How people learn to ride, as the bodies describe it.

What the bodies actually say about instruction

We looked for a governing body that states in so many words that riding must be learned from qualified instruction, and did not find one. What the bodies publish instead are qualification ladders for instructors, approval schemes and licensing rules for riding schools, and pointers to certified instructors. This site's position is that riding is learned from a qualified instructor, and nothing here is a substitute. The learning from qualified instruction page in the safety section gathers each body's statements. This site does not recommend any riding school, yard or coach.

United Kingdom: BHS qualifications

The British Horse Society (BHS) structures its qualifications in stages, as its units page lists them:

Holders of Pony Club tests, a work-based diploma, an apprenticeship or substantial work experience may apply for direct entry at Stage 2 or above. A search summary of BHS pages says Stage 1 qualifications are assessed practically at a BHS Approved Riding Centre; we could not confirm it directly.

The titles at the top are not described the same way everywhere. Wikipedia, a secondary source, says the older titles BHSAI, BHSII and BHSI correspond to Stage 3 Coach, Stage 4 Senior Coach and Stage 5 Performance Coach, with the Stage 5 Performance Coach replacing the BHSI. The BHS's current units page lists the BHSI and the Fellowship and shows no Stage 5.

Ride Safe

The UK Highway Code (Rule 52) recommends the BHS Ride Safe Award for inexperienced or returning riders before they ride on roads. The BHS announced a change from 1 September 2026: the Ride Safe (Silver) Challenge Award is no longer required for the Stage 1 Ride qualification, and instead becomes an entry requirement before booking a Stage 2 Ride assessment. The change is not retrospective (BHS, last reviewed 28 August 2026). Road riding rules are covered on the riding on roads page.

United Kingdom: riding school approval and licensing

The legal licence (England)

Darlington Borough Council's guidance says the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) Regulations 2018, in force from October 2018, require a local-authority licence to hire out horses for riding or riding instruction as a business. That covers riding schools, trekking, loan horses, ridden pony parties, hunter hirelings and pony rides. A listed veterinary surgeon must inspect the premises with the council inspector before a licence is issued, and licences carry a one-to-five star rating that sets the licence length.

The BHS position

The BHS states that riding schools are legally required to be licensed, fully insured and up to date with DBS (criminal record) checks.

BHS Approved Centres

The BHS runs a quality-assurance scheme for approved centres. It says inspectors make announced and unannounced visits checking horse care, coaching standards, the safety of facilities and working practices including first-aid provision, and whether centres meet the needs of both beginners and experienced riders. On how often, the sources differ: an older BHS approvals brochure, seen in a search summary, says inspectors visit every other year, while the current BHS page gives no interval.

ABRS+

ABRS+ runs what it calls Britain's longest-established riding school approval scheme, founded in 1954 and widened in 2021 to livery yards and equestrian centres (British Equestrian member bodies page).

The Pony Club

The Pony Club's 2023 history poster gives its early dates: it began in 1929 with Major Faudel-Phillips as first chairman and 10 founding branches, the test ladder dates from 1932, and the first instructors' courses and competitions were held in 1934. In 1947 its parent, the Institute of the Horse, merged with the National Horse Association to form the British Horse Society, and the Pony Club regained its independence from the BHS in 1997. Centre Membership was introduced in 1998.

Wikipedia, a secondary source, says UK membership runs to the end of the year a member turns 25, and that as of 2024 there were about 330 branches and 300 linked riding centres. Branch members own a pony; centre members ride one at a riding centre.

The test ladder

The West Hants branch publishes the efficiency tests with recommended minimum ages: E (optional, 4 and over), D (8), D+ (10), C (11), C+ (13), then B, Lunging, B+, AH and A. Progressive Tests (Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum) sit between E and C+. Other branches publish different recommended ages for the higher tests.

Canada: LearnTo and coach certification

On 20 July 2026 Equestrian Canada launched LearnTo, a national athlete development framework delivered by provincial and territorial sport organisations. It has an eight-level structure, a LearnToCare horse-care and welfare pathway, an expanded Western curriculum, a new Cross-Country pathway and a new Competitor stream. Its LearnToRide programme starts with shared English and Western Foundations levels and then splits into English and Western streams up to Level 8. LearnToDrive is planned but not yet available.

Whether LearnTo replaces the old Learn to Ride programme depends on who is asked. Equestrian Canada's launch release calls it an evolution, not a replacement; Horse Sport reported, in a search summary, that the 2026 programmes would replace the old model; and Equestrian Canada's own LearnTo page says LearnTo replaced the previous programme.

Equestrian Canada says NCCP-certified Instructors need LearnTo Level 6 in their discipline and NCCP Competition Coaches need Level 8. Ontario Equestrian describes the EC NCCP streams as Instructor, Competition Coach, Competition Coach Specialist and Competition Development (HP1), with the Instructor stream working with riders new to the sport.

United States

US Equestrian suggests that families new to riding look for a trainer certified by the USDF Instructor/Trainer Program, the USEA Instructors' Certification Program, the USHJA Trainer Certification Program, the American Riding Instructors Association or the Certified Horsemanship Association. It notes that the instructors are independent and that listing them is not an endorsement. The Certified Horsemanship Association, itself a certifying body, is reported in a search summary to note that no US law requires a riding instructor to be certified; that is its own claim, and unconfirmed.

The USHJA runs a Recognized Riding Academy programme, with a directory of recognised academies, honours for students and an honour roll for lesson horses. Florida's 2009 helmet law places duties on trainers, instructors and anyone renting horses to riders under 16.

Helmets and hat rules

British Riding Clubs' 2026 hat rules state that it is the competitor's responsibility to arrive with a hat to the correct standard. Which standards each body accepts, and from when, is on the helmet rules by body page; the body's current rules, the hat tag where one is used and its officials decide. The beginner riding gear guide covers gear by category.