Correcting Volunteers Without Conflict: The Group-Team-Individual Method
If you’ve ever taught a busy adaptive/therapeutic horseback riding lesson, you’ve likely found yourself in this situation: You see one or more volunteers doing something…
Category: Instructor Development
Is Your Lead Rope Too Short? Why It Matters More Than You Think
Let’s talk about something that shows up in almost every adaptive riding lesson… The too-short lead rope. I know it doesn’t look like a big…
When Mentoring Gets Messy: What to Do When You’re Asked to “Just Get Them Through Certification”
‘Tis the season… for this situation to land in my inbox….get asked over phone….brought up in a conversation.What’s addressed in this blog is a common…
Bareback Pads in Adaptive Riding: What Instructors Need to Know Before Using Them
Bareback pads show up in a lot of adaptive or therapeutic riding programs—but not all bareback pads are created equal. What makes a good one?…
Person First or Identity First Language: What Should Instructors Use?
If you’ve been teaching adaptive or therapeutic riding lessons for any amount of time, you’ve probably come across this question:Should I use person first or…
Stop Over-Tightening the Girth: A Call for More Mindful Tack Checks
Let’s talk about a chronic problem in our industry—one that many of us contribute to without even realizing it: Over-tightening the girth or cinch. I…
Are Your Student’s Stirrups Too Long?
If you teach adaptive/therapeutic riding, you’ve seen it before. A student struggles to stay balanced and aligned.They get left behind in upward transitions.They pull on…
Is Your “Flexible” Cancellation Policy Hurting More Than It Helps?
Why it’s time to rethink your 24-hour cancellation policy in adaptive/therapeutic riding programs—and what to do instead. In the world of adaptive/therapeutic riding, instructors are…
An Open Letter to Fellow Instructors: Rethinking Weight Limits in Adaptive/Therapeutic Riding
Let’s talk about something that doesn’t get enough discussion time in our industry: weight limits for lesson horses. Below is a conversation I’ve had many…
Understanding the Difference Between Differentiated and Adaptive Teaching in the Arena
As adaptive/therapeutic riding instructors, we are constantly adjusting and individualizing our instruction to meet the wide range of needs our students bring to the barn.…