Do you still have your old horse show ribbons? Each flyspecked, faded length of satin might be worth less than a dollar on paper, but the memories it invokes are priceless.
Ribbons represent achievement and wish-fulfillment, and just like a photograph, invite us to relive time spent with our horses.
They don’t always have to be earned through competition, either.
We’ve seen the pride in our students’ faces as they pose with their freshly-earned Levels ribbons, and we’ve been told that those ribbons still hang on their bedroom walls years later.
No matter how motivated students are to learn and improve their horsemanship, we think occasional prize-giving is beneficial in a lesson program.
Used wisely, simple prizes can inspire extra effort and create positive new habits. They can reward a student’s smaller accomplishments between Levels and liven up friendly competition between students.
They’re also good at creating photo ops – and nothing markets your program like dozens of happy, smiling student faces posted across social media!
In training horses or teaching students, the key to motivation is a variety of small rewards
Here are our go-to prizes for inspiring and rewarding students:
1
Motivate students with fun themes
Your local dollar store is full of prizes you can award at everyday lessons and in-house competitions — especially when your activity has a seasonal theme.
Chocolate “coins” can be awarded around Saint Patrick’s Day or as the gold at the end of your shallow loop rainbow.
Don’t forget candy hearts for Valentine’s, candy canes for Christmas, and Halloween tricks for treats — but only if your students have permission to take home sugar!
As a healthier alternative, bestow cheap plastic or paper crowns on contest winners. We like to recognize seasonal Dressage Queens or Kings, and have learned that yes, even grown women will compete fiercely for the chance to wear a tiara!
Unmounted lessons and games should occasionally come with prizes, too. Award baggies of homemade horse treat blends, rider’s boot socks or novelty grooming items.
You can find generic achievement ribbons in dollar stores, order stock ribbons online, or get creative and design custom ribbons just for your lesson program.
Our younger students love putting their grooming skills to use and earning these adorable Clean Pony ribbons from Hodges Badge Company.
2
Stock an inexpensive treasure chest
Younger children often enjoy picking out their own prize. For Rainbow Level students, we maintain a Prize Box: a small plastic tub stocked with individually wrapped candy, horse figurines, stickers and kid-friendly horse jewelry.
Every student who rides a “clean” round through the obstacle course, or correctly names ten parts of the pony, has the opportunity to choose an item out of the box.
A few tricks we learned through experience:
- Store the box in a high place that is not easily visible. Sticky-fingered siblings occasionally get envious and might be tempted to sneak a prize of their own!
- Establish firm rules about the box before you pass it around, especially when awarding prizes to a group. Decide how you will mediate arguments over who gets what prize. (Hint: try for duplicates of everything.)
- You may need to set a time limit for the decision process, especially if parents are waiting. We’ve had children insist that they touch and examine every single item in the box before making their choice.
You can also turn the tables – and create a powerful incentive for students of all ages – by creating a treasure chest of horse treats. Students can cash in points earned during lesson games for their choice of treat to give their lesson horse (assuming they comply with all dietary restrictions and treat-giving rules, of course!).
Fill a bento box or similar food organizer with several different types of equine goodies, from EMS-friendly commercial treats to flavored cookies and peppermints. If you use carrots or other perishable goodies, make sure to empty and wash the container at the end of the day.
This prize is a good alternative to giving students trinkets or candy, and can be a greater motivator. Students may shrug off their own performance, but won’t want to let down their horse.
3
Give students memories with movie magic
Got basic video editing skills and an eye for cinematography? Our students will eagerly muck stalls and post laps without stirrups for a chance to earn a customized video in which they co-star with their favorite horse.
We started making short videos of our students, set to music, as a way to practice our own editing skills between shows and events. These popular videos turned into a bit of an artistic outlet — but they’re also a time-consuming activity, and we don’t have time to make them for every student that wants one. Nor can we legally sell our video editing services to students when using unlicensed music.
So our custom videos became a premium riding school prize. It’s a great way for students to share their notable achievements in both our mounted and unmounted lesson programs.
Because is there any subject as inspiring as the bond between a human and their heart horse?
Tips for producing student videos:
- Offer the winner a selection of dates for possible filming, including a rain date, and discuss music choices, outfit and the intended tone of the video ahead of time.
- Make sure you have written consent from the parents of minors and respect their privacy wishes.
- If possible, provide them with the finished video file and allow them to choose if and how the video will be shared online.
- If you edit video often, consider subscribing to a service that provides affordable music for content creators, such as Synchedin.
- If you don’t have the time or skillset to create videos yourself, you may have a tech-saavy student or parent willing to barter lessons for video services.
Want to see an example of our keepsake videos?
4
Reward students with additional barn time
For many riding school students, the only horse time they get is their weekly lesson. A truly horse-crazy kid can long for more time at the barn — as can an adult in desperate need of some me-time!
Offer qualified students the opportunity to earn a “Horse for a day” experience, where they spend a full day at the barn and can ride and pamper the school horse of their choice.
We once had a Blue Level student declare that she wanted nothing more in the world than a free day at the barn — her happy place — during which she could gallop across the pasture.
We arranged a day shared between two school horses, including our most steady-eddy cross-country horse so she could safely experience the field ride of her dreams.
If the majority of your students have access to a horse, or already live the barn rat life, they may need a slightly different incentive. Offer a private trail ride outing, or a free trip to go school off-property at a nearby facility. Make sure you have logistics and dates squared away ahead of time, so you aren’t left scrambling to arrange trailering or find a suitable location!
5
Power up the Levels with custom camp adventures
For students chasing big goals, you can take things one step further and offer a customized one-day camp.
We call these Power Up Camps, and run them during lighter periods of our schedule when they can be worked in around regular lessons.
Power Up days are a chance for students to work with you on a specific focus in a one-on-one setting.
Or if you have the horse to spare and want to dangle a BIG prize, in a semi-private camp with a friend.
Students are asked declare the goal of the camp in advance, so lessons can be planned accordingly. Our Power Up Camps consist of two mounted sessions, an unmounted HorseSense session, and an after-lunch activity geared toward the individual rider: this could be body awareness exercises, video review, or a relaxing craft.
When giving away the camp as a prize, consider creating a gift certificate that can be used as a voucher — and giving it an expiration date. Offer a handful of available dates and encourage the student to book as soon as possible.
6
Just print and sign colorful certificates to reward students’ achievement
Even a simple certificate can go a long way. Award them for milestones, such as their first fall off a horse, or for recurring events such as No-Stirrup November.
Certificates are more than a simple piece of paper to students: they represent hard work, persistence and courage.
And don’t forget to commemorate their progress through the Learning Levels with our ready-made certificates!
Whatever prizes you offer, make sure your students earn them
When awarded fairly, and earned through effort, prizes make us feel good.
At the end of the day, feeling is good is what keeps our students eager to spend time with horses — and keeps them coming back for more.
