Stumbled across another site/association relating to Horse Safety in Australia (http://www.ahse.info/) a couple of days ago and was happy to see they offered another qualification/s relating to instructing horseriding in Australia.

The different qualifications cover:
– Assistant Instructor (minimum age to start this is 16)
– Instructor (minimum of 18 years)
– Senior Instructor
– Horse Program Manager
– Clinic Instructor (Arena; minimum age of 25)

A requirement or pre-requisite for any of these qualifications is basic first aid (Level 1) for Assistant and at least Level 2 for any other qualifications. This is worth getting for anyone considering instructing as you’ll find it’s needed for any horse riding teaching qualification, especially if you plan on being insured. There’s also insurance information on the site, take a look at http://www.ahse.info/instructors.htm.

“Boot, saddle, to horse, and away!” – Robert Browning

tag: horseriding, course, training, australia, instructing, coaching, career

I like to keep an eye on the stats of my website – how many people visit, where they’re referred from or if they stumbled across my site through a search engine, what phrase they used to find the site. A recent one was ‘do you need any qualifications to teach people to ride horses’.

Although I’ve written quite a few posts regarding becoming qualified to teach, I realise I haven’t actually answered that particular question. I don’t believe it is compulsory to be qualified to teach, just as it isn’t compulsory to be able to execute a certain movement on a horse to be able to teach it. (Though, I do believe this makes you a more capable teacher as you know how to execute a certain movement rather than just explain how to do it).

There are quite a few benefits to being qualified to teach:
– You can receive a higher rate of pay with a piece of paper without having to prove yourself as an instructor.
– If you’ve done so through a nationally recognised course, you can more easily get insurance to teach.
– You’ll be in contact with others in the industry due to doing a course and stay up to date while doing the course and beyond.
– Most riding schools when looking for instructors would prefer someone who has gone to the trouble of getting a piece of paper.

However, if you are recognised as a good rider (perhaps people know your name due to performing well in competitions), then you may find people seek you out due to your success, rather than because you carry a piece of paper. For example, an equestrian who has competed at Olympic level may be more sought after and able to charge a higher fee than someone who has just finished their Level 1 for Instructing. If you don’t ride at a competitive or recognised level though, the piece of paper should open many doors for you.

If you don’t have a qualification but want to get one, you’ll find there are schools around who are willing to employ someone who is going to invest the time it takes to get a piece of paper. I’d allow a couple of years to gain the qualification alongside working. Other pieces of paper you may need alongside this could include a Police Check to prove you’re fine to work with children and a current First Aid Certificate.

“Hoof picks migrate” – Horse Stuff Co.

tag: horseriding, course, Level 1, coaching, instructing, competition