- knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
- customer service skills
- the ability to work on your own
- leadership skills
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to come up with new ways of doing things
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- excellent verbal communication skills
- knowledge of English language
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
Your day-to-day duties may involve:
- teaching people who want to ride as a leisure activity
- helping prepare for competitions like show jumping, eventing or dressage
- making sure health and safety rules are followed
- helping horses and riders to warm up and cool down during training
- developing training programmes suited to individual riders
- giving practical demonstrations
- helping riders correct problems
- giving feedback and keeping records of rider development
- assessing riders who are working towards qualifications
You could work at a riding stable.
Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers.
With experience, you could become self-employed and work on a freelance basis for several centres. You could also run your own riding school, become a head or senior instructor, a competition judge, or move into management.
Once experienced, you could also apply for the IGEQ Equestrian Passport, making it easier for you to find work abroad.
You'll find more advice about becoming a riding instructor from the:British Horse Society; Association of British Riding Schools; Riding for the Disabled Association
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