May 19, 2025
The Riding Instructor
The Riding Instructor Library
We've organized all our articles and placed them into categories for your convenience. If there is a topic you would like discussed please contact me.
Lesson Plans & Ideas
- Teach a Simple Riding Exercise
- Rate the Gait-A Lesson Plan For Horse Control
- Riding Without Stirrups – Do You Teach It?
- Teaching Toe Touches in Lessons
- Fear In Beginners – A Lesson Plan
- Trot Poles – Teaching the Lesson Horse
- Trot Poles – the Set-up for Riding Lessons
- Beginner Trot Poles – Lesson Plan
- The Bandana Game
- Use This Simple Game to Increase Skills
- Teach Riding With A Riding Lesson Plan
- Teach Games! Have Fun!
- Teach Games! Have Fun ! part 2 Team Play
- Bareback Riding- Warm Up Your Lessons
- A Holiday Obstacle Course Idea
- 4 Activities for Horse lovers During Social Distancing
- Teach Interesting Horseback Riding Lessons Using School Figures
- Ideas For a Pre Jumping or a No Jumping Ride
- Teach Horseback Riders to Use Their Head
Basic foundation
- Base of Support is the First Layer of Foundation
- Why You Should Teach Two-Point Without Hands
- What Makes A Good Two Point?
- Rider Hand Position – Good and Bad
- Rider’s Knees – The Forgotten Joint
- Teaching the Basics – Longing
- Are You Teaching Foundation to Your Students?
- 5 Requirements to be a Good Horseman- Harry Chamberlin
- The Base of Support for Good Horsemanship
Teaching tips
- 8 Steps Toward Better Reflexes in Students
- Making a Plan to Get Susie Riding
- Managing the Summer Heat with Your Students
- Over-Mounted Beginner Riders – Benefits?
- Pointers for a Successful Beginner’s Dressage Test
- Riding Without Stirrups – Do You Teach It?
- Does Your Lesson Horse Drop His Inside Shoulder?
- Teaching Riding Outside the Box
- When To Teach Games in Riding Lessons & When Not To
- The Blurry Line in Teaching Riding Levels
- Teach Spatial Awareness in Your Beginner Riding Lessons
- Why Do You Teach Trot Diagonals?
- Embrace Repetition
- Rider’s Knees – The Forgotten Joint
- Tell Me What You Know About Riding Horses
- Balance Your Lesson Horse
- Teach Riders Good Balance on the Horse
- Show Me that You’re Ready To Canter
- Be a Flexible Horseman
- Don’t Trust Your Beginner Riders with a Beginner Instructor
- The First Three Riding Lessons
- Sharpen Your Eye for Trot Diagonals
- Riding Instructors and Students- Who Are You?
- Improve Your Riding Instruction skill- 10 Things
- Can Tune Ups Fix Your Horsemanship Fundamentals?
- Improve Your Posture, Improve Your Riding
- “Get Those Heels Down!” part 1
- “Get Those Heels Down!”part 2
- “Get Those Heels Down!” part 3
- Give Great Riding Lessons Using These Tips
- Horsemen’s Ground School
- Tips for a Short Beginner Course
- No Stirrup November- Have Fun with Your Students
- 4 Ways to Teach Horsemanship to Students of all Ages
- 4 Activities for Horse lovers During Social Distancing
- Why Do We Teach Riding Position?- video
- What Do You Think About When You Jump a Course?-video
- What's in Your Riding Instructor's Toolbox?
Encouragement
- When the Riding Instructor’s Confidence Falters
- 3 Tips to Help Combat Riding Instructor Burnout
- 5 Reasons People Teach Riding |
- Plotter and Panster Instructors in Horsemanship – Which Are You?
- Riding Horses Is Different
- Why I Love Teaching Group Riding Lessons
- Are You A Good Riding Instructor?
- How’s Your Integrity?
- Beginner Riding Instructor – What’s Your Value?
- The Case for Teaching Beginner Riding Lessons
- Thoughts for Riding Instructors During Covid-19
- Instructors of Beginning Level Riders Are the Foundation
Industry Issues, etc.
- Thoughts for Riding Instructors During COVID-19
- 4 Activities for Horse Lovers During Social Distancing
- What Does Volleyball Have Over Riding Lessons?
- How to Fix the Horse Business
- I Love Off-the-Track Thoroughbreds- OTTBs
- Blood in the Mouth – Is it Ever OK for the Horse?
- Doping at Hunter Shows–Leveling the Playing Field
- From the Perspective of the Horse – It’s Abnormal
- The Truth in Boarding Barns
- Should Fat People Ride Horses?
- Who Is the Future of Horsemanship in America?
- 5 Cheap Fixes That Horsemen Love
- Wear a Riding Helmet Even If Parelli Doesn’t
- Drugs, Ponies & Birthdays
- Top 3 Reasons Why America’s Producing so Many Mediocre Instructors
- Where’s the Love
- Back to Grass Roots with Horsemanship
- Inclusion in the Equine World
- Thoughts for Riding Instructors During Covid-19
Instructor Business Tips
- What Does Volleyball Have Over Riding Lessons?
- Do You Compromise When You Teach?
- Signs of a Safe Riding Lesson Program
- Sexual Abuse at the Barn
- No One Loves Riding Lesson Cancellations
- Riding Lesson Payments – Use Your Cell Phone
- Branding Your Horse Business
- Don’t Trust Your Beginner Riders with a Beginner Instructor
- Why I Love Teaching Group Riding Lessons
- Should You be “Allowed” to Watch Your Child’s Riding Lessons?
- Tips for a Short Beginner Course
- Summer Horsemanship Camp- 20 Tips for Success
- Horsemen’s Ground School
- Managing Summer's Heat
- No Stirrups November
- Websites, Insurance, and Forms
- Facebook vs a Website for Your Riding Lesson Business
- Learning to Ride Horses- Show Them What is Possible
- 10 Things That Will Keep Riding Lesson Students
Coming Back - 10 Things to Improve the Future of the Horse Business
- FaceBook VS a Website for You Riding Lesson Business
Insight into Students
- What Does Volleyball Have Over Riding Lessons?
- Making a Plan to Get Susie Riding
- What to do With This Difficult Riding Student?
- Over-Mounted Beginner Riders – Benefits?
- A Reader Requested a Post About Trainer Instructors
- Tell Me What You Know About Riding Horses
- Show Me that You’re Ready To Canter
- Riding Instructors and Students- Who Are You?
- How To Teach Your Riding Students to Be Assertive
- I Really, Really Want A Horse! Puleeeeze
- How Long Does It Take To Learn To Ride A Horse?
- 3 Types of Fear in Riding Lesson Students
- Fear in Beginners- a Lesson Plan
- Sometimes Lesson Students Fall Off Their Horses
- What Do You Think About When You Jump a Course?-video
Continuing education for everyone
- What I Read | The Riding Instructor
- Read This Book on Good Riding Technique
- Jumping Horses, Federico Caprilli, Harry Chamberlin, & YOU
- How Good Riders Get Good- Book Review
- Jim Wofford Teaches Jumping Riveted Ditches
- Jumping Banks with Jim Wofford
- What’s in a Good Instructor Certification Program?
- Instructor Certification – How to Choose
- 5 Requirements to be a Good Horseman- Harry Chamberlin
- An Interview on Horsemanship Radio With Barbara Ellin Fox
For Students/Parents/Significant others
- How to Make Your Riding Instructor Happy
- 5 Basic Things Riding Instructors Expect
- Pony Club Develops Character in Kids
- Pointers for a Successful Beginner’s Dressage Test
- Signs of a Safe Riding Lesson Program
- Horsemanship Life Skills Your Child Will Use as an Adult
- Get Your Child Involved in a Character Building Horsemanship Program
- A Reader Requested a Post About Trainer Instructors
- Sexual Abuse at the Barn-How You Can Help
- Don’t Trust Your Beginner Riders with a Beginner Instructor
- Riding Instructors and Students- Who Are You?
- Can Tune Ups Fix Your Horsemanship Fundamentals?
- I Really, Really Want A Horse! Puleeeeze
- Should You be “Allowed” to Watch Your Child’s Riding Lessons?
- The Best Exercises to Help You Keep Your Heels Down
- Improve Your Posture, Improve Your Riding
- Trouble Keeping Your Heels Down When You Ride? Check These 6 Things
- How Long Does It Take To Learn To Ride A Horse?
- Riding Horses is Different
- Jumping Banks with Jim Wofford -video
- Jim Wofford Teaches Jumping Riveted Ditches - video
- Riding For A Life Time
- What makes a good two-point?
- Rider Hand Position- Good and Bad
- Can You Watch Your Child's Riding Lessons?
- An Interview With Barbara Ellin Fox on Horsemanship Radio
- What Do You Think About When You Jump a Course?-video
Guests
- Dana Merritt, Riding Instructor in Post Falls, Idaho
- Riding Instructor – Karla Deacon
- Riding Instructor – Shannon Christ
- Ong Wan Ming – Instructor from Malaysia
- Relaxation Horsemanship by Guest Blogger, Bob Wood
- Horsemanship – Guest Post by Roger Hannington
- Fixing With Feed- How to Choose the Correct Feed for Your Horse
Miscellaneous
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