Goal: To learn about how to create appropriate customized programs for riders and horses of different levels that will enable them to become more successful as well as obtain my MA riding instructors license by summer 2018.
How To Become A Licensed Riding Instructor:
Massachusetts state law requires for those who give lessons be licensed in Riding Instruction for the state of Massachusetts. The process to get your license is lengthy but once you obtain the license you will never have to go through the process again. UNLESS you do not renew your riding instructors license by March 31 of each year.
The steps to becoming licensed are stated below:
The steps to becoming licensed are stated below:
- You must be 18 years of age by the date of application.
- You must have completed 60 hours of supervised instruction to mounted students.
- You must complete a six month apprenticeship with a licensed riding instructor.
- You must recieve a satisfactory score on a written horse exam provided by the state.
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Different Types Of Disciplines I Want To Teach:
There are several different disciplines throughout the horse industry, but I focus mainly on the english part of it. My passion is in the jumper ring, but I also still have experience and compete as an eventer. While thinking of a future as a proffessional in the horse industry I know that aside from teaching beginners the foundation of riding so they can go off and join any discipline they choose I also would love to teach riders who already understand the basics and want to learn about the world of eventing or jumpers.
What is Jumpers?
Jumpers is a discipline that includes a course of vertical jumps, oxers, combinations, roll backs, difficult turns, changes of direction and so on. The goal of jumpers is for riders to ride the course with the best time possible without getting any faults. Faults are given to any refusals, rails knocked, etc.. Jumpers can be competed through any height. It starts at "Itty Bitty" which is 18 inch crossrails and moves all the way up through "Grand Prix" which is competed at five feet three inches with up to a six foot spread. There are many types of jumper classes but some of the known ones are:
Better known as an Equestrian Triathlon, Eventing is a sport where horse and rider pairs are put to the test through three types of phases... Dressage, Cross Country, and Show Jumping. The goal of eventing is to get the lowest amount of points throughout all three phases.
What is Jumpers?
Jumpers is a discipline that includes a course of vertical jumps, oxers, combinations, roll backs, difficult turns, changes of direction and so on. The goal of jumpers is for riders to ride the course with the best time possible without getting any faults. Faults are given to any refusals, rails knocked, etc.. Jumpers can be competed through any height. It starts at "Itty Bitty" which is 18 inch crossrails and moves all the way up through "Grand Prix" which is competed at five feet three inches with up to a six foot spread. There are many types of jumper classes but some of the known ones are:
- Power and Speed - The first half of the jumps on course are based on your accuracy so having no refusals or knocking any rails. The second half of the course is based on your time. The horse with the lowest time and lowest amount of faults in the second half of the course wins. Riders who get faults in the first half of the course will be excused from placing.
- Speed Round - Based on how fast your horse goes, and getting no faults. The horse with the lowest time and lowest amount of faults wins.
- Timed First Jump Off - Rider is to complete a course with no faults, if the rider has a clean round the whistle will be blown for them to ride a different but shorter course where they will ride towards having the lowest time with no faults. Rider with the lowest time and lowest amount of faults wins. Riders who have faults in the first course, will not continue onto the second course and the whistle will be blown twice to excuse them from the ring. Those riders will not place.
- Gamblers Choice - Riders are given one minute to complete a jump course that they create. Each jump is worth a certain amount of points and riders have one minute to jump as many jumps as possible. The rider who has the most amount of points after one minute wins.
Better known as an Equestrian Triathlon, Eventing is a sport where horse and rider pairs are put to the test through three types of phases... Dressage, Cross Country, and Show Jumping. The goal of eventing is to get the lowest amount of points throughout all three phases.
- Dressage - The first phase of eventing, where the horse should demonstrate rhythm, balance, obidence, and suppleness based on the riders aids all while being scored by judges. Dressage is the most important yet most challenging phase as the other two phases depend on the basics of dressage for balance and strength. Dressage is scored on a 0-10 scale. 0 is the lowest, 10 is the best. Each movement is scored using this scale then added up with the overall collective marks, gaits, impulsion submission, and the rider scores to give a total score. The total score must be multiplied by 100 then subtracted by 100 for a final score. The final score is the amount of penalty points earned in the dressage phase. That must then be carried out in the next two phases.
- Cross Country - The second phase of eventing, where the horse proves its jumping ability over solid jumps and terrain, it's endurance, and it's speed. Horse and rider pairs want to accomplish the a course of 15-40 jumps that can include banks, ditches, drops, water, and any other type of natural obstacles. Based on the level they are competing at riders have to complete the course within within the time limit which is known as optimum time, any riders who go over or under time will be given time faults. If horses refuse any obstacles or runs past the obstacle those are considered faults. The first run out or refusal you get is 20 penalty points, the second run out or refusal is an added on 40 penalty points, the third run out or refusal is an elimination. Penalty points earned from your cross country run from either a fault or a time fault add into the penalty points from dressage and continue your final score.
- Show Jumping - The final phase of eventing, which tests the horse and rider pair once the cross country phase is completed. Show jumping is based on the accuracy of the pair over a course of 12-15 jumps where light weight rails are used as jumps and can easily be knocked down. There is a time limit in show jumping and every second above the time limit allows for more faults to be collected by the rider. Aside from going over time, riders can accumulate four penalty points every time they have a refusal, run out, or knocked rail. At the completion of show jumping, a score is given and that is added into your final score from the last two phases.
Riding Lesson Topics:
Beginner Riders: ($55, one hour introductory lesson)
Should be able to confidently steer, stop, go over groundpoles, be confident with the posting trot, two point and is capable of understanding diagonals at the trot as well as the correct lead of canter.
Should be confidently riding more difficult horses, jumping fences at a larger height, able to ask for a lead change on horses who are capable of it as well as help horses who do not know how to learn, help with training and schooling greener horses and have full understanding on how to engage the horse into the ride (bending, using the hind end, supple). Advanced riders should be capable to teach or ride proffessionally if they choose to.
- Teach riders how to groom and tack up a horse properly.
- Learn how to walk, stop, steer, go over ground poles.
- Learn how to post & two point.
- Learn how to trot.
- Learning diagonals.
- Learn how to trotting ground poles.
- Learn how to canter.
Should be able to confidently steer, stop, go over groundpoles, be confident with the posting trot, two point and is capable of understanding diagonals at the trot as well as the correct lead of canter.
- Learn how to bend and engage the hind end.
- Learn how to jump cross rails through 2'3.
- Comfortably be able to jump a course.
- Understanding lead changes.
- Starting to compete over fences.
- Able to ride green horses whos training needs to be finished.
Should be confidently riding more difficult horses, jumping fences at a larger height, able to ask for a lead change on horses who are capable of it as well as help horses who do not know how to learn, help with training and schooling greener horses and have full understanding on how to engage the horse into the ride (bending, using the hind end, supple). Advanced riders should be capable to teach or ride proffessionally if they choose to.
- Work on moving up the level of height.
- Training younger horses.
- Understand how to get a young horse to engage and use its body.