Here are a few lists to help you identify the right instructor for your child. It’s only a starting place, but the following questions should help you well on your way to finding the proper instructor with the right horses for your child. Note that one word you should hear constantly from the instructors you talk with is “safety.”
Instructor Checklist
What age riders do you teach?
Are your lesson horses experienced and well-mannered?
What are your teaching qualifications?
What are your safety precautions?
How would you describe your lesson program?
What discipline(s) does your barn specialize in?
Are you a member of any of the equestrian organizations?
Does your barn participate in horse shows?
What is your barn’s environment like?
Horse Checklist
Do the horses look healthy, with shiny coats and trim feet?
Do the horses look fit, with slightly rounded bodies and no ribs showing?
Do any of the horses have runny noses, weepy eyes, coughs, or ratty coats?
Are the horses clean and well groomed?
Do the horses calmly obey their handlers and behave quietly?
Do the horses have relaxed expressions or are they pinning their ears and showing the whites of their eyes?
Do the horses have clean water in their stalls, either in buckets or in automatic waterers?
Observations Checklist
As you observe a lesson or two — and even after you’ve selected a barn for your child to take lessons — there are a number of elements you can observe that will help you assess if a lesson barn or a particular instructor runs a good program with consideration for both riders and horses.
Are all riders wearing hard hats whenever they are on a horse?
Are all riders wearing safe riding boots, with smooth soles and solid heels?
Are all the horses wearing bridles and saddles, or are some horses being ridden bareback with halters only?
Is the tack clean and free of cracks or signs of damage?
Are any of the riders having difficulty with their horses?
If yes, is the instructor prompt in offering calm and positive assistance?
Do handlers interact calmly with the horses or are they loud, sharp with their commands, or using whips excessively?
Do the horses seem to be doing their jobs willingly or are they being difficult?
Do riders seem confident in what the instructor asks them to do and capable of doing it?
Do barn workers seem competent, calm, and capable?
Facilities Checklist
As you walk around during your barn visit and observe a lesson or two — and even after you’ve selected a barn for your child to take lessons — there are a number of elements you should observe to help ensure the overall safety and maintenance levels observed by the instructor and barn owner.
THE BARN
Are the barn aisles wide enough to accommodate horses passing one another?
If horses are tied in the aisles for grooming and saddling, are the aisles extra wide to allow safe movement past them?
Are the aisles free of clutter or are they used to store hay or tack trunks and other equipment?
Does the barn reek of ammonia and manure?
Do the stalls look clean and relatively free of waste?
Does air seem to move well in the barn or is it stuffy and filled with dust?
Are there lots of birds nesting in the rafters with feces staining everything underneath?
Are there signs of rodents in the tack room and feed storage area?
When stalls are cleaned, is the soiled bedding taken to an appropriate place, far from the barn and riding areas?
Are tools and wheelbarrows neatly put away or left loose and leaning?
Is the tack room neat and tidy?
Are the stall walls and doors secure and well maintained?
Is there a convenient, functional, and tidy bathroom?
THE ARENA
Is the arena covered or enclosed?
Is the footing smooth and well maintained?
Does the footing blow around with the wind and create dust?
Are the arena walls or fencing solid and safe with no obstacles or edges jutting out?
Is the arena used to store equipment or supplies?
Is the arena big enough to accommodate multiple horses safely, even moving at speed?
If the arena is outdoor, is it lighted?
If it’s lighted, are there any shadowy areas or overly bright spots that could confuse a horse or rider?
THE PROPERTY
Is the property mowed often enough that the grass doesn’t grow excessively long?
Do all of the pastures have the things a horse needs to be healthy: space, solid fencing, shade from the sun/shelter from bad weather, and clean water?
What is the footing like in the pastures?
Do the pastured horses seem healthy and well cared for?
If there are aisles between pastures, are they wide enough for horses to be led through without fear of being bitten across a fence?
Are the fences in good repair, and are they tall enough and solidly built?
Safe Fencing
Fences are an important part of any equine facility, whether your child is just starting lessons or you are deciding where to board a horse. Use the following questions to make sure the fencing is sturdy and safe.
If fencing is mesh wire:
Is it horse wire with a small weave such that a horse’s hoof can’t fit through it?
Is the bottom edge buried in the ground?
Is it chain-link fencing, such as you’d see in a backyard? (This is very unsafe for horses.)
If fencing has pipe and cable structure:
Is it smooth and painted?
If rusty, do you see signs of it crumbling and breaking?
If rusty, do you see signs of repairs in progress?
Are the cables taut or are they sagging?
If fencing is electric:
Has wide ribbon-type wire been used?
Is it bare steel electric wire?
If yes, are there flags fluttering along the wire to help with visibility?
Is wire free of breaks, branches lying across it, or overly tall weeds wrapped around it?
Do you hear a quick snapping sound as you walk past certain spots of the wire? (Can indicate a short, making it less effective.)
If fencing is wood:
Are the posts standing upright with the boards firmly fastened to the posts?
Is there an electric wire running along the top rail?
If metal T-posts are used, are there protective plastic caps on the top of every post?
If fencing is vinyl or PVC pipe:
Is it used only in areas that do not contain the horses?
If containing horses, are the posts and boards strengthened with wood interiors?
Are the boards and posts hollow or are they reinforced internally?
Is there an electric wire running along the top rail?
If fencing is barbed wire:
Is it used only in areas that do not contain horses and places that your child cannot access while riding or handling a horse?
Is there any barbed wire lying on the ground anywhere on the property?
Are there signs that it is being replaced with other fencing?
Resources for Parents
The following list is by no means exhaustive. Instead, it’s intended as a place to start nonequestrian parents in their research. Truly, there is a great deal of support available to you — all you need to know is where to look! Finally, virtually every breed association has a youth element or division, although some are more fully developed, organizationally, than others.
American Youth Horse Council (AYHC)
800-879-2942
www.ayhc.com
The AYHC was established in the early 1970s by breed organizations and Extension specialists to support the youth horse industry. They do this by promoting education, serving as a national information center, and encouraging communications between all breeds and disciplines. The AYHC describes its primary focus as being an advocate for bringing horses and kids together.
National 4-H Council
301-961-2800
www.4husa.org
Serves over 6.5 million members in the United States (aged 5–19) in over 90,000 clubs nationwide. The goal of 4-H is to develop citizenship, leadership, and life skills through mostly agricultural learning programs (including horsemanship), although the 4-H encourages members to learn about many additional topics as well.
NARHA (North American Riding for the Handicapped Association)
800-369-7433
www.narha.org
Since 1969, NARHA has provided Equine Assisted Activity and Therapy (EAAT) programs in the United States and Canada through its network of nearly 800 member centers. Each year, more than 38,000 individuals with disabilities benefit from activities that include therapeutic riding, hippotherapy, equine-assisted psychotherapy, driving (in a carriage), interactive vaulting (gymnastics on horseback), and competition.
Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, NARHA’s mission is to “change and enrich lives by promoting excellence in equine-assisted activities” by ensuring its standards for safety, education, communication, and research are met through an accreditation process for centers and a certification process for instructors.
FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships
www.youngriders.org
The premier equestrian competition in North America for junior and young riders, age 14–21, the NAJYRC began in 1974 as an eventing challenge between the United States and Canada. Young equestrians come from the United States, Bermuda, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean Islands to vie for championships in the three Olympic equestrian disciplines of show jumping, dressage, eventing plus, for the first time in 2008 the Western-style discipline of reining. The competition is run under rules of the FEI (Federation Equestre Internationale, the international governing body for equestrian sport) and is the only FEI championship held in this country.
United States Dressage Federation (USDF)
859-971-2277
www.usdf.org
The United States Dressage Federation is the only national membership organization dedicated to dressage, a method of horse training in existence since ancient Greece and an Olympic sport since the inception of the modern Olympics in the late 1800s. Dedicated to dressage education, recognition of achievement, and promotion of the sport, USDF has more than 30 different educational programs, 125 affiliate local or regional clubs, and more than 2,000 annual awards for excellence in competition.
United States Equestrian Federation (USEF)
859-258-2472
www.usef.org
The national governing body of equestrian sports in the United States. USEF’s mission is to regulate equestrian competition with the purpose of ensuring horses’ safety and well-being; ensure the enforcement of fair and equitable rules and procedures, up to and including the preparation for the Olympic Games; and improve the level of horsemanship in the United States.
United States Pony Club (USPC)
859-254-7669
www.ponyclub.org
This organization began in the United Kingdom before coming to America in 1954. There are now over 600 clubs across the United States with over 12,000 members. The USPC focuses on teaching children (aged 6–21) to be well-rounded horse people with a thorough knowledge of horses and horse care.
The Official Manual of the Pony Club
This manual is a complete basic guide to horsemanship and horse care in one volume. This is the 13th edition of the worldwide best seller that has helped countless young riders enjoy and succeed in all areas of equitation. No other single volume contains so much information on such a wide range of equestrian topics.
Young Rider Magazine
www.youngrider.org
For more than 11 years, Young Rider Magazine has taught young people, in an easy-to-read and entertaining way, how to look after their horses properly and how to improve their riding skills safely.
Riding Clothes and Equipment
In addition to local tack stores, there are quite a few online sources for purchasing riding clothes, tack, and horse supplies (like grooming equipment). These sites usually have a “clearance” or “sale” section that would be worth checking before making any purchase. Sometimes, you can find new items at significant savings. If you have any questions, their customer service reps are usually horse people and are excellent resources for helping decide which items to purchase and selecting the proper sizes.
You can shop economically or you can look for the very finest selections — the options are limitless.
Here are a few resources, of the many available:
Dover Saddlery
800-406-8204
www.doversaddlery.com
State Line Tack
800-228-9208
www.statelinetack.com
Breeches USA
866-898-4311
www.breechesusa.com
Manhattan Saddlery
212-673-1400
www.manhattansaddlery.com
The Equestrian Corner
866-908-1082
www.theequestriancorner.com