Part timers can succeed!

[eml]

Just an update to prove to all you part time riders you can do professional exams.

Lady who three years ago needed help to just to get on and be led around on a horse due to a previous accident has now got Stage 2 Riding and Care and Stage 3 Care. She has done it all with no horse and based on three hours of riding/care sessions a week.

Go you can do it too!

[Tanyajayne]

Well done to her :D

There's hope for us all when you hear stories like that

[coverblown]

Yayy! Good for her - and doubtless thanks to expert instruction E. Well done you too. :)

[laura jeanne]

I'm always impressed when people can go straight for a goal and get things done. I feel I have wasted a lot of time with RIs that were not that great so you must be doing something right eml!!

[Bay Mare]

That's fantastic :D That is really well done and shows that she's having the right instruction :D

[Bananaman]

Great news :D Well done for her!

There's nothing wrong with doing the exams part time. You've just got to be able to make the time to put the work in, especially coming up to the exam date. :)

[laura jeanne]

eml, It's great that you are encouraging part-timers. The key is to keep going. It took me 18 years to get my college and master's degree going part time while I was raising my kids. So I got my first job at age 36!

Now with my riding, having started at age 52, I'm not sure how far I will get but I have a fabulous instructor now and loving every minute of riding. In August, I am going to the orientation for the RDA school volunteers (and dragging OH with me).

[posh ponies]

Thats great news,
ive started my training for the stage 1 & have whatched the dvd but the riding part seems really intense ??? is it really that bad ???
could you tell me exactly what you have to do in the ridden part please ? :)

[Siogfinsceal]

agreed! did my stage 3 a few months ago while working full time its well worth it

[jayze]

I want to do this too... work part/full time and do my BHS training. Whats this DVD you are talking about? Where do you get all the info about what you need to learn? My biggest problem is money... i cant afford riding lessons so dont know how Im gonna get the training done!
Any ideas/suggestions welcomed!

[eml]

The DVD is a BHS one showing what happens in exams (I still have the old video versions :o)

Although you can study by yourself and there are lots of good training manuals I think you would really struggle without some imput from an instructor experienced in what the exams require. What about exchanging some work for training.... there are often times yards need PT/relief staff and would be happy to offer training in exchange. In the meantime get out competing as much as possible in all events at RC level and ride as many other peoples horses/ponies as you can.

[Bananaman]

The DVD is a BHS one showing what happens in exams (I still have the old video versions :o)

You've been in the training side of things too long Eml ;) Agree with you completely though :D I taught to get some free training towards my Stage 3, although I was also paying for other lessons alongside that.
I like the Hazel Reed books for Stages 1-3 and I've got the PTT one to look through before I do that exam. I got the DVD for the Stage 3, probably worth seeing if you have a chance but I'm not sure that it's really that good.

jayze I think the best place to start is BHS Examinations Page (http://www.bhs.org.uk/Content/Ods-More.asp?id=1799&pg=Education&spg=Information&area=2) if you want to know more about the exams and their requirements and I think you can download copies of the syllabus for each one from there. There's lots of guides and books in the BHS bookshop and you can get them from all the other normal places (Amazon etc). Apart from that I'd say that the most important thing is preparation and I've always had a lesson at the exam centre beforehand to make sure I know: where the place is, the layout, the type of horses etc...

Good luck on whatever you do :)