Horse riding instructors - on Summer Camp USA combine the responsibilities of teaching riding, looking after the horses and being a camp counsellor. It is a fun and rewarding, yet challenging opportunity to enhance your teaching skills, develop your personal experience and have a great summer!

As a riding specialist, you could be teaching skills and giving lessons for several hours a day, usually in hour-long periods, generally in addition to caring for the horses. Riding programmes vary greatly from camp to camp and may consist of simply teaching some horse care and ring work, or of more advanced lessons plus trail rides and even gymkhanas.

Horse riding instructors at Camp

Your teaching lessons will be to groups of campers of a similar age and skill level and you will be expected to develop their proficiency throughout their time at camp, using your own knowledge and the camp’s own programme. Riding is often an optional activity at camp and most of the campers taking riding are likely to be beginners or improvers.

You may find yourself and your co-counsellors responsible for the feeding, cleaning and grooming of the horses as well as teaching the children, so this can be a very intensive riding instructor job!

What are the facilities and accommodation like?

Riding facilities at camps vary from a very basic corral and wooden stables to a more advanced set-up with trail rides and jumping facilities. Most American summer camps teach English Riding, although a few camps teach Western Riding or both.

Typically, there are several riding staff who will report to the riding director at camp. Sometimes riding staff live in a bunk with the kids but often they will live separately near the stables in order to be on-hand to respond to the needs of the horses.

What are camps looking for?

Camps are looking for staff members to bring additional skills, personality and enthusiasm to camp. Riding counsellors should have a patient, flexible and fun approach to teaching and working with children, while at the same time recognising the need for safety and professionalism at all times. Applicants need to be prepared for hard work and long hours and feel confident in their ability to teach and get along with all levels of children.

As a horse riding instructor, one of your main responsibilities will be for the horses at camp so you must be willing to get your hands dirty and help out with working to maintain the horse’s stables and wellbeing for the duration of the summer. Like the level of the children, the quality of the horses can also vary considerably from camp to camp. Some may need a great deal of work to get them ready for the children to ride before camp even begins. Riding staff are therefore often required to arrive at camp quite a while before everyone else.

What experience or qualifications are required?

Horse riding counsellors need to have a passion for riding and horses and a desire to share their enthusiasm and knowledge. Experience of working with children is also important. Teaching experience, whether it’s working professionally at a riding school, or helping out at weekends at the local stables, or in the Pony Club, is beneficial. Having qualifications will really strengthen your application. These include the Pony Club B or C award and BHS qualifications, or the UKCC equivalent, ranging from the Groom’s Certificate in Horse Knowledge and Care to BHS Assistant Instructor Level One. Having owned a pony or horse and ridden for a number of years helps too.

Hear what it's like to be a riding counsellor, straight from the horses mouth!

What next?