The less you know the more you need someone with lots of integrity if you are to fulfil all your potential. Unfortunately, often when we first try something we do not know our aspirations, and bad habits developed early on can have a big knock on impact.
We are all trainers and students, whether we are aware of this or not. We are all trainers because we influence those we come into contact with. Just because we don’t earn our living as a trainer we still have responsibilities to others. We are all students because there is always more to learn. Effective individuals know this and make this the business of their life - continuously learning and sharing.
In the UK good training can be very expensive. This is due in part to the huge overheads in operating a riding establishment. In February 2006 a little research on the net revealed prices for a 40-45 minute private lesson varying from £25 upwards. At Huntley School of Equitation (a BHS training establishment) the price of a one hour private lesson varied from £20 for a lesson with a BHS Trainee to £43 for a FBHS. Celebrity trainers can charge double this figure!
I want to encourage you to see your training as a long term investment in yourself. The resources required for training, time and money, are scarce for the majority of working riders. This means that we need to choose how to spend our training budget wisely to obtain the best return on our investment.
After each investment ask yourself some questions. Was it worth it? How else could I have spent my time and money? Could I have achieved more by investing my hard earned cash/free time elsewhere?
Personally speaking, I would train someone who really wants to learn for free, for the rewards of training such a person are worth far more than money to me. On the other hand I would not accept a king’s ransom to teach someone who has no wish to understand and work towards sustainable results for the long term. Having said this, I guess trainers make different choices when their livelihood depends on it.
There is a chemistry that comes from a strong training partnership. The relationship is symbiotic, not parasitic. Both share the same goals and ways of working. Both feed on each other. Both bring out the best in each other. They recognise that each is less without the other. Both are in it for the long term. The foundations of this are honesty, open mindedness, a desire to continuously learn and improve, two way communication and feedback.
Do you remember school? What affected your choice of subjects?
If you are like me you chose subjects partly because you liked the teacher and wanted to continue learning from them. What made you want to do that? For me it was because they were:
-Enthusiastic
-Made the subject interesting
-Fair and consistent
-Quick to notice – to correct and to reward
-Saw my success as their success
-Gave their all.
It is the same for a riding teacher!
Things to pay attention to:
-How they make you feel
-Their words – do they make sense?
-Ability to understand you and your horse as individuals
-Their focus – their attention should be entirely on you in a private lesson
-Their behaviour. Is it aligned with their words?
-Integrity
-Ability to communicate and explain
-Encouragement of 2–way communication and questions
-Ability to receive feedback
-They are committed to learning and improving themselves.
Suggested indicators of a good trainer:
-Loyal clients
-Record of improving a broad range of clients
-Sustained horses (horses working into old age)
-Record of improving a broad range of horses.
Things to ignore:
-Price (but watch your budget)
-Qualifications
-Fame
-Competition success
-Level of judge listing
-How well they ride your horse.
Remember that no-one will care as much about your training as you. Eventually you will reach a point where you realise this and the relationship between you and your teacher will have to change. From being a teacher and facilitator, imparting knowledge and facilitating your development of feel, to being a mentor. A sounding board. You set the agenda and they follow. Some will not like this change in the “balance of power”.
A good coach will be your trampoline, helping you to achieve greater heights but catching you when you fall. It’s still possible to train without one. It’s just more difficult. And you’ll need to be even more disciplined.
Eyes on the ground are invaluable. Many trainers believe this is important. Some non-horsey people have a natural feel for the way things should look. My mum is like this. If you don’t have someone like this then make judicious use of mirrors and video.
Having said that your best teacher is your horse and the very best teacher is a sensitive horse.
Teaching styles
Over the years I have observed many different trainers working with horses and riders, from the BHSAI teaching a new beginner at a local riding school, to top trainers coaching top riders. I have noticed a vast range of teaching styles:
“Instructor” – literally instructs (shouts instructions). There are a lot of these about, reflecting the military origin of rider training;
“Rider” – rides your horse through you; they can’t wait to get on and demonstrate;
“Presenter” - imparts knowledge in a memorable way (tells you what to do and why to do it but could be biased towards their own proposition);
“Teacher” – imparts knowledge; checks pupil has understood; a good one will explain what and why – balanced ie “I reached this conclusion because”;
“Coach” – motivates - presents the options and their assessment. Let’s you choose;
“Eyes on ground” – rather like a judge; often factual input – eg “too deep!”
“Suggester” – makes suggestions eg “how would it feel if…you were to ride him up a hill”
“Facilitator” – helps the pupil by making her conscious of the learning process – “What’s happening; What are you feeling; Whats going on; What may be causing that?; What could we do about it?” – imparts suggestions – “have you thought about x” – keeps up to date with latest thinking
“Specialist” – teaches a particular movement well; tells you what to do but not why or how; “there’s my way or the highway”.
A really good trainer is able to use each of these styles and knows when each is appropriate.
I believe that it isn’t sufficient that a teacher can “do”. A teacher must also be able to understand why she can “do” and be able to communicate this to help her pupil.
The current training regimes create many “instructor – riders” in my experience. The development of a cadre of riding teacher called “remedial” tells us that things don’t always go to plan. I understand that the BHS is aiming to ameliorate this situation with the introduction of coaching certificates.
Training Sessions
There should be a clear structure for each session including:
Planning - What do you want to work on and why? Setting goals. Agreeing the contract – the purpose of the lesson; ways of working together. What do you want to have achieved at the end of this session? Longer term? How will you know this lesson has been successful?
Understanding – The history “Tell me about you and your horse. Problems and successes”.
Diagnosis – understanding how the problems manifest themselves and likely causes.
Experimentation – trying out different ideas for improvement.
Conclusion – what went well; what could be done differently (on both sides); what to work on.
You can always learn something. Even from a bad teacher.
A good teacher will see what the horse needs to work on that day AND what the rider needs to work on. The rider will always limit the horse, so the rider needs to be focussed on first. Correct the rider and you will have some chance of correcting the horse. Class lessons limit the ability to correct the horse. And often impose a set order of things. This is the same in exercise classes.
Consider a group Pilates lesson. The problem with a group is that there will be different abilities and even in a class of identical abilities we will all feel differently on the day. Some will want to go more quickly, others slowly, some will need to focus on upper body, others lower etc. Once the pupil starts to feel this the class lessons can be very frustrating and unhelpful unless operated by a trainer happy with open order. At this stage the pupil is leader and the teacher “assists” – some teachers will not like to give up their position as leader.
Sometimes teachers we have worked with for a long time develop what might be called “teacher blindness”. A teacher suffering from such has become bored and in a rut. They fail to see or fail to correct faults and just accept them as part of you. If you think your teacher is suffering it is time to get a new fresh perspective.
I have been on the receiving end of some very innovative training sessions. John Micklem has a unique way of helping riders to learn about feel. On a circle, John will approach the horse, moving with the horses rhythm and tempo, and take up the reins in between the riders’ hands and the horse’s mouth (arm over the horses neck). This allows John to give the horse the contact required and to assess the quality of the rider’s contact. As John is so tall he can do this with any height of horse in all three paces (including a 17hh Irish Draught cross thoroughbred in canter!).
By doing this John achieves two improvements. First, he regains the softness in the horse on behalf of the rider, and second, he can give the rider direct feedback on her quality of contact on behalf of her horse. John growling “get off my left hand” serves as a pertinent reminder to riders that the horse can’t speak, but that we need to learn to understand his response.
Sophie Volet, a French trainer I am currently working with, often rides one of her horses with me. That way she can demonstrate the exercises we are using and she can give me feedback from lots of different points of view. For example, from behind if she follows me and from various places in the arena. I find this very useful.
I asked my survey respondents (see list in appendix) what advice they would give to an owner-rider with a full-time non-equestrian job aiming to improve her riding and her horse? Here are some of the answers:
“Read and study as much as you can but watch other trainers and riders at work. That is the best way to learn. Work out a plan of what you are able to do and aim for small goals, don’t beat yourself up about what you have not got time to do. Most people spend far too little time thinking about how to ride, watching those who ride well, looking at videos of people riding well or reading books about it. You can make up for the small amount of time spent in the saddle and the fact that you probably only ride one horse in this way. So many people never watch anyone else or try and learn except for perhaps a lesson every week or two and then they expect to ride like Carl (Hester) and get cross with their horses when it doesn’t happen.”
*****
“Be realistic about yourself, your horse and your ambitions; realism doesn’t need to be limiting but there is a major difference in thought and execution between dreams and goals
Learn to ride properly – develop a good, secure, balanced and correct position before you have a horse of your own, of any level or ability. Horses are ‘trained’ every time they are ridden; make sure you do it in a positive, correct manner
Find a good trainer, who is also a good rider and trainer of horses, and with whose philosophy you are in sympathy, and stick with them through thick and thin.
Get yourself sufficiently fit to actually ride your horse instead of just sitting on top of it
Try to ride, or have your horse ridden, regularly – so early mornings, late nights, whatever it takes. If in full-time occupation, and with a family, which so many riders are, and if finances allow, keep the horse in livery with the trainer
Go to as many seminars, conferences, clinics and so on as you can and pick from them the information that you find useful and can apply within your own training; discuss, argue, read, watch, do”
*****
“Watch and read as much as you can. Be systematic in your approach and do not rush. You do not have to prove anything to anybody - it is a hobby and is about building a partnership with your horse. You do not need a quick fix. Try and have regular lessons with a trainer you agree with and respect. We all need eyes on the ground as we get in to bad habits.
Understand and accept that things may take a little longer to achieve. Make sure that your partner/family are on your side in terms of support and background help with domestic chores, etc. which will enable you to fit in the required amount of training, fittening work, etc. Learn to prioritise.”
*****
“Look after your own horse. Build on strengths. Make your own mind up. Never ride with a watch. Training is about timing not about time. Develop your own style – don’t copy – it’s never a perfect copy!”
*****
“Above all enjoy your riding and treat your horse humanely, and realise that extraordinary things are possible when there is a special relationship with a horse. Ask yourself which aspects of your work with horses give you the greatest enjoyment and satisfaction then in conjunction with a coach (and an assessment by that coach if they are new to you) decide on small action steps which will help you improve in these areas and fit in with a progressive training programme.”
*****
“Go and watch others. Sit in with a judge. Ride a schoolmaster. Never be afraid to ask questions. Remember that it is easy to become fixated on one thing and to forget the over picture eg. why is my shoulder in not happening... are you in a strong balanced position with correct aids and supple seat, or are you leaning in looking at the bend and in doing so restricting with your hand? Become self aware. Video yourself, cringe but look how it highlights good points and areas for improvement”
*****
“Make sure you find time to tell your horse you love him. Don't just tack up and ride then leave. After a ride, rub him down, give him a little scratch on the withers, bury your cheek in his neck and whisper to him how grateful you are that he let's you be part of his world. Mean what you say!”