Equestrian professionals · United Kingdom

Find a riding instructor near you

OpenStable is building a directory of riding coaches across the UK, each listing written by the person who does the work. Be the first listed.

No riding coaches listed yet. List your services to be the first.

Before you book

What a riding instructor does

A riding coach teaches you, rather than schooling your horse: flatwork, jumping, confidence after a fall, or getting a partnership working. Most travel to your yard for private or shared lessons, and many also coach at clinics and competitions. Coaching is unregulated in the UK — anyone may call themselves an instructor — so qualifications, insurance and safeguarding are worth asking about directly.

When to book

Regular lessons do more than occasional ones, so agree a slot — weekly or fortnightly — and book clinics well ahead, since good coaches fill their diaries a season out. If you are coming back after a break or a fall, say so when you book: a first lesson planned around that is not the same lesson.

What to check first

  1. Qualifications and what they cover: British Horse Society stages and coaching awards, UKCC levels, or accreditation with a discipline body such as British Dressage, British Showjumping or British Eventing.
  2. BHS Accredited Professional Coach status or equivalent, which requires insurance, first aid, safeguarding and continuing development to be kept current rather than earned once.
  3. Public liability insurance, and professional indemnity if they are advising on a horse's way of going or its training programme.
  4. A current first-aid certificate, and DBS checking if they will coach children or vulnerable adults.
  5. Whether they coach your discipline at your level — a coach who produces event horses and a coach who rebuilds a nervous rider's confidence are doing different jobs.

Riding Coaches — common questions

What qualifications should a riding coach have?
There is no legal requirement, which is exactly why it is worth asking. British Horse Society stage and coaching awards and UKCC levels are the common routes, and BHS Accredited Professional Coach status means insurance, first aid, safeguarding and ongoing training are all being kept up to date. A strong competition record is evidence of riding, not of teaching — the two are different skills.
Does a riding coach need insurance to teach at my yard?
Yes. A coach teaching on someone else's premises should carry public liability insurance, and many yards ask to see it before allowing lessons. Check with your yard as well: some insist on a copy on file, and a few restrict teaching to coaches they have approved.
How much does a riding lesson at your own yard cost?
It varies by region, by the coach's qualifications and by whether the lesson is private or shared, and travel is often charged on top when a coach comes to you. Ask what a lesson includes, how long it runs, and what the cancellation terms are, so you are comparing the same thing between coaches.
Can a coach teach me on my own horse?
That is the usual arrangement for a freelance coach: they come to your yard and teach you on your own horse, in your own arena. If you do not have a horse or your own is out of work, a coach with access to a riding school or share horse may be able to arrange something, but many freelance coaches do not keep horses for lessons.

For professionals

Work with horses for a living?

Set your coverage area once and be found by the owners and yards inside it.

List your services