Back to the Barn

Make unmounted learning fun, positive, and a part of your program from day one.

How can you make unmounted HorseSense part of your program?

Ask any great equestrian what they’d like to see in the next generation of riders, and most likely, they’ll wish for kids to get back to the barn. The road to success is paved with hours spent wrapping legs, cleaning tack, soaking beet pulp, and holding horses for the farrier – an experience that many students, sadly, just don’t get.

Unmounted horsemanship is an essential part of Leveling Up as a rider. It also forms the heart of our philosophy about horseback riding: that if these stoic, generous animals are willing to carry us and do our bidding, the LEAST we can do is to learn how to care for them and keep them from suffering.

Tell them why they need it

As a riding instructor, you have the power to facilitate a well-rounded education both in and out of the saddle.

This starts with explaining the importance of unmounted barn time to students and their families. This conversation should start during your very first meeting with prospective students, and include the following points:

Expect some challenges

Even if you preach the values of time spent in the barn, some lesson clients might not buy in immediately.

The kids say they have too many demands on their time already (schoolwork, sports and extracurricular activities, social life) and they would rather be riding.

Parents also feel the time crunch, and may not see the value in barn work – especially if they have no plans to buy a horse. They may be resentful of paying for unmounted time or their kids “working for free.”

And sometimes, we are the problem. If we portray riding as the important part of horsemanship, we encourage unrealistic expectations.

This means you need your students to ENJOY their unmounted education!

And you might need to sneak it into your mounted lessons if you don’t have dedicated time just for unmounted instruction.

Here are a few ways you can integrate HorseSense into a riding program:

sneaky tip #1 - rainy day barn lessons

Rainy day unmounted lessons are standard practice in our own program, assuming we can work safely under cover.

By emphasizing the need for these lessons up front, we solve two problems at once: students are getting unmounted education AND we can count on scheduled lessons happening rain or shine.

This practice saves us during temperamental Georgia summers, where pop-up thunderstorms derail lesson lineups without notice, and moody Georgia winters, where we experience pouring rain, frozen ground, and seventy-degree temperatures that roast ponies in winter coats – all in the same week!

sneaky tip #2 - offer prizes and glory

Offer incentives to students who participate in a program of unmounted study. We require students to complete specific HorseSense levels to be eligible to lease a horse, or travel to an off-site show. There is nothing arbitrary about this – anyone riding outside of lessons needs to be able to recognize signs of lameness, or find specific items in the first aid kit.

We offer contests for HorseSense participants, such as the annual Summer HorseSense Challenge. Students earn points for checkmarks earned in June and July, with a one-day private camp awarded as the Grand Prize.

We also host barn sleepover parties exclusively for students working through our HorseSense curriculum. Students who have earned a Green HorseSense ribbon or higher help with barn chores, get a free ride and participate in arena games and fun until well after dark.

This popular social event accomplishes two things: it creates FOMO (fear of missing out), encouraging students to participate in our unmounted programs, AND it creates connections between students and strengthens our barn family.

sneaky tip #3 - use group motivation

Peer pressure can be powerful, especially if you group campers or clinic attendees by their HorseSense Levels. Students will be motivated to continue progressing in their unmounted skills to keep pace with each other – no one wants to be the member of the group that gets left behind.

sneaky tip #4 - build a community

Help students get connected. Some students are passionate enough to spend hours immersed in barn life, with or without friends. But for many kids, enthusiasm and initiative is linked to their participation in a tribe.

Help them bond by hosting working student days, tack cleaning parties, and pasture-mucking “Poop Parties.” (We live in a time where you can buy poop-emoji cupcake molds. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by!) They’ll learn a lot about the nitty-gritty of running a barn, but they’ll also have a good time with the people who scrubbed troughs by their side.

sneaky tip #5 - Share your passion

Your energy and attitude is contagious. If you cheerfully embrace all aspects of horse care, your students are more likely to do the same.

Hs Group Pasture Cleaning

This means talking about all of your unmounted educational offerings with excitement and confidence. It also means ensuring that your unmounted lessons are TONS of fun!

Would you like a book with HUNDREDS of student-approved unmounted lesson activities, games, and revenue-boosting activities… plus sample lesson plans and tips for running unmounted programs? You’re in luck: THE BIG BOOK OF BARN LESSONS is available in paperback and Kindle e-book through Amazon, or you can purchase a PDF version directly from us!

Amazon reviewers say it’s a “must have,” “godsend” and “treasure trove,” among other really nice things. 

Bbobl Ebookcover
TAP TO ZOOM

Horses are complex, fascinating creatures and we are never done learning about them!

Ask your riders questions about tack and equipment. Discuss nutrition, exercise physiology, and preventative health care with your advanced students at every available opportunity. Make unmounted learning fun, positive, and a part of your program from day one.

Get email newsletters:

We'll send you an occasional update with new posts and resources. And never share your information with anyone else - see our Privacy Policy for details. Easily unsubscribe at any time.

Not Yet a Member?

Join us to get ALL available resources for learning or teaching the Learning Levels. Sign up for an LLPro Membership - cancel anytime.
Join Us!
Information_1.png

We’ve been blessed with many talented photographers over the years: students who voluntarily stood in sweltering/ freezing arenas, capturing lifelong memories of lessons, camps and shows. We’re grateful to all of them!

One former student, Delaney Witbrod, is now a professional photographer with a gift for animal portraits – see more of her fine work here. We’re also grateful for photos of Western riding donated by LLPro instructors – particularly Bit of Pleasure Horse School and Joyful Hearts Photography!

You’ll find illustrations throughout our online courses and printed materials graciously donated by our friend Rhonda Hagy. Evan Surrusco contributes additional illustrations and handles most of our photo processing. Contact us for information about their work.

horse looking perplexed

HEADS UP!

Our website will be offline on
Thursday, July 4,
starting at 10:00 AM (EDT),
for routine maintenance.

We’ll be shined up and
ready to ride by
July 5.