Having a program structure and curriculum is very important when it comes to ensuring your students get the necessary knowledg they need to progress WITHOUT having gaps.
After having had the academy for quite some time I have had a lot of students transfer in, meaning that they came from another program. I have had students tell me that they jumped, but didn’t know how to post the trot. Students knew how to canter around, but didn’t know how to bathe a horse or put on a halter.
There was so many gaps in the students training, that often times we had to go back and start from the beginning to fill in those gaps. Our goal is to have a very well rounded horseman. Thats when I thought personally to myself that all students in the academy need to learn the same thing across the board.
Now sure, the younger kiddos may not be able to do everything that the older students do, but they can have a set curriculum for themselves.
With all of this in mind, I developed classes and structured normal riding lessons to be able to teach different skill sets at the same time. By doing this, all students are developing a solid foundation for their horsemanship each time they come out for their lesson without taking up the majority of the time needed for their lesson.
Have a structure and curriculum in your program that allow your clients to become well rounded as both in the saddle and on the ground.