IRIDE has relocated to the mountains of northeast Alabama. Specifically, to 66 acres on Lookout Mountain, near Mentone, AL.
We have been working on the property to build a stall and pasture for Jelle, and I am happy to report that he is settled in nicely and loving it here in the mountains.
Getting used to the differences in philosophy in the horse culture up here has been a bit of a challenge, but I was forewarned of it with my experience at a stable/summer camp a few years back. And quite frankly, the quality of the professional equine services has improved since then.
More about the specifics of that later.
I have found that I have about 15-20 acres of good quality hay. I was quite happy about that, until I discovered the difficulty in getting someone to come bale it for me. So, my husband and I are cutting a row at a time, and drying and gathering the hay the way I imagine the Amish do it. The hay is thick and good quality, so the job is not that difficult. And bottom line is that Jelle has great quality hay that is ultra fresh, organic (we haven't had to fertilize OR herbicide the field), plentiful, and cheap!
The only expense we have incurred is the diesel for the tractor to cut it, and the personal man-hours of labor for my husband and myself. Good thing it only takes about 20 minutes for the two of us to gather enough hay for a couple days. I figure that a bale of this hay only costs us about $2.00 or so.
I have also had an influx of new students from this area (I travel between Chattanooga, TN; Huntsville, AL and Rome, GA during each week for regular lessons). I am grateful for the warm welcome I have gotten from the dressage community up here! There are quite a few talented, serious, and committed riders in this area! I am also pleasantly surprised about the quality horses that they have. Another thing that surprises me is the number of showing opportunities here. There are almost 20 USDF/USEF recognized dressage shows within 2-1/2 hour's drive from me between the months of April and November. That is plenty of competition opportunity for the students as well as for Jelle and me!
Showing posts with label dressage instruction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dressage instruction. Show all posts
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Are You Serious?
People call me about lessons, training, and buying horses all the time. I am constantly amazed at the array of calls, emails and inquiries. (thank you, thank you, and please, keep contacting!)
They range all the way from clueless people who call me up out of the phone book who want to "borrow your horse to take on a trail ride with some friends for the weekend" (seriously, it happened! thank God that was only once), to breeders with amazing young horse prospects--started and unstarted--that want to put their horse in full training with me to compete on the Florida circuit and everything in between.
Each one of them, including the clueless people mentioned above, are very serious when they call me.
So what do I mean when I ask the question "Are you serious?" I mean, what are your goals? Why do you ride (or want to ride) horses? And the most important question of all--
What are you willing to do to achieve your goal?
What are you willing to sacrifice?
What are you willing to change in your life to accommodate the time, money, and work that it takes to ride a horse (well)?
I have been riding, training, showing, breeding, (living and breathing) horses for almost my entire life. I can answer the above questions with the only acceptable answer there really is:
I will do anything. I will do whatever it takes. I will give up anything.
And only when you are on my side of age, can you answer that as I have above. If you are on the newer side of age (below 50, let's say), you can only answer in the prospective term:
I am willing to do anything. I am willing to do whatever it takes. I am willing to give up anything.
And then you will spend the rest of your life proving it.
Anything less will get you less. How much less is directly related to what roadblocks you are willing to accept.
Students come to me with differing long-term goals-- to learn to ride, or to progress in their riding, or to be coached, or learn to train horses, or learn to teach others to ride horses. In the beginning, I try to have them define what their goals are--short term and long term. (I realize as I write this that I need to be more assertive about clearly defining these with them).
Everyone of my students think they are serious. But are they? Are you? They ask me if they are talented enough, which is difficult to answer. Many of them declare that they are talented, and want to be the best, so I get all excited and start asking them the questions:
How many times per week can you ride and take lessons? (once a week is NOT serious--5-6 times is)
When will you be ready to buy a horse? (the serious answer to this question depends on the rider, and the answer to the first question)
Are you willing to put your horse (or your prospective horse) into full training with me? (this doesn't, and shouldn't, mean that you can't ride your own horse, but the trainer has to be able to maintain a supporting role in keeping the horse tuned up for you--you are not a trainer)
How much time and money are you willing to invest in your horse's care--nutrition, athletic maintenance, shoeing, grooming, etc.? (an athlete is an athlete, and your athlete deserves the utmost standard of care)
How much time and money are you willing to invest in showing? (whether it is you showing your horse, or your trainer, or a combination)
If you are not willing to commit to whatever it takes to answer the above questions in the affirmative (whatever it takes), then you are not serious.
Before you answer, "I can't afford it", and get all depressed, read on:
The most money my household has ever brought in has been a little over $80,000.00 in one year (gross receipts, combined income). Many more years, the income has been much less--one year, there was less than $9,000.00. So income is no excuse. Where there is a will, there is a way.
Success has very little to do with talent or money, and has everything to do with grit and determination. It has everything to do with clarity of purpose, persistence, single-mindedness, and quality experience.
Your success in riding (as well as any other endeavor on earth) absolutely depends on your commitment to excellent education, commitment to your horse and your trainer, and thousands of hours in the saddle and in the barn.
The only thing holding you back is you. I don't want to hear "if only I had more money...if only I didn't have to work...if only I didn't have kids...if only my husband was more supportive....if only I didn't have a husband....if only I had a barn....if only I had a horse.....blah, blah, blah. Those are all excuses!
You can and should find a great instructor (ask here in the comment box below, or email me for instructions!) among all the shysters out there (and there are TONS--beware!).
Take lessons, seriously. Buy, trade, work for all the lessons you can possible take....ride at LEAST 4 days a week in lessons at first, and as you achieve your goals, purchase a horse if that makes sense and board it with your trainer. Your trainer should ride your horse a LOT--how much depends on the horse, your own riding level at the moment, and your goals.
Ride, ride, ride-- I don't want to hear, "it's too hot, it's too cold, it's raining, I don't feel well, I have to go (insert anywhere), my kid is sick, my husband is complaining about money, my husband says I spend too much time at the barn, my mom wants me to do chores, my boyfriend wants to go out tonight, blah, blah, blah". Not acceptable.
Those are all excuses, and you need to decide what you will sacrifice--your horse? Your riding? Your success? Don't blame it on the others in your life--YOU take control. RIDE!
Never, ever stop taking lessons (and your lessons will get more expensive the more you learn....I pay $300.00 per 45 minute ride for my lessons, plus I have to trailer down to the facility, and pay for a stall, and give up the money I would make giving lessons that day--so you can see some of what you have to look forward to.... Riding well is expensive and insists on continuing education and experience, but there is no excuse for riding poorly. To back off is to give up, and that cannot be any part of your genetic makeup.
If you want to ride, RIDE. Find a great instructor (that is actually the hardest part--but remember, you have grit and determination, and will find a way, no matter what). Find the money. Find the time. Find a way. No excuses.
Go get yours.
They range all the way from clueless people who call me up out of the phone book who want to "borrow your horse to take on a trail ride with some friends for the weekend" (seriously, it happened! thank God that was only once), to breeders with amazing young horse prospects--started and unstarted--that want to put their horse in full training with me to compete on the Florida circuit and everything in between.
Each one of them, including the clueless people mentioned above, are very serious when they call me.
So what do I mean when I ask the question "Are you serious?" I mean, what are your goals? Why do you ride (or want to ride) horses? And the most important question of all--
What are you willing to do to achieve your goal?
What are you willing to sacrifice?
What are you willing to change in your life to accommodate the time, money, and work that it takes to ride a horse (well)?
I have been riding, training, showing, breeding, (living and breathing) horses for almost my entire life. I can answer the above questions with the only acceptable answer there really is:
I will do anything. I will do whatever it takes. I will give up anything.
And only when you are on my side of age, can you answer that as I have above. If you are on the newer side of age (below 50, let's say), you can only answer in the prospective term:
I am willing to do anything. I am willing to do whatever it takes. I am willing to give up anything.
And then you will spend the rest of your life proving it.
Anything less will get you less. How much less is directly related to what roadblocks you are willing to accept.
Students come to me with differing long-term goals-- to learn to ride, or to progress in their riding, or to be coached, or learn to train horses, or learn to teach others to ride horses. In the beginning, I try to have them define what their goals are--short term and long term. (I realize as I write this that I need to be more assertive about clearly defining these with them).
Everyone of my students think they are serious. But are they? Are you? They ask me if they are talented enough, which is difficult to answer. Many of them declare that they are talented, and want to be the best, so I get all excited and start asking them the questions:
How many times per week can you ride and take lessons? (once a week is NOT serious--5-6 times is)
When will you be ready to buy a horse? (the serious answer to this question depends on the rider, and the answer to the first question)
Are you willing to put your horse (or your prospective horse) into full training with me? (this doesn't, and shouldn't, mean that you can't ride your own horse, but the trainer has to be able to maintain a supporting role in keeping the horse tuned up for you--you are not a trainer)
How much time and money are you willing to invest in your horse's care--nutrition, athletic maintenance, shoeing, grooming, etc.? (an athlete is an athlete, and your athlete deserves the utmost standard of care)
How much time and money are you willing to invest in showing? (whether it is you showing your horse, or your trainer, or a combination)
If you are not willing to commit to whatever it takes to answer the above questions in the affirmative (whatever it takes), then you are not serious.
Before you answer, "I can't afford it", and get all depressed, read on:
The most money my household has ever brought in has been a little over $80,000.00 in one year (gross receipts, combined income). Many more years, the income has been much less--one year, there was less than $9,000.00. So income is no excuse. Where there is a will, there is a way.
Success has very little to do with talent or money, and has everything to do with grit and determination. It has everything to do with clarity of purpose, persistence, single-mindedness, and quality experience.
Your success in riding (as well as any other endeavor on earth) absolutely depends on your commitment to excellent education, commitment to your horse and your trainer, and thousands of hours in the saddle and in the barn.
The only thing holding you back is you. I don't want to hear "if only I had more money...if only I didn't have to work...if only I didn't have kids...if only my husband was more supportive....if only I didn't have a husband....if only I had a barn....if only I had a horse.....blah, blah, blah. Those are all excuses!
You can and should find a great instructor (ask here in the comment box below, or email me for instructions!) among all the shysters out there (and there are TONS--beware!).
Take lessons, seriously. Buy, trade, work for all the lessons you can possible take....ride at LEAST 4 days a week in lessons at first, and as you achieve your goals, purchase a horse if that makes sense and board it with your trainer. Your trainer should ride your horse a LOT--how much depends on the horse, your own riding level at the moment, and your goals.
Ride, ride, ride-- I don't want to hear, "it's too hot, it's too cold, it's raining, I don't feel well, I have to go (insert anywhere), my kid is sick, my husband is complaining about money, my husband says I spend too much time at the barn, my mom wants me to do chores, my boyfriend wants to go out tonight, blah, blah, blah". Not acceptable.
Those are all excuses, and you need to decide what you will sacrifice--your horse? Your riding? Your success? Don't blame it on the others in your life--YOU take control. RIDE!
Never, ever stop taking lessons (and your lessons will get more expensive the more you learn....I pay $300.00 per 45 minute ride for my lessons, plus I have to trailer down to the facility, and pay for a stall, and give up the money I would make giving lessons that day--so you can see some of what you have to look forward to.... Riding well is expensive and insists on continuing education and experience, but there is no excuse for riding poorly. To back off is to give up, and that cannot be any part of your genetic makeup.
If you want to ride, RIDE. Find a great instructor (that is actually the hardest part--but remember, you have grit and determination, and will find a way, no matter what). Find the money. Find the time. Find a way. No excuses.
Go get yours.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Dressage Clinic Etiquette
The definition of a "dressage clinic" is a short-term opportunity to have an intense lesson or two from a trainer that you admire/respect who is not normally available to you. This clinic should be in addition to your regular lessons with your regular trainer/instructor. Ideally, it should recur several times per year, but it should NOT be the only help you get with your horse unless you are a successful trainer yourself (and if you are, you already know that you need regular help because no one can successfully train/maintain a horse on their own....even the top trainers in the world ride with someone--in most cases everyday, but that is a different topic).
A Host offers a clinic with a trainer/instructor for several reasons:
1. The trainer/instructor is a person who does not live in the immediate area, and is someone who the Host themselves would like to take a lesson(s) from, or already does take lessons from.
2. The Host would like to offset costs of their own education by bringing the clinician to their barn rather than travelling to the trainer's barn (often in another state, country or even continent)
3. The Host has a facility (or access to one) that is conducive to optimal training that other riders in the area may not have (a standard dressage arena with good footing, a covered arena, mirrors, lights, etc).
Right off the bat, let me dispel a myth--
In every single instance, the Host does not make money on the clinic, trust me.
The Host commits their time, energy, and money into getting the clinician there, which means paying at least some of the costs up front. Airplane travel, accommodations, transport costs, and food/drink for the clinician are NOT FREE. Further, the price that the clinician charges is a per day charge, not a per ride charge since they are giving up potential income from regular lessons at their own facility to be in your area.
Depending on the level of experience and popularity of the clinician the per day cost to the organizer for the clinic fee alone is typically between $800-2000.00. And the clinician will only teach 8 hours per day, maximum. So base price of a ride will be a minimum of $100.00, plus expenses (which vary widely, depending on the other costs listed). All these indirect costs have to be included in the price of each ride, or the host loses money by subsidizing your ride. Not only is that not fair, no one can afford to do that.
So, here is your Etiquette part:
If someone contacts you about riding in a clinic, get all the details from the beginning:
The date of the clinic
The name and bio of the clinician (if you don't already work with them)
The details of the lessons (private, semi-private, work in hand, clinician rides your horse, longe
lesson for you, etc.)
The price of a ride
The price of auditing
The price of stabling
The deadline for accepting/declining
Date of deposit
Date of final payment
Details about refunds, filling rides, waiting lists, auditing, videoing, concessions onsite, and
anything else you can think of that will make your ride live up to your expectations
The second you accept an invitation to ride, you accept responsibility for payment in full.
If the host is pre-planning, meaning she is accepting tentative commitments prior to reserving the dates for the clinician, then she may accept a deposit, refundable up to the point that she actually reserves the dates and makes travel arrangements for the clinician.
If a deposit is required, make sure you send it within 24 hours of oral acceptance of the invitation. Before you accept the invitation, make sure you understand the terms of the deposit (when the date will be confirmed, and the terms of refund, if any)
If the date is set already, and you confirm your intent to ride by any form (orally, email, phone, etc.), you are immediately responsible for full payment, and should mail or deliver the check within 24 hours.
If you should become unable to ride for any reason, you should contact the Host immediately, and ask if they have a waiting list. If they do, let them know that you can't make it, and why, and ask them to contact their waiting list people to see if someone can ride in your place. If this is successful, you should receive a refund (there may be a nominal fee to cover time spent processing your ride time and also replacing your ride).
If they have no one on the waiting list, then they may allow you to find someone to fill the ride. Otherwise, you have to pay for the ride anyway.
If you are not willing to take this risk, do not sign up to ride in the clinic. End of story.
Next up--etiquette when you arrive at the clinic
A Host offers a clinic with a trainer/instructor for several reasons:
1. The trainer/instructor is a person who does not live in the immediate area, and is someone who the Host themselves would like to take a lesson(s) from, or already does take lessons from.
2. The Host would like to offset costs of their own education by bringing the clinician to their barn rather than travelling to the trainer's barn (often in another state, country or even continent)
3. The Host has a facility (or access to one) that is conducive to optimal training that other riders in the area may not have (a standard dressage arena with good footing, a covered arena, mirrors, lights, etc).
Right off the bat, let me dispel a myth--
In every single instance, the Host does not make money on the clinic, trust me.
The Host commits their time, energy, and money into getting the clinician there, which means paying at least some of the costs up front. Airplane travel, accommodations, transport costs, and food/drink for the clinician are NOT FREE. Further, the price that the clinician charges is a per day charge, not a per ride charge since they are giving up potential income from regular lessons at their own facility to be in your area.
Depending on the level of experience and popularity of the clinician the per day cost to the organizer for the clinic fee alone is typically between $800-2000.00. And the clinician will only teach 8 hours per day, maximum. So base price of a ride will be a minimum of $100.00, plus expenses (which vary widely, depending on the other costs listed). All these indirect costs have to be included in the price of each ride, or the host loses money by subsidizing your ride. Not only is that not fair, no one can afford to do that.
So, here is your Etiquette part:
If someone contacts you about riding in a clinic, get all the details from the beginning:
The date of the clinic
The name and bio of the clinician (if you don't already work with them)
The details of the lessons (private, semi-private, work in hand, clinician rides your horse, longe
lesson for you, etc.)
The price of a ride
The price of auditing
The price of stabling
The deadline for accepting/declining
Date of deposit
Date of final payment
Details about refunds, filling rides, waiting lists, auditing, videoing, concessions onsite, and
anything else you can think of that will make your ride live up to your expectations
The second you accept an invitation to ride, you accept responsibility for payment in full.
If the host is pre-planning, meaning she is accepting tentative commitments prior to reserving the dates for the clinician, then she may accept a deposit, refundable up to the point that she actually reserves the dates and makes travel arrangements for the clinician.
If a deposit is required, make sure you send it within 24 hours of oral acceptance of the invitation. Before you accept the invitation, make sure you understand the terms of the deposit (when the date will be confirmed, and the terms of refund, if any)
If the date is set already, and you confirm your intent to ride by any form (orally, email, phone, etc.), you are immediately responsible for full payment, and should mail or deliver the check within 24 hours.
If you should become unable to ride for any reason, you should contact the Host immediately, and ask if they have a waiting list. If they do, let them know that you can't make it, and why, and ask them to contact their waiting list people to see if someone can ride in your place. If this is successful, you should receive a refund (there may be a nominal fee to cover time spent processing your ride time and also replacing your ride).
If they have no one on the waiting list, then they may allow you to find someone to fill the ride. Otherwise, you have to pay for the ride anyway.
If you are not willing to take this risk, do not sign up to ride in the clinic. End of story.
Next up--etiquette when you arrive at the clinic
Sunday, July 19, 2009
I just had a great ride on my horse, Bogart. Of course, all my rides on him are wonderful, but it has been over a month since I have ridden him. I did not take him to Alabama with me when I was teaching at Valley View. A friend/student/fellow instructor of mine leased him for the month while her young horse was in training with another friend/fellow instructor of mine. If it sounds like musical horses, it kind of was...but in a good way!
Franzi has a young horse that was being started under saddle for a couple months by his breeder, and Franzi was just about to bring him home. Sandy's horse is well-started and she has been showing him successfully at training and first levels for the past couple years, and was starting the serious lateral work with him. My horse, Bogart is a great schoolmaster, and knows all the lateral work...so this arrangement worked out very well. Franzi just had a baby (human) 7 months ago, and needed to get back into riding shape before her just-started horse came home. Sandy needed a horse to polish up on her aids for the lateral movements and to feel them on a finished horse. I needed to keep my horse in work for the month that I was giving lessons and clinics in the TAG (Tennessee/Alabama/Georgia) area. So it was a win-win situation for everyone.
It has been a very long time coming in my area, but I am grateful for the network of professionals that I am associated with. Sandy and Franzi are just two of the many fellow professionals that I work with on a freelance sort of relationship, both in Florida and in the TAG area...we cover each others' lessons if/when one of us is out of town; we consult with each other about horse or student challenges and issues; we share triumphs, both personal and professional; and we genuinely like each other. I have been espousing this philosophy for years, and now, more and more trainers/instructors are finally learning that we are all in this together, and it is much better to support each other than to gossip and backbite each other. There is enough work out there for all of us, and most important--the standard of instruction is finally starting to reach a higher level generally. I like to believe that this is all part of the fabric of advancing the quality of riding in general, and dressage specifically. And no matter where you are in your journey of riding, you always need lessons, you always need "eyes on the ground" at least part of the time, no matter how "good" or experienced a rider/trainer/instructor you are.
Fading (though not gone) are the days when one took lessons from the teenager next door because she had a horse and had won some ribbons at the local show. I hope that the economy doesn't allow this progress to be lost. It is very easy to "give lessons for some extra money" just because you own a horse, and the general public (read: moms and dads of little girls and boys who are clamoring for a pony) doesn't have a clue about how to go about finding a qualified instructor.
author's edit: Here is one way to find a qualified riding instructor-click on this link- http://www.riding-instructor.com/ and click on the link on the left of the page that says "find an instructor"--this is the American Riding Instructor Associations official website and list of certified riding instructors. Be sure to also click on the top tab that says "instructor certification" and then click on "certification levels", so that you get a clear picture of what you are getting in your potential instructor.
When you contact your potential instructor, be sure to ask lots of questions to make sure that they offer what you (your son or daughter) are looking for, and ask for the instructor's resume. Then set up an appointment to watch this instructor teach a lesson comparable to what you are looking for (beginner on school horse, beginner on own horse, inermediate on school horse, intermediate on own horse, etc.).
The biggest reason for that is that there is no licensing or certification requirement for "horse trainers" or "riding instructors" (although how this has escaped the claws of government has totally baffled me when almost everything else requires licensing and certification, if only for the revenue it generates for the various government agencies). The only basis of education proof we have is voluntary certification through many different entities. A few of the ones that I know of are the United States Dressage Federation, the American Riding Instructor Association, the Certified Horsemanship Association, and the Horsemanship Safety Association. I know there are many others, and it would be difficult at best for the parent who knows nothing about horses to even find out information about these entities, never mind wading through and deciphering the validity and scope of the certification.
I am certified in dressage through the highest level of the American Riding Instructor Association (ARIA), and in my opinion (and many others') it is the best general instructor certification that is available in the USA, and is recognized by many countries internationally as well. But how is the layperson supposed to know that? It sounds good, for sure, and it is! But again, how does the person that has no basis of knowledge know? It is a leap of faith, for sure.
But bottom line, certification IS A GOOD THING. It benefits the general public, and it benefits the instructor. It does give a certain level of confidence to the potential student/parent that the instructor has at least demonstrated a standard level of knowledge and the ability to communicate that knowledge to their students.
Next blog will be about competition vs. riding for "fun". Try to guess why I put it in quotation marks. :-)
Franzi has a young horse that was being started under saddle for a couple months by his breeder, and Franzi was just about to bring him home. Sandy's horse is well-started and she has been showing him successfully at training and first levels for the past couple years, and was starting the serious lateral work with him. My horse, Bogart is a great schoolmaster, and knows all the lateral work...so this arrangement worked out very well. Franzi just had a baby (human) 7 months ago, and needed to get back into riding shape before her just-started horse came home. Sandy needed a horse to polish up on her aids for the lateral movements and to feel them on a finished horse. I needed to keep my horse in work for the month that I was giving lessons and clinics in the TAG (Tennessee/Alabama/Georgia) area. So it was a win-win situation for everyone.
It has been a very long time coming in my area, but I am grateful for the network of professionals that I am associated with. Sandy and Franzi are just two of the many fellow professionals that I work with on a freelance sort of relationship, both in Florida and in the TAG area...we cover each others' lessons if/when one of us is out of town; we consult with each other about horse or student challenges and issues; we share triumphs, both personal and professional; and we genuinely like each other. I have been espousing this philosophy for years, and now, more and more trainers/instructors are finally learning that we are all in this together, and it is much better to support each other than to gossip and backbite each other. There is enough work out there for all of us, and most important--the standard of instruction is finally starting to reach a higher level generally. I like to believe that this is all part of the fabric of advancing the quality of riding in general, and dressage specifically. And no matter where you are in your journey of riding, you always need lessons, you always need "eyes on the ground" at least part of the time, no matter how "good" or experienced a rider/trainer/instructor you are.
Fading (though not gone) are the days when one took lessons from the teenager next door because she had a horse and had won some ribbons at the local show. I hope that the economy doesn't allow this progress to be lost. It is very easy to "give lessons for some extra money" just because you own a horse, and the general public (read: moms and dads of little girls and boys who are clamoring for a pony) doesn't have a clue about how to go about finding a qualified instructor.
author's edit: Here is one way to find a qualified riding instructor-click on this link- http://www.riding-instructor.com/ and click on the link on the left of the page that says "find an instructor"--this is the American Riding Instructor Associations official website and list of certified riding instructors. Be sure to also click on the top tab that says "instructor certification" and then click on "certification levels", so that you get a clear picture of what you are getting in your potential instructor.
When you contact your potential instructor, be sure to ask lots of questions to make sure that they offer what you (your son or daughter) are looking for, and ask for the instructor's resume. Then set up an appointment to watch this instructor teach a lesson comparable to what you are looking for (beginner on school horse, beginner on own horse, inermediate on school horse, intermediate on own horse, etc.).
The biggest reason for that is that there is no licensing or certification requirement for "horse trainers" or "riding instructors" (although how this has escaped the claws of government has totally baffled me when almost everything else requires licensing and certification, if only for the revenue it generates for the various government agencies). The only basis of education proof we have is voluntary certification through many different entities. A few of the ones that I know of are the United States Dressage Federation, the American Riding Instructor Association, the Certified Horsemanship Association, and the Horsemanship Safety Association. I know there are many others, and it would be difficult at best for the parent who knows nothing about horses to even find out information about these entities, never mind wading through and deciphering the validity and scope of the certification.
I am certified in dressage through the highest level of the American Riding Instructor Association (ARIA), and in my opinion (and many others') it is the best general instructor certification that is available in the USA, and is recognized by many countries internationally as well. But how is the layperson supposed to know that? It sounds good, for sure, and it is! But again, how does the person that has no basis of knowledge know? It is a leap of faith, for sure.
But bottom line, certification IS A GOOD THING. It benefits the general public, and it benefits the instructor. It does give a certain level of confidence to the potential student/parent that the instructor has at least demonstrated a standard level of knowledge and the ability to communicate that knowledge to their students.
Next blog will be about competition vs. riding for "fun". Try to guess why I put it in quotation marks. :-)
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