Riding School Instructors have perhaps the most important job in the business of horse riding. Not only does an instructor have to have mastered all the skills he or, more typically she, has to teach, he or she is also responsible for the safety of horse and rider.
It is no surprise, then, that instructors have to be well-qualified to teach. Being well-qualified does not necessarly mean having lots of certificates, either. More important than formal qualifications is the ability to teach well and to promote riding as a pleasurable activity.
Too often, a poor instructor will put a rider off for life and worse still, can allow damage to horses. Luckily, there are many good instructors in Britain and standards are improving.
Training to teach people to ride takes time and commitment. To state the obvious, anyone hoping to qualify as an instructor has to fist have stable management skills - instructors have to be able to do all jobs on the average riding centre yard.
Most instructors sit BHS exams. As stated earlier, passing exams is only part of the business of learning to teach; experience is far more important. However, BHS qualifications are generally an indication of high standards.
Training instructors need a lot of supervised teaching experience before they are able to go it alone. At Clyn Du, there are three regular instructors and 3 occasional ones. Even the regular instructors do other jobs, though. Bobby runs the riding centre while Rhian is her Yard Manager and Sue works with the college students who study equitation at Clyn Du.
If you are interested in becoming an instructor, check this page regularly. Bobby Vaughan-Jones, Chief Instructor at Clyn Du, will advise you on where to begin.
To become an instructor, students need to learn all other jobs on the yard. BHS exams on stable management must be sat and there are a variety of other skills required. He/she must be competent and confident around horses and then must spend 500 hours learning how to teach. Teachers need to be excellent riders and must be able to understand how each student learns -what makes them tick.
Anyone interested in becoming an instructor is welcome to contacy Bobby for further information on waltz@globablnet.co.uk
