Our columnist sees great advantages to becoming certified, including valuable continuing education and improved safety for riders and horses.

I had an eye-opening experience when I took the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association Trainers Certification Level I test in early February. I realized that we trainers have indeed been skipping steps and using showing as a means to an end instead of stepping back and making sure the basics are followed.

And I realized once again that each rider and trainer needs to be at the top of his game with regards to all aspects of horse welfare—not just at shows but every day we have contact with horses.

While many of us are in the midst of the winter circuits in the Southern climates, there are major storms impacting the United States. Rain, mudslides, snowstorms and ice storms have brought much of our country to a halt and made horse care especially challenging.

Yet, all of the winter circuits are thriving in Florida, California, Arizona and Mississippi. The fragile economy has required us to plan each show year according to our own economic challenges, however, which is something that hasn’t necessarily been the case over the past decade. We’re now shopping for horse shows as the typical consumer—we must decide which show has the best to offer for our individual customers and their horses.

But I still worry about our world. I read the books and articles written by the top horsemen in our sports—both past and present—who lament that our lives revolve around the shows. We’re not allowing our riders the opportunity to stay home to take lessons and attend clinics, nor are we providing them with other learning opportunities that benefit them and their horses.

I spent this past year watching the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association Emerg-ing Athletes Program develop and grow in its inaugural year, and I took part in the USHJA Trainer Certification Program. I see great strides being made in educating riders and trainers. But I still think we need more review—more back-to-basics education and more team building.

No Skipping School

The USHJA Trainer Certification Committee and USHJA staff spent long hours working on the certification program. The TCP is a great review and educational opportunity that all trainers should take the time and effort to complete.

The test itself is long and requires review and studying. I do like the fact that part of the TCP manual is filled with lists of additional books and reference materials that pertain to the subject matter at hand, which allows you to further explore topics that might interest you.

The TCP manual and test will certainly help our young and upcoming professionals begin to structure their businesses, their lesson plans and their barn management. We only get better by trading ideas, and this process is long overdue.

Sadly, there are many trainers around the country who are resisting change and ignoring this program because it’s not yet mandatory. I can assure you that insurance companies will soon discover this program,  and they’ll be the ones who will require certification to become compulsory. Just this winter I’ve seen and judged many riders at the shows who haven’t been properly prepared by their trainers to be in the competition ring. Do we really have trainers who believe that if a person can maybe stay on and maybe steer he’s ready to show? By allowing these riders to skip the basics we’re doing our horses, riders and the sport a huge injustice.

I also see the need for all of us to become better at what we do. Training students on any level is serious business and requires a system that’s well thought out and planned. We must know every time we give a lesson or prepare a student for the show ring that we’ve addressed all of the details.

Unfortunately, while sitting ringside or in the judge’s box I regularly see equipment that’s not fitted correctly—bridles, bits and saddles. I see trainers who have skipped the basics so their horse wears way too much bit. Then I see students who ride with draw reins who don’t know how to use them. (I’ve even seen intermediate-level riders who have draw reins on a pelham bridle!) Then, of course, there are the girths that are never checked—the saddle shifts, and the worst-case scenario happens and the rider is dragged.

We must have our students check their tack every time they are about to get on a horse. Obviously, at the beginner and intermediate levels we must always check the tack with them. But how many times do you see riders of any age or level get on their horses or someone else’s horses and never check any equipment?

Our work also transcends into the schooling, warm-up and practice arenas. We should not allow students to fling their legs over the front of the saddle and jump off their horses. And I’ve watched warm-up classes where people who have little or no knowledge of how to train a rider to jump around a 2’6″ course safely are standing at the in-gate. This type of instructor needs to stay home until he learns the ropes. A horse show is not the place to “experiment.”

One of my most troubling observations has involved texting.

I’ve seen young children riding their horses and texting as they walk blindly through the show—they are accidents waiting to happen. Texting on horseback is not safe or appropriate, especially while in a busy schooling area.

Certification Matters

As I’ve outlined above, safety is one of the prime reasons we should not skip the basics. At a recent show I saw a pony take off with a very small child; she was screaming as the pony ran at top speed back to the barn. The child wasn’t in an enclosed area, and no thought was given to the fact that the pony could bolt back home.

And if that situation wasn’t bad enough, after the pony was caught the trainer put the child back on the pony and returned to the very same open area to try again. What possible thought process went into that decision?

Maybe if all trainers who teach students or train horses had to become certified we would have fewer incidents such as this occurring. I’m glad that the USHJA website will soon list the trainers who have passed the TCP, because I hope parents and adults will more easily find a trainer to help them enjoy our sport safely.

Similarly, I’ve observed how accreditation can keep you on your toes. The North American Riding For The Handicapped Association Inc., accredited the Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center five years ago. Two NARHA representatives visited our facility with a list of regulations that needed to be followed.

Our staff really learned from their visit. We updated fire extinguishers, emergency procedures, CPR, tack checks and so on. They reviewed the BTRC paperwork—the release forms, insurance paperwork, etc. It was a long day but well worth it for all involved. The parents of children who participate in the NAHRA programs look for centers that are accredited—and for good reason!

Accreditation is a path that all trainers should follow across the board, whether you run a small lesson barn or a top hunter/jumper show stable. We owe it to our horses, riders and owners to follow a system that’s safe and well organized and to always continue to educate our students and ourselves.

Susie B. Schoellkopf serves as the executive director of the Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center, which is the home of the Buffalo Equestrian Center and SBS Farms in Buffalo, N.Y. An R-rated U.S. Equestrian Federation judge, Schoellkopf has trained numerous horses to USEF Horse of the Year honors, including Gabriel, Kansas, Big Bad Wolf and GG Valentine. She started writing Between Rounds columns in 2002.