How do YOU pick an instructor?

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eatonbraynat

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So how do you decide which instructor to have?
What criteria do you look for, for example would things like qualifications, insured, age influence you?

Also is whether they compete an issue for you, would you have somebody that competes and does well over someone who does not compete?

Opinions appreciated!!
 
I try them based on word of mouth and if I click with them and like their methods and understand them and feel that they work for my horse and i and continue with lessons from the instructor. I was always told bad instruction is worse than no instruction so its crucial to me that I click with the instructor and their methods :)
 
my advice to you would be
A) do you like the instructor.
B)does she/he bond with your horse.
C)is she/he qualified.
D)do you enjoy their lessons.
E)does your horse agree to her teachings and her lessons.

good luck in finding the right instructor though!!.
:)
 
Pixxie said:
I try them based on word of mouth and if I click with them and like their methods and understand them and feel that they work for my horse and i and continue with lessons from the instructor. I was always told bad instruction is worse than no instruction so its crucial to me that I click with the instructor and their methods :)
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This
 
So does this mean that it doesnt matter to you all if they compete and are successful or not, this doesnt seem to be anyones criteria??
 
In my opinion it doesn't matter about qualifications and if they compete yes it is nice to know they are doing well, it can be a bit disconcerting if you compete against them and win! On the other hand you have to look at what they are riding, if it is someone else's nutty youngster that might be the reason. To me age doesn't matter, the best instructor I ever had left to work down south and it took about two years to find any one as good, she is young and has no qualifications but explains things amazingly and has improved me and my horses very quickly, the ultimate test for me is whether or not my results are improving at competitions and whether or not I get on with them and understand what they are talking about! Try a few different people and don't feel compelled to stick just because everyone else likes them, every horse and every rider respond to different techniques, good luck finding someone :)
 
Commonly asked question :)

I chose mine through word of mouth, clicked with her and she is now one of my best friends and has loaned me her horse for the last 2 years :)

She has also found me my new horse who I am about to try and hopefully love and have vetted.

She has no formal qualifications but she backs horses, runs a stud and has bags of experience and is quite happy for me to have other more specialist lessons such as Ian Brown dressage lessons, Yorkshire Riding Centre gridwork clinics etc without being arsey :) She gets the best out of most people from tiny tots to old crinklies :)
 
I'd say that I don't and my horse does ultimately.
Used to go for qualifications etc but now not bothered, I judge for myself by the results they get out of me and my horses. Have wasted too many hours trundling around in endless circles under 'qualified' instructors in the past and couldn't care less now about that sort of thing. They have to be able to read the horse and communicate with me and get results. If they can jump on and demonstrate something, even better!
 
I think too much stigma is attached to the competing thing, a successful competition record does not make someone a good instructor, it makes them a good rider with a particular horse. My current instructor has not competed for years due to lack of finances but has trained her current horse from novice to PSG and achieves results consistently through her pupils which I believe speaks more for her as an instructor than a competition record as it shows her methods work universally for a wide range of horses and riders and I get on famously with her which helps!! It is far more important to me that someone can transfer their knowledge to me in a way that I understand and can utilise the information with methods that work for me and my horses no instructor is the same just as no rider is the same. I know some professionals who are wonderful instructors I also know some that cannot instruct to save their lives although being incredibly successful competitively so IMO I don't think it is important :)
 
Luck really.

My instructor does not compete or even have a horse. I met her when I was between horses and she was freelancing at a RS where I was riding. Previous instructors I have had have been based at the yards I have been at.

When I got my pony I then continued having lessons with her over the last 5 years. It does not matter that she does not compete as she still is very knowledable and trains with an Olympic silver medalist in dressage in spain to keep her CPD upto date.

I did recommend her to some others on the yard but she was not for them as you do have to make a committment to going out of your comfort zone and be able to take critism but she is also very positive. I do compete but lack confidence, she told me a few months ago I was riding at a level and my pony had come on so well that we would win soon, and I did not believe her especially when competiting against richer people on flashy horses in dressage who can afford to have lessons several time a week whereas I can only have them a couple of times a month and hack to shows. A couple of months after her saying that to me we did win. The lessons are hard compared to other instructors though and we sometimes over run as she does not like to finish if something is not improved, she also does not charge extra if we over run. I don't always enjoy them when they are hard and I am tired esp if jumping but I am paying her for improving me not to tell me I am great and have an easy time!

It also helps that she thinks my pony is a superstar.

I also hack to some RC clinics with guest instructors as well.

Anyone who comes to teach on our yard has to be insured. My instructor does not get on to ride clients horses as she believes that if the client wants to do well they need to be able to get the results of of their own horse and learn how to school it properly, it is pointless if she can get horse to go well if the owner is going to be the person schooling and competiting it.
 
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Word of mouth and their experience are most important to me. I would also look for someone kind and patient.

Qualifications would mean nothing to me at all.
 
Using riding club clinics to find the ones I get the most out of. I have found that some of the most successful riders competitively are the worst at teaching - it's all about communication. I have different instructors for each discipline as well.
 
word of mouth. teaching style that suits your learning style,

competition background

and DO THEY RIDE?

you would be amazed how many people 'teach' who haven't ridden in YEARS

would you have driving lessons with someone whos not sat in a car in 15 years?????

i would want to see them ride - don't have to be perfect, classical position...

but have to be able to get a result out of
a relaxed happy willing horse
- assuming that's what we're all aiming for

if they can't do it, how can they help you to do it?

agree a good rider is not always a good teacher

but someone who can't ride, can't teach....

(though they may be able to 'instruct', by rote...
- oh guess we're back to classic BHS again...:)
 
labruyere said:
word of mouth. teaching style that suits your learning style,

competition background

and DO THEY RIDE?

you would be amazed how many people 'teach' who haven't ridden in YEARS

would you have driving lessons with someone whos not sat in a car in 15 years?????

i would want to see them ride - don't have to be perfect, classical position...

but have to be able to get a result out of
a relaxed happy willing horse
- assuming that's what we're all aiming for

if they can't do it, how can they help you to do it?

agree a good rider is not always a good teacher

but someone who can't ride, can't teach....

(though they may be able to 'instruct', by rote...
- oh guess we're back to classic BHS again...:)
Click to expand...

LIKE
 
eatonbraynat said:
So does this mean that it doesnt matter to you all if they compete and are successful or not, this doesnt seem to be anyones criteria??
Click to expand...

It's not mine, I don't think qualifications mean much when it comes to working practically with animals. I've seen many people completing who I'd not want a lesson off!

I'm starting with a new instructor next Friday, who I googled :D and saw vids of him riding and a bit about him (in addition to a recommendation) and that's why I picked! My last instructor rode my horse so well I was in complete awe of her! That's all I'm bothered about :o
 
After losing 3.5 stone and sending my mare that I couldn't ride off to a nice home and seeing my daughter's gelding happy with his loan rider I'm having my first lesson in a long time tomorrow morning, my criteria for choosing my instructor are as follows:

What do I want to get from it?-
For me, I want to be able to ride competently enough to one day own and enjoy riding a fairly sane horse and be good for them. I don't want to compete, or jump, or gallop, just want to have gentle hacks with my friend. So instead of putting all the hard work in with mucking out, grooming, poo picking, feeding, rugging, worrying, driving round and paying for horses for my daughter which I could never really ride (though I do hope to with Basil one day!) I'm going to put my efforts into making it happen for myself if I can.

How do I want to be taught?
Not in a group, not rushed, in short sessions to begin with, informal and friendly

What am I willing to invest?
I'm not training to go round Badders or ride to a high standard, I just want to be good to the horse and have fun, the more economical the more lessons I can try and have the better I will get.

I want is a calm person with patience and experience with beginners, not too expensive and who has a horse that can carry me (as I am still overweight though not as much as before) as it happens I have been lucky to find someone at my yard, she does compete successfully, but that doesn't really matter that much to me.
 
I'd suggest that you remember to check that your instructor is insured to teach, and has an up to date HSE First Aid at Work certificate.
Regardless of other opinions, these could save your life in the event of a fall (and pay for your recovery).
Don't be frightened to ask.
S :D
 
re HSE first aid cert

valid point

but, unless things have changed recently,
BHS has a rider specific first aid course,
which concentrates on spinal and head injuries to a much greater degree than the HSE course

so either is acceptable
- but my preference would be the BHS one
(they do get SOME things right :D)
 
1 Are they qualified - if so then I at least have an idea of what they will be teaching

2 Doesn't bother me if they compete - some succesful competitors are terrible instructors

3 Must actually teach me not keep telling me 'That was good' etc - had a few like that knowing full well that my horse is not goeing good.

4 Must like to teach without the addition of short cut gadgets

5 Sometimes when I'm looking I will go and watch them teach and see how they interact with the ridfer and see if the horse/rider shows progression or improvement.
 
I go by a mixture of word-of-mouth and watching them teach. . . any instructor worth his/her salt won't mind you watching a lesson or two. There are a few things that are really important to me . . .

1) Can the instructor adapt to different levels and abilities of rider - sounds pretty basic but you'd be amazed how many instructors can't do this

2) Is the instructor willing to hop on the horse to show the client . . . and actually I pretty much insist that anyone who teaches me on Kali has a sit on him first - you don't get as much of a sense of how quick and clever he is from the ground and it's important to me that my instructor has a more accurate sense of what it is I'm sitting on

3) Does the instructor adapt the lesson to how the horse and rider are going/feeling or what's going on outside the lesson . . . I've seen so many instructors pitch up at yards to give a clinic and teach each successive horse/rider the same thing . . . and then there's my current instructor who teaches what's in front of her (if that makes sense) . . . a friend of mine mentioned that her gelding was very nappy and planted his feet out hacking so instructor taught her to send him backwards in the intended direction . . . and the instructor is a classical dressage rider/instructor - she recognizes that all of us just want to enjoy our horses - whether that's hacking safely and without incident or riding (and winning) a Medium dressage test

4) Does the instructor actually TEACH or just stand in the middle of the arena and shout orders/ride the horse from the ground . . . or worse just give the student alot of flannel "good, good, good" rather than honest, constructive criticism and/or praise

I actually don't mind whether the instructor currently competes - nor do I care much what qualifications they have, although qualifications do serve as a marker for some pretty hard work and discipline. I would, though, think twice about an instructor who didn't ride.

Hope that helps.

P
 
I look purely for teaching style in the first instance....can they be positive and find different ways to explain things if you 'cannot get it'.

I like a teacher who makes a short term and long term plan...and involves you in that.

MOST IMPORTANTLY - One who has the horses best interests at heart.

The very very best teacher I had did all of these things...unfortunately my horse is too far away for her to teach me now :(
 
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