Lists of Horse Safety Australia qualified people:
We have decided to remove our list of Instructors from the website as the addresses / business names and other details of our members change regularly causing the list to be constantly out of date.
However, the office will be happy to reply to your questions about individual instructors, and to let you know if they have completed one of our qualifications, what that qualification was and what discipline they were working in at the time. We can also tell you if they have kept up their registration with us (which means they should be up to date with any changes in the regulatory areas for WHS and safety working with horses).
Email the office jewels@horsesafetyaustralia.com.au and provide the name and state of the person you are enquiring about and we will respond with the details of their certification with us if the process was completed.
When you are looking for a new instructor, ask them the following questions:
Are they qualified as a riding instructor with a recognised organisation? (Horse Safety Australia or an organisation which is nationally recognised to provide certification to instruct beginner riders/or your level and style of riding if you are not a beginner)
Do they have current first aid qualifications? (they should be renewed every 3 years to be current)
Are their horses in good condition and looked after properly? (See condition score – for a riding school horse they should fall into category 3- see document attached here:Condition_Scoring_and_Weight_Estimation_of_Horses )
Does the business/instructor have public liability insurance? (You could ask to see their Certificate of Currency)
Do they have emergency procedures for their activities? They should have written procedures, at least they should have some sort of communication from all horse activities preferably to 000 and good mobile phone coverage (and UHF radios or Satellite devices if on trails)
Did you fill in an application form which asked you how often you had ridden before and wanted details of your health issues and your emergency contacts?
Is the arena for your lessons separate from the public, with good surface and safe fences? (Safe fences exclude droppers, barbed wire, or any sharp or dangerous edges)
Check that gates are kept shut during the lesson, and that there is no clutter lying around in the arena.
Do ratios meet the HSA and Safe Work Australia recommendations (no more than 8 pupils to a qualified instructor, 6 clients per qualified staff member for trail rides, with a minimum of 2 staff members on any ride)
Are the horses provided to you (where you are riding their horse) suitable for purpose, safe and well behaved?
If the answers to the above are all “yes” then you are likely to be in good hands!