So you’ve decided you want to start taking horseback riding lessons. Yay! I’m so excited for you to develop your equine knowledge and grow your love of horses. To get started, of course, you’ll need to find a riding instructor!
After having a number of riding instructors over the years (along with preparing to start teaching beginner lessons this spring), I thought I would make a general list of characteristics that every good horseback riding instructor should have.
What Makes a Good Riding Instructor?
Polite – never disrespectful or rude
Now, this one may seem pretty obvious to most people. No one wants to learn from someone who is awful to them (at least I would hope not). Having an abundance of knowledge on a subject does not give someone the right to disrespect the uneducated.
A good riding instructor should treat you with respect and never make you feel bad for not knowing something. You are the student and they are the teacher. You are there to learn and paying them to teach you. Any disrespect should not be tolerated.
Clearly cares about horses and their welfare
For many people, this also may seem like an easy one to spot. Unfortunately, there are a lot of students out there that are mislead on the welfare of the horses they ride. They are taught that horse’s have thick skin and can’t feel when you are jabbing your legs into them.
It is important to do your own research on equine behavior and welfare. This allows you the knowledge and compassion to know when a riding instructor is misleading you.
Look for future posts on equine behavior/physiology!
Ability to explain things well
There are many people who are very knowledgeable but terrible teachers. A riding instructor’s ability to explain concepts to their student is an invaluable skill.
They should be able to tell you WHY something works and not just HOW to do it. Any riding instructor can tell you to engage your seat, but a great instructor can explain the mechanics of this cue.
Doesn’t rely on gadgets
A good riding instructor should understand how and be able to help a horse collect themselves without any extra equipment. I’m talking martingales, tie downs, side rein, etc. etc.
Gadgets are just band aid fixes to what is usually a bigger problem. Your instructor should be knowledgeable enough to be able to help your horse perform their best without quick fixes.
Courtesy of Team Roping Journal
Patient
Your instructor should be patient with not only you but the horse as well. Remember, you are LEARNING. It is never okay for an instructor to lose their cool with you. I’ve had a few instructors that have lost patience with me when I was learning to ride.
This lack of patience can crush a student’s confidence and make them feel like they aren’t good enough. They can feel like they aren’t progressing fast enough.
Your riding instructor should allow you time to learn the material and encourage you when you get stuck.
Gives students 100% of their attention
Your instructor should not have their phone out during your lesson. They should not bring a friend with them to chat with while they teach. Yes, both of these happened to me with an instructor I had years ago.
Similar to my point on respect, you are paying your instructor to teach you. Often times, lessons are not cheap. You definitely want to be getting your money’s worth and there is nothing wrong with expecting your instructor to give you their full attention during your lesson.
Understands rider’s level/ability
For example, there are numerous people who want to take lessons to learn how to jump horses. Unfortunately, some of these people want or expect to be jumping within a few lessons. The thing is, jumping is a very complex riding form. There are numerous concepts and skills that a rider must learn to be able to jump their horse confidently and safely.
A good riding instructor will let you know when you are ready to progress. I see far too many instructors letting their students jump too soon. It may seem unfair that your instructor won’t let you progress as fast as you want. But you need to remember that horseback riding is like any art form or skill. It takes hours and hours of practice in order to excel.
Knows when to refer students
Many instructors are only able to teach up to a certain level of riding. If you want to go on to compete in show jumping at higher levels and your instructor only teaches walk/trot/canter, you probably won’t get very far.
A good riding instructor will have connections in the equine world and know when they have nothing left to teach you. They should be able to refer you to applicable trainers in the area to allow you to continue your horseback riding education.
Dresses professional/looks put together
Now this one is really more of a personal opinion. I feel that someone who puts themselves together for a lesson takes their job a little more seriously. I’m not talking full English garb for every lesson but they should look composed.
Your instructor should look as though they could hop on your horse in a second if necessary. Long pants (preferably jeans/leggings/riding tights), boots, and tidy shirt. Again, this is just a personal opinion. 🙂 A person’s appearance does not always equal their level of professionalism or knowledge.
Understands/can explain operant conditioning
Any decent animal trainer or riding instructor should be able to explain operant conditioning. According to Verywell Mind, operant conditioning is “a method of learning that employs rewards and punishments for behavior. Through operant conditioning, an association is made between a behavior and a consequence (whether negative or positive) for that behavior”.
| Punishment (decreasing behavior) | Reinforcement (increasing behavior) | |
| Positive (adding) | adding something to decrease behavior | adding something to increase behavior |
| Negative (subtracting) | subtracting something to decrease behavior | subtracting something to increase behavior |
I would love to go into more depth on operant conditioning in horse training in a future post. Stay tuned for that one!
Final Considerations
All in all, I always recommend that you trust your gut when choosing a horseback riding instructor. If something feels wrong, looks wrong, smells wrong, it is probably wrong. It is okay to take a few lessons with an instructor and decide that it isn’t going to work. You have the right to choose your own path to learning how to ride.
I hope this list was helpful to some of you and I wish you luck on your riding journey!
Thank you so much for reading about what to look for in a horseback riding instructor. Let me know if any of the information in this post surprised you! I’d love to hear from you.
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