Small-Scale Teaching

Elsie Lawson helping the author select horses at Narrowgate Youth Ranch in Kokomo, Indiana. Photo courtesy of the author

By Lydia Fairchok

Sometimes the kids stand at the gate debating their choice of horse for so long I end up picking for them. You would think they have an entire herd from which to make their selection. Nope - we have three, and one of those is a pony, which really ought to narrow down the options for the taller riders. Once upon a time, I did have twenty-plus lesson horses at my disposal through various teaching partnerships. After I downsized in 2014, I only had my personal horses to work with, plus any horses that my clients provided for themselves. Small-scale lesson programs exist for a variety of reasons. You might have just a few horses and clients right now, but you’re angling towards growth. You might have downsized due to financial concerns or a reduction in riders. You might spend most of your time coaching clients on their own

horses, or perhaps, like me, you maintain another career simultaneously and small is simply the right size for your program right now. My transition to part-time instruction came with many blessings, but variety in lesson mounts was not one of them. Six years down the road, I’ve found ways to adapt to the smaller scope. It requires forethought, creativity, and honesty, but it works.

Capitalize Your Variables Making the most of your available options means controlling the variables that allow the maximum number of horse-rider combinations. In a perfect world, all of your horses would be useful for all experience levels and all types of riders. In reality, the pony has a height/weight limit, the gelding with navicular disease is only sound for walk-trot work, this mare is too fast for beginners, that one is fine with little kids but she has the withers of a rhinoceros and the only saddle on hand that fits her is a seventeen-inch seat…the list of limitations stacks up quickly.

Equipment and property improvement are expensive variables, but properly seating a small rider on a well-mannered large horse, or light adult/teen riders on a stocky pony instantly opens up new matches. Investing in a round pen might make a naturally forward horse accessible to less experienced or timid riders. Creating obstacle course elements gives experienced riders a challenging lesson while keeping the horse’s physical workload light. Even if you don’t have the finances, space, or desire to sustain another lesson horse, onetime expenses by way of equipment and property modifications can pay dividends in the long run.

Emphasize Relationship Social bonds make everyone feel like a part of the barn, which motivates students to stick with you even if the grass might occasionally seem a little greener in some other pasture. The bond between horse and rider is an equally mighty glue that keeps clients on your roster. Give your students as many opportunities to hang out with the horses as possible to encourage independence and a feeling of inclusion. Riders who long to have their own horse thrive on the sense of ownership that comes with being part of stable management, training plans, and the vicissitudes of their favorite horses’ lives.

When one of my mares sustained a soft-tissue injury this summer, her students became her rehabilitation team. Hand-

Feature the differences between horses early and often in your teaching discourse, and cultivate an attitude in your barn that each horse has something to offer all riders at all levels.

walking and (eventually) light ridden work, plus all of the grooming and hand-grazing she could withstand, tangibly demonstrated to her devoted riders that horse ownership is much more than galloping into the sunset. They strengthened their relationships with the mare and with each other while saving me from time-consuming tasks, often while I taught other lessons. Even though my teaching capacity was temporarily reduced and I did lose some income, I did not lose any clients. The relationships and investment they felt in their barn and their beloved mare were well worth the interlude. Separate Versatility from Variety No instructor aims to produce one-horse riders. An extensive string of lesson mounts is the most obvious way to keep such limitations at bay—and variety is a necessary component of versatility at some point-but don’t assume that your students cannot learn the mindset of versatile horsemen and women without dozens of horses to ride. Intentional emphasis on your horses’ unique personalities, strengths, and pitfalls makes each one a valuable study in rider adaptation.

Feature the differences between horses early and often in your teaching discourse. Walk riders through multiple approaches and ask them to decide for themselves what was effective. Discuss scenarios during rest periods, and take opportunities to compare horses. “When Jack was excited on that windy day last week, he responded well to your firm, confident aids. A brisk trot allowed him to put his energy to work and get focused on his job, which then made him willing to listen to you at the walk. Smokey also needs your confident leadership, but we know that strong aids are overwhelming to her. Let’s take her away from her source of stress and get her listening to simple tasks at the walk with soft aids before we ask her to trot today.” Not every rider can work every skill with every horse on every given day, but that’s okay—part of being an adjustable rider means adapting to the horse of the moment.

Celebrate and Rotate Some riders are eager to progress to “exciting” horses and become disinterested in the humble “beginner” horses with whom they started. Fight this stigma early on by cultivating an attitude in your barn that each horse has something to offer all riders at all levels. Moving up to a new horse should always be a celebrated milestone, but the emphasis should be on adding an available horse, not replacing.

Rotation doesn’t look the same from sea-

son to season or session to session. I have had riders change horses each week or stick with the same one for months at a time. Sometimes they pick; sometimes I pick. Sometimes we work with different horses in back-to-back lessons, or students in a group setting switch during the ride. The emphasis is on achieving goals both as a rider individually and as a team with each specific horse; then translating those skills to every other horse they touch.

Think Outside Your Barn Just because you only have a few horses to offer on a regular basis doesn’t mean that there will never be temporary ways to expand your options. At various times, I have had short-term additions such as a friend’s horse while she was gone for several months, a pony whose owner was recovering from an injury, and other privately owned horses who just needed a little work for a week, a month, or more. As I write this, I am preparing to foster a few beginner-friendly horses for a youth ministry that is without a facility over the winter. Situations like these give my students new experiences while also providing a benefit to others, which means I have had minimal or no cost in order to access the opportunities.

It should be noted that it is not always necessary to house extra horses in order to make them available to your students. In almost all of the scenarios listed above, the “bonus horses” remained at their usual barn and the owner agreed to having the lesson on-premises. Keeping proof of insurance handy and complying with all the rules of the hosting barn makes you a welcome guest. Your students will appreciate the change of pace and the sense of importance at being selected for the experience—plus it demonstrates that just because you don’t plan to add more horses to your barn doesn’t mean that they will never have the chance to branch out.

Be Honest Perhaps the most critical strength you can bring to your students is honesty. This is true of any sized program, but it is felt even more acutely when resources are limited. Being a small barn doesn’t mean you don’t have anything worthwhile to offer your students, but it does mean that sometimes you won’t have everything they need.

Recognize when you do not have (and have no plans to acquire) the time, equipment, skill, or horses to help a client reach their goals. There is no shame in admitting that you don’t have time to give an additional lesson in a week, you’re not familiar with that discipline, you don’t have any horses that can jump that high, or you’re not building a cross country course in your pastures. Tell the students who are at the edge of your capabilities that you understand their needs are transitioning and you will remain supportive of them if they move their business elsewhere, either in whole or in part.

Being the first to address these deficits with honesty and humility establishes you as an instructor who cares deeply and genuinely about the progress of your students. It is the only way to be truly fair to your clients, your horses, and yourself. You may also be surprised at how often clients prefer to stick with you, either exclusively or while also riding elsewhere, even if it means pursuing different goals.

Love What You Have Operating on a reduced scale is a choice for some and a challenge for others. Whether you are small because you want to be or because you aren’t where you want to be yet, remember to love what you already have. I would be lying if I said I never have days where I wish I had more options for my students. Sometimes I miss the fun and flexibility of large group activities, and I miss giving my clients a broader horse experience. Sometimes I miss the days when my client count wasn’t quite so closely tied to my horse count, and when a single lame horse didn’t train-wreck my entire teaching calendar. But the joys of small-scale teaching have their own appeal: Riders are given the ability to connect deeply with individual horses and to feel a strong sense of inclusion and ownership. Instructors are challenged to make creative use of their resources and to face their limitations in a way that does not hold their students back. Fewer clients mean more opportunities for direct mentoring. Fewer horses mean less time and less money channeled into upkeep. Time spent in other careers and experiences pours into our teaching toolbox and keeps us fresh.

Sometimes I miss having all the horses I could possibly want available for my students. Most days, however, I honestly just enjoy seeing my riders love all three of their options so much that they can hardly bear to choose between them. Sometimes, “small” is every bit of enough.

About the author: Lydia Fairchok is certified in Recreational Riding Level 1, and lives and teaches with her three horses in Central Indiana. Lydia segued from a full time instruction career to the field of public safety in 2014 and continues to teach a small number of students while working as a police officer and 9-1-1 dispatcher.

Lydia and Orion. Photo by Hope Anne Photography