How do I become a Riding Instructor??

[NoviceNic]

Just wondered what I would need to have/take to become a riding instructor?? I have only been riding 3 yrs and not particularly experienced but I seem to have a knack of building childrens confidence's up. I have been helping a 10yr old with her first pony and my friends daughter with both of her ponies. The children have all zoomed up in confidence and they have told me I have done it. I really enjoy being with my horses all day long and would love to be able to teach. What advise would you all give??

[Sallinello]

Is Michael qualified? If so, ask him what he had to do? Although come to think of it he might think you're trying to put him out of business!!! You could also have a look on www.bhs.org.uk under 'exams'. I just had a quick look and it sounds like hard work!!! ;)

[buster]

you have to do your stage1 stage2 stage3 then you go on to do your teaching you have to have your riding road safety exam done to do these aswell. :D its differant if you've exams in pony club done. :p there is not much money in teaching

[augermoon]

The problem with the BHS route is that you need your stage two before you can take your PTT and then you need your stage 3 before you can even think about doing the hours to gain the Assistant Instructor qualification. This restricts the exams to people who can ride to a reasonably high standard (and jump about 3' I think). You say you have only been riding a few years so may find this route unsuitable.

The alternative is to go down the ABRS (Association of British Riding Schools) route, where you can do teaching exams without having to do riding ones. Have put on the link to the website but don't really have any experience of how recognised the qualifications are or how they fare against the BHS ones. I know the BHS is more widely recognised though.

http://www.abrs.org/qualifications.htm

Hope that helps a bit.

[cvb]

Pony Club only use registered instructors. Might be worth looking at RDA, as their instructor programme is slightly different. Wouldn't qualify you to teach mainstream tho.

And do remember that if you teach, you need to be insured etc.. :eek:

one other thought - you could look into "sports coaching" rather than "teaching" ?

[alwaysfallingof]

I would like to be an instructor eventually, and at the moment I'm gaining experience by teaching with the RDA. To start teaching you don't need to have passed any exams, you just need to have a logbook issued by the regional instructor and then you can start taking lessons (being supervised).

I've found this ideal because I've only been riding for 3 years or so, but am gaining experience in teaching whole rides, lesson plans, structure of lessons and am improving riders at a level that I am competant at. (most of our riders only walk/trot on a lead rein, so I'm not being asked to teach anything that I couldn't do myself).

Although it doesn't qualify you to teach at non-RDA yards, I'm hoping that having an RDA qualification will make it easier to start if I decide I want to continue teaching elsewhere. :)

[eml]

I think if you look into it that the ABRS exams also require you to ride or prove evidence of you past riding ability. Unfortunately it is getting almost impossible to get insurance for unqualified teachers but you might find your local riding school would love help with Pony Club centre members and might exchange this for help towards either the BHS or ABRS exams

[NoviceNic]

Sounds a bit out of my league. :( Still it ma :) y still be worth a go at the ABRS route and gain more riding experience whilst heading for a possible career aim.

[celyns mummy]

good luck in whatever rout you decide to take, alice and I are going to bedgebury to start our BHSAI course in fifteen days! aaaaahh :D

[lynz+ollie]

im training to be an instructor! except i dont really want to teach in a riding school, im looking more at competition training and both horse and rider. at th moment im doing a national deploma in horses management. Then im either going to work with an event rider and do my stages, or carry on at college and do a HND in equine sports coaching

[NoviceNic]

Good Luck to both of you. I hope everything goes well. I have been trying to teach my friends cousin to ride today. She did really well considering the pony she was on can be stubborn and just stand there when you take the lead rein off. :mad: After a while I showed the girl that the pony does walk when you give her all the right signals. I find that all beginners tend to pull on the reins saying stop and kick at the same time to say walk.

[Tnavas]

Look at the advertisements in Horse and Hound magazine, there are many training centres that are advertised there. You may be able to find a riding school that has a working pupil scheme. You basically work for them in return for your training and usually some pocket money. But chose carefully as some centres want your labour but don't always come up with the training.

Contact The British Horse Society, and ask them for information on the BHSAI
also contact the Association of British Riding Schools.

Sorry I can't give you an address as I now live in New Zealand. I have been through both the BHS and ABRS exam systems.

[Jenni]

you can get the course material for the BHS exams through distance learning with various equine colleges. Obvioulsy you have to back it up with practical but if you have access to ponies practice bandagin/plating/lunging, etc on them. You can get the syllabus on the BHS website for each stage exam.

You have to do a riding exam and a theory for each stage exam. They get progressively more dificcult in that you need to have a more indepth knowledge of differnet topics the further on you go.