From essentialequestrian.wordpress.com:

A colleague of mine used to love the phrase “managing expectations.” I’ve found this mindset has uses in many areas of our lives, especially when teaching and training.

As riders, we must check our expectations at the door and “let the horse be your calendar,” as Charles de Kunffy says. As teachers, it is imperative to manage the expectations of our students, with the ultimate goal of correct riding and the horse’s best interest coming first. The same goes for clients with horses in training.

Being clear and communicating openly are two important tools to managing expectations. If we have a personal philosophy that we apply across the board, no exceptions, what to expect is very clear. Here are two examples:

You are giving a clinic and one horse comes out with large spur marks on his sides.
You are giving a clinic and one rider is not wearing a helmet.

Ideally, as the clinician you would have a solidified personal philosophy and would have no problem determining the course of action in either scenario. With that being said, I have witnessed both situations. The outcome of one scenario was that the clinician carried on without addressing the issue. In the other, the clinician refused to teach the student until the situation was remedied.

As an observer, this makes me wonder what the expectations of the first clinician are in her own training program. Is correct riding sacrificed to meet outside goals, at the expense of the horses’ well being?

Managing expectations doesn’t, however, mean we don’t push to exceed the expectations put forth, or we set the bar so low that is is more difficult not to meet the expectations. It also doesn’t mean we squash lofty goals. It means that we:

1. think critically and objectively about the goal
2. determine the necessary steps to be taken
3. based on the results of items 1 and 2, set a tentative calendar to reach said goal
4. communicate this to other involved parties, ideally including them in steps 1-3.

Thinking critically and objectively about the goal enables us to determine both the problem areas and manageable aspects of reaching that goal. Once everyone is on the same page, and communication becomes a 2-way street, everyone benefits – the horses most importantly!

As an instructor or trainer, do you have a personal philosophy that you apply across the board?  How do you communicate with your clients in delicate situations?