04/06/2025
Some really good insight here! You donโt need a big barn full of fancy horses to ride like a professional.
Professional Amateurs, Amateur Professionals.
Over the last 10 years, Iโve been lucky to spend a lot of time shadowing some of the best coaches in the world, and watching how the best riders in the world train and work with their horses.
Officially, the difference between an amateur rider and a professional rider is that one rides for pleasure and one rides for payment - but Iโm a massive believer in that amateur riders can ride like professionals.
The key differences:
1๏ธโฃ Stay in the moment.. Amateurs are led by emotion vs Professionals are led by logic.
2๏ธโฃ Choose your hard.. Amateurs want it to feel good/easy now, which can make for hard later down the line vs Professionals will work hard now with the hope itโll make the next ride easier.
3๏ธโฃ Setting yourself up for success.. Amateur riders usually wait for an opportunity vs Professionals create opportunities, they make things happen.
4๏ธโฃ Pilot/passenger.. Amateurs are usually led by the horse vs Professionals lead the way.
5๏ธโฃ Forward thinking.. Amateurs are usually 1 step behind the horse, or the course, vs Professionals are usually 2 steps ahead.
6๏ธโฃ Ready4Trouble.. Amateur riders start to anticipate an issue vs Professionals acknowledge there may be an issue, are ready for it, but stick to the plan until it happens.
7๏ธโฃ A good dressage judge.. Amateur riders tend to sit on a 6.5 pressure scale (not enough when needed, too much when not needed) vs Professionals will go up to a 9 and down to a 3.
8๏ธโฃ Subtlety.. Amateurs will often use 1 big aid, wait, then apply 1 big aid vs Professionals will continuously be working the power, balance and softness every stride.
9๏ธโฃ Expectation.. Amateurs will often settle for โgood enoughโ vs Professionals will always strive for 1 better.
๐ Balance.. Amateur riders will be dependant on the horses balance vs Professionals will be completely independent.
1๏ธโฃ1๏ธโฃ Stick to the plan. Especially XC and with young horses, Amateurs will try to put the horse on the line and go with them vs Professionals put themselves on the line, and bring the horses with them.
1๏ธโฃ2๏ธโฃ Reaction time. Timing of an aid is critical, by the time an Amateur has applied an aid or corrected a mistake, Professionals will have already moved onto the next thing.
1๏ธโฃ3๏ธโฃ World Class Basics. Horses learn by repetition, often we think as you go up the levels itโs all about fancy movements and jumping big jumps, but 90% of the time Professionals will continuously be chipping away at the basics.
I asked Chris Bartle last year what makes the guys at the top so good, and he said โin the moment, they are willing to do what is necessary, not what they would like to doโ.
A BE90/100 rider that has a full time office job outside of horses can ride like a professional, whilst still riding for pleasure (and Iโm lucky to work with lots of them).
Having 20 horses in your yard does not make you a professional.
๐๐ฝ
โThat makes you look like an amateurโ
โYou rode that like an absolute proโ
FEI Event rider and horse trainer located in Georgetown, Kentucky. Specializing in starting young horses and restarting Thoroughbreds off-the-track.
