Comment

Comment by Elizabeth J. Chilcott on January 24, 2010 at 10:28am

Years ago we had what was essentially and Eventing Clinic with Denny Emerson. During the long lunch break on Saturday Denny spent some time with theory etc. and questions from the riders and those auditing. Right when it was about the end of the session, he asked the riders to raise hands as to how many of them had regular instruction and over half raised their hands. Then he asked how many of the instructors of those riders were there and there were only two of us. All he did was shake his head.

Comment by Mary McGuire Smith on January 24, 2010 at 9:49am

Well said, slc and Jan. It is easy to get so focused on how difficult it is for ourselves to balance our riding, our continung education in our sport, our finances, and our 'other life', that we forget that the horses are the true 'scales of justice'.
We ALL have to learn the same basic principles (or not). Some of us are lucky enough to fall into the right hands from the beginning, and some of us have to struggle along until we find the right hands, and some of us struggle along the wrong path for YEARS, even when it isn't of our own making, due to unavailability of good instruction/training (or in some cases, due to finances, although it is my not-so-humble opinion that if you can't afford the maintenance, the vet, farrier, board, quality feed, quality tack, emergency care, and most of all regular lessons, you can't afford a horse--and that may open another can of worms here). Those are the only two valid reasons for not having lessons of some sort--even if they are infrequent.
The only people that I truly am frustrated about are those who think they know everything they need to know to ride and don't go to clinics at all, and who don't take instruction when it is available. And I feel sorry for their horses, but you also can't save the world, and eventually they may get tired of not advancing, and become humble enough to finally seek help from you or someone else that is qualified.

Comment by Jan Jollymour on January 23, 2010 at 8:28pm

Hi, Susie:

The reality is that we all sometimes have those feelings - what matters is where we go with them. Let them motivate you to do the very best you can by your clients. Sometimes the most amazing things happen if you can encourage yourself to do more and do better in situations like these. As slc2 says, try to be positive. Perhaps this person is really struggling. People learn in different ways, and some of the most wonderful and intelligent people I know take a long time to process simple concepts, and cause themselves no end of difficulty while they're doing it. That doesn't make them any less valuable as people, it just makes them different.

Differences make the world go round, and make life interesting. Don't waste time beating yourself up for letting off some steam, recognize instead that you too are different, celebrate what you do well, and resolve to do it even better in the future.

Comment by SUSIE-SOLOMON-MABE on January 23, 2010 at 8:11pm

good idea
I erased my too pissy to be here comment

Comment by Tamara Williamson on January 23, 2010 at 7:58pm

Ummm, me thinks you have a little axe to grind!

Back to clincs...
I think clinics make you pep up. They give one a focus and I usually ride like stink. I polish my boot's and it's exciting/ it's pressure. I do think though that it's important to have, if possible, watched the trainer before you go in. We all respond differently to different styles of coaching.
Sometimes when i have a young/new horse I'll take him to a clinic before taking him to a show to see how he is going settle in. It's a safer environment and I like asking the clinician what they think of this new prospect. I also like meeting other riders...I usually walk away with a few little pieces of the rather large puzzle.

Comment by Jan Jollymour on January 23, 2010 at 10:44am

There's no doubt, slx2, that more consistent supervision is the best option, but in Western Canada, that's just not possible. There are many coaches, but few good ones, and bad supervision is worse than none. I teach monthly clinics to the same clients in different areas, and while that's not optimal, it's much better than nothing. They are all progressing, their horses are sound and happy, and they are all riding better than they were before I was available. Agreed, the clinic method is not always the best, but it's much better than no method at all.

Clinic hopping almost never works, horses and riders just end up confused. I have to ride in clinics, as both my coaches are in the Netherlands, so I have to work with them when they come here. While that's not optimal, it again is much better than never having access to that califbre of teaching, and I do have access to them via e-mail, as do all of my clients. Quite a lot of follow up can and is done that way. Where there's a will there's a way, and those of us in isolated areas can and will find ways to learn.

Comment by Mary McGuire Smith on January 23, 2010 at 9:31am

slc--I am sorry that that is the way in your area. It is quite different here. We go to clinics to get a different perspective on our own riding/training and to observe others that may be a bit (or a lot) ahead of us so we can see how what we are doing now relates to what we will be doing later. The basis of my system (and this is what clinic hoppers miss, and why they do not progress) is that I give my regular students "the foundation". That means that I teach them regular lessons, which are a reasonable price (~$60.00/45 minutes) on their horse and/or mine, and develop their seat and aids in a consistent, progressive way. Those are weekly lessons.

When they are ready (at a minimum have a fairly solid seat, and understand the elements of the training scale, and most of the time, own their own horse that has good basic training), then I first encourage them to take a clinic at periodic intervals with a colleague of mine (I have a few that I have trained myself to be trainers and that continue to clinic with me--we swap back and forth, me with their students, them with mine),whic run about $75-$100.00 per clinic and to audit a couple high-level clinics each year which costs them around $50.-$100.00 to audit(and which I may ride in, and costs me $200.00 and up).

This gives them a practical application with me, a different perspective from my colleagues, and inspiration (and develops their eye, and instills a greater level of understanding for the training scale so they know where they are going) from the international level clinicians--and I pick them carefully--we don't just go to any international trainer. Typically, it will be Michael Poulin or Henk van Bergen, Klaus Balkenhol, Hubertus Schmidt, Conrad Schumacher (and many others qualify but if you know these, you know my system and can guess who the others are).

Yes, sometimes people who don't work with a regular trainer go to clinics when they aren't ready, and the clinician does the best s/he can with them, but we do NOT ridicule them. We encourage them. And we encourage them (and so does the clinician) to get regular lessons so they can take the pieces that they learn in the clinic and apply it to a foundation. That is the way we do it in my circle. I would hope it is the same in other areas, but it seems not?

Comment by SUSIE-SOLOMON-MABE on January 23, 2010 at 12:47am

WOW- I remember when I was teaching in Az and I rode a clients' horse- she was there for 3 days and afterwards she said how incredible the horse looked and how did I do it- the mare routinely bucked her off savagely.......!!!!
I watch them ride for a long time before I venture- if I do- onto a horse.
Since I often am the one who has started some of the horses, especially those I have bred for sale, I have a pretty good idea of their personality. Well we all need to be careful out there- just teaching in the arena can get you run over!

Comment by Jan Jollymour on January 22, 2010 at 11:20pm

Hi, everyone:

Something else some of you may wish to consider: I personally know of 4 terrible accidents which befell clinicians riding students' horses in clinics. In 3 of those accidents the clinicians were badly injured, and in each of those cases the students had not disclosed previously identified training/behavioural issues with their horses. None of those clinicians routinely ride clients' horses now.

Comment by Jan Jollymour on January 22, 2010 at 10:42pm

Hi, Mary:

I second Mary's response. As a clinician teaching full time I think my job is to teach people to ride their own horses, not ride the horses for them. There are situations which require my stepping into their stirrups, but in the main I'm there to give them tools to take their horses forward themselves. That's harder, and more time consuming, and more tiring, than just getting on their horses and fixing the issue, but in the long run they become better riders, and they train their horses themselves. For the most part I think riders want to learn, and make that learning part of their general modus operandi, rather than just watch their horses go with clinicians.

My two European coaches operate the same way. If it's necessary, and sometimes it is, they will ride a client's horse in a lesson, but their emphasis is on teaching us to ride our horses better, rather than riding them for us.

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• …
• 19
• 20
• 21
• 22
• 23
• …
• 32
• Next ›
• Page