The Riding Instructor Library

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

• Business Scheduling Ideas for Riding Instructors

• 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

• Annie Wants a Horse Video
  
• Who Doesn't Love a Cowboy Hat?
• Fiction, Websites, & The Riding Instructor