Let's face it, the way that most of us learned horse back riding may have been less than ideal. There may have been a lot of unsupervised trial and error, and when we did get instruction, let's again be honest- our instructor may have just been constantly winging it from one week to the next- with no lesson plans, curriculum, or detailed long term training plan in place. Or worse- your instructors may have been the type that were not only winging it- but they were old school disciplinarian screamer types. You simply hoped to get out of the lesson alive, and didn't feel comfortable asking a whole bunch of questions after. There were no text books, videos, or simple crystal clear explanations and step by step instructions. There were no thoughtfully laid out sheets with lists of the exact skills that you needed to learn and in the ideal sequence that they should be learned. It was sink or swim. Figure it out or hit the dirt. Your instructors may have been fine riders and meant well- and you may have turned out to be a competent rider- but you didn't benefit from a sophisticated and well laid out comprehensive equestrian educational plan.
And then there are a never ending supply of gimmicky new-age horse training techniques - which in certain situations might be really helpful- but the truth is that most riders would be better off doubling down on a classical riding education that never goes out of style.
What if I told you that we had laid out the exact milestones for both dressage and jumping, from training level to third level, and from cavalettis to 1.30m in a step by step progressive journey that almost made too much sense? And you could benefit from the perfect combination of book knowledge, riding theory, AND have the opportunity to test your skills in a practical riding exam? And you could begin this process immediately, affordably, go at your own pace, from anywhere in the world, at any time- and with zero red-tape or bureaucracy to wade through?
The benefits of this rider and trainer certification program are to go back through your riding education from the ground up- and make sure that there are absolutely no holes and to make sure that the classical riding and horsemanship principles that create those effortless performances we all dream about are as clearly laid out in our minds and bodies as is humanly possible. The benefits are to pinpoint our strengths and weaknesses so that we can create more meaningful training plans in our riding programs and make better use of our time focusing on exactly what we need to work on. But the biggest benefit of going through rider and instructor certification is to join a like-minded community of equestrians that are just as obsessed and fascinated with horses as you are.
The truth is that rider and instructor certification is not meant to be a substitute for any of the up or down experiences you have had on your horsemanship journey- it is simply the perfect complement.
