Working as a riding instructor

Standing in the middle of an indoor school or an outdoor arena, keeping an eye on riders and horses alike, the riding instructor runs the lesson known as a "reprise". Passionate about riding and fond of teaching, they divide their time between the riders and the horses, with neither ever taking priority over the other.

A job where you need to love teaching as much as horses

The riding instructor is both a group leader and a teacher. As such, they take an interest in their pupils and in each one's individual progress, and use teaching methods that make these learning sessions enjoyable and fun. Faced with beginners or experienced riders, children or adults, they adapt their objectives and allocate horses so as to motivate everyone while keeping riders safe.

A horse, even a schooled one, is never entirely predictable. Knowing what particular precautions to take and how to react in the event of an accident is part of the competence and professional maturity expected of an instructor.

Most of an instructor's working time is spent teaching. Days of lessons can be long and leave little time for riding themselves. And when they do ride, it will more often be other people's horses than their own.

Working a horse, schooling it, caring for it

Within the riding school, the horse works. During lessons, the instructor manages and measures the animal's efforts. Outside lessons, they refine its schooling and manage its rest periods. Alongside this, they help the staff responsible for care, mucking out and keeping the centre clean. They are often involved in buying the horses and ponies, as well as their equipment. Plenty of riding instructors buy their kit from La Sellerie Française.

Taking part in the life of the riding school.

The riding instructor has a share of responsibility for the atmosphere within the centre. Their people skills, teaching ability and responsiveness to clients' needs all contribute to the club's atmosphere. They help organise parties, games, displays, competitions and examinations. If they also act as a trainer, they will look after competitors, often at weekends, while preparing the practical side of travelling to events.

A job that demands flexible hours

Riding instructors covered by the riding schools' collective agreement work a 35-hour week. Day to day, however, the horse always comes first. The unexpected — a sick horse, for example — can change how long a day runs. This needs some qualifying: the size of the centre and its status affect how versatile you need to be. That said, many riding schools are small, and this level of commitment will be expected.

Teaching and riding: activities carried out outdoors, in all weathers

Riding is an outdoor activity, even if some clubs have indoor schools. It goes on in all weathers, lessons as well as trail rides, unless conditions are dangerous for the rider or the horse. Life at a riding school is an outdoor life. Instructors are often, in fact, offered accommodation on site.