Stage 1

• Finding a coach or course through a BHS Approved Riding Centre means you will have the chance to work with and handle lots of different types of horses. This is a great way to gain experience first-hand. Most of our BHS Approved Riding Centres will hold the assessments so you can train for and then take your assessment at the centre you’re familiar with.
• Some centres run courses over a set number of weeks, often with the assessment at the end. You can also arrange tailored training at our centres if you want more flexibility with times and dates.
  Find your nearest course.
  Find your nearest BHS Approved Riding Centre.
• If you have your own horse you can train with a BHS Accredited Professional Coach who could visit your yard. They will help to prepare you for your assessment by building your knowledge and skills. Find an Accredited Professional Coach.
• We also have a dedicated Facebook* group for people requesting or advertising training for BHS assessments.
  Join the BHS Training Hub.

*Facebook requires users to be a minimum age of 13

There are also options to top up your training with some home learning. Our ‘Complete Horsemanship Volume 1’ is the essential guide for this qualification. We also have our ‘Stage 1 Workbook’ and plenty of other books for you to read if you want to support your practical training. Visit our shop.

We have a series of ‘How to…’ videos that cover some of the skills you will be learning about. View our video library.

We also have lots of helpful advice on horse care and welfare.

If you're training at a BHS Approved Riding Centre, they may hold in-house assessments. They should be able to let you know if they offer this. If they do, you will book your assessment with them.

If they don’t offer in-house assessments, or you’re not training at a BHS Approved Riding Centre you can book your assessment directly with us.

Booking your assessment is quick and easy, simply click here to view dates and book your assessment online. Use the filters at the top of the page to find exactly what you need. You can filter by date, assessment centre or assessment name (for example Stage 1).

Alternatively you can call us on 02476 840508 (during office hours)  Remember to have your BHS Membership number and a credit or debit card to hand for payment. If you are under 18, we need parent or carer consent to book the assessment. Payment plans are available.

Ride Safe is part of the Challenge Awards, which are delivered and assessed by your coach or Approved Centre. Find out more about our Ride Safe Silver Challenge Award. 

Stage 1 Care and Ride assessments can be taken at any BHS Approved Riding School and also be booked via the Education Team on one of our pre-arranged assessment days

In addition to the dates listed on our booking page, many BHS Approved Riding Centres offer in-house Stage 1 assessments, where candidates book and pay for their assessments directly with the centre. If you are interested in finding an in-house Stage 1 assessment, the following centres may be able to help.

Other BHS Approved Riding Centres can be found here but if you cannot find a Stage 1 assessment in your region please contact the BHS Education team.

The entry requirements for any Stage 1 assessment are:

• A minimum age of 13 years old on the day of the assessment.
• BHS Silver Candidate Membership or Gold Membership. If you are taking your assessment at one of our international centres, you must be an International Full or International E-Member.  

Stage 1 qualifications are an endorsement of your skills and knowledge at this level.

It will provide assurance to an employer that you can work safely with well-mannered horses carrying out daily routine tasks. This qualification may lead to employment if you are looking for work in the equestrian industry.

Stage 1 is also a way to progress to Stage 2 where you can develop your career even further.

In addition to the equine specific skills, you will also develop skills such as:

• Communication
• Time management
• Resilience
• Self confidence

These transferable skills are useful throughout your life, whatever your path. Find out more about the wide range of careers BHS qualifications can support.

Stage 1 provides a supportive and welcoming format for you to get used to assessments and prepare you for further qualifications.

However, if you already have other equine qualifications or practical industry experience, you may want to begin your journey beyond Stage 1. For this reason, we do have a direct entry process.

You can download the full qualification syllabus here.

We have also produced the syllabus in the OpenDyslexic font, which has been created to increase readability for readers with dyslexia. Download this here.

Improving accessibility is important to us at the BHS. If you have any feedback or suggestions for improvements, we would love to hear from you. Please get in touch via dei@bhs.org.uk or 02476 840746

All BHS assessments involve practical tasks and discussion with the assessor. 

The Stage 1 Care and Ride assessments can be taken on the same day or if you prefer can be booked for separate occasions. If both units are taken on the same day the Care and Ride assessment is a half day assessment (approximately four hours from start to finish). Some short breaks in-between sections will be allocated throughout the day. 

If you are not taking the full assessment, you may be required to be at the assessment centre for longer than the time allocated for that activity. Your activity or unit may not follow straight away after the assessment welcome and introduction. You may be required to wait for your section to begin.  

To find out more about how your assessment may be delivered, take a look at our example assessment timings. 

Supporting you at every stage, your Skills Record allows you to record your achievements and progression. The Skills Record pre-assessment sign off is recommended at Stage 1, and becomes compulsory for Stages 2, 3 and 4. Find out more about the Skills Record.

Our qualifications are delivered to the highest standards possible. We have policies and procedures that we follow before, during and after the assessment. This makes sure that our assessments are fair and offer you the best quality and service we can provide. We encourage you (or your parent or carer) to be familiar with our policies and our assessment terms and conditions. These explain what you can expect from us and what we expect from you as a candidate at a BHS assessment.

BHS assessments policies

BHS assessment terms and conditions

Your experience and satisfaction are very important to us. If you wish to give us feedback we welcome you to contact us.

Have a look at the BHS website for assessments organised by the office. Any BHS Approved Centre can run an in-house Stage 1, so it’s worth contacting your local centres to see if they’re running any. There’s a list of centres which run the in-house format on this page below the list of dates organised by BHS.

The prices are reviewed each year, please check here for current prices. Centres may set their own prices for in house assessments.

13 years old

Yes! You can sit both together or separately.

For a BHS organised Stage 1 either call us on 02476 840508 or use our online booking form. For in house assessments please contact the centre directly to book.

Not necessarily, if you have other relevant equestrian qualifications such as Pony Club tests, an apprenticeship, Challenge Awards, a college qualification, or industry experience you may be eligible for direct entry to a higher Stage assessment. You can find lots of information on this here, or you can email us on education@bhs.org.uk with your qualifications and we’ll be able to advise you. 

No, you only need to bring yourself and your equipment (for example, your hat and gloves). The centre will provide horses, and all other equipment required for the assessment.

No, all of our assessments are assessed through observing practical tasks and discussion. Although if you would like to make notes such as the hole numbers when taking the bridle apart (for tack cleaning) please do!

The care will take around 2 hours, the riding will take around 1 hour. Please be aware you may be required to be at the assessment centre for longer than your assessment duration.

Normally you’ll be assessed in a group of up to four for the Care, and up to six in the Ride. There may be a rare occasion when you’re on your own for the Care but there must be at least two in the Ride.

Yes, if you have a condition or requirement you can apply for an access arrangement, using our application form. These must be submitted at least three weeks before the assessment date. You can find more information on access arrangements here.

No, at Stage 1 the Skills Record is not compulsory. We suggest that you get it signed off so you know that you’re ready for assessment, but it’s not a necessity. Please do be aware that for Stage 2 and above it is compulsory.

No, you will get your results via email up to 15 working days after the assessment. Your certificates will then follow in the post. Please note the Ride certificate will not be issued until we have a record that you have completed the Silver Ride Safe Challenge Award.

Yes, the Silver Ride Safe Challenge Award forms part of the Stage 1 Ride. It can be completed before or after the Stage 1 Ride, but you will not receive the Stage 1 Ride certificate until we’ve recorded that you’ve completed it. You’ll also need to complete the Ride Safe to progress to Stage 2 Ride.

Yes, we strongly recommend you’re accompanied by a responsible adult to sign you in and remain at the centre for the duration of the assessment. In the case of college students or similar situation the tutor or other responsible person may act as the guardian. Our full guidance regarding supervision is in our Terms and Conditions (see number 10).

No, they’ll need to wait in the car, café or other area away from the assessment.

On our website, they are the same for any organisation under the BEF umbrella such as Pony Club, BRC, BD, BS etc.

Generally the pass rate for Stage 1 is very high, if people aren’t successful it can often be a safety concern if they’re too familiar with the horses and are too casual. For example, not tying up the horse, leaving the stable door open and poor handling skills. Sometimes we see mistakes with the practical skills which they’re less familiar with, such as putting together a bridle after cleaning, putting on a running martingale etc. Practicing the practical tasks is key when training for the assessments to ensure you’re still effective and safe even under pressure.

BHS often run some online training towards the theory sections. You can find any of our courses here. Many centres run training either in the form of courses or intensive camps, you can find some listed on our website here. You can also contact local BHS Accredited Professional Coaches or BHS Approved Centres to ask them if they’re running any training.

You wouldn’t be able to remount and continue. This follows the same guidance as the other disciplines such as British Eventing. If you still have the Care section to complete afterwards you would be allowed to continue to sit that assessment if you are feeling well enough.

In the UK many assessment centres have a 13st weight limit, although some take up to 15st. It is worth contacting local centres as they may be running in house Stage 1 assessments and may have varying weight limits depending on their horses.