Five “other” jobs of a riding instructor

Behind every great rider, there’s an even great riding instructor. Charlotte Dujardin was famously the protegée of Carl Hester. New British team showjumping star Emily Moffit is trained by Ben Maher. Eventer Emily King was taught to ride by her mum, the legendary Mary King.

But the life of a riding instructor is not all top-level shows and Oakley lorries with their own bathroom. In fact, it’s hardly ever that. Your average riding instructor’s life largely consists of shouting “MORE LEG” for an hour while getting soaked to the skin in a puddle-filled outdoor school.

Not only that, but they regularly find themselves performing the following roles….

1.    Groom.

If there’s one thing ponies love, it’s a lovely refreshing roll. And what better time for a riding school pony to do this than five minutes before a lesson, in its own poo? There isn’t a riding school instructor in the land who can’t get the saddle and girth area brushed off and clean (well, clean-ish) in under two minutes. Just never look under a riding instructor’s fingernails. 

2.    Agony aunt. 

If you see your clients every week, you soon to get to know a lot about them – and not just their fear of fillers or inability to arrive at a lesson on time. Problems about which riding instructors will be asked to give an opinion include, but are not limited to: whether the client should have botox, whether he/she should dump his/her boy/girlfriend, whether their bum looks massive in their new jods, and whether their crush on Boris Johnson is actually just a bit weird. 

3.    Magician. 

“I’ve entered the E-Riders Online Riding School dressage league and I need to submit my entry TODAY,” shouts the wild-eyed client, waving a piece of paper in the riding instructor’s face. “I haven’t ridden in a month. You’ve got to HELP ME!” Deep breaths, riding instructor, deep breaths. There’s only so much you can do in an hour and transforming your least dressagey riding school pony and an enthusiastic but somewhat novicey rider into Charlotte and Valegro isn’t it. After all, it isn’t voodoo you need to be able to ride accurate twenty-metre circles – it’s practice.

4.    Psychic. 

How were you supposed to know your new client was partially-sighted? Or that they’re petrified of jumping after a bad experience at another riding school - but have booked a jump lesson with you? This is the kind of knowledge it would be useful to have before a lesson and not, for example, two seconds after you’ve asked the client to trot over the warm-up poles. Now they’re in floods of tears, which leads us on to…

5.    Counsellor. 

Riding schools can be emotional places. Tears, tantrums, bust-ups over brush fences, screams over split jods – riding instructors have seen it all. As a result, they’re capable of handing over tissues, calming down over-excited ponies, and retrieving lost phones/wallets/dignity, all without that professional smile slipping. Respect.

6.    Trainer.

Believe it or not, some clients – most of them, really – actually want to be trained. In fact, most equestrians want to get better at their craft – and they know a good riding instructor is worth their weight in gold. They do appreciate you, even though it might not seem like it at times. After all, you’re their teacher, confidante, friend and groom all rolled into one – talk about value for money!