EMPLOYMENT: Lead Horseback Instructor Wanted

Painted Bar Stables is looking to recruit an lead instructor at our stables.

Our riding goals at are stables are very different than many stables. Our goals are not competition oriented, but based intrinsically on intuitive and effective riding. The main focus of our lesson and public programs is trail riding and accomplishing goals in real world environments. This is where our horses excel and what makes our program so different. The concept of thinking outside of the box and working with each horse as an individual partner for a multitude of activities is what drives our program.

All of our students ride in a multitude of riding styles: general English and Western riding, gymkhana, western pleasure, working cow, trail, bareback, dressage, novice cross-country jumping, and hunt seat (though I have some strong opinions on the misdirection of modern hunt seat style). For our more advanced students instead of going to shows we regularly go on field trips around the state, including but not limited to: hunter paces, rugged trails, team penning practices, barrel races, and clinics. We even started a new tournament series as well as a distance riding course to provide more interesting and creative opportunities. 

All of our students, young and old, are expected to learn on the ground skills as well: form and function of tack for all disciplines, general horse care, loading and unloading horses from trailers, grooming and bathing, lameness and first aid, equine diseases and medical standards, and how to train and school horses.

Instructors at our facility are expected to be approachable, fun, positive and creative. An upbeat and energetic demeanor is mandatory. All instructors, with the supervision of the head instructor, are also required to manage their own lesson schedule of students assigned to them, communicating continually about resource availability at the barn and understanding how their lessons integrate into the "big picture" for the stables and horses. 

Open-mindedness is a must as well as the ability to solve problems for both the horses and riders and demonstrate solutions without ever blaming the horse. Instructors are also expected to know, school and ride the horses that they teach with and it is our policy that an individual may never teach others on a horse that they themselves have never ridden.

The head instructor would not only be expected to teach a majority of the students at our stables but to coordinate and schedule the other instructors and their students and to insure a cohesive curriculum between instructors.

For more information about our stables, see www.paintedbarstables.com.

HOURS:
Instructors can set their own hours of availability. Should expect to be available in afternoons, evenings and weekends as that is high traffic times for student lesson requests.
10-30 hours a week

PAY:
Instruction paid on a commission of $8 per student per lesson (20-40 students per week in group and private lessons)

Base pay to head instructor for coordination and management (5-15 hours per week) of $200

BENEFITS:
- Access to 15+ horses to ride and school

- Tack and equipment provides

- INSURANCE COVERAGE for all lessons instructed on our facilities

- Online student coordination system

REQUIREMENTS:
Extensive experience with horses
Advanced riding skills and ability to communicate these skills to others
Experience schooling and training horses and working with young horses
Ability to self-manage
Confident and competent at coordinating schedules
Must be able to communicate clearly, audibly and assertively
Creativity and flexibility. Open-mindedness is a must.
Must use email and be prompt and clear with communications

ADDITIONAL DESIRES:
CPR and First Aid Certified
A sense of direction on trail

JOB DUTIES:
Instructing lessons in the following areas: Walk/Trot Beginners; Western Recreational Riding; English Recreational Riding; Hunt Seat/Jumping; Barrel Racing; Obstacles; General Horsemanship; Independent Trail Riding; Dressage.
Lessons are taught to youth (age 5 and up), novice adults, and mature adults
Coordinate Instructor Schedule
Book New and Existing Student Lessons and Reschedule Lessons
Act as Student and Parent Point of Contact
Reserve Arena Time Notify Instructors of Trail Schedule and Indoor Arena Availability
Reserve Horses for Lessons
Monitor the Schooling Reports
Assist with camp riding lesson program
Manage the FrontDeskHQ Scheduling Software via mobile app or online: Student Profile Note Updates, Schedule, Attendance, Cancellations, No-Show Fee Collection

SCHEDULE:
Lessons are scheduled based on the student and instructor's schedule and scheduling is flexible, however routine.
All lessons would be booked by Painted Bar Stables with communication between the stables and the instructor, so as to coordinate the use of the horse with the lesson program and the trail riding program.

If you are interested, please submit a letter, references AND resume to erika @ paintedbarstables.com. Extensive equine experience is required and applications without resumes will be disregarded.

This is an amazing opportunity for an instructor to have a stable work space with horses, tack, scheduling system and insurance provided. Pay would be based on a per student taught commission with a base pay for student and horse management, as well as office work. 

What this means: we currently teach 62 students in group and private lessons lee week (22 actually lessons per week) and coordinate lessons (4-5 hours) and weekly commission pay could exceed $480 per week.