If you’re a house enthusiast or a former competitive equestrian superstar, becoming an equine instructor can be a fun and adventurous position to have. Whether you’re teaching young kids how to ride for the first time, taking couples out on a romantic horseback ride, or training equestrian jumpers for their next competition – there’s never a dull moment as an equine instructor.
Depending on where you work as an equine instructor, the requirements will vary. At a bare minimum you must show that you have an excellent and thorough knowledge of horses, how to keep them calm, what to do to help train them, and how to generally manage their behavior around people and other horses.
Some stables or equine parks may require you provide former references or may ask for you to do extensive skills tests to prove your knowledge and ability to be an equine instructor.
Safety is always a top priority when dealing with any large animal. Chances are very good that you’ll need to do CPR and first aid certification classes, so you’re prepared should something happen. In addition, you may be required to take specialized equine safety courses that will teach you what to do should a horse get aggressive, overly excited, or otherwise hard to manage.
If you’re not used to working one-on-one with people or leading group classes, taking a course or two on customer service wouldn’t hurt either to give you an added advantage to know how to make each experience memorable.
You can find jobs for instructors and other opportunities on our Farm and Ranch page.