So you want to Level Up your horseback riding lessons by implementing a curriculum… but where do you begin?
How can you introduce Learning Levels to an established lesson program?
This is one of the most commonly asked questions we get from instructors interested in adopting our Horsemanship, HorseSense and/or HorseCentered Levels. It can seem like a daunting process to get organized and make the transition to a curriculum-based lesson program. Especially if you already have a lot of committed students and you don’t want to rock the boat.
We get it — because this was the exact position we were in when we launched the first version of the Learning Levels, wayyyyyy back in 2007!
Since then, we’ve watched many other instructors go through this process, and we can say with confidence that yes, you can absolutely integrate a Leveled curriculum into your existing lesson business.
But it does take a bit of planning up front.
Here are our top ten tips for nailing your Learning Levels launch - followed by a link to our Launch Kit full of action-step checklists!
1
Choose which Learning Levels tracks you’d like to offer
If you only teach riding lessons with the occasional unmounted class, our mounted Horsemanship Levels might be enough for you. If you’d like to incentivize unmounted learning, the HorseSense Levels are a must-have, and the HorseCentered curriculum can provide structure and achievement for ground training programs.
Our advice: start small. We originally launched with the 7 mounted Horsemanship Levels and 7 unmounted HorseSense Levels; Rainbow Level and HorseCentered Levels weren’t a thing yet!
Start with the curriculum(s) that fits best with your current lesson program. You can always add as you go.
Of course, no two lesson programs are exactly alike, which means that a customized curriculum might be a better fit. You can read our tips for modifying our Learning Levels (including the necessary legal stuff!) on the Get Started section of our website.
2
Set up a recordkeeping system that works best for YOU and your team
Our recordkeeping system has evolved over time, always with the goal of making the process as easy and efficient as possible.
There are several possibilities for tracking your students’ progress through the Levels, and the important thing is to choose the method that you (and your assistant instructors, if applicable!) will find easiest to maintain.
Options include:
- A 3-ring binder (or multiple binders, depending on the size of your program). These files can include our binder-friendly Progress Sheets, with optional add-ons such as Student Record pages, lesson plans, notepaper, etc.
- Mobile-friendly student checklists set up through an application such as Trello, Google Docs, Notion, etc. LLPro members can copy our Trello template boards for personal use.
- Print-and-fold Progress Booklets that can be stored in a box or file drawer in your barn office.
If you’re an LLPro member, you can learn more about recordkeeping options in this blog post, which includes a tour of a Learning Levels binder and a Trello overview video:
3
Decide how you will determine your students’ mastery of the curriculum objectives
You can simply check off skills during regular lessons and celebrate each student as they finish Levels – no extra commitment or strings attached! This is how we launched our program (and we still do 95% of our Leveling Up this way).
You could also host regular Level Up clinics or educational events with the intent of boosting student progress. Or you could regularly offer a formal evaluation event with a graduation ceremony at the end.
There are pros and cons to each of these options, which we explore in detail in this blog post. Again, don’t try to be overly ambitious when you first launch. You can always add events as needed when your program gains momentum.
4
Decide how you want to recognize student achievement and order awards
When your students complete a Level, will they earn a ribbon? Medal? Certificate? All of the above?
No matter what kind of award you prefer, you should place your initial order WELL before your intended launch date. Remember that prize manufacturers, like Hodges Badge, can often take several weeks to print and ship, especially when they are custom printing items with your logo!
Be sure you have at least one display award for EVERY Level that you offer.
We recommend starting with the basics, but once your Levels are up and running, you can think outside the box and award additional swag such as stickers, badges, or rubber bracelets (all color-coordinated to match your Levels of course!).
5
Decide how you will use Levels as prerequisites within your program — and how you will grandfather in existing students
One of the biggest benefits to a Levels-based curriculum is that it is based on proof of skill, which means you can use it to set requirements for all kinds of things: cantering, jumping, trail riding, leasing a horse, attending specific camps, joining your show team, etc.
Pretty much EVERYTHING outside of our introductory lesson program had a “must be this Level or up” requirement.
However, if your current students have already unlocked these privileges, you DON’T need to take them away while everyone gets caught up to speed with the Levels.
We recommend telling students that “Effective on this date, you’ll need these Levels ribbons to continue doing ________.” But make that date nice and far in the future — like a year after your launch. This gives all your students a reasonable amount of time to complete necessary objectives.
Remember, your students encounter prerequisites at school, work, and ALL kinds of other educational programs. They also know those requirements are there for a reason. Implementing them yourself will not make you the bad guy!
6
Create display materials
When you get your curriculum up and running, you’ll need to show it off! Keep in mind that people typically want — and pay for — things they can SEE. Showing off your beautiful ribbons and professional materials can motivate both your current students and prospective new clients.
Bulletin boards are an easy and portable way to do this. If your display will be exposed to the elements, consider laminating printed materials.
Start thinking about how you will talk about your shiny new Levels program on your website and social media. Once you are ready to start talking about it — don’t stop!
7
Create ways for your students to access your curriculum
At a minimum, your students should be able to see an overview of each Level that you offer and the checklists of objectives. We suggest:
- Posting it prominently in your barn. Our Display Pages (linked above) are designed for this purpose.
- Posting it on your website and/or online student groups.
- Including a QR code to online information in your student newsletter and marketing materials.
- Printing extra copies of the checklists for each Level. You can keep these in a file box at the front of your barn.
This is a good time to look into low-cost options for printing. We share our printing tips in the Launch Kit for members linked below.
8
Generate hype by announcing the announcement
Ideally, you’ll want to announce the launch of your Levels program in person, to as big a crowd as possible. This creates excitement and the group format cuts down on the time you have to spend answering questions.
When we rolled out our Levels, we already had a big summer eventing camp on the calendar, AND we wanted to start breaking in the curriculum at the beginning of the new school year. So we invited ALL of our students to come cheer on campers at the end-of-camp horse trial, and to stay for post-camp treats and a special announcement about the lesson program.
We had all of our materials prepped and ready to share: ribbons, curriculum checklists, and the progress booklets we were using at the time. (Study materials came a bit later for us, but if you plan on using study guides, definitely show those off, too!)
After the in-person announcement, get ready to broadcast through all your other channels. Roll out the website update, the social media posts, and the special-edition newsletter. Send out an email with a FAQ, and consider creating a downloadable info packet, which you can give to prospective as well as current students.
By the way…. our students were SO EXCITED. In their words: “You mean we get pretty ribbons for doing all the same things we’re already doing?!”
But you might have a few clients that are resistant to change. Losing students who no longer align with your vision is a normal part of a transition period, so don’t worry if you have a few who aren’t enthusiastically on board. They will make space for students who DO think your curriculum is the greatest thing and appreciate your program’s structure.
9
Get your current students caught up to speed in their Levels
We recommend requiring all of your students to complete EVERY Level, even if they are already more advanced riders. If this sounds stressful, let us reassure you: it can be a gradual, easy, and natural process. And you DON’T need to make your advanced students abandon their usual activities.
Simply make it a goal to fill in the gaps a little at a time. Start by checking off all the skills you KNOW your students have completely mastered, and use common sense. For example, if your students are already winning Training Level dressage classes, you can go ahead and check off all of the required dressage tests in Yellow, Blue and Purple Level — because your student has achieved the point of those objectives. If your students are loping or galloping around barrels, you don’t necessarily HAVE to make them demonstrate the barrel pattern at a steady jog.
However, there may be plenty of objectives that require a skill review. You may even discover some holes in your students’ education. Our students ultimately ended up appreciating reviewing some Red Level safety skills, both in the saddle and in the barn. And they grudgingly admitted that the Green Level trot without stirrups was a good reminder to keep prioritizing rider fitness!
One easy way to work through retroactive Levels: designate the final 5-10 minutes of each lesson to reviewing and checking off lower Level skills. Have each student choose one or two objectives to try to check off every week.
10
Last but not least… keep it simple!
We’ve been teaching Learning Levels lessons for over 15 years now, so we’ve developed TONS of resources, most of which you can download through our Resource Center.
But you absolutely do not need to download every resource for every Level. You can and should start with the bare necessities: tracking tools for record-keeping, display materials, and maybe study guides for your students.
Once you get the ball rolling, you can incorporate our lesson plans, patterns and maps, worksheets and games. But do not feel pressure to utilize ALL the things! Instead, think of the Resource Center as a library you can visit whenever you need a specific teaching tool.
Take your Learning Levels launch one step at a time, learn and adjust as you go, and celebrate your progress — just like your students!
A FEW HELPFUL RESOURCES:
Want an actionable step-by-step process to getting started with your Learning Levels adventure?
Download our LAUNCH KIT, which includes handy checklists along with tips and questions to guide your planning.
Still need help? Book a one-on-one Learning Levels Consultation!
We can talk through your specific challenges and questions in a 50-minute private Zoom meeting.
If we’re new friends, and you just want to learn more about our curriculum...
Download our GET STARTED GUIDE to get an overview of the Learning Levels – and make sure to join our email list for updates and free resources!
