One of my riders with autism has difficulties making decisions. It is interesting: when asked to make a decision outright, such as “Would you like to lead your horse by the reins or the lead rope?” she has an extremely hard time and takes at least 5 minutes with assistance. It seems she has absolutely … Continue reading
Filed under Teaching Tips …
Instructing While Pregnant
This has been on my mind lately because it’s happening to me. Surprise! There is a lot out there in internet land about riding while pregnant, but not much about teaching riding. Perhaps that’s because most instructors are not quite as involved in physically helping their riders as the therapeutic horseback riding instructor – such … Continue reading
Passive Learning vs. Active Learning
Passive vs. Active learning is not a new concept, but I hadn’t heard it discussed in the context of riding instruction before. The book “Teaching Tips for Horseback Riding Lessons” by Jo Struby brought this up and I wanted to share. Basically, passive learning is through receiving, while active learning is through doing. Passive Learning Receiving The … Continue reading
Fun Video Sunday: Leaning, Strong and Weak Sides
Here is a great video by Randi Thompson about fixing leaning and weight habits! In therapeutic riding we talk about how some riders have a strong and weak side. I think that this actually happens to everyone in the world to some extent. We all have strong and weak sides. This video highlights a recreational rider’s strong side … Continue reading
Visual Schedules
My friend Carrie of HorsePower TR sent me these great examples of visual schedules that she uses for some of her riders. I’m excited to share them with you! Visual Schedules What A visual schedule is a step by step schedule using pictures and words that clarifies the order of an activity and expectations. Why Visual schedules … Continue reading
The Practice, Progression, and Activity
After you teach the skill in your lesson, it’s time to practice and progress! This is a handout I just made for our Instructors in Training about the difference between Practice & Progression, and Activities & Games. I highlight the difference between practicing a skill and doing an activity for several reasons. 1) Certification evaluators want … Continue reading
Paying Attention
(source) I think the same goes for humans. Today I was reminded by my horse that what we pay attention to impacts how secure others feel around us. When I first started taking my horse on the short trails around the barn all alone, she would often walk quickly, looking all over, stopping often, very concerned … Continue reading
Instructor Training: Practice Teaching the Skill
Today I used this activity with our Instructors in Training and liked it, so I thought I’d share. Every week they have learned a new part of the lesson plan and practiced it in the lessons they are being weaned into teaching. Two weeks ago it was the Mount & Dismount, last week it was … Continue reading
Arena Etiquette & Protocol
When you teach a group lesson or have two instructors teaching private lessons in the same arena, you need some sort of arena etiquette to keep things safe. Usually this is unspoken common knowledge, or the barn may have a list of rules posted. In therapeutic riding this is especially important as there are many … Continue reading
Volunteer Selection For Horse and Rider
There are a few things to keep in mind when pairing your volunteers with your riders. I just added this information to the handouts I go over with our Instructors in Training about volunteer management, which includes the Volunteer Management and Addressing Volunteers posts. VOLUNTEER SELECTION FOR THE RIDER Considerations: For choosing Leaders: Has enough horse experience to … Continue reading