National Riding Instructors Convention
Saturday, September 29, 2007
The American Riding Instructors Association's National Riding Instructors Convention will be held in Naples, Florida on December 2-5, 2007. The Naples Grande Resort, overlooking the Gulf of Mexico and the white sand beaches of Naples, has been named to host the event.
The Convention is open to all riding instructors as well as those who want to learn more about the profession. For the first time, the Convention has been expanded to give targeted information to stable owners and managers as well as riding instructors. Attendees will find a friendly, positive and professional atmosphere and a group of dedicated, helpful staff. More than twenty speakers from around the world will cover topics of interest rarely found at horse industry conventions.
The Convention is devoted to education, networking and one-on-one consultations. Speakers will cover a wide range of topics designed to help you make your horse business a success, including:
· Work Smarter – not Harder
· The importance of integrity and ethics in your business
· Hosting and organizing clinics and shows
· Teaching Techniques
· Side-Saddle Riding – How to do it yourself and how to teach it
· Helmet Safety and the importance of correct helmet fit
· Marketing yourself & your business
· Mounted police work
· Starting & running a summer riding camp
· Equine health & nutrition
· Musical Rides and Quadrilles – How to make your lessons more fun
· The mechanics of how a rider’s body works
· Running an efficient and well-organized lesson and boarding barn
· Re-schooling ex-race horses
· Insurance for the Riding Instructor – What you need and Why
· Saddle fit
· Yoga for Equestrians
· Adventures teaching in a tourist area in Spain
· Here’s how to make your horse spook-proof
· Legal Focus: Liability waivers – Are they really worth the effort?
plus many more topics and focus groups related to your equine business.
Conference attendees will have the opportunity to participate in workshops and offer their own tips to other instructors, with awards given to those ideas voted most helpful. The speaker presentations, round-table workshops and personal, one-on-one counseling sessions are sure to help resolve any problems an instructor may have in his/her horse business.
An Awards Luncheon will be held midway through the Convention, with a special recognition ceremony for America's Top 50 riding instructors in 2007 as the spotlight.
ARIA will hold an Instructor Certification Test Center at 9 AM on Sunday, December 2nd, prior to the opening event of the convention, the Welcoming Reception.
Instructors passing the testing will gain nationally-recognized credentials. Certification is offered at three levels: Instructor in Training (Level I), Instructor of Beginner through Intermediate (Level II) and Instructor of Beginner through Advanced (Level III) and in 15 disciplines: Hunt Seat, Western Equitation & Pleasure, Dressage, Eventing, Reining, Driving, Side-Saddle, Show Jumping, Saddle Seat, Distance Riding, Mounted Patrol Training Officer, Riding to Hounds, Recreational Riding, Stable Management and Hunt Seat on the flat.
The mission of the American Riding Instructors Association, now in its 23rd year, is to promote excellence in the teaching of horseback riding, based on a solid foundation of knowledge, safety, and personal and professional integrity. Its award-winning magazine, Riding Instructor, is published quarterly, and is considered a vital source of information for riding instructors at all levels and in all disciplines.
ARIA has experienced significant growth in the past few years, reports Charlotte Kneeland, ARIA Director. "We strive to give superb customer service, with an emphasis on integrity, quality and honor in every aspect of what we do, and there's a huge number of people out there who share our ideals."
ARIA’s work is supported in large part by its Corporate Sponsors, selected for their equally high dedication to quality: Absorbine, Ariat, Dover Saddlery, Eponaire Equine Products, Equisure, Inc., Life Data Labs, Inc., Markel Insurance Company, Schleese Saddlery, Spalding Laboratories, SmartPak Equine, State Line Tack and Triple Crown Nutrition, Inc.
For more information about The American Riding Instructors Association and/or The National Riding instructors Convention, visit www.riding-instructor.com or e-mail riding-instructor@comcast.net or call 239-948-3232.
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