BOZEMAN, MT - Teaching someone to ride a horse isn’t always a simple process. You can’t just hand them the reins, tell them to kick the horse to go, tug the reins to turn and pull back to stop. If the rider’s to have a safe, fun and educational experience, there’s more to the process, especially if the rider has special needs. And, while most riding instructors spend years honing their horsemanship and teaching skills, those working with special-needs riders must know other skills, such as various ways to safely mount riders onto the horse and volunteer management. When working with special-needs riders, there may be one to three volunteers per rider, one person leading the horse and a sidewalker on each side of the horse to provide rider support.
