Riding Teachers, Instructors, & Coaches

There is a difference between teachers, instructors, and coaches in the horse industry. While we may hero worship and think one is more important than the other, they

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Teach Riders Good Balance on the Horse

It's All About Balance That's a loaded statement because it covers sooo many areas of our lives.  Today I'm talking specifically about the rider's balance on the horse,

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School Commands & Arena Figures for Every Discipline

What are they? School commands have their basis in the military where the need to move many minds in one direction at the same time requires a standard

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Making a Plan to Get Susie Riding

A reader had an interesting situation to discuss this week involving a client with two horses in  training  and a plan for their daughter to show. Normally this

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Doping at Hunter Shows–Leveling the Playing Field

“Doping in performance horses is defined as the “illegal application of any substance, except normal diet, that might modify the natural and present capacities of the horse at

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Bareback Riding- Warm Up Your Lessons

It’s winter. It’s cold.  What better way to warm up your lessons than by including bareback riding? Pull saddles off and give your students a leg up on

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How Good Riders Get Good- Book Review

I just finished reading Denny Emerson’s book, How Good Riders Get Good, published in 2011. It was an easy read, moving right along, with enjoyable stories and sage

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Horsemanship – Guest Post by Roger Hannington

For some time I’ve struggled with the problem of how to introduce certain books to readers of The Riding Instructor. My friend, Roger Hannington, solved this problem for me

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Jim Wofford Teaches Jumping Riveted Ditches

Jim Wofford is one of my favorite instructor/coaches for eventing.  His background contains much of the traditional Fort Riley instruction plus he is a silver medal Olympian in

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How Long Does It Take To Learn To Ride A Horse?

It’s a question that most riding instructors have had to answer. There’s a simple, one size fits all answer, but it brings to mind a plethora of questions.

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