BHS exams

[bubbawubba]

Feel a little foolish posting this but here goes! I used to share a horse before the arrival of my now four year old son. The stables we used to keep her at has now closed down and the mare and her owner have now moved up north. It has always been my dream to become a riding instructor but at 40 years old am i past it? has anyone successfully achieved this? TIA

Do you know what standard you are riding at?
How fit are you?

Hours are not family friendly - the busiest times for teaching are after school/evenings (if there is an indoor school), weekends snd holidays.

Plus if you are involved with horse care (as instructors lower down the scale are) mornings may start at 7.00 am - this obviously depends on the yard.

In terms of the exams you'll be fine, I'm in my mid 30's and am in the middle of doing them all now - and there's plenty of people of a similar age sitting them.
I would however consider what Donki says if you are thinking of a career change rather than doing the exams more for the sense of personal achievement.
You do need to be riding on a regular basis to have the ability to pass so you would still need to find somewhere local to ride 2-3 times a week.

I'm humming and haaing about picking up again at nearly 40 I'm slightly concerned that I don't have the bounce that I once did for when it goes pearshaped for the client and you utter the immortal words, "Can I just have a feel?" and climb aboard something that is potentially not that amused with life just at that moment! Something else to consider, particularly if you are the main carer for your family.

Good luck!

I did 1 and 2 and the riding/road safety and the NVQ2 stable management and riding which was just a massive overlap of the BHS stages but much easier, not with a view to instructing but just for personal enrichment. Also worked as a house sitter then where there were often horses to do so the qualifications were helpful. I often think I should have the stage 3 but too lazy