Adventures as a Teaching Tech

For EQS (Equestrian Science) majors at WWU, there are a series of classes called Teaching Tech. The first class is a theory class, where students learn basic teaching concepts and how to formulate lesson plans. Once the student is first aid certified, they can take Teaching Tech 2, 3, 4 and Seminar. During these classes, the student chooses their main riding discipline and becomes an assistant for the instructor during riding classes. Here are my experiences as a tech so far!

Magic the barn cat sitting in a feed box

              Tech 1, the theory class, was an interesting class. The teacher was the saddleseat instructor, and some of the assignments included making a lesson plan, creating digital presentations describing horse gaits, and presenting all about your main seat. I rather enjoyed it, since I love making PowerPoints and have had some experience with teaching concepts and lesson plans. However, I did not really learn how to teach someone, perhaps because it is a skill that cannot be taught, but rather learned through experience.

             Tech 2, the class I am taking this semester, is a lot of fun. In Hunter/Jumper, there are 5 of us techs. We only have actual class time for an hour on Mondays, where we sit down with Michele, the h/j instructor and discuss how the riding classes are going and any upcoming events, seek advice on any issues and learn more detailed teaching concepts. With such a small class where everyone is friends with each other, the class usually goes down various rabbit trails and is more like talking with friends rather than a class. The majority of the work is teching the riding classes. Each tech is responsible for being Michele’s assistant for a riding class. Our responsibilities include: making sure the students are tacked up correctly, helping students with issues in the barn, making sure they get to the riding class on time, setting up any poles/cones used in the class, fixing girths/stirrups/tack during the lesson, putting away the poles/cones after class, and making sure that each student has cleaned their horse, stall, and tack thoroughly after their lesson. This semester, I am the tech for the Intro Hunt Seat class. There is no jumping in this class, which means I don’t have to set up any jumps (yay), and the students are beginner riders. All 6 of the students in my riding classes are super nice and responsible, and 5 of them are freshmen. It is neat to become friends with the new students, although it can get tricky because I am the one making sure they are performing their duties and might give them a zero. Everyone in my class has done a great job so far with their responsibilities so I haven’t had to give anyone a zero so far. (Super proud of you guys!) 

The list of which horse to ride and where I check off everyone's chores

                Working with Michele during the riding class is also very informative and can be entertaining! As a tech, I get the inside scoop on barn happenings and how Michele thinks as an instructor, such as “we should put this person on this horse because of this reason.” I realize now that sometimes (although rarely) Michele has no idea what to do for a lesson topic, just like me sometimes! She offers a lot of advice through her words and actions that tell me what to do and what not to do as an instructor.

                Another major part of being a teaching tech is offering tech lessons. Riding students are required to take a certain number of tech lessons throughout the semester. Teaching techs teach 30-minute lessons based of their seniority level. Tech 2s are not allowed to use poles or do lunge lessons, while Seminar techs can basically teach anything except jumping (for liability’s sake). Techs are also required to teach a certain amount of lessons throughout the semester. By teaching lessons on our own in the presence of our peers, we are able to gain teaching experience before we graduate, and the students are able to get some extra riding instruction. It is really cool to be able to teach in a safe environment where everyone knows we are still learning and is supportive. Since I have had a few years of teaching riding classes already, teaching lessons are not that difficult. Granted, I mostly teach new riders and children, not college students who already know how to ride, so sometimes teaching someone older and more experienced than myself can be intimidating! The hardest part is coming up with a lesson topic or exercises to perform during the lesson. Sometimes the rider knows what they want to work on, but other times it is purely up to the tech. Once I figure out a lesson plan (or make something up on the spot), then the lesson usually goes smoothly. Tech lessons can be a big time commitment (especially right before a tech lesson is due!) so I have been learning that it is ok to say “no” to a lesson request. I am usually happy to teach a lesson anytime and love to help riders out, but sometimes my plate is just too full! We are not allowed to give lessons during midterm and finals week, so that helps a lot.

The Free Ride Schedule listing when the arenas are open for riding and tech lessons

My least favorite part of being a tech is the paperwork. We have to fill out a form after every tech lesson we give, stating how the rider improved, what they could work on and their attitude towards the horse. The questions themselves are not very difficult, but once you fill out 5 or 6 forms in one weekend, the forms become very tedious very quickly. We also have to write rider evaluations on the third week of school, midterm week, and finals week. Although I detest writing assignments, evaluating each of the rider’s in the class really helps sort out my thoughts on each one and gives me ideas for tech lessons to help improve their riding.

My favorite part of being a tech is the teaching. I want to become an instructor when I graduate, so being able to give lessons and practice teaching is super beneficial. Helping my friends improve their riding and give advice from the ground has boosted my confidence in my teaching abilities and is fun! We techs also help school riders at shows and for proficiencies, which is also exciting! One piece of advice for hunter/jumper or dressage techs: Try to tech a class on the same day that you are riding so you don’t have to wear breeches every single day!

~Jennah