I am just starting as an riding instructor (I"ll be teaching mostly beginners) and I need a lesson plan. It will be 6 weeks of beginner lessons then 6 weeks of intermediate lessons (if the student returns of course:P) So I’m basically just wanting to know what to teach in the first lesson, what to teach in the second lesson, etc. The lessons will be once a week for one hour. Thanks!
On the 6 weeks of lessons you should have the student have an hour lesson. The 1st half hour teaching them how to groom a horse, tack a horse up, untack them, parts of the tack, etc. The 2nd half hour they should be riding. However, I do think the program will need to be longer than 6 weeks per set of lessons. They should be at least 12 weeks. It takes around 4 months for people to be able to trot confidently. It takes 6+ months to canter, and that isn’t even confidently. If you did 12 weeks for each set of lessons, the riders would be able to canter at the end, which would be a great goal!
Beginner Lessons:
At the end of 12 weeks you decide, the riders should be able to walk, trot, have the beat of the trot down, have diagonals, have a pretty good 2 point, know how to tack up, groom, and lead a horse in and out of a stall. If your class is only 6 weeks, the rider should be able to groom, tack up, lead a horse in an out of a stall, trot, but not with diagonals, or to the beat, they should have a 2 point, but not a very good one.
What to Teach:
6 Weeks: You should have the riders on the lunge line, and have them walk with their hands on their hips, shoulders, heads, etc. Teach them heels down, eyes up, etc. Trot at every lesson, and tell them about diagonals, and the beat of the trot, but don’t expect them to get it. Keep them on the lunge line at all times. If you feel they are advanced enough, jog along side them with the lunge line in hand while they trot on the rail. Teach them how to groom, tack up, un tack, etc.
12 Weeks: You should have the riders on the lunge line, and have them walk with their hands on their hips, shoulders, heads, etc. Teach them heels down, eyes up, etc. Trot at every lesson, and tell them about diagonals, and the beat of the trot, and expect them to get it after the 12 weeks is up. If you feel they are advanced enough, jog along side them with the lunge line in hand while they trot on the rail, but your goal is to have them trot on the rail without you, even if they are all over the place. Teach them how to groom, tack up, un tack, etc.
Intermediate Lessons:
By the end of this session, they should be able to tack up/down, groom, bathe (if possible with weather) lead a horse, have an acceptable 2 point, have diagonals, the trot beat, be on the rail alone.
What to Teach:
6 Weeks: You will still be working on getting the trot beat, diagonals, etc. After the first 2 weeks, you want the rider to be on the rail trotting confidently. By the end on the 2nd 6 weeks, the rider should be able to W/T.
12 Weeks: The riders may still need a little work on trotting, but if not, you can move on to cantering. Again, stay on the lunge line until they are comfortable/confident. By the end of the 2nd 12 weeks, the rider should be able to W/T/C!
*You should not just have 6 or 12 week options, you should take as many weeks as the riders need. Still, 12 weeks won’t be enough for everyone. You need to forget about how many weeks, and you will realize that once you start teaching.*
*Also, using a halter, and attaching reins to the sides of the halter when lunging is a great idea so the kids aren’t pulling on the horse’s mouth. You can control the horse with voice commands, lunge line, and lunge whip*
Good Luck! 