What is the riding lesson registration form template?
Matching a rider to a horse is the most important decision a riding school makes before a first lesson. It depends on the rider's size, their experience, how confident they really are and any health issues — information that often arrives piecemeal over the phone. This template asks for all of it in one go, in a way that's respectful to the rider.
Riders give their name, date of birth and contact details, with a parent or guardian's name for under-18s and an emergency contact. Height and weight are asked as bands, with a short note explaining they're only used to match the rider to a suitable horse or pony. The experience page asks for a riding level from never ridden to jumping and hacking out; riders with some experience say where they've ridden, what they can do confidently, and whether they've had a fall or a frightening experience.
The lessons page covers lesson type, how often, days and time, and kit: whether they have their own riding hat, footwear, and a body protector. A health checklist, your yard's terms and consents for riding risks, first aid and photos finish with a signature. Each registration is saved as a PDF in your FileIt vault.
- Best for
- Riding schools, livery yards offering lessons, trekking centres and pony clubs
- Filled in by
- The rider, or a parent or guardian
- Time to complete
- About 5 minutes
- Includes
- Height and weight bands, riding level, falls history, hat and boots, health checklist, signature
Who uses a riding lesson registration form?
- A parent books a six-year-old's first lead-rein session
- An adult returning to riding after twenty years books private lessons
- A trekking centre registers riders before a trail ride
- A riding school runs a holiday pony day and needs every child's details
- A nervous rider who had a fall explains how they feel before starting again
- A yard re-registers its regular riders at the start of each year
Questions on this riding lesson registration form
35 questions over 4 pages · includes signature, conditional questions, multiple pages, consent checkbox, ratings.
1 Rider
- Rider's full name*
- Rider's date of birth*
- Is the rider under 18?*
- Parent or guardian's name* asked only when it applies
- Email*
- Mobile*
- Home address
- Emergency contact name*
- Emergency contact phone*
- Rider's height* Under 4 ft (122 cm) · 4 ft – 4 ft 11 (122–150 cm) · 5 ft – 5 ft 5 (152–165 cm) · 5 ft 6 – 5 ft 11 (168–180 cm) · 6 ft (183 cm) or taller
- Rider's weight* Under 5 st (32 kg) · 5–8 st (32–51 kg) · 8–11 st (51–70 kg) · 11–14 st (70–89 kg) · 14–16 st (89–102 kg) · Over 16 st (102 kg)
2 Riding experience
- Riding level* Never ridden · Beginner — walk, needs a lead rein · Novice — walk and trot on my own · Intermediate — walk, trot and canter · Experienced — jumping and hacking out
- Where have you ridden before, and how recently? asked only when it applies
- What can you do confidently? asked only when it applies Mount and dismount · Rising trot · Canter · Small jumps · Hacking out · Tacking up and grooming
- Have you had a fall or a frightening experience with a horse?* asked only when it applies
- What happened, and how do you feel about riding now? asked only when it applies
- How confident do you feel around horses?
- What would you like to achieve?
3 Lessons
- Lesson type* Private lesson · Shared lesson (2–3 riders) · Group lesson · Lead-rein session for young children · Hack or trail ride · Pony day or holiday course
- How often? One-off or trial · Weekly · Fortnightly · Occasionally
- Days that suit you* Monday · Tuesday · Wednesday · Thursday · Friday · Saturday · Sunday
- Time of day Morning · Afternoon · After school or work
- Do you have your own riding hat?*
- Hat size to borrow asked only when it applies
- Footwear* I have riding boots · I'll wear boots with a small heel · I'd like to borrow boots
- Shoe size asked only when it applies
- Will you be bringing your own body protector?
4 Health & consent
- Does the rider have any of these?* Asthma · Epilepsy · Diabetes · Back, neck or joint problems · Recent injury or surgery · Allergy to horses, hay or dust · Pregnancy · None of these
- Please give details* asked only when it applies
- Any additional needs or anything else we should know?
- Riding risks*
- First aid*
- Yard terms*
- Photos
- Signature (parent or guardian for under-18s)*
The riding lesson registration form, page by page
1 Rider
Rider's full name, date of birth and a required 'Is the rider under 18?' — a yes adds the parent or guardian's name. Email, mobile, address and an emergency contact, then a short explanation and required dropdowns for the rider's height and weight.
2 Riding experience
A required riding level. Anyone who has ridden is asked where and how recently, what they can do confidently, and 'Have you had a fall or a frightening experience with a horse?' — a yes asks what happened and how they feel about riding now. Everyone rates how confident they feel around horses and says what they'd like to achieve.
3 Lessons
Lesson type — private, shared, group, lead-rein, hack or trail ride, or pony day — how often, required days and time of day. 'Do you have your own riding hat?' asks for a hat size to borrow when the answer is no; footwear asks for a shoe size if they'd like to borrow boots; and whether they'll bring a body protector.
4 Health & consent
A required health checklist with details unless 'None of these' is ticked, any additional needs, a placeholder for your yard's terms, required consents for riding risks, first aid and your terms, an optional photo consent and the signature.
Make the template yours
- Change the height and weight bands to the units and limits your yard uses
- Edit the lesson types to the lessons and rides you offer
- Replace the terms placeholder with your own fees, cancellation and safety rules
- Add a question about pony club membership or riding qualifications
- Remove the boot questions if you don't lend footwear
- File registrations in a vault folder per instructor or lesson type
Tips for a better riding lesson registration form
- Read the falls and confidence answers before choosing a horse for a first lesson
- Check every rider's own hat at the first lesson rather than relying on the form
- Keep height and weight answers to the people who allocate horses
- Ask riders to tell you if their weight band or health changes
- Re-send the form each year so emergency contacts stay current
Every response becomes a PDF in your vault
Each registration is saved as a signed PDF in your vault, and the yard is emailed. Riders see a message that you'll be in touch to book the first lesson, and can receive a copy of their form.
Search the Responses table by name before a lesson, or export to CSV to plan group lessons by level and day.
- Start from this template. It opens in the FileIt Forms designer — change any question, add pages, set the rules for when questions appear.
- Share it. Turn on a public link, or send it to people by email, each with their own link. They don’t need a FileIt account.
- Get the answers as PDFs. Each response is saved as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, with uploaded files attached — and listed in a Responses table you can export to CSV.
Riding lesson registration form: frequently asked questions
Is this riding lesson registration template free?
Yes. It's a starter template in the Forms app, available on every FileIt account including the free plan, and every question can be edited.
Why does the form ask for height and weight?
So the yard can match the rider to a horse or pony that suits them. The form asks for bands rather than exact figures, and you can change or remove the bands.
Can parents register children?
Yes. Answering yes to 'Is the rider under 18?' asks for the parent or guardian's name, and the parent signs the form.
Is the consent wording enough to protect my yard?
FileIt doesn't give legal advice. The terms are a placeholder — replace them with wording you've had checked for your business and country.
Can a rider book a trail ride with this form?
Yes. 'Hack or trail ride' is one of the lesson types, and you can rename or add options.
Do riders need a FileIt account?
No. They fill in and sign the form from a link.