removed; to stop a coach being booked online, turn off Bookable Online on their profile instead.
6. Only some coaches teach a lesson?
If you let clients book without choosing an instructor (Online Lesson Bookings → Let clients book without choosing an instructor), a further setting appears: Only offer a time when a coach who teaches that lesson is working. Turn it on when only some of your coaches are trained for a lesson type, so riders are only offered times when one of those coaches is on. Set each coach's lessons first (step 4). A lesson type no coach has been given yet keeps offering every rostered coach, so it never quietly disappears from your booking page.
If riders choose their instructor when they book (as in the video), this setting doesn't appear.
7. Check the instructor's availability
From the Instructors list, open the coach's page. An instructor with no availability cannot be booked online: riders are only offered times inside their availability, minus blocked dates and existing bookings.
- List View holds their recurring weekly slots (day of the week, start and end time).
- Calendar View is for one-off sessions, and Block Dates for holidays or leave.
- On a day the instructor is on the staff roster, their rostered shift is used instead of their weekly availability.
8. Check your Book Now page
Open your school's Book Now page and tap Lessons. Riders pick an instructor, and the new lesson type is listed with that coach's price. See Booking a riding lesson for what riders see next.
FAQ
My coaches charge different prices. How do I set that up?
Keep How lessons are priced on By instructor, then set each coach's price for each lesson under Instructors → Edit → Lesson types & rates → Set Rate. Each coach's rate is charged when riders book with them.
Why is my lesson showing as free?
The lesson type has no base price, and the booking has no instructor rate to use (for example, it was booked without an instructor, or you price by lesson type). Edit the lesson type and set Base Price inc GST. Lesson types with no base price show a No base price warning in your Lesson Types list.
Why can't riders book my new instructor?
Check that the instructor has availability (step 7), that Bookable Online is on in their profile, and that they take the lesson the rider wants (step 4). With no availability, a coach can't be booked online.
Can I take a deposit instead of the full price?
Yes, when you price by instructor. Tick Requires Deposit on the coach's rate and choose a percentage or a fixed amount. The rest is collected after the lesson. Under by-lesson-type pricing the base price is charged instead.
What's the difference between lesson time and blocked time?
Lesson duration is the teaching time. Blocked duration is how long the slot is held on the calendar, so you have time to change riders, horses and tack between lessons.
How do I stop offering a lesson without deleting it?
Edit the lesson type and untick Active. To stop one coach teaching it, untick Active on their rate for that lesson.