Second Life

So you want to be a riding teacher?

Thirty-five years ago a mother told a horse-crazy 17 year old that she had a choice--Attend "horse college" or go on to get an education for a "REAL JOB". She humored me...we visited Meredith Manor, and a few other schools that featured riding teacher certification.

Long story short, I chose Penn State for pre-veterinary and tried out for the Equestrian team as a compromise. I wanted a real job.

I have not regretted the choice for one moment, because I have a great career as a teacher, I have a sizable retirement account, health insurance, raised a child, owned a home and have a great trailer-pullin truck.

Teaching riding has been my second life. Starting in 1979 I hung out a shingle after receiving training from NARHA through the Centre County 4-H. I was a leader back then, and every 4-H in PA created a "Riding for the Handicaped" program. I was part of developing the Bellefonte program that I believe is still going today at Nancy Meier's farm.

We were sent to Hershey Medical Center several times to receive training about anatomy, physical disabilities, and how to teach every type of rider. I learned so much about how the human body is moved by the horse, and that served me well in my second life career as a horsemanship teacher.

Could I make a living at it? I tried it for 5 years...sorta

I leased a 40 acre facility with an indoor arena in the Pacific Northwest. My revenue stream was pretty good. With boarding, training, lessons and clinics, I ran about 5 thousand through the barn each month. The tradeoff was leaving my REAL JOB at 2:30, heading to the barn, (I did not live there) teaching lessons until 8 PM,feeding, riding training horses until 11 PM, rushing home to greet my child, eating (sometimes), grading papers, and falling into bed. At 4 AM I jumped back into the truck, drove 10 miles to the barn, fed the horses, did chores, headed home, showered, and made it to work on time(most days unless the elk knocked down the fence or the water was frozen or I had a sick horse) to teach school and do it all over again.

I never really shook the notion that my Mother planted in my head that horses were a hobby, or at most, an avocation. I had been afraid to quit my day job.

Now I am in grad school, and seriously contemplating doing horses full time. As soon as I work how how to put money away for another 20 years for retirement and carry my own health insurance...I have the time to plan and think...

After 9 months teaching riding locally again, the client load is increasing by the day. And it is WINTER!!! If I only had an indoor arena.

I am relating all this because many young people want to become riding teachers....

An earlier posting, "Old Wine in New Bottles" discussed life as a riding teacher without certification, yet possessing a lifetime of horse experience and 3o years riding/training and teaching riding. Would you rather take lessons from a newly certified 25 year old or from a career teacher with so much experience in many areas or horsemanship?

I guess it is the same thing as having the PhD and people taking you seriously as a teacher educator, vs. presenting a 30 year career teaching many subjects, teaching youth and teachers, and having no one value that experience. Book lernin' vs. field experience? Big dilemma.

So, what I am saying is, if you have any aspirations to become an equine business operator, there are so many things to consider...

Maybe this article by Faith Meredith will help you to evaluate your qualifications and aspirations. She discusses what to look for in a riding teacher. This article presents very valid points. The "Certificate" does not reveal the answers to all the questions you should ask yourself before choosing a riding teacher. But that is a whole other discussion.