Group Think! When Bigger is Actually Better

By Lydia Fairchok Illustration by Susan Harris

My early exposure to group instruction was far from inspiring. The “lesson” was really nothing more than a glorified execution of the children’s game red light/green light. A swarm of nearly twenty riders in various states of control trooped around the ring while the trainer hollered out directions like a traffic cop: “Sitting trot!...Walk!...Posting trot!...Halt!” There was no room for individualized instruction, asking questions, clearing up misunderstandings, or for refining cues. A few particularly competent riders--the ones that could also afford private lessons on the side, as it so happened--were pointed out as the gold standard to strive for, and the hapless stragglers were pulled to the center for correction, then sent back into the fray to “try again”. I vowed that this brand of chaos would have no place in my teaching methodology.

Unfortunately, even though the lesson mill approach leaves everything to be desired in the way of proper instruction, it sells. Children and their parents are especially drawn to the affordability, social atmosphere, and artificially accelerated pace of mass group lessons. This is a frustrating truth to those of us who offer an arguably better education with smaller classes and higher price tags. But are large group lessons always bad? While it may be true that private and small group classes are ideal for truly developing riders on a regular basis, occasionally bringing your students together in large groups is an effective way to:

build community at your barn teach your students to learn from one another foster independence boost income give yourself time away from the arena challenge yourself as an instructor and of course, have fun!

Always vs. Sometimes The rules of group instruction are dependent on the intended sustainability of the arrangement. Just because a certain format isn’t an effective way to conduct a rider’s whole education does not mean it is not valuable to part of their education. Permanent groups should be small enough to maintain individual attention and participants should be chosen based on common goals and experiences. “Sometimes” groups, on the other hand, do not have the expectation of riding together week after week, which increases the workable class capacity and makes the session accessible to a wider range of clients.

Occasional arrangements also have the appealing air of a “special event”. Students who normally prefer private or semi-private settings can enjoy the temporary change of pace and broader focus of a large group lesson while gaining valuable experience among their peers. The novelty of a combined class helps sell the notion, particularly for barns that are not competitive or who have predominantly youth riders. You can use such an event to boost your bottom line for the month, or to condense your regular schedule so you can take some time off without losing income or making up missed classes at a later date.

Schedule for Success If you are using a group event to create time off for yourself, clearly communicate that this session is in lieu of normal classes so no one shows up at the wrong time. Most importantly, post classes well enough in advance that the right number of people can plan to attend. A large group isn’t much of a “large group” if only four riders show up! If you have a broad spectrum of student ages and experience levels, you may want to offer multiple sessions to keep compatible riders together, but don’t be afraid to combine diverse categories with appropriate forethought.

Group size will depend on the experience level of those involved, how many horses and assistants you have access to, how many riders can comfortably operate in your ring space, and any insurance limitations on headcounts. Your span of control—how many people you can safely and effectively manage at one time—increases with the experience level and self-sufficiency of your riders. Remember that you do not necessarily need to have a horse for every rider if you utilize team-based activities with shared horses, although this may require extra time and coordination of tack, as well as being sure that every person on the team is competent with the assigned horse.

The more horses and riders you have in motion, the more opportunities there are for things to go awry, so plan your class timeframe to accommodate surprises. Adding thirty minutes not only gives your clients the feeling that they are getting additional

value for their money, but even without setbacks the extra time is quickly eaten up by explaining activities, familiarizing riders with one another, and taking turns. Develop a lesson plan, complete with the amount of time you expect each task to take, but have a few alternative activities planned in case something doesn’t go as anticipated.

Leverage Experience Gaps If your sign-up sheet turns into a hodgepodge of experience levels, don’t despair. Beginners and advanced riders alike benefit from an occasional shared lesson setting. Beginners see things done well and experienced riders receive a confidence boost when they are called on to demonstrate skills for others. The sense of “performing” brings out a desire to work hard in everyone.

Even more notably, mixed groups create the ideal environment for riders to learn about instruction, thereby reinforcing their own concept of correctness. Assign exaggerated flaws (such as slouching, heels up, hands too wide) to competent riders and call on beginners to identify the problem and the remedy. After the beginners have gotten to “pick on” the veteran group, develop an instructor’s eye in the advanced riders by having them assess the beginners. This exercise works best when the beginners happen to be younger than the experienced riders, but many adult riders enjoy being around the energy of youth, and it can be a real treat to a young rider to be “better” than the adults.

Introducing unfamiliar material in a turnbased format also mitigates experience discrepancies. Set up a barrel pattern for your English students and let each one attempt it at their own pace. Teach your Western riders about jumping, but only raise the poles for those who are ready for the challenge. Instruct a dressage pattern, implement an obstacle course, or unearth a less-common horse sport to try. As long as no one feels held back, the possibilities are endless! Emphasize Community Even though the surface goal of a group event may be to provide you with a muchneeded vacation, increase cashflow for the month, or just offer something fun, don’t overlook the opportunity to create and strengthen bonds between your clients. People want to feel at home. Your students will drive the extra distance or pay the extra dollars to ride where they feel personally connected and cared about, and it is a force multiplier when the feeling of inclusivity comes from the barn community as a whole.

Team-based activities are perfect for fostering bonds between students. Try gymkhana- or summer-camp-style games, then encourage team names and friendly competition. If you have the time, let everyone hang out at the barn after the horses have been put up to eat a snack and chat about their great day. Parents are usually willing to chip in some drinks or a watermelon, and I have yet to meet a group of kids who didn’t relish the opportunity to run amok in the empty arena pretending to be horses (always “bad” horses, too—with as much bolting and balking as the children indulge in, you would think they have never met a properly trained, happy school mount!). The unstructured free time makes fast friends while waiting for parents to come. You can even use mass group lessons as a platform for advertising your summer camp program by promising that camp weeks are just as much fun every day.

Down time after a lesson gives you a chance to build relationships between adults, too. It is a splendid setting to get feedback about the day and check up on what other events or activities your clients would like to see. If you have been contemplating a trail ride, schooling show, or bareback clinic, now is the time to toss the notion out there. Your clients may have ideas of their own, and you will learn about their interests and goals in a way that one-on-one conversation does not always facilitate. Another Tool in Your Toolbox The fundamental issue with only using mass group instruction is that the tool is, on its own, insufficient for the task. Building a rider who embodies true horsemanship is like constructing a house – many different tools are required, and a skilled builder knows when and how to use each one. You won’t find a carpenter beating a screw into a two-by-four with a hammer and expecting a positive result. Neither should an instructor expect to create well-rounded, knowledgeable, and capable riders by letting a gaggle of them slop in circles week after week without individualized instruction and focused education.

Just as a hammer is the best option for a nail, however, high capacity group classes are a judicious tool for teaching concepts that private and semi-private lessons cannot. Large groups give riders a much-needed opportunity to manage a horse in a crowd, function as a team, solve problems independently, strengthen peer relationships, learn from various experience levels, and much, much more. Instructors are challenged to make lesson material accessible to everyone, maintain leadership over a broad operation, and know when to intervene and when to let students figure things out. Considering that group lessons are also an effective way to increase your dollar-per-hour value in the arena, retain your students through strong bonds, and free up your schedule for occasional time off, you won’t be sorry when group lessons are part of your repertoire.

About the author:

Lydia Fairchok is certified in Recreational Riding Level 1, and lives and teaches with her three horses in Central Indiana. Lydia segued from a full time instruction career to the field of public safety in 2014 and continues to teach a small number of students while working as a police officer and 9-1-1 dispatcher.