ROLE
LESSON
What’s required to become a riding
instructor?
That seems a simple question that should
have a simple answer.
But you’ll find the answer is one that
can be discussed in detail in this college course, yet will leave you asking
yourself for better, more refined answers throughout your career.
The answer, of course, is complex, and
must consider personal abilities, talents and qualities.
The actual teaching of riding is a
minute part of being a riding instructor. Understanding that, it comes as no
surprise that many who begin this career find themselves blindsided by all the
un-thought-of facets it entails.
There are many traits a good riding
instructor must have; perhaps the two most important are honesty and ethics.
There is a choice to be made now. Be honest--either you are pursuing this
career so you may benefit horses and those who love horses, or you are simply
in search of making a quick buck.
As you get further into this course
you’ll find the dollar does not speak loud enough or carry enough weight to
entice anyone to continue the career of a riding instructor. As with all business, it will take twice as
long for a good reputation to emerge than it will take a negative image to
become indelible.
When you talk with people about signing
up to take lessons or are giving a lesson, be honest--don’t waste your time and
don’t waste their time creating an image or situation that simply doesn’t
exist. That is not to say you should be blunt, mean or disrespectful. It simply means live in the truth. For example, if a person came to you seeking
riding instruction and wanted to know how many lessons they would have to take
before they could “ride”, a dishonest answer would be: “Buy one lesson package
and after you complete all the lessons you’ll a good “rider”.
A blunt answer might be: “I don’t know, just depends.”
An honest and ethical answer would be:
“I know you are looking forward to becoming a skilled rider; so I wish I could
say exactly how many lessons you would need, but I can’t. You’ll discover the art of riding is
something that continues to improve with dedication. There are so many variables involved; you
will decide the level of riding that satisfies you, and you will decide when
you’ve achieved your goals.
“Riding horses is better described as a
journey, not a destination.”
Answer
a potential client’s question in an honest, ethical way, and it will surprise
you to see what a positive effect it has on your students not to mention
yourself.
Being a person of ethics will serve you
well in this business. Only a person with a strong character will have the
ability to become a great instructor. Students will sense whether or not an
instructor has the student’s best interest at heart or if it is a self-serving
interest.
When a person senses that another is
only out for him or herself, trust is lost. Without the trust of a student, the
instructor will not be able to teach to the best of his or her ability.
Keep things simple, be honest, be
ethical, be a good person and you will be on your way to becoming great
instructor.
For
many years people have searched for a list of guidelines, a sort of check-list
anyone can use to determine what they will be successful doing. Scholars have considered genetics, level of
education and environmental factors, and while they play a role in what we
become and the profession we choose, they are not the answer.
I believe the single most important
factor in success is determination. We
all have our own definition or vision of determination. I would like to share my definition of determination:
“to posses an unyielding commitment to excellence and
achievement while relinquishing any attachment to expectations. To recognize
and understand that though I may make mistakes I will choose to learn from the
errors. When I am down, I will pick
myself up, brush myself off, and try again.”
To posses
determination only requires your decision.
Determination is the cornerstone to
achieving success in the horse world.
Determination exerts its greatest power
on success when it is accompanied by a constant desire for self-improvement.
Here is where most will begin to have
trouble.
Some may say, “I am the instructor,
therefore I know all there is to know”. To this person, I can say with
confidence, “Get ready to pick yourself up and brush yourself off.”
There is no way to grasp and retain
everything there is to know about horses or about people. The first time anyone
begins to believe they know it all, or can do it all, they limit themselves. It
is “know-it-all thinking that limits people and keeps them from becoming great
horseman and instructors.
Consider this: of all the horses on this
earth there are no two alike, of all the people on the earth there are no two
alike. So unless you have worked with all the horses on earth and worked with
all the people on earth there is no way you can know it all. Therefore you will
always be presented with new opportunities to learn.
Whenever we learn, good things or bad,
we can be improving ourselves.
The choice of self-improvement is a
difficult one for those who are placed in the position of providing education.
It’s easy for the mind to become so
twisted that a person actually begins to believe it necessary to present an
unwavering front, project an absolutely, without a doubt, have been there and
done that, know it all attitude, or he or she will be considered a poor
instructor.
When an instructor falls into this
pattern, she cheats herself and those she instructs.
Students are always amazed when I tell
them I learn new things almost everyday. They have a
hard time understanding how it’s possible since I am literally surrounded by
horses and students everyday.
I learn from my students, the same as
they learn from me.
What I hope happens with every student
is a connection filled with a mutual respect that often translates into a life long friendship.
For
many, the word “teacher” conjures an unpleasant image—a person bigger and
better who has them at his or her mercy.
This image needs to be erased now.
Teaching someone requires much more that
head-knowledge.
It requires knowledge of the heart. It is in your heart that compassion lives,
and your students will need compassion from time to time.
You are a teacher, not a critic.
We all know when we have made a mistake,
or performed below par. It is not
necessary to be told immediately.
It is very important to understand your
student’s feeling and ideas. We will discuss in detail ways to identify what
your student is feeling and thinking when we get to the riding portion of this
course. For now we will keep it basic.
Students 15 years of age and younger are
conditioned to be respectful to elders. (At least most of them are; there are
always exceptions to the rule.) A young student will have lots of heart, but
will also be very sensitive. This will be evident in many ways.
Students over the age of 15 through
adult are a totally different story.
These students are trying to be independent; they constantly make
judgments about situations, performances and instruction. They have a constant
need to compare themselves with others and draw a conclusion. Imagine all of
the possible emotions generated by the questions: “Why did you do that? Weren’t you listening? How many times do I
have to tell you the same thing?”
Students who want to learn to ride,
don’t deliberately make mistakes. People
by nature want to succeed, they want to please and they want to
accomplish. We all know when we don’t
accomplish what we set out to do; we don’t need criticism or ridicule; we need
insight, compassion, help and guidance.
Life is very difficult for everyone at
one time or another.
When a person comes for riding lessons,
he or she brings everything else in their lives with them. If it was a difficult
day, they will bring their frustration with them. If greeted by attitude of superiority, the
lesson will be a disaster.
If frustration is meet with compassion
and sympathy the lesson and the time can translate into the feeling of comfort
for that student.
You will find that part of becoming a
great instructor involves paying attention to the emotional needs of your
students. If you feel you are going to have trouble with this aspect of
teaching, simply put yourself in your student’s shoes. Think about what it is
like for a 15-year-old in high school, who struggles through classes. Or think
about what it would be like to a 55-year-old women who is divorced, works more
than 40 hours a week, all of her kids are grown, live out of state, and she
lives alone. She has probably chosen
riding to give her life some enjoyment.
Put things in perspective. It is not a case of “I am better than you” or
“If you don’t perform such and such correctly, then you aren’t trying”. It’s a
case of traveling down a road together, offering instruction, and offering
understanding and compassion when needed.
We’ve
spent some time talking about what you can expect to experience in your career
as a riding instructor, but we haven’t talked about the basic guidelines to
insure you project a professional image.
There is only one opportunity to make a
first impression.
Imagine yourself as the client. (I said
client and not customer. A client is a person with whom you will develop a long
lasting relationship; a customer is someone who merely passes through your life
to make a purchase.) As a client you enter the gate to a prospective new
training facility for your horse. After walking thru scattered debris from
trees and stepping over countless piles of manure left by horses traveling to
and from the arena, you find what appears to be the office of the instructor.
Only you are not sure that it is the
office you have found since everything inside is in disarray. There is an old dusty chair sitting in the
corner, a desk and what appears to be a phone and answering machine. All of the equipment looks like it was
deposited in the first available space.
Unsure, you ask the first person you see
where Susie the instructor can be found. Much to your surprise the women
dressed in torn jeans, a stained T-shirt and looks in general something like
what the cat may have brought home, informs you that she is the riding
instructor.
Of course you should never judge a book
by its cover, but practice your honesty here.
As a potential client you would probably turn and walk away from this
situation. After all, if a person does
not respect herself, or her profession enough to take the time to present
herself in an appropriate manner, will she take the time to respect you as a
student? For that matter, how much respect and care do you think they would
show their horses?
Presenting a professional image as a
riding instructor is really no different than in any other business. When you come to work, dress
appropriately. This means clean jeans,
clean shirt, (no potentially offensive words printed on the shirt,) clean and
polished boots, and your hair should be well kept.
The tack room should be kept in perfect
order. Everything should be neatly arranged and well kept.
When
speaking with potential new clients or existing clients, always speak in a
manner that conveys respect. Stay away from slang or poor language. Be
attentive when speaking or being spoken to. (There will be times when you need
to end a conversation. Some clients have
nowhere else to be and will continue to talk to you until the day is almost
exhausted. If this starts to happen I suggest you try either one of these ideas.
You may simply state that you need to get to the arena to help the next person
with riding, or ask to set up another time to talk further. Always be
respectful, but also set boundaries.)
There
are other basic business skills you’ll need in order to operate a successful
business.
There is a substantial amount of
paperwork involved.
Each client should have his or her own
file folder.
In the client file folder you should
have copies of all written material pertaining to that person. It may include information sheets and a
release of liability.
An
information sheet is exactly what it implies, information about the student.
The information sheet should include the student’s name, parent’s name (if
applicable), home address (this is mandatory if you will be billing for
services), phone number and emergency contact name and phone number. You may
also choose to include a few simple questions such as:
Ø Have
you ridden before?
Ø Are
you interested in purchasing a horse?
Ø What
are your goals with horse?
By taking time to ask a few very simple
questions you will gain insight into student desires and goals. You will then be able to tailor your program
to the needs of each individual. This information will also help put students
into groups, so that they are either all of similar riding levels or wanting to
learn similar skills.
Here is a sample of an information
sheet:
Information Sheet
Name
___________________________________
Birth Date___________
Parent/Guardian
_______________________________________________
Address
_____________________________________________________
City
_____________________ State_____ Zip Code________________
Home
Phone (____)_________________
Work
Phone (____)_________________
Cell
Phone (____)_________________
Emergency
Contact: _______________________________________
Emergency
Contact Phone (_____)_______________
(____)____________
Please
answer the following questions so we can create the perfect riding program for
you..
Ø
Have
you ridden horses before? __________
Ø
If yes,
how often? _______________
Ø
What
are your goals with horses? ____________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Ø
Are you
interested in purchasing a horse? _____________
Ø
Are you
interested in leasing a horse?
________________
Ø
What do
you like most about horses?_________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Additional
Comments __________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Having
gathered information about your student, and shown them your interest in their
needs, ideas and goals, establishes a perfect time to give the student some
information about yourself.
Give the student a copy of your business
card with contact information. The contact information you provide should only
include the barn number. Do not give your home phone number. This falls into
the area of setting boundaries.
Imagine yourself at home after a busy and
tough week of working at the barn. You
decide to treat yourself , and you rent a movie. You settle down to relax and 30-mintues into
the movie the phone rings. It is a
parent of a student.. She called at home at night, to discuss in detail the
direction of her child’s riding career. Not wanting to be rude you talk with
this parent for more an hour. As you
hang up the phone you glance at the clock and it is now 10:30 p.m. You have students coming to the barn at 8
a.m.; no time to finish the movie, its time to get
ready for tomorrow.
You have cheated yourself out of much
needed personal time. If this kind of
thing continues (of course you want to
help, but there is a time and a place) you’ll find your attitude starting to
change. Instead of being eager to help,
resentment will grow. But don’t blame
the clients. You make the choices. Choose wisely. It is important that you allow personal time
to rest and rejuvenate your energy.
You are not being selfish or
disrespectful; you are allowing time to rest and take care of yourself so
you’ll be a great teacher.
After the business card, with no home
phone number, if you have a brochure that details your services, offer it to
the potential client.
If you have any kind of certification or
college credits, (you’ll soon have your Professional Riding Instructor
Certification) be sure you make it the highlight of your brochure.
KNOW YOUR STRENGTHS
Keep your lessons focused on subjects in
which you are well versed. In other
words, if your specialty is western trail horses, don’t decide to give a
jumping lesson because someone called and asked for one.
If you specialize in beginning lessons
stick to that, if you excel in western events, then state that in your
brochure. Not everyone can excel in every type of riding; find your niche and
focus on that. Become an expert at what
you do…not a Jack of All Trades, Master of None.
Other things that may be included in
your brochure are specifics about lessons; length of time and costs. If lesson
packages are offered be sure to clearly list the details of the package.
It is always a good business practice to
have an expiration date on package deals. Example: If you offer a package of 10
lessons at a reduced rate, there should be a six to eight month time limit for
the student to use the package. If the
time expires before the total number of lessons are used there should be no
refund. Make sure this is clearly stated in the explanation of the package
offer.
Always be sure to have a record of money
that has come in and money that has gone out, and what it was for. This is
essential for good business practices.
(Lesson Four is a Simple Bookkeeping System)
Your clients will surprise you at how
quickly they forget what they have paid for and when.
You must keep business records; a
requirement by taxing agencies no matter what country in which you live.
WHAT
So far you have secured information
about your student and provided your student (or parent) with information about
you. It’s time to provide the student
with a copy of the ranch rules.
Let everyone know what is expected
during a visit to the ranch or training facility. Here is a sample of facility rules:
New Riders Ranch
Any town, AZ, 10026
602)555-4444
GENERAL RULES
1.
RANCH HOURS: New Riders Ranch is open for lessons
Tuesday thru Saturday from 8a.m. to 5p.m. Lessons are by appointment only. The
ranch is closed on Sunday and Monday.
2.
FEEDING: We provide horses with the best
possible hay available. Some of horses are maintained on special diets, please
do not feed additional feed or treats to the horses.
3.
TACK
4.
GROOMING
5.
DOGS: Your dog is welcome at the ranch as
long as it behaves. i.e. does not fight with the ranch dogs, chase horses or
bark excessively. Please keep you dog leashed at all
times. Do not use a “flex” leash.
6.
PARKING: Please park your car in the designated
area. No parking by barns.
7.
CANCELLATIONS: If you are unable to keep a scheduled lesson
please call the barn 24 hours in advanced to cancel. Lessons cancelled within
the 24 hours time frame are subject to a $25
cancellation fee.
Providing a couple of pages with ranch
rules accomplishes many things for you.
It lets people know not only how to
conduct themselves when they are at the ranch and it lets them know how you
expect equipment and the work area maintained. Listing hours and cancellation
policy will help protect your time and make you more efficient, thereby making
your business more successful.
As we talk more about what is involved
in becoming a great riding instructor you will begin to understand why all of
these elements discussed are often over looked, and yet are so vital to your
success.
Imagine spending the entire day training
and teaching, but now you have only one lesson remaining. The student was
scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Four thirty has
come and gone, and it is now 5:15 p.m.
No sign of the student, so you call her home, but there is no answer. The horse she was to have ridden has not been
out yet and daylight is quickly disappearing.
Now you have to make a decision here,
wait longer hoping the student arrives, call it quits for the day, or get the
horse out and provide some type of exercise and care for the horse.
Not to worry, I have found a way to help
eliminate this scenario. At the end of the day, if the last student is not in
the ranch within ten minutes of their lesson time, the horse is cared for by
going on the walker, turned out or lunged.
If the student does arrive, they are still allowed to ride, but only for
the remaining scheduled time. If the lesson was set for 4:30 and the student
arrives at 5 p.m. the lesson is now only 30 minutes.
It is important to understand there are
times when unexpected things delay us.
But it is also important to understand there is an obligation to provide
care for the horse who is completely dependent upon us for his health care,
exercise, food and housing. By limiting
the late student’s riding time, you are not scolding, nor disciplining the
student; you are simply abiding by a schedule agreed upon by both parties.
You are setting necessary boundaries;
but keep in mind the circumstances may warrant an adjustment in scheduling.
You must be understanding and flexible.
You may choose to provide a late student
with not only an hour of riding time, but even more than an hour. If you choose to do so, it is your choice and
you cannot harbor resentment toward the student for what you have chosen to do.
The circumstances of the day should
guide your choices.
We barely begun to mention all that is
required to become a riding instructor, but hopefully you are becoming aware of
the strong work ethic needed.
When people ask me how many days per week I
work and how many hours each day, I find myself amused at their reaction when I
tell them a normal day is 10 hours, often followed by work at home. This is not
a career for the lazy or those who think they can succeed giving a lesson or
two a day.
This is a career for a person who loves working with horses and people
and will work long days, and as many days in a row as necessary to provide the
level of care and skill needed to benefit both horse and rider.
You may be asking what you are going to
get in return.
Will it be money and how much? Or recognition and fame?
Be assured you can make a very good
living and enjoy both personal and financial freedom. And there may be some fame involved. But you’ll gain something much more valuable.
You’ll enjoy the opportunity to share
your knowledge of the horse with others. You’ll contribute to making dreams
come true. You’ll help students achieve things they never thought possible.
How much is that worth?
Assignment:
1. In detail describe what things
or events created the desire for you to explore a career in horses?
2. What type of business do you
envision creating?
Please send your report to cathyhansonqh@gmail.com