You are a “conscience incompetent”, you are unable to ride, and you are aware of that fact. So how are you able to change it?
First, be aware, any one, even people who have had no training, or even lessons, can label themselves an instructor. And many do. There are no laws..
Second, be alert, sometimes because a person has been very successful at showing, they decide to teach (sometimes to create income to continue showing!), without any learned skills in teaching. Being a great rider does not automatically make you a qualified instructor. Teaching requires one to break riding skills down into thousands of individual parts and show you how to apply those parts to yourself.
As usual, finding a good instructor is best done by referral. Do you know someone, who like yourself, started to learn to ride with no (or limited) previous experience. Go and observe their lesson. How far have they progressed? Are they gaining confidence as well as riding skills? Do they know how to handle a horse on the ground as well as under saddle? Do they now know how to catch, groom, saddle, bridle, and mount unaided? Are they enjoying their lessons? Is the instructor certified? Insured?
You don’t know anyone? All is not lost. There are three good places to go otherwise. Riding certification organizations. Why certification? Because an international, or national group has tested, graded and rewarded a person with the title of “Riding Instructor” after they have passed up to 40 hours testing to prove their abilities. You may not be able to determine if a riding instructor is qualified, and safe, but these organizations have! They have done your homework. To verify this, a good book to read first is “Teaching Safe Horsemanship” by Jan Dawson. If the instructor does not meet the standards in this book, you will not be learning how to be around, and on, horses with a degree of safety. This is the main thing you need to learn, even before you become a skilled rider.
How to find certified instructors? Try the web. Certified Horsemanship Association: cha-ahse.org, or 800 399-0138
American Riding Instructors Association: riding–instructor.com 239-948-3232
American Association for Horsemanship Safety: law.utexas.edu/dawson 512-488-2220
You can be sure that a person who is currently listed as a riding instructor in any of these organizations have done their homework, and proven their skills. It is not easy to obtain a certification, or maintain one.
Certification will not guarantee that this instructor will “click” with you or you with them, but it is a safer place to begin. It will give you some knowledge to go with to choose another if that one is not the right one. Ask yourself if you are learning the skills listed in the November article, “What Is Riding?” If so, you are on the right road. You will soon be a “conscience competent”!
Written by Darleen Finnigan, CHA, ARIA certified, teaching at Saddle Soar Ranch, Inc. (specializing in beginner adults.) Puyallup, WA. www.saddlesoarranch.com
Copyright © 2008 The NW Horse Source, LLC
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