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Featuring: Alicia Owens, Kristen Cater from Cater Stables, Smith Lilly from Mercer Springs Farm, Ashley Saunders Russo, & Candida Covino Aversenti. Thanks to: American Saddlebred Horse Association, United Professional Horsemen's Association, The American Saddlebred Museum, & Allen Bosworth. More breeds at: DiscoverTheHorse.com
By Sarah Evers Conrad
When riders are asked why they ride, it often comes down to one prevailing answer—passion for the horse. And it also explains why so many riders become riding instructors. It’s important for riding instructors to have that passion for horses and teaching. Riding lessons are often the stepping stone into the horse industry for many participants, which makes horseback riding instructors the lifeblood behind a thriving equine industry. Therefore, it’s crucial for instructors to be able to have successful careers so that there is growth and sustainability within the horse industry as a whole.
Three of CHA’s experts, all who have had successful careers as riding instructors and who have given back to the industry as CHA board members and volunteers, share some of the secrets behind their success.
CHA Master Instructor and Clinician Tara Gamble of British Columbia, Canada, went out on her own with Tara Gamble Horsemanship in 2009 after working at a variety of facilities. Gamble got her start teaching at age 18 at Birch Bay Ranch in Alberta after 10 years of being a camper. She says she wanted to give back to the ranch that had been such a big part of her life. Gamble was introduced to CHA early in her career because the ranch required CHA certification.
Gamble’s excitement for running the games station at Birch Bay Ranch led her to to one of the most important decisions of her life. “It was at this moment I realized this was my passion, and I was going to become a horsemanship instructor,” she says.
Not only has she been an instructor at a variety of facilities, the past 27 years have seen Gamble serve as CHA President, as Vice President of the Miss Rodeo Canada Board of Directors and a pageant coordinator, as President of the Alberta Equestrian Federation (AEF), and as an American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) board member. She also became an AQHA Professional Horseman. CHA has recognized Gamble’s dedication by naming her the 2013 CHA Volunteer of the Year and the 2006 CHA Clinic Instructor of the Year.
Peggy Adams of Greensboro, GA, retired a few years ago from teaching on her farm, PLA HorsePlay. Adams is the current CHA Past President, a CHA Master Instructor, Clinic Staff, and a Certified Overnight Trail Guide. She spent almost 30 years with the Girl Scouts outside of the Atlanta area in a variety of managerial positions, including as the supervisor of the year-round outdoor programs for youth and adults. Because one of the most popular activities for the Girl Scouts was horseback riding, Adams was charged with designing and developing the riding lesson program at three equine facilities.
“Having been a horse enthusiast my entire life, it became my mission to help make sure that campers had an opportunity to be introduced to horses,” says Adams. “Many of our young riders wouldn’t have ever had the chance to ride if not for our programs. It was a wonderful way to take my passion for horses and share it with others.”
Due to her lifetime achievements and her dedication to CHA since 1996, Adams was named the 2016 CHA Distinguished Service Award winner.
Anne Brzezicki, CHA’s Vice President of Regional Relations, is most known for her work as the Director of the Equestrian Program at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) and coach of the MTSU Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) teams. She also taught at the University of Connecticut and Virginia Tech, worked for AQHA Professional Andy Moorman, and ran her own business in Tennessee, which was focused on amateurs and youth inside and outside the show arena.
Brzezicki’s first horseback riding teaching position was at the Connecticut 4-H Camps, where she worked with 500 riders every summer for seven years. She says her career chose her. “It was there that I discovered my passion for teaching riders to get the best from their horses rather than to simply look good,” she says.
Due to a hiring freeze, she and another student were allowed to coach her university’s equestrian team when she was a student at the University of Connecticut (UConn). Due to that experience, she was hired to teach at UConn before she got out the door. That position led to her other teaching positions and a lifetime of dedication to college students in equestrian programs.
She is a now a CHA Master Instructor and an Assistant Clinic Instructor, and the 2015 CHA Instructor of the Year. For all of her contributions to IHSA, the organization awarded her with the 2003 IHSA Lifetime Achievement Award. She retired from MTSU last year.
Gamble points out is that the diversity within her career has helped her enjoy a variety of experiences and continuously offers up brand new opportunities. While she gained a lot of experience subcontracting at different barns for lessons for 17 years, transitioning to her own facility was a new challenge that required business, management, and public relations skills in addition to her horsemanship knowledge and experience.
“Going the private route allowed me more control over my client’s and their horse’s needs to increase their satisfaction,” says Gamble, adding that great communication skills, people skills, and organizational skills have been important. She encourages instructors to always keep learning and adding to their experience.
Adams recommends that instructors learn to communicate with students as easily as possible. “This requires the ability to break skills down into easily understandable small steps,” she adds. “Being able to teach with a rider’s learning style in mind goes a long way to achieving success.”
Brzezicki advises instructors to teach respect for the horse and to share their enthusiasm with their students. “Pay attention to what works for your students and what doesn’t, and change what doesn’t,” she adds. “Take advantage of every opportunity to teach and to watch and listen to other teachers. And understand that your students will also teach you every day.”
Some of the common problems that instructors experience include: miscommunications with students, burnout, lack of self care, how to keep up with progress within a discipline, and dealing with fads, and barn drama.
“Keeping a positive attitude through adversity is paramount,” says Gamble. “It’s important to keep a direct, clear line open and check in often with your students/clients. Try to be as proactive as possible and think of potential challenges.”
Marketing is an important aspect of running any business. Gamble recommends that instructors become involved in the local horse community and network as much as possible. “I recommend remembering that you are always an ambassador, and your actions are a reflection of your reputation,” she says.
Adams reminds instructors to tell others about their CHA certification and to use this credential in their marketing.
Word-of-mouth recommendations are key for riding instructors to market themselves. People will often market a business that they can stand behind. “Students and customers having a good time with their horses, supporting each other and winning, draws others to your program and makes the best advertising,” says Brzezicki.
Additional methods of marketing that have also been beneficial to Gamble, Adams, and Brzezicki are:
Adams shares that she used the CHA standards to design the programs and facilities for the Girl Scouts. “These industry standards were very useful in helping others understand why we did things a certain way,” says Adams, who adds that both parents and students appreciated that she had the CHA Certification to back up her experience.
“CHA offered me the tools to develop a riding program focusing on safety and progressive skill development for my students,” says Gamble, who has been certified with CHA for 27 years.
Even though she found CHA late in her career, Brzezicki says CHA’s teachings validated what she had been doing in her career and gave her more confidence to help her students who wanted to become riding instructors. It also broadened her network.
“I have found CHA to be the most inclusive, accepting, creative, and helpful set of horse people all dedicated to the progress of their students and other instructors,” adds Brzezicki.
Gamble encourages instructors to familiarize themselves with all of the information, resources, and opportunities on the CHA website www.CHA.horse. In addition, many CHA regions have their own websites or social media platforms with additional information. One important resource offered by CHA is the ability for instructors to advertise their businesses on the CHA instructor database.
Additional member benefits that Gamble, Adams, and Brzezicki have found valuable include the insurance discounts, this magazine – The Instructor, the ability to participate at regional and international conferences, corporate partner benefits, products on the CHA online store, and educational materials, such as manuals and DVDs.
“Use the CHA student books and materials with your riders,” suggests Adams. “Have students and parents watch some of the video shorts on the CHA YouTube channel to reinforce topics taught during lessons.”
Adams emphasizes the importance of continuing education and certification for today’s instructors. “My advice is to keep learning and challenging yourself to become certified as an instructor,” she says. “This will allow you to see how you stack up with other instructors by having a third-party evaluation of your current teaching skills.”
Brzezicki says that CHA certification is a great resume builder, especially since many employers are looking for certification as a sign that someone has been tested and found to be competent. She says it’s important for instructors to challenge themselves to always work toward higher levels of certification.
Adams recommends instructors serve as mentors to less experienced instructors in order to help the horse industry as a whole. Gamble and Brzezicki remind instructors that it takes time for success to happen.
“This is hard work,” says Brzezicki. “Approach each lesson with positive energy, a plan, and a goal. Look at each student with hope. And if you don’t love it, find another job.”
Gamble sums it up with the why behind why she teaches. “The rewards of teaching are much greater than monetary and have enriched my life immensely,” she says.
When not leading the trams at Hampton Court Palace, our Shire horses live in meadows in Home Park 🐴 The stables team introduced us to their gentle giant colleagues and what they get up to. Shire horses are rarer than pandas and Hampton Court is one of the few places you can meet them in England. New to the stables is a grey mare, Bess, who will join their work next season.
Read more: Meet the Shire Horses of Hampton Court Palace (2:43)
by Lisa Thomas
I have lots of clients who own, run or want to own horse boarding facilities in the wine country. They are a unique breed and what fascinates me is how very different they all are. Each operation is quite different, they all have their own market positioning and way they do business. It's a little like real estate... lots of agents, with lots of different ways of doing business, each potentially successful in their own way. So what is the attraction of owning a horse business? And the secret to success? Here's my view, based on seeing how a lot of these operations are run...
It's a Service Business - make no mistake. Providing horse care and the facilities for people to ride or enjoy their horses is a service. That means that making the client feel happy is the secret to keeping them as clients. Good service is something people pay for. Making something cheap is almost always going to mean that you don't do much for them.
The nice thing about boarding businesses is that there is a market for everything from the basic DIY boarding... i.e. Do It Yourself... to the full service DUP 'Drive up Darling, your horse is saddled & waiting' and everything in between. At the lower end you provide a safely fenced pasture and water and the owners provide the care. At the upper end, you are the all inclusive resort vacation site with full service, 3-4 times daily feeding, supplements, spraying, rugging up, holding for farriers, medicating, tack cleaning... take this as far as you'd like to go service. Find your market and be clear about your service offering. This is the secret to making a profit, not just income.
by Kristin Pitzer
If you are in the horse business for very long, the chances are good that at some point, you will have to hire a horse shipper to move your horse. This may be to buy or sell a horse out of state; to complete a cross-country move; or to visit a veterinary specialist several hours away if you don’t own a trailer. Even for a short move, though, it’s not always wise to trust the first person you find that owns a truck and trailer — there are plenty of horror stories of horses getting injured, not getting picked up, or even disappearing.
Quarter Horse News spoke with Maegan Alexander, Dispatch Assistant at Equine Express, which has been in the horse transportation business since 1986, to get some tips on what to look for when hiring a horse shipper.
As you start researching horse transportation companies, there are a few things you’ll want to look for. One of the most important things to know is if the company is licensed and insured. An easy way to find out — and avoid scams — is to ask a hauler directly for their federal U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) number and then verify it online.
“If for some reason you do go with a company that is not licensed and insured, it is a huge risk,” Alexander said. “If the uninsured hauler gets pulled over by DOT, they can get shut down, and you will have to wait for a legal hauler to pick up your horse. Also, if there is an incident, the owner of the horse could be liable for using an uninsured hauler.”
Another thing you’ll want to look for is a hauler that has experience with horses. There are many companies out there that offer equine transportation, but the drivers moving the horses have no knowledge of horse care or behavior. If your horse colics or gets injured, they may not recognize the signs that something is wrong.
“When on the road, the driver needs to be able to tell if the horse is travelling comfortably, and if not, we need to find the nearest vet,” Alexander said. “When looking for drivers, we require everyone to have horse knowledge before joining our team. It is imperative to know what to look for when out on the road with horses.”
If you’re not sure where to start, the National Horse Carriers Association is a great source to find commercial haulers, as you have to meet certain requirements to be a member, Alexander said. Under the “Education” tab, you can find more information about legal versus illegal haulers, as well.
Once you have a few companies in mind, you’ll want to start calling for quotes. Alexander recommended calling at least three weeks before you want the trip to take place, with the understanding that you might have to be flexible for less-traveled routes. Before you pick up the phone, though, you’ll need to have the details of your horse’s trip prepared. Make sure you know the starting and ending addresses, and have an idea of what kind of stall you’ll want your horse to ship in.
“A horse that has more experience and has travelled before could go into either our tie stall, a roughly 4 x 9 space where the horse is loosely cross-tied, or a box stall, an 8 x 9 space where the horse is turned loose,” Alexander said. “When we ship young, inexperienced horses or stallions, we will always ship in a box stall, and during a long trip, we recommend the box stall for every horse as it is double the size. The horse is not tied, so they do not have to stand in the same direction during the trip and can put their head down to drain their sinuses. Other companies may offer different options depending on their trailers, but all our trailers can offer the tie or box stall options.”
Keep in mind the time of year and the weather in the locations your horse will be traveling through.
“Different companies do offer certain routes, so that is always a great question to ask when inquiring for a quote,” Alexander said. “The time of year you ship can also be a big factor, especially depending on the route you are wanting to go. We try to go to Washington state almost weekly, but during the winter months, that is always a weather-dependent route.”
When you find a company that seems to check most of your boxes, ask about their process for keeping you informed during your horse’s trip. A shipper that balks at giving updates is a red flag. Before the trip, the company should communicate when the horse will be picked up, where it will be laying over, and what day and time to expect it to arrive, barring any delays due to weather, traffic or issues loading and unloading the horse. They should also provide a way to contact the driver during the trip so you can keep tabs on where your horse is.
“We will give out the driver’s name and number before the trip starts so if you have any questions, you can reach the drivers directly at any time,” Alexander said. “Depending on the route, we will have a layover where the horse is taken off the trailer into their own stall, but we will let everyone know that in advance. We also try to send updates and pictures when arriving to the layovers. That way, the customers know we have arrived and the horse is doing well.”
Depending on the state you live in, there may be certain vaccines or paperwork required for your horse to travel. If your horse is traveling out of state, you’ll want to know those regulations for every state he or she will be passing through. For instance, a horse traveling from New Mexico to Florida will require a brand inspection, current negative coggins, and a current health certificate signed by a veterinarian that lists the horse’s temperature and an accession number matching the coggins.
Requirements can and do change, so it’s always best to check on each state’s regulations before shipping. Calling the animal health commission for the states your horse will be leaving and entering should provide the most up-to-date information.
“It’s best to reach out to your vet to see what they recommend for your horse depending on the area they are travelling to,” Alexander said. “We also recommend starting electrolytes two weeks before shipping. That way your horse is drinking well before transport. You can additionally practice loading and unloading with your horse before the hauler arrives so it is familiar beforehand.”
Because shipping can be taxing on the horse itself, Alexander recommended keeping as much of his routine the same as possible to reduce stress. This includes sending some of his current hay and grain with the shipper to avoid changing his diet. Most shippers will only feed hay while in transit to reduce the chance of colic but will give grain upon arriving at a layover.
“If a horse is needing a certain medication, we want to make sure we keep them on what their vet recommends,” Alexander said. “We do carry hay on the trailer if for some reason the horse is not sent with any grain or hay for the trip. We want to make sure the horses’ stomachs are moving and that the horses stay hydrated during the trip. We will stop every few hours to refill hay nets and water buckets, and make sure all the horses are traveling comfortably.”
A shipper that takes the time to check on horses and keeps them watered and fed can mean all the difference between your horse arriving healthy and content or showing up sick. By putting a little effort into finding the right shipper, you can save your horse and yourself unnecessary stress and get back to your normal routine quickly once he’s settled in.
This article originally appeared on American Quarter Horse News and is published here with permission.
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