It’s said that good teachers are born and not made. I don’t care for that statement very much because even if it were true, it doesn’t leave much room for most of the instructors in the equestrian world who are out there doing their best.

Good teachers may have a bit of a head start, having been born with an aptitude and empathy, but they still have to learn a bunch of good communication skills and how and what to teach. And everyone who teaches riding, needs to understand the ways that riders learn, and the basic principles of their skill development.

This is where ECEi comes in. In particular, ECEi is all about how to teach.

The principles of how to teach are based on many years of educational research, very little of which has – until now – been used in equestrian teaching. ECEi is on a mission to change all that. The research material relevant to learning to ride is generally pretty dry and not equestrian-specific. ECEi can certainly fix all that! I think we learn best when we’re having fun, so I’ve added it to the mix. ECEi is heavily into fun. What you teach is your personal choice. This will no doubt follow your interests and riding talents. But the principles of how you teach cover all equestrian disciplines and activities. Hopefully, no matter which of these you most enjoy, you can draw useful tips from the ECEi content to take your work to a whole new level. 

Articles in Teaching - General, Volume 1

Teaching mixed ability groups(*)

The topics in this article

• Why it is a challenge
• Teaching principles
• Things to avoid
• Take home message

Who is your rider - your understanding

The topics in this article

• The magic wand of meaningful teaching
• Why the rider's history is so important
• How the rider's instuctional history influences our teaching
• How understanding the riders' normal learning behaviour is essential
• Understanding riders' objectives
• Understanding expectations: of themselves, their horse and you

Schoolmasters

The topics in this article

• Schoolmasters - why they are worth their weight in gold
• Who are the schoolmasters
• What the best schoolmasters 'look like'
• Working with a novice schoolmaster
• Working with an advanced schoolmaster
• Tips for working with any schoolmaster

Novice corners

The topics in this article

• Corners without conflict
• What to do if you've spotted a problem
• A good corner
• Teaching how to ride novice corners
• Parts of a novice corner
• Thinking time
• How to ride in, round and out of a corner

Histories of a bad beginning

The topics in this article

Re-schooling corners, problems, their causes and how to correct them

• The horse either slows down, or rushes through his corners
• The rider braces before going into the corner
• The rider sits to the outside approaching the corner
• The horse falls off his line, losing his balance to the outside
• Horse swings his head to the outside, with or without displacing his forehand to the outside as he approaches the corner
• Horse cuts across the corner, despite the rider’s best effort – or non-effort – to stop him

Rirer's emotional management

The topics in this article

• The impact of a rider's emotions
• Tension control
• Appropriate expectations
• Riders who lose their cool
• How to have fun
• Dealing with nerves
• Maintaining confidenCES

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