Reasons for getting BHS qualifications?

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Poetess

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Hi all, I was just wondering what reasons people have for getting their BHS qualifications. Are they considered necessary for being a groom, riding instructor, livery manager, etc.? I'm trying to figure out if they'd be worth getting if, say, I wanted to teach riding in the future.

What other careers would they lead to? If you've gotten these qualifications, why did you do so and would you say they're worth it?

Thanks!

Jen
 
People don't want to employ you otherwise.


... and if they do. You will probably be stuck in the same job forever and a day.
 
They do make you more employable in any route you take, also especially if your thinkin of teaching they help for insurance! :)
They are also actualy fun and great experiences.
 
Gaining any qualification in your chosen field be it Equine related or engineering, is always to your benefit.

The BHS has a great struture of exams and qualifications nowadays and they are set out to help you progress, gain understanding and knowledge and The BHS exam structure is worldwide known. They give employers a solid platform at what stage you are at, and working. If you want to teach then again it shows your level of riding and knowledge of the subject ( esp. when you are younger and starting out) also have a look at the ABRS exams.

They are money well spent as they are investing in your future !
 
BHS or ABRS qualifications are the only ones worth having from an employer's point of view. They can only be obtained by getting through a rigorous external examination system. The other various qualifications awarded by colleges seem to be the result of mainly internal assessments by college staff and in my experience do not seem to be a reliable indication that the holder has mastered the skills or disciplines required to work with horses.
 
I did my stages, and while i did enjoy them i do think the BHS are a bit anal and I felt they had a one size fits all for horses and their management.
I did mine a few years ago so hopefully they'll have changed a bit, I know Patrick Print was looking to make some changes to the structure of the teaching part of the charity.
I do feel that it is still a bit of a hit and miss for some people who dont do well in a structured exam situation, that is where the nvq can make a difference to those wanting to gain qualifications and be assessed over a period of time rather than a gut churning exam day. i know of a few people who were really very good that just went to bits in exams.
As to whether they are needed to get on, at the moment yes without a doubt, and they are recognised in many other parts of the world.
 
Thanks, guys!

For those of you who have taken the exams, did you take any proper courses in preparation or did you just hit the books? I really don't have the time to enrol in a course, so I'm hoping I can get by with just the books and my knowledge...
 
This is exactly why I don't even listen to young "instructors" they may be good [and I did know one young lady [non qualified], who was a natural, and very good, but she had loads of experience in all different disciplines and was a good rider [and believe me , I do not hand that award out very often].
If you think that the way to a career with horses lies in reading a few books and spouting a few ideas, you won't last long, you might manage in a small low level riding school teaching kiddies to sit on quiet ponies, but that is not really what an instructor does, it is what an assistant does.
 
marydoll said:
I did my stages, and while i did enjoy them i do think the BHS are a bit anal and I felt they had a one size fits all for horses and their management.
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I'm doing the stages ATM and have not found that at all,but know many also training who would agree.
To me,the BHS "way" is ment to be a solid method of management for most horses but of course you would tweak things for indivual horses in your care.


marydoll said:
I do feel that it is still a bit of a hit and miss for some people who dont do well in a structured exam situation, that is where the nvq can make a difference to those wanting to gain qualifications and be assessed over a period of time rather than a gut churning exam day. i know of a few people who were really very good that just went to bits in exams.
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While I feel for people who do suffer with nerves,I feel the exam is one of the best parts of the stage system.
The exam day shows that not only can you do XY and Z,but you can produce the goods under pressure.
After all,it's no good to be able to bandage if the horse is stood like a rock,the lighting is great and you have all day to get it right when you know at some point you will need to put a bandage on a fidgit in the dark while waiting for the vet with half frozen hands.......
 
marydoll said:
I did my stages, and while i did enjoy them i do think the BHS are a bit anal and I felt they had a one size fits all for horses and their management.

I do feel that it is still a bit of a hit and miss for some people who dont do well in a structured exam situation, that is where the nvq can make a difference to those wanting to gain
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Sorry, I know that some people are nervous in exams, but frankly are they not being examined every day of their teaching career?
I did hear one girl on an NVQ type course tell me she did not like her riding being criticised, well , tough totty, if you don't accept criticism you won't improve, so why are you wasting your time, and every one elses time?
Sorry to be a bit short in this posting, but really, if I pay for a lesson, I expect to have a competant person, not someone who has minimal experience, is out of her depth, and wants me to sign off her book!
 
MrsD123 said:
This is exactly why I don't even listen to young "instructors" they may be good [and I did know one young lady [non qualified], who was a natural, and very good, but she had loads of experience in all different disciplines and was a good rider [and believe me , I do not hand that award out very often].
If you think that the way to a career with horses lies in reading a few books and spouting a few ideas, you won't last long, you might manage in a small low level riding school teaching kiddies to sit on quiet ponies, but that is not really what an instructor does, it is what an assistant does.
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Not sure about others but I find your posts very offensive regarding instructors. I do agree that there can be improvements made but I think the BHS is getting there with recent changes.

You will NOT pass a BHS exam just for being book smart not sure how much experience you have with the exams but the practical and riding is very testing not the sort of thing you can just do as a passenger but you actually have to ride.

Everyone has to start somewhere just because you may have had a bad experience with a young instructor (it certainly sounds that way) doesn't mean you can tar every single one with the same brush.


OP to answer your question I wish to become a riding instructor which is why I need my BHS qualifications. :)
 
Yunalesca said:
I'm doing the stages ATM and have not found that at all,but know many also training who would agree.
To me,the BHS "way" is ment to be a solid method of management for most horses but of course you would tweak things for indivual horses in your care.



While I feel for people who do suffer with nerves,I feel the exam is one of the best parts of the stage system.
The exam day shows that not only can you do XY and Z,but you can produce the goods under pressure.
After all,it's no good to be able to bandage if the horse is stood like a rock,the lighting is great and you have all day to get it right when you know at some point you will need to put a bandage on a fidgit in the dark while waiting for
the vet with half frozen hands.......
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Most of the horses you get in your stages will stand like a rock for working with or they wont use them. That said in my 2 i rode a horse that did handstands round the arena, it was pulled out as unsuitable after my session
with it, it didnt faze me but I know others who said it would have freaked them out, not what you want in your exam if youre already nervous :D
I do think that you can get through if you work with the syllabus and can repeat things parrot fashion but if youre not working with horses on a regular
basis a real yard will hit you like a brick. NVQ you are seen over a period of time not just 1 day which i think gives a fuller picture of a persons cabilities
 
I did my stage 1 as I had helped at yards for many years and thought I should have something to show for it. Then I decicded I needed to do my 2 as i knew about 75% of the syllabus. I think if you have expereience and knowledge then the 1 and 2 can be done with very limited extra training. Read through the syllabus and go for a riding assessment with someone who does not know you (so not your normal instructor / riding school). See what they say.

If you want to teach I would recommend getting your PTT as many riding school will ask for this as a minimum, it also show to freelance clients that you have a professional qualification in the industry. It also help reduce insurance premiums. This exam needs practical experience and an ability to assess riders and make quick decisions on what to do to imporve them. You need practical experience not just reading a book. I did my PTT as A few people had started asking me to do freelance lessons and I decided to do it for insurance.

Many people will dismiss the exams and state they will never use a BHS qualified instructor, but many will praise it as well. I think you need the exams as a minimum but also embrace lots of other techniques and ideas, this way you will have the best of both worlds.
 
A BHS AI instructor has just started working part time at the same yard as me and I have to say she isn't the best. We have one horse who is very nappy and will litrerally do anything to get out of work - her way of dealing with it? Give it a pat, get it to stand still then dismount and lead it back to it's stable. Now how is the horse supposed to learn and build fitness when it would never do any work if we rode it her way? Sorry, it's gets a boot in the gut, a smack across the backside and growled at until it goes forwards. This horse can be slightly dangerous when he naps as he runs into fences and gates so what is a pat supposed to do to him?!? Yes she may be a one off case but I personally can't see the point in the qualifications unless you really want a peice of paper saying that you have paid a fortune for it.
 
MrsD123 said:
This is exactly why I don't even listen to young "instructors" they may be good [and I did know one young lady [non qualified], who was a natural, and very good, but she had loads of experience in all different disciplines and was a good rider [and believe me , I do not hand that award out very often].
If you think that the way to a career with horses lies in reading a few books and spouting a few ideas, you won't last long, you might manage in a small low level riding school teaching kiddies to sit on quiet ponies, but that is not really what an instructor does, it is what an assistant does.
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Sorry, are you referring to me? I was asking whether most people have to pay £6000 for three terms of coursework to pass their exams, or whether they get by with the knowledge they gain from their instructor and studying the syllabus.

I like to think I won't need to get another degree before someone would take me seriously as an instructor.
 
I am not getting at anyone in particular, but the whole point of having a qualification is that a standard is met which is a professional standard : I should be able to go to a BHS approved riding school and get a lesson appropriate to my standards and requirements.
I am quite happy to have a lesson by a young person, but that person should be supervised, particularly if I am an unknown quantity.
I once went for a series of jumping lessons, and we never went over a pole on the ground, I did not go back for lesson two, the girl asked me to sign off that we had done certain things, so she obviously was not fully qualified. It was not her fault, she should have been supervised, how would either she or I improve in that session?
I asked about their training courses, and was told about one which was on next week, turned out it involved learning how to lead a horse, among other things!
 
BlueCakes said:
People don't want to employ you otherwise.


... and if they do. You will probably be stuck in the same job forever and a day.
Click to expand...

What a load of rubbish. I have had a very good career without any BHS "help". I had one girl who came to work for me ( as my god I started my own business without any BHS "help" either!) she had every BHS qualification under the sun and she was the most horrific rider I have ever come across, thought she knew it all, couldn't do anything she was told, and got dumped off everything I put her on as to be honest she didn't have hands to wipe her arse. Wouldn't touch another one with a barge pole. Determination and natural talent go alot further than some silly piece of paper or ego or whatever it is that a BHS thingy is!
 
I agree that the most obvious benefit of BHS certification is the ability to locate experienced and appropriate instructors.

While I'm not young, I am from the states, where BHS qualifications are unheard of. :) Hence the curiosity about whether they're necessary and of proven benefit.

This thread was very helpful -- I know now that I'm definitely going to pursue them.
 
Exams are fine - but there is nothing as good as practical experience. I think the BHS care stages are great, but I'm not interested whether the person teaching me has the riding qualification. All I'm interested in is whether they are capable of instructing me on how to get the best out of my horses. The best instructor I have ever had had no BHS qualifications, but she had represented GB and won individual gold as a junior in eventing several years ago now, as well as training abroad with Lusitano horses. She transformed my riding and more importantly the way I think about my riding. So in view of this, it really doesn't matter to me about qualifications. However I am pretty sure that if you want to teach in a riding school, you will need BHS or NVQ qualifications. Good luck in whatever you decide to do.
 
I remember two things about my BHS stages one and two. How to muck out the YO deep litter beds after the winter and correctly fill the wheelbarrow and if your instructor on the course dislikes you you'll get every little s**t the riding school has to ride just so she can stand there and tell you how awfull your riding is for two hours (shame nothing was mentioned about how to improve the riding, and you'd think after parting with £300 I had paid for that advice). After the yard contracted strangles I didnt go back as the isolation box was in the middle of the yard. Bitter and twisted I know, but there are some good qualified instructors out there, sadly I'm not one of them.
 
Yes but BHS qualifications open so many doors to you. Look in the adverts for RIs and pretty much all of them require AI as a minimum some PTT. I wish you didn't need a qualification to teach but if you want to do anything other than freelance instructing you can't teach anywhere unless you have your AI.

I do however think that getting stage 1/2 just to become a groom this is where experience comes in a lot handier than paper.
 
Little Squirrel said:
What a load of rubbish. I have had a very good career without any BHS "help". I had one girl who came to work for me ( as my god I started my own business without any BHS "help" either!) she had every BHS qualification under the sun and she was the most horrific rider I have ever come across, thought she knew it all, couldn't do anything she was told, and got dumped off everything I put her on as to be honest she didn't have hands to wipe her arse. Wouldn't touch another one with a barge pole. Determination and natural talent go alot further than some silly piece of paper or ego or whatever it is that a BHS thingy is!
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I typed my reply before you had posted yours - agree with you completely.
 
The BHS system is a solid system recognised throughout the world. But like anything it has its flaws. What the BHS system will do is make sure that if you have your AI you pass a certain standard. Does this make you a good instructor? knowledgeable? or experienced? No.
I will not have lessons with people who are not qualified for insurance purposes. Also if you are an AI you have to attend a certain amount of CPD and IMO this is a good thing as teaching does change and progress.
I have just done my UKCC2 instead of my BHS stages as I wanted a qualification so I can get insurance to teach but I am not interested in spending hundreds of pounds in proving I can look after a horse when I have successfully produced horses for eventing at novice level. I would have to start at stage 1 so the cost for me would be prohibitive.
 
I decided to do the BHS exam Stage 3 out of general interest to see what they were like (as I had already done the NVQ Level 2 so had direct entry). They are worldly recognised qualifications and many employers like people to have them.

However I decided to do the training course first before the exam and I learned a bit as I went along, because you can never know everything there is to do with horses and some areas I was stronger in than others, so it was good to have a bit of guidance.

However you dont have to do the qualifications to enable you to do things in the horse world, many people dont and that doesnt mean they are not good at what they do (at the end of day its a bit of paper) they may have a lot of hands on experience which enables them to do what they do and have a reputable reputation.

Being honest I didnt think the BHS exam was a true test of someones knowledge and understanding as not all aspects were covered and it was very rushed and the examiners seemed in a rush to get through it and get home. Not sure if anyone else has had a similar experience?
 
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The BHS system makes you employable... worldwide. I'm on the register and regularly get emails from places abroad wanting to emply BHS qual instructors.

MrsD I don't think you can use a BHS school as an assessment of BHS instructors. Sad fact is the likeihood of walking into a RS and not being taught by a trainee unless you've specifically asked for it is slim in my experience!

Around here the NVQ system is slated. A local equine college doesn't push their students through their Stages anymore and makes them do NVQs. I have had NO positive feedback from these students that have no independent though of what to do in a situation. They seem to much out in the mornings... supervised and then sit in a classroom. Some can't even recognise a truely quite lame horse! As far as I know the NVQ is not a "teaching" qualification anyway. More like "equine science" or "equine management"

I answer to the OP. It all depends on your experience whether you just need to do a little book swotting up to pass. I had done a lot of PC and competing on all sorts of horses, so got through my 1 and 2 with only a bit of training. But did have to do some work for my stage 3 and PTT.
 
I decided to do the BHS exam Stage 3 out of general interest to see what they were like (as I had already done the NVQ Level 2 so had direct entry). They are worldly recognised qualifications and many employers like people to have them.

Even though I've ridden and been around horses my whole life and have experience in a variety of disciplines I decided to do the training course first before the exam and I learned a bit as I went along, because you can never know everything there is to do with horses and some areas I was stronger in than others, so it was good to have a bit of guidance.

However you dont have to do the qualifications to enable you to do things in the horse world, many people dont and that doesnt mean they are not good at what they do (at the end of day its a bit of paper) they may have a lot of hands on experience which enables them to do what they do and have a reputable reputation.
 
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