What are the responsibilities and job description for the Riding Instructor position at Hollins University?
(posted 1/31/25)
Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Riding Instructor.
This is an exciting opportunity to support one of the nation’s most historied equestrian schools and a member of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC). The Hollins riding program boasts an on-campus riding facility which supports an impressive array of talented and beloved horses, as well as committed and competitive riders. This is a full-time, 12-month, administrator position reporting to the Director of the Equestrian Program & Head Riding Coach within the university Athletics Department.
About the Role
The Riding Instructor has an array of responsibilities to help student riders thrive. Working under the guidance of the head riding coach, this role directly supports teaching group riding lessons focused on the growth of the student-athlete, including enhancing riding skill and technique, as well as fostering a culture of teamwork, discipline, and excellence.
Specific duties include the following:
- Responsible for supervising and coaching at home and away, including occasional overnight trips and other activities.
- Teach beginner through advanced-level riders in the American hunter and jumper system.
- Ride and re-school horses as needed.
- Support the head coach in coordinating competition schedules, travel arrangements, and team logistics.
- Transport horses and students to shows.
- Provide barn tours as needed.
- Support on-campus equestrian camps.
- Participate in barn weekend rotations, holiday rotations, and on-call and night turn-out schedules as needed.
- Support staff and riders in creating a positive team and barn culture committed to student success.
Position Qualifications
Successful applicants must have the following qualifications and experience:
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Minimum of five years of direct riding and teaching/coaching experience in the hunter/jumper discipline
- Ability to support teaching and coaching in the forward riding system
- Ability to ride and school a wide variety of horses
- Effective communication, interpersonal, role-modeling, and organizational skills
- Commitment to ensuring a safe experience for riders of all levels
- Ability to work within the framework of the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association’s (IHSA) and other riding associations’ rules and regulations as relevant
- Ability to work effectively with student, campus, alumnae/i, and equestrian organization constituencies
- Ability to work well with students and colleagues from diverse backgrounds and with varying levels of riding experience
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Ability and willingness to transport horses for off-campus appointments and competitions
- Ability and willingness to travel and work evenings and weekends
- Valid United State driver’s license with minimal violations
Preferred candidates will have the following:
- College degree
- Experience with intercollegiate riding
- Experience training hunters and jumpers
- Experience with coaching students in both collegiate and open competitions
- Experience driving a rig and six-horse trailer
- Experience in a single-sex, residential, liberal arts higher education institution
Application Process
Qualified candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to hollinshr@hollins.edu. Candidates are encouraged to comment in their cover letter on how their contributions will further the university’s efforts to ensure the success and inclusion of all members of its community. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Semi-final candidates will be asked to submit contact information for three references. Once the selected candidate accepts a contingent employment offer, criminal history and motor vehicle background checks will be conducted.
About Hollins
Hollins University is dedicated to academic excellence, creativity, belonging, and preparing students for lives of purpose. Hollins provides an outstanding and academically rigorous undergraduate liberal arts education for women and entrepreneurial and innovative graduate programs for all in a gender-inclusive environment. The university promotes opportunities for research, study abroad, and leadership training, and offers real-world experience through global internships supported by an extensive alumnae/i network.
An equal opportunity employer, Hollins fosters diversity and inclusiveness at every level of the university. Persons of all genders, gender identity/expression, and sexual orientation; persons with disabilities; persons of all racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds; and first-generation college graduates are encouraged to apply.
Visit www.hollins.edu for more information.
