Finding A Horse Coach
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Every time I try to learn a new skill whether horse related or not, I’m reminded of the frustration, excitement and plain hard work it is to learn to ride horseback. While natural aptitude and work ethic count for a lot, a good coach is instrumental to helping you learn as quickly and safely as possible. Choosing a coach can be difficult. Sometimes, because of where you live, you might not have a lot of choice. If there are only one or two coaches within driving distance, your options are very limited. My daughter is facing that right now as she works towards earning her rider levels.
Ideally, a coach should hold some accreditation. BHS British Horse Society, AAHS American Association for Horsemanship Safety, ARIA American Riding Instructors Association and Equine Canada are just a few of the recognized associations with listings of qualified coaches. Some states and provinces require riding stables to be inspected, so these licensing bodies may also give you an idea of where you can find a good coach. Many awesome coaches don’t hold any official certificates, and their best recommendation is by word of mouth.
Whether a coach has a string of letters behind their name or not, there are a few things you can do to be sure they are the one you want to work with. They should, at minimum have a first-aid certificate. The stables and horses should be safe and well cared for. Not all coaches work out of fancy stables with viewing platforms and wash racks, but safety and hygiene are important. The riding areas should be free of clutter, the gates kept close and the footing safe.
And, you should be welcome to watch a lesson before committing. Check that all of the students are wearing helmets, proper footwear and all tack is in good repair. Pay attention to the interactions between coach and student. Screaming banshees are not fun to work with. Coaches need to be respectful of their students and their students respectful in return. Teasing, badgering, berating and negative reinforcement shouldn’t be a big part of the lesson. It’s hard to learn in a negative environment and there are some real nightmare coaches out there. Unless you have a compelling reason to work with a coach like that, (perhaps your self esteem is too high) you might want to move his or her name to the bottom of the list.
Check that horses and riders are well matched. Beginners shouldn’t be on what appears to be skittish horses and adults shouldn’t be riding little ponies. And is the instructor attentive to their students or are they constantly responding to texts, chatting with anyone who strolls through or lounging in a chair disinterestedly? Are riders actually doing something, or just being sent on a hard trot around the outside track while other horses are being lunged in the middle and riders not in lessons are going every which way? I’ve seen all of these things and wondered why the students stuck around.
And after the lesson, are the students happy, helpful with looking after the horses, and looking forward to learning more? Ask them, because that’s how you want to feel after a lesson, with a coach that’s great to work with.
What are your experiences with coaches? Have there been good ones or some not so good ones? |
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