Tips for choosing your riding instructor

Take the time to invest in a good instructor with real depth of knowledge and experience and compassion for the horse. You will then find that your riding comes on leaps and bounds. Here are a few tips for finding the right one for you.

• You will benefit most from an instructor when you spend time selecting the right one for you. You need someone who has similar beliefs about the horse and your potential.
• When you watch them teach and talk to them, think about what they believe about the responsibility in the horse rider relationship. Ideally find one who understands the importance of the rider getting it ‘right' (in terms of position, balance confidence, determination, softness, etc) rather than expecting the horse to ‘be good' - remember your horse is a reflection of you!
• Remember, just because your friend is highly motivated by an instructor doesn't necessarily mean you will be because you are probably both motivated differently.
• Watch other people's lessons before committing yourself. By listening to the instructor's language and noticing their patterns you can easily learn to spot which style they naturally use and check whether it matches yours. When watching the other person's lesson imagine you are the rider on the horse and noticing how those words would work for you.
• Once you have chosen an instructor you then need to work frequently and openly enough together to allow their approach to take effect. Such 2-way commitment allows a longer-term view of the training you need rather than a quick fix. It allows your instructor to be honest with you.
• Think about what you can afford to invest ‘per year' and how to spend it. Be prepared to consider paying more for your lessons and having less of them. Remember - a lesson every 2-3 weeks with a great instructor is better than a weekly lesson with the wrong one for you…
• Trust your own gut feel and intuition rather than other people's recommendation. And also check that the instructor's qualifications and experience suit your needs. Accidents can happen and a professional instructor will have a first aid qualification and professional liability insurance, usually through a national registration scheme.