How To Tell Whether You Have
A Good Riding Instructor
Most people believe the best test of a good riding instructor is how well the instructor performs at competitions. Here's why they are wrong.
Now that Carol moved to a new city, she needed a new riding instructor. So she did what riders usually do: Talk to people at her horse boarding facility, ask at the local tack and feed store, and join local riding clubs. But she failed to ask the most important question.
When people recommend riding instructors, they typically refer people to instructors who have impressive riding competition credentials. Surely, we think, these instructors must know what they're doing if they are winning ribbons, medals, and awards at competitions.
When people recommend riding instructors, they typically refer people to instructors who have impressive riding competition credentials. Surely, we think, these instructors must know what they're doing if they are winning ribbons, medals, and awards at competitions.
The most important question is not how well the instructor rides but how well their students do.
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But the most important question is not how well the instructor performs but how well their students do. The students of a good instructor will make progress in their riding, the students of a mediocre instructor won't.
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What are the judges saying about their students' riding? How well do they do at shows? Do they feel they are reaching their riding goals? And most importantly, how much do they enjoy riding?
The plain fact of the matter is that great riders don't always make great instructors. Some years ago, I heard George Morris make this observation at a riding conference. Many in the audience found this hard to believe. So he rattled off the names of several instructors that no one had heard of, all of whom had produced some of the top competitors in their disciplines.
The best way to understand this is to realize that the riding skills of top competitors often are "in their muscles". Riding either came very easily to them, or their riding is at such an advanced level that they no longer even remember what it was like to feel out of sync with a horse. Much of their riding has become automatic and instinctive. When a student is having trouble, they have a hard time understanding why.
The plain fact of the matter is that great riders don't always make great instructors. Some years ago, I heard George Morris make this observation at a riding conference. Many in the audience found this hard to believe. So he rattled off the names of several instructors that no one had heard of, all of whom had produced some of the top competitors in their disciplines.
The best way to understand this is to realize that the riding skills of top competitors often are "in their muscles". Riding either came very easily to them, or their riding is at such an advanced level that they no longer even remember what it was like to feel out of sync with a horse. Much of their riding has become automatic and instinctive. When a student is having trouble, they have a hard time understanding why.
The key to great riding instruction lies in how well an instructor can communicate their knowledge and skill to their students.
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Feeling which diagonal a horse is on, feeling when the horse is on the bit, seeing whether to add or lengthen a stride to a jump, or feeling how much to lean in around a barrel just seems natural to them. So they often lose patience with a student who just doesn't seem to "get it".
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Because so much of their skill is automatic and instinctive, they have trouble describing and communicating it. Could you explain to someone how to maintain your balance on a bicycle? Or how to tie a shoe lace? Your body knows, and much of that knowledge is "tacit" or "implicit"—it can't be verbalized easily. It is not like telling someone your phone number, what you wore to your prom, or how to make an omelet. That knowledge is easy to communicate verbally.
The key to great riding instruction lies in how well an instructor can communicate their knowledge and skill to their students.
Those who not only ride well but communicate well are worth their weight in gold. They can bring the best out of their students and their students' mounts.
Copyright Denise Cummins, PhD, May 2, 2016; updated April 17, 2018; updated June 24, 2024
The Thinking Equestrian
As long as you’re here, check these out!
Equestrian Products That Make Your Riding and Horse Care Easier and Better!
Training and Riding tips for Everyone
Opening Photo Credit: Horse arena with riders ID 63854155 © Constantin Opris | Dreamstime.com
The key to great riding instruction lies in how well an instructor can communicate their knowledge and skill to their students.
Those who not only ride well but communicate well are worth their weight in gold. They can bring the best out of their students and their students' mounts.
Copyright Denise Cummins, PhD, May 2, 2016; updated April 17, 2018; updated June 24, 2024
The Thinking Equestrian
As long as you’re here, check these out!
Equestrian Products That Make Your Riding and Horse Care Easier and Better!
Training and Riding tips for Everyone
Opening Photo Credit: Horse arena with riders ID 63854155 © Constantin Opris | Dreamstime.com