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Therapeutic riding instructor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a therapeutic riding instructor. Therapeutic riding instructors usually study psychology, business, or rehabilitation science. 74% of therapeutic riding instructors hold a bachelor's degree, and 10% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 332 real therapeutic riding instructor resumes to see exactly what therapeutic riding instructor education sections show.

The most common colleges for therapeutic riding instructors are the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

There are also many online therapeutic riding instructor courses to help get the education required to be a therapeutic riding instructor.

What education do you need to become a therapeutic riding instructor?

What degree do you need to be a therapeutic riding instructor?

The most common degree for therapeutic riding instructors is bachelor's degree, with 74% of therapeutic riding instructors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 10% and associate degree degree at 9%.
  • Bachelor's, 74%
  • Associate, 10%
  • Master's, 9%
  • Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a therapeutic riding instructor?

You should major in psychology to become a therapeutic riding instructor. 26% of therapeutic riding instructors major in psychology. Other common majors for a therapeutic riding instructor include business and rehabilitation science.

Most common colleges for therapeutic riding instructors

Therapeutic riding instructors often get their degrees at University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, St. Andrews University, and Towson University. Here are the most common colleges for therapeutic riding instructors in the US based on their resumes.
Therapeutic riding instructor common collegePercentages
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs8.33%
St. Andrews University8.33%
Towson University8.33%
University of Colorado at Boulder6.25%
University of Maryland - Baltimore County6.25%

Best majors for therapeutic riding instructors

RankMajorPercentages
1Psychology26.4%
2Business7.1%
3Rehabilitation Science7.1%
4Biology5.7%
5Animal Science5.0%

Best colleges for therapeutic riding instructors

The best colleges for therapeutic riding instructors are Northwestern University, Duke University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A therapeutic riding instructor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for therapeutic riding instructors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become therapeutic riding instructors.

1. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$53,399

Enrollment

7,356

2. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

3. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

7. Tufts University

Medford, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,382

Enrollment

5,597

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

10. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

20 best online courses for therapeutic riding instructors

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7. Yoga Medicine's Guide to Therapeutic Yoga

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Top 10 most affordable universities for therapeutic riding instructors

The most affordable schools for therapeutic riding instructors are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and university of florida.

If the best universities for therapeutic riding instructors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for therapeutic riding instructors.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

5. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

9. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for therapeutic riding instructors

The hardest universities for therapeutic riding instructors to get into are Northwestern University, Duke University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for therapeutic riding instructors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for therapeutic riding instructors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

6. Tufts University

Medford, MA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,461

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,434

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for therapeutic riding instructors

The easiest schools for therapeutic riding instructors to get into are D'Youville College, mount saint mary's university, and barry university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a therapeutic riding instructor without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for therapeutic riding instructors.

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

5. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

6. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

7. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

8. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

9. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

10. Marymount University

Arlington, VA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,065

Average therapeutic riding instructor salary by education level

According to our data, therapeutic riding instructors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $45,756 annually. Therapeutic riding instructors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $41,943.
Therapeutic riding instructor education levelTherapeutic riding instructor salary
Master's Degree$41,943
High School Diploma or Less$34,282
Bachelor's Degree$38,543
Doctorate Degree$45,756
Some College/ Associate Degree$37,216

Therapeutic riding instructor education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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