Tips For Selecting A Riding Instructor

I'm a riding instructor, coach, and trainer.  Put bluntly, my job is to put small children on the backs of prey animals who are  five to ten times larger than the child is and who can easily run at least 30 miles per hour.  Then I teach them to jump.  Safety has to be my absolute top concern.

In this country there is no certification or licensing requirement for riding instructors and horse trainers so pretty much anyone can advertise and start taking clients.  Of course although part of me balks at the thought of having to take courses or tests to become licensed, it would certainly be a huge step toward making this sport safer for new families.  The way things are now, a mom or dad with zero horse experience is faced with selecting an instructor for their child and without an understanding of the important things to look for, they end up having to make a decision based mainly on distance from their home and their feel for the instructor over the phone or email.  There are plenty of instructors out there who are much better sales people than teachers!

As someone with nearly thirty years of riding experience and over a decade of teaching, these are the things I would look for in an instructor or program for my own child.  Of course some of this is based on my own opinion of what the emphasis of a good riding program should be, but this should at least be a good start for someone with no experience.

• A good program should have lesson horses in various sizes and riding levels.  The horses should be trained in the discipline the program is teaching.  Often the best lesson horses are ex-show horses (or even current show horses) because they are well schooled and have been exposed to lots of excitement.  You'd be surprised how many programs are using horses with very little training beyond basic under saddle work.  A horse who is not trained in the correct cues will not teach a beginner how to correctly apply these cues.
• A good program should have an instructor or instructors who are very experienced in the discipline they teach.  This seems obvious but remember, in this country, anyone can teach.  Not every program needs to be based on showing but often the only way for a new parent to find out whether the instructor can ride is by finding out whether the instructor has shown successfully.  If the instructor is currently taking students to shows, their students' own performance at shows can also be a clue to the competence of the instructor.
• The instructor should be able to get on the horse, if necessary, whether it is a lesson horse or the client's own horse.  Even well-trained lesson horses can occasionally be naughty and will need the trainer to get on.  If the instructor or trainer is unable to ride due to age or injury, there should be an assistant or working student available with the ability to get on and ride through whatever the horse is doing.
• A good program will insist on safety equipment for all their students.  If you go to observe a lesson, are all children in long pants, boots, and helmets?
• The lesson horses should appear to be in good health and weight.  A horse with a depressed attitude, very dull coat, or easily visible ribs (ribs may show slightly in a very fit horse) is unhealthy and it is inhumane to ride that horse.  Remember that there may be rehab or rescue cases in the barn who fit the above description but these horses should not be in the lesson program.  If you're curious about the condition of a horse, ask.

Some of these things will be difficult for an inexperienced parent to spot.  I would suggest observing at least one lesson from start to finish -- from the time the student gets the horse out to the time the horse is put away. 

 Try to chat with other parents while you are there.  You'll likely get a pretty good feel for the program by talking with them and you may find that the parents will volunteer the answers to some of the questions above.

It may be that you will select a program for your child and find out after they have already started that it is not a safe program or just not the right program for you.  Don't be afraid to tell an instructor that it isn't working out.  Sometimes it's just a bad personality match, which is something that's happened to all of us.  A good instructor will understand and respect your decision.