
Teaching horse riding – the best job in the world!
Eva Marunova is a freelance riding instructor based in Hertfordshire. She has extensive knowledge of training of horses and riders developed through hands-on experience in the equestrian industry progressing horse and rider training from grassroots level to expert riders. Eva, like all of us, is passionate about horses and she just loves her teaching and would recommend it as a fun & rewarding career choice…
Do have a read
🙂 Caroline
Why I have the best job in the world (most of the time )
by Eva Marunova
Hi, my name is Eva Marunova from Empowered Equitation – I am a freelance Horse Riding Instructor and a Dressage Rider based in Hertfordshire, UK. My week is usually split between coaching riders with their own horses and teaching horse riding at riding schools. Aside from BHSAI (now known as BHS Stage 3 in Complete Horsemanship), I hold a Postgraduate Diploma in Equine Science from Hartpury University and I am currently completing a PhD in equine gait analysis at The Royal Veterinary College. Having additional qualifications definitely opens more doors as equine-related degrees are growing in popularity and many universities and colleges are looking for new lecturers with hands-on industry experience but also relevant academic qualification to inspire the next generation of equine professionals.
During my career, I was lucky to train and teach horse riding not just in the UK but also in Portugal, the USA and Italy. Alongside enjoying different cultures and some fabulous climates (!!) those opportunities enabled me to soak up knowledge from a variety of trainers and helped me develop and refine my own coaching style.
When I first spoke with Caroline Carter founder of The Grooms List, I had been teaching horse riding for nearly 10 years and I told her I still love it! Caroline mentioned that locating motivated Riding Instructors for the roles they have can often be a challenge and is indeed, a challenge faced by the industry as a whole. She asked me if I could shed light on why I remain so enthusiastic all these years on, she thought it might help others to see why this career pathway could be a great option for you! Here’s why!
1) You will be a better rider
As someone wise once said: ‘To teach is to learn twice.’ When I have to explain things to other riders, I have to think more about what I do when I am in the saddle. And having great self-awareness definitely helps my riding. After all, you can only fix things, if you are aware of what you are doing in the first place.
2) You will get to share your love for horses
I was one of those annoying little girls that would do all the pony rides at the local fairs and pat any pony that I would come across. To call teaching horse riding a job is really a childhood dream come true. And when it is raining outside and you have gone through your second jacket by lunchtime, it definitely helps if you really love what you do. But, honestly, I really love the fact that by teaching horse riding I can share my passion for horses and help people build positive relationships with their four-legged partners.
3) You will hear ‘Thank you!’ at least once every day
It is absolutely amazing to spend my days ‘lifting people up’ and helping them become more than they thought they could ever achieve. Watching those ‘aha moments’ and the riders’ smiles when they get it is really priceless. You will absolutely feel appreciated every single day and that is quite something.
4) You will never have to worry about hitting your steps target
I regularly clock around 8 miles when coaching all day. If you, like me, cannot see yourself chained to the desk from 9 to 5, this might just be the right job for you. I have always been an active person and, while I have had a couple of office jobs, I knew it was not a lifestyle that would suit me. And yes, you have to deal with THE WEATHER but when it’s nice and sunny outside, all your friends will absolutely envy you for your job.
5) You won’t have to live on beans on toast (unless you want to)
I know we mostly work with horses because we love what we do (see point 2) but we all have to pay bills, right? Getting instructor qualifications coupled with the right experience will definitely put you in a much better place in the job market. Horse Riding Instructor salaries tend to be higher than those of grooms and if you go down the freelance route, you can set your own fees based on your skills and qualification.
I have always been passionate about helping people, sharing knowledge and, of course, about horses and teaching horse riding enables me to channel these three passions into a very rewarding career. Nothing brings me more professional satisfaction than seeing riders improve their skills, grow in confidence, and develop lasting partnerships with their horses. And if that is not winning then I don’t know what is!