Goldenstar
Well-Known Member
Those that mind don't matter, and those that matter don't mind.
Just sayin'
Very good ,I have enjoyed this thread .
Those that mind don't matter, and those that matter don't mind.
Just sayin'
Don't want to hijack, but Kerilli - feel like passing that on? my canter-walk almost always has a step of trot and it drives me mad!
I can't stand a trainer who dismisses a horse because it's not a total worldbeater (or whatever). Some trainers, maybe because of personal disappointments etc, seem to hate horses, and I avoid that sort like the plague...
But I don't understand why this isn't, at base, a business decision? If you're not getting what you want, don't go back. Would you go back to a dentist who didn't fix your teeth or a car salesman who sold you a hunk of junk?
TheoryX1, that's a good point we haven't really touched on yet, who trains the trainers? One of the biggest gems I have ever been taught (to 'stop' the movement of the pelvis going from canter to walk and walk to halt) came from Chris Bartle to my then-trainer who passed it straight on to me. It has been invaluable, and I teach it very early on to anyone I come into contact with. Even just for walk to halt it is a real lightbulb moment for horses and riders... esp for giving riders the idea that you can use your whole body to influence the horse, it isn't just 'pull reins to stop, push with legs to go' which unfortunately is still how a lot of teaching seems to be...
Yes, but why is this different than any other area of life? There is no independent Land Rover dealer near me, so I have to choose between travelling, using the expensive dealership, or taking my chances with the local places, which may be licensed but we all know that's no guarantee!
I do understand the rant, that good instruction is hard to find, although I can't see instructors 'doing something' about that collectively. But the original point was not about people not having a choice, it was about some people actively choosing unchallenging teachers, for whatever reasons. I still think this is a) not black and white and b) personal choice.
but the point is that when you are viewing the situation subjectively, and perhaps you're inexperienced, you absolutely cannot judge how good a trainer is for you (and your horse). With trainer 1, I was improving, The horses were improving. We were getting decent/good results. I had no way of knowing that i needed x (the other trainer, basically!) before I could truly progress...
Going back to TS's second paragraph, I don't think it's about 'people actively choosing unchallenging teachers' - maybe they respect them, believe them, and so when the trainer says 'that's great, really good, yes, great' a lot, they believe it. Which is great if you're under-confident, don't get me wrong, but if it's not the truth then it's going to lead to disappointments (or accidents, worst case scenario.)
I can only comment on our RC but money is an important factor in decision making of which instructors they use.
At RC camps everything has to come in at a certain budget and that means using instructors who are fine and good with the confidence but perhaps not the detail. TBF one group had a wonderful instructor who would not let them out of walk the whole hour and they really improved but a) they did not recognise this improvement and b) they were bored out of their minds!
TBF one group had a wonderful instructor who would not let them out of walk the whole hour and they really improved but a) they did not recognise this improvement and b) they were bored out of their minds!
But I still maintain it's an unfortunate fact of life in many areas, not some specifically horsey failing.
I don't think anyone would disagree with that and "ass-patting" happens in many areas of life. But on a practical basis, if "ass-patting" happens in a violin lesson, or tennis coaching, it is far less likely to have serious consequences than in a potentially dangerous sport like horse-riding.
Yes but equally we have to stop trying to nanny everyone, realise that people generally have a modicum of common sense and (assuming they've got past the 'up down up down' stage of learning to ride) have enough nouse to take some responsibility for their own actions and stop trying to blame everything that goes wrong on everyone but themselves.