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:
- A horse is not a tennis racket. A rider’s performance is only one part of the equation - success also depends on a living, breathing creature with a mind of its own. Performance can be affected by the horse’s health, diet, living environment, fitness, and the fit of tack and equipment.
- Knowledge is safety. A rider who is able to interpret a horse’s body language or recognize poorly-fitted tack is less likely to be a victim of a spooking or bucking horse. Handling horses is inherently risky, but learning safe practices for leading, longeing, tying, trailering and stable management reduces the chance of an accident.
- Knowledge is safety for the horse, too. A horse needs a rider who will catch the early symptoms of colic, and who knows how to react when the horse comes in from the pasture with a swollen tendon. Horses are accident-prone creatures, so it is not a matter of IF a rider will experience an equine emergency, but WHEN.
- Good riders are educated riders. Many students know they are supposed to canter on the correct lead, but have no idea what actually happens in the horse’s body during the canter. Skillful riders understand the biomechanics of a horse’s movement, and use that knowledge to time their aids for a better response. They can recognize when a lack of fitness or discomfort might be causing a performance problem, and they remember how horses perceive and process information - preventing a lot of frustration!
- There’s a lot more to horses than riding. This is especially important for riders who think they might like a horse of their own someday. For every hour spent in the saddle, the average horse owner spends countless hours not riding … and while there is often nothing glamorous about shoveling manure or breaking ice on troughs, the time spent caring for the horse and stable can be just as rewarding.
- There’s nothing like behind-the-scenes work at a barn to build character and life skills. Kids who spend time working at the barn learn the importance of work ethic and time management. They learn to problem-solve and communicate. They learn to get their hands dirty and use tools - particularly important for girls! They learn responsibility and compassion for a dependent creature. They gain confidence, leadership skills, and memories that last a lifetime.
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.

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.
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.