It has always amazed me how many parents pay $40.00 per hour to watch their children ride around in circles during a riding lesson. Even more amazing are the scores of riding instructors who talk on their cell phones, chat with the parents and do just about anything other than actually pay attention to the lesson that they are supposed to be teaching.

Are you getting the most out of your riding lessons? Is your hard-earned money spent on quality instruction, or is it floating down the drain along with your child’s future as an avid horse-lover? Many parents don’t understand what should go on during a horseback riding lesson, and as a result waste money on what could easily be found for free at a petting zoo.

For this reason, I have coined a term that should be applied to all riding lessons: Pro-Active Riding Instruction.

When you or your child takes a horseback riding lesson, it should be filled not only with riding and merriment, but also solid, useful information. Your riding instructor should spend the full hour (or forty-five minutes, or whatever) actually teaching the class. This means full engagement with both students and horses.

Accidents Happen

Horseback riding is a dangerous sport, and accidents do happen, regardless of the qualifications of the riding instructor. If he or she is not paying adequate attention, seconds will be lost should a child fall off or a horse spook violently. If your riding instructor is not focused on his or her students, your child could be in significant danger.

In other words, paying attention during riding lessons is not only an issue of providing value for the money spent, but also of safety. If a riding instructor is distracted, accidents will happen right under his or her nose and your child could be the casualty in this situation.

You Pay; They Teach

You are not paying a riding instructor to supervise your children as they ride; rather, you are paying for instruction. Even after more than fifteen years of riding, there is much I can learn from a qualified riding instructor, which means that you and your children should enjoy action-packed lessons jammed full of information.

Would you pay to attend a college where the professors simply pass out books and tell you to read? That isn’t an education, and neither is a riding lesson where children or adults are just handed horses and told to mount up.

Bad Habits

When riding students are left to their own devices, they unconsciously develop bad habits that will be difficult to break several months or years down the road. Riding is largely an instinctive sport, in which position can be ingrained into the mind. When you ride with poor habits for any length of time, they become harder to break.

A riding instructor should constantly be looking for ways in which to improve his students’ positions, techniques and habits. If he isn’t paying attention, however, those little habits will go unnoticed and become big problems down the road.

Preparation

If your child is hoping to show, then adequate preparation takes place in riding lessons. Although showing is a rewarding and beneficial experience, it can be detrimental if the rider is not sufficiently prepared. Lessons should be spent educating students on the finer points of riding, as well as what to expect in the show arena.

Connection

Riding lessons should be a fulfilling experience for everyone involved, and if the student is unable to connect with the instructor, he or she is not getting the most out of that experience. The instructor should work to create a positive rapport with each of his or her students during lessons so that they trust one another and can continue to build a positive relationship.

In addition to the above, your instructor should also be teaching your child about the basics of horsemanship. There is more to horses than just riding them in an arena; your child should be taught to tack up, groom, cool down and turn out. Many instructors–myself included– reserve ten minutes at the end of each class to teach parts of the horse, parts of tack, common equine illnesses, and the different colors and breeds of horses.

Students who have a well-rounded view of horses and riding will enjoy the sport more and will be capable of furthering their education as they become mesmerized by the world of horses.

Next time you attend your child’s riding lessons, pay attention to the behavior of the instructor. Is he or she paying attention during the lesson? Do you hear the instructor calling out commands and affirmations? Is the instructor teaching pertinent information? And most importantly, does your child seem to be improving from lesson-to-lesson?

If not, it’s time to find another instructor who can make sure that your child gets the most out of his or her experience with horses.

Author: Laura Jane Thompson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital TV, HDTV, Satellite TV

Comments are closed.