ESSN Pilot Members Move Forward as the Equine Safety and Success Guide™ Introduces Its New Private Riding Lessons Series
After several weeks of collaborative development focused on the Rules & Expectations section of the Equine Safety and Success Guide™ (ESSG), members of the Equine Safety and Success Network™ (ESSN) Pilot Program are now moving into the next phase of the Guide’s development. The upcoming Private Riding Lessons Series marks another important milestone, expanding beyond operational consistency to explore one of the most influential aspects of every horse operation—intentionally creating exceptional client experiences.
The new series is built around a simple but powerful idea: the first lesson begins long before a rider ever gets on a horse. While quality instruction remains at the heart of every lesson program, clients begin forming opinions from the moment they first contact a facility. The initial phone call, email, arrival, greeting, communication, professionalism, lesson preparation, instruction, and follow-up all contribute to the experience they remember long after the lesson has ended. Throughout the series, participants will explore how these moments can be intentionally designed to strengthen safety, build trust, encourage confidence, and create lasting relationships.
As part of this next phase, ESSN Pilot Members will also begin developing the First Lesson Experience Toolkit™, a practical management system designed to help horse professionals intentionally create exceptional first lesson experiences. Rather than focusing solely on teaching riding skills, the toolkit examines the complete client journey and provides practical guidance for creating welcoming, organized, and memorable experiences that encourage clients to return, recommend the program to others, and become long-term members of the horse operation’s community.
Although introduced through the Private Riding Lessons Series, the concepts explored in the First Lesson Experience Toolkit™ extend well beyond riding instruction. The same experience-based approach can be applied to horse training programs, boarding facilities, guided trail rides, camps, clinics, and many other areas of the equine industry. By helping horse professionals intentionally design these important first experiences, the Equine Safety and Success Guide™ continues to evolve into a practical management system that supports safer, more consistent, and more successful horse operations.
“The first lesson doesn’t begin when someone gets on a horse,” said Randi Thompson, creator of the Equine Safety and Success Guide™. “It begins with the very first experience you create. Every conversation, every interaction, and every management decision helps shape the confidence, trust, and relationships that determine whether clients return, recommend your program, and become part of your community.”
Darla Walker-Ryder, a Founding Board Member of the Equine Safety and Success Network™, believes the new direction reflects an important shift in how horse professionals think about their role.
“Every horse professional remembers a lesson that changed the way they thought about horses. What often gets overlooked is that clients are also shaped by the experience we create around that lesson. Helping horse professionals intentionally design those experiences has the potential to influence safety, confidence, and long-term success throughout our industry.”
Laura Kelland-May, also a Founding Board Member of the Equine Safety and Success Network™, sees the series as an opportunity to strengthen the relationship between professional instruction and client confidence.
“As horse professionals, we naturally focus on teaching skills and developing riders. This new series reminds us that communication, preparation, and professionalism are equally important parts of every lesson. Those first experiences often establish expectations that last for years.”
The Private Riding Lessons Series follows the successful completion of the Rules & Expectations section of the Guide, where ESSN Pilot Members worked together through weekly ESSG Roundtable™ discussions to personalize management resources, exchange ideas, and provide practical feedback that continues shaping the Guide’s development. This collaborative process remains one of the defining characteristics of the ESSN Pilot Program, allowing horse professionals to contribute their experience while helping develop practical resources intended to benefit the broader equine industry.
As ESSN Pilot Members begin this next chapter together, they will continue helping shape the Equine Safety and Success Guide™ one discussion, one toolkit, and one management decision at a time. Future topics will build upon the same collaborative process, expanding into additional areas of horse operations while introducing practical management systems designed to strengthen safety, improve consistency, create exceptional client experiences, and build more successful horse businesses.
The journey is just beginning.
Editorial Note
Publications, organizations, podcasts, conferences, and equine industry groups interested in articles, interviews, expert commentary, speaking engagements, conference presentations, or educational content related to equine safety, risk management, horse operation management, professional communication, or the Equine Safety and Success Guide™ are invited to contact Randi Thompson.
Randi regularly writes educational articles and practical management resources based on real-world observations from horse operations, her work as an Equine Expert Witness and Litigation Consultant, and the continuing development of the Equine Safety and Success Guide™ through the Equine Safety and Success Network™ (ESSN) Pilot Program.
Media inquiries, article requests, podcast invitations, conference opportunities, and interview requests are welcome.
Media Contact:
Randi Thompson
Equine Expert Witness and Litigation Consultant
Founder, Equine Safety and Success Network™ (ESSN)
Creator, Equine Safety and Success Guide™
Email: randi@randithompsonlive.com
Phone: (828) 243-1401
Equine Safety and Success Network™ (ESSN)
Home of the Equine Safety and Success Guide™