Equine Studies Institute
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The professional Riding Instructor is not only an accomplished rider and horseman or woman, but an accomplished teacher who utilizes effective teaching techniques to assure students master both the theory and skills of riding.
To be successful as a riding instructor, you must understand how to develop an effective lesson plan to meet the objectives of the student, be they a first-time rider or a seasoned competitor looking for championship polish.
The focus of the first three lessons is on safety around horses, how students learn, how you can best develop lesson plans, and how best to teach private and group lessons.
Once you've mastered the teaching techniques presented in the first three lessons, you will be asked to video yourself giving a riding lesson and utilizing the appropriate techniques for the test criteria.
Lesson 1: Creating a safe riding facility environment.
A. Making sure the student is safe.
B. Making sure the facility is safe.
Lesson 2: The characteristics of a good riding instructor
A. How students learn.
1. Audio learners
2. Visual learners
3. Kinesthetic learners
B. How to develop lesson plans
1. Setting short-term and long-term goals
Lesson 3: Teaching in special situations
A. Teaching on the lunge line.
B. Teaching Children
1. Differences between teaching children and adults.
Lesson 4: Final assignment for evaluation of your teaching techniques. The student will video tape a riding instruction lesson.
This course begins with an introduction to safety around horses for the new student and safety for horses at the riding facility.
Lesson two describes how students learn, the development of lesson plans, the setting of short and long-term goals, and guideline for accomplishing the rider's objectives.