The Horse Teacher
Your instructor will be a key part of your life as a horse owner. He or she will teach you the basics and will influence the way you interact with horses forever. You will learn your teacher’s habits, biases, strengths, and weaknesses.
You will adopt his or her best traits and will inadvertently mimic his or her worst weaknesses.
You can, and may, involve yourself with multiple instructors as you learn more about horses and riding. However, your first teacher will always have an impact on you.
Choosing the right instructor is, thus, very important.
Making a wise choice isn’t just important in that sense, though. It is also a big part of determining how enjoyable your horse ownership experience will be.
You will be spending a great deal of time with your teacher, and if you don’t match well with him or her, it can only serve to lengthen your learning curve and to make your time with your horse less enjoyable.
If you can find a tremendous instructor, you will learn more than you ever imagined you could in a short period. You won’t become an Olympic equestrian event qualifier overnight, but you will make great strides quickly. In addition, you will do it with a smile on your face.
Let’s look at some considerations in finding the best possible instructor.