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by Barbara Ellin Fox

Aside from having great videos and pictures AND being a fun blog to read, The Riding Instructor blog is  a good source for information for instructors, riders, students and their significant others.  Significant others could be a spouse or Mom and Dad.  The purpose of The Riding Instructor blog is to make  information available to you as if you have, or are,  the PERFECT riding instructor.

Riding instructors are not just the people who tell you how to post or how to ride a course of fences.  Your riding instructor should be able to tell you how to choose the perfect horse for your level, where to shop, how to enter or join activities and clubs, what to do with your sick horse until the vet arrives, and even how to clip.  If you’re the the Mom, Dad or Spouse of a horse addict, the Riding Instructor should be able to explain the activities in layman’s terms, advise you on the perfect birthday present, and provide an occasional shoulder to lean on.  … Continue Reading

Popularity: 13% [?]

Who’s The Riding Instructor For?

by Barbara Ellin Fox

The Riding Instructor is for anyone who wants to learn more about horses.  It includes areas that will be of interest to actual riding instructors or people hoping to become instructors but it also includes resources for people who would go to a riding instructor for help and education.

While I enjoy and admire riders who are achieving the upper levels of our sport, the riding instructor is geared more toward beginner and intermediate students.  This is because the beginners and intermediates make up the largest group of students in the horse world.  The beginner and intermediate rider is oft forgotten in lieu of the fabulous and glorious A circuit competitor, the big name (BN) trainers, and the exquisite and extremely expensive horse.

Don’t misunderstand, please… I love the A show riders, the BNs, the fancy horses.  They’re an inspiration.  They’re bar raisers. And they’re exciting, but… At one time or another, every single one of them was a beginner and then an intermediate and so in my mind the riders who are just starting and who are enthusiastically working through basic problems and issues, well, they’re everyone. That’s why The Riding Instructor is an important blog. … Continue Reading

Popularity: 7% [?]

Barnmice, a Social Networking Site

by Barbara Ellin Fox

What could be better for a horse lover than a social network that is totally for horse people!  Barnmice says  “To ride a horse is to ride the sky.” — Author Unknown- If you live by these words , then welcome home!

I first learned about Barnmice through a classified ad in Equus Magazine.  Being new to social networking, I was  a little bit skeptical at first.  But one visit caused me to sign up and get to know wonderful horse lovers from all over the world. … Continue Reading

Popularity: 6% [?]

Wonderful Beginners

by Barbara Ellin Fox

I love this French and Saunders clip about a girl who loves riding but has to do everything she can to put a positive spin on her  accomplishments or lack there of. She doesn’t have a high rate of success but she has big dreams.  She has more things going against her than for her, but  she’s persistent. And she and her friend find satisfaction in the smallest triumphs. … Continue Reading

Popularity: 15% [?]

Riding For A Lifetime

by Barbara Ellin Fox

Riding is different than most other sports. If a person is taught to ride correctly they can continue this sport for a lifetime. I’ve known many people who continue to ride in their 60s, 70s, and 80s and a few who have continued to ride in their 90s. That’s something that you’re not apt to see happen with soccer or tennis or even golf. Riding is not limited to the young. … Continue Reading

Popularity: 9% [?]