As a professional, I’ve always taught Pony Club Clinics and even helped form a club in the 70s, but I didn’t become fully immersed in Pony Club until 2000 when my daughters became members. 2018 One of my adult daughters has been training for a management position. We joked around about how it seemed that […]
The following simple exercise can be used for all levels of independent riders in a variety of settings and seats ranging from a pole on the ground to a jump. This Simple Exercise has Multiple Benefits How often do we teach riders to look at an inanimate object as they ride a line or direction? […]
Even though I enjoy several breeds of horses Thoroughbreds have always been my favorite, so I was happy to see The Chronicle of the Horse devote an issue to Thoroughbreds earlier this month. Most of the many Thoroughbreds I’ve ridden or owned had racing careers before I met them. I’ve purchased horses at the track, from […]
An over-mounted beginning rider can have so many problems that I wonder why any instructor would allow it with their students. A Schooling Show Recently I visited a schooling show where I didn’t know any of the players. The show had a laid back, peaceful feeling at a great location. The classes ranged from walk trot poles […]
It can be unnerving for an instructor to lose confidence during a lesson, but it happens more often than you might think. I’m not talking about losing confidence in the grand scale of an entire teaching career. I’m talking about the singular incident that might last for a few minutes or for the entire lesson. […]
Do I recommend certification to student instructors? Would I tell prospective riders to look for only instructors who have certification? It all depends, because those are two questions that don’t have black and white answers. Because The United States doesn’t have a standardized certification program like the British Horse Society in England or The German […]
Participating in your first dressage test is a big event and everyone wants to do their best. You are a fortunate rider if you do your first test on a school master but not everyone has that opportunity. Just being ready to compete is a big step but if your horse is new to […]
If you teach beginners you know the importance of developing a safe riding program. Safety is the number one requirement for beginners, but how can you tell if a program is safe for both students and horses? There are no guarantees, but the following is a basic list of signs that can help determine if […]
You don’t wake up one morning and suddenly have burnout. Burnout creeps up over time and is a common problem for riding instructors. What is Burnout? Dictionary.com defines burnout as “fatigue, frustration, or apathy resulting from prolonged stress, overwork, or intense activity.” The Business Dictionary defines burnout this way: Feeling of physical and emotional exhaustion, […]
Why Rate the Gait? Before your students learn lengthenings, rebalancing, corner adustments or even takes a ride in the pasture they need to learn to rate the gait. It doesn’t matter whether you teach dressage, hunt seat, saddle seat, or western riding, the need is the same and this exercise will help. The need to […]
