Do you assess how good an instructor is by the way they themselves ride?

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NicoleS_007

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Reading Rowreach's thread on instuctors got me thinking. Do you assess how good an instructor is at teaching by how they themselves ride? Lets say you see an instructor riding and you think, "Oh i dont like there style of riding!" Would you avoid said instructor although they are better than you/ getting better results or think "Oh they might teach differently." ... Or "Oh said instructor doesnt have a very good position, they look like a sack of spuds ..." So do you find yourself going on how the person rides or how they teach? Really random but Rowreachs thread got me thinking ... thats not always a good thing :D

Over and out ...
 
I used to until I was taught by someone in a wheelchair, who could no longer ride astride,but could just manage sidesaddle with the help of alot of velcro..... she was a great instructor, and got a better tune out of her mare than I ever could astride.
 
I think its how they explain things ie easily or not! I had a lesson with a different instructor who explained it differently and I got it??

But I do remember having a teacher who was really good at giving me confidence but when I couldnt get my pony to jump a small jump I asked her to show me what I was doing wrong and she refused to get on!! ?! He wasnt being bad just nappy with me and being inexperienced etc etc
I think she was actually frightened .....herself. Just personalities I suppose.

The place my son learnt to ride if any of the horses misbehaved ALL of the instructors would get on board(not altogther)...but this always impressed me. It was an excellent school.
 
Yes. I have had several instructors over the years and the ones my horse and I have learnt the most from are the ones that have achieved and ride well themselves. When I think back to the basic's that we have needed to get right - they have all been saying the same-things but only a few have managed to get it through to me in a way I understand.
 
Definitely.

More about the style of riding than the talent though. Not bothered if they compete, or what their 'results' are in regards to placings. I'm more bothered about a quiet style which focusses around getting the horse moving forwards, responsive from minute aids, ballanced and happy. (of course building up to bigger an better things from these principles.)

I will avoid those who are all about 'getting the head in' or 'Kick kick, use the whip, use it again, kick harder, make him listen' like the plague.

I've only had 2 instructors i have trully admired and clicked with, and both live hours away. So there's my punishment for being picky :p I'm not a shambles though, so will wait for the right one. Then kidnap them forever :p
 
I think it depends on what you want. Al's instructors are both brilliant riders, and good at producing young horses/ riding the slightly more eccentric ones, and ride to a high level in eventing. She needs that as often they have to get on to help her out- otherwise it's a bit of the blind leading the blind, or Reg is just being a bit opinionated and needs putting back in his box by a stronger, more experienced rider.

I think though, when you get to the highest level, it could be that it's not how well the trainer rides, but how well they can assess and help situations and come up with solutions and techniques suitable for that horse without riding it. I mean, they have to be competent on a horse, but maybe being very good isn't so necessary? Not sure! I know I have a good grasp all things theoretical, but my body just won't do them when I ask! So I could probably teach (low levels, obviously!) but not actually get on and do?
 
For me they have to have the full package.

They must ride better than me but more importantly have a good understanding and know the reasoning behind why they are asking me to do something. I can be a bit of a geek and I love to know the ins and outs of why things work and I analyse everything. I like an instructor who is approachable as I tend to talk alot and ask questions in my lesson:D I also love the fact that I can talk to someone on training rather than boring everyone on the yard.

If someone rode like a sack of spuds no way would I allow them on my horse and sometimes you need them to get on to help you out. If they dont ride well how could they possibly have the feel to know what is right or have put in the hours which they expect us to do to improve.
But, just because someone can ride well it doesnt mean they can teach well.


I once had a girl come and try my horse who was a lovely rider. The following viewing she brought her instructor who got on. My face looked like this :eek:. I have never seen so many body parts move!
 
I would like to think I'm open minded to be honest. I'd rather be taught by someone who has the same sort of train of thought as me (I'm not going to force my four year old to work for an hour for anyone) but if they could teach I wouldn't care if they were super talented riders. If I wanted someone to ride my horses I'd send them to my very talented friend to produce but I want a pair of eyes on the ground to crit me and that is a skill in of itself. I'm not sure being an amazing rider always translates to being a fantastic teacher and I'm sure the same is true in reverse.

As it happens my instructor has a seat I would die for though and I love watching her ride.
 
The way an instructor rides is not my priority, as long as they ride softly. Infact I think often those who ride brilliantly find it hard to teach as they are such natural riders they find it difficult to impart the knowledge to other people. The sort of thing; 'I don't know how I do it I just do'. They have also rarely struggled in my experience in the same way as us mere mortals so they find it hard to understand when. I also want an instructor who is passionate about teaching not just teaching to finance their own riding. Conrad Schumacher, although an Olympic Coach many times over did not ride or compete at a high level.

I guess I look for a high level of knowledge, understanding, patience, sensitivity, kindness, a love for horses and somone genuinely interested in me and my horse. Something I feel after a long time searching I have found in my instructor.
 
When I was in America our instructors taught from horse back and had no hesitation about riding your horse to show what they meant. Found this a really good way to teach as you could see exactly what they were trying to teach you.
 
Sometimes :)

But what matters to me more if they can improve my standard of riding so I can get better results out of my horse :)
 
They do need to ride well (able bodied or otherwise), easily understandable and likeable!! The best instructor I know is my Aunt's sister - she's a bit of a witch to me (family so can get away with being mean!) but fluffing hell, she is GOOD.

She's not my favourite person but if she lived nearer, she'd be my constant instructor and i'd just put up with her. Cantankerous bag!!!! I do like her when we're not around horses, she's so focused when she's with them. And she thinks i'm a wimp!! Haha!! The fact that when she's giving me a hard time, I know she can actually walk the talk. (And she has let me ride some amazing horses she's had on the yard, which makes most people forgive some horrors!!!)
 
Interesting to hear peoples views :) Great point Mearas RE natural riders/working for a good position, never thought of that before.
 
some of the worst instructors i have ever had rode beautifully & of course could ride my horse beautifully, but were incapable of actually explaining anything in a way I could understand or identify what was going wrong for me - so their skillls were not actually useful
my current instructor [ the very patient & good humoured princesssparkle] obviously rides immeasurably better than me but she is also able to explian things/put up with my inability to do 2 things at the same time & works to my horses' abilities [ or lack of them] - so really its her teaching skillls that count for me than her ridden skills
 
At my level (which is not very good) I need my instructor to be a much better rider than me. So when she teaches me she explains what I need to be doing with which part of my body (usually my core) in order to help my horse move better or hear me more clearly. However her own trainer barely rides at all apparently. She watches her do half pass and calls 'more bend' and watches the extended trot and shouts 'withers up' and my instructor has to figure out what she must do in order to achieve that. This trainer is a BD List 1 judge.
 
somethingorother said:
Definitely.

More about the style of riding than the talent though. Not bothered if they compete, or what their 'results' are in regards to placings. I'm more bothered about a quiet style which focusses around getting the horse moving forwards, responsive from minute aids, ballanced and happy. (of course building up to bigger an better things from these principles.)

I will avoid those who are all about 'getting the head in' or 'Kick kick, use the whip, use it again, kick harder, make him listen' like the plague.

I've only had 2 instructors i have trully admired and clicked with, and both live hours away. So there's my punishment for being picky :p I'm not a shambles though, so will wait for the right one. Then kidnap them forever :p
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This ^^ I am sooo fussy about instructors, I haven't had one in 7 years. I can't stand the shorten the reins and push them into to the contact philosophy. I also don't think someone can teach you effectively until they have ridden your horse.
 
With my instructor every little thing she tells me to do gets a good reaction from my horse so as long as what they are telling you to do is working and getting the correct result I'm happy!
 
To be honest NO - I have seen brillient riders teach and they have at times been useless as they cannot understand why some riders can't get things fast like they could and riders not so talented who have struggled to progress but have empathy and are able to pass on their knowledge.

At one time being successful competing was a pre requisite for the NZ teaching exams - I put in a protest about this stating that not all good instructors can a) compete as they are busy teaching, b) may not even own a horse at the moment c) have the desire to compete d) may have injuries/age that has stopped them competing.

A good instructor is one who has knowledge, gets the best out of their student, praises improvement no matter how small, and has the patience to re explain something the rider has not understood without making the rider feel small. Feels a buzz when their student suddenly grasps what was wanted and takes pleasure in the smile of success.

I've had lessons from top riders and have come away thinking that was a waste of money and then had lessons with another who doesn't compete and come away feeling I've learnt something and improved.
 
Yes at first but more can they make mine go well and infinitely better than I do...many instructors won't even get on a client's horse, particularly if it's playing up.
 
In music we often say that the best musicians make the worst teachers, and vice versa. Not always true, there are of course many amazing musicians who are fantastic teachers as well... but often someone who's very accomplished in their own right will be very set in their own way and their own methodology, and can therefore be a little narrow-minded when approaching someone that presents a different set of 'problems' to be fixed. In my experience that can go for RIs as well.

I've had instructors who were amazing riders and could make my horses go beautifully, but who were awful teachers as then they tried to teach me to ride exactly how they would (I was at this point already competing, not a beginner btw!), instead of taking that experience they'd had on my horses and trying to find a balance between their style and mine. Then I had one who wasn't the most amazing rider (not bad by any means) but was a fantastic teacher... she could get my horses going nicely but she REALLY knew how to make me get them going beautifully without changing my whole riding style. She was brilliant, strict but very fair... I want her back! (Different country, otherwise she'd be fixing myself and Monty tomorrow!)

At the end of the day as long as I agree with their methods and they explain themselves well and get results with me and my horse, I don't mind too much how they ride themselves.
 
nat1003 said:
For me they have to have the full package.

They must ride better than me but more importantly have a good understanding and know the reasoning behind why they are asking me to do something. I can be a bit of a geek and I love to know the ins and outs of why things work and I analyse everything. I like an instructor who is approachable as I tend to talk alot and ask questions in my lesson:D I also love the fact that I can talk to someone on training rather than boring everyone on the yard.

If someone rode like a sack of spuds no way would I allow them on my horse and sometimes you need them to get on to help you out. If they dont ride well how could they possibly have the feel to know what is right or have put in the hours which they expect us to do to improve.

But, just because someone can ride well it doesnt mean they can teach well.

!
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Echo this. I've had a couple of naughty horses one who would nap through his shoulder REALLY badly. Inst gives instructions and because they are not working presumes I am not doing it! Or they say stronger aids and you know dam well if you do he will explode! This annoys the hell out of me especially when they then refuse to get on and show you.

I know from my new lad who does respond to the set of instructions given that it was not enough with the naughty one.
 
I don't think they have to be good riders at all, just good at getting YOU to ride well. I know a couple of instructors like this. Having said that jesus cool
 
Haha, stupid phone sending posts before Im finished. I meant to say that having said that my instructors can all ride but don't all follow the same philosophies meaning i get the best aspects of all of them.
 
No, because the art of teaching is conveying information in an interesting way that still achieves results (I'm taking having the knowledge in the first place as a given). Being able to do it perfectly oneself is neither necessary nor sufficient to be able to teach others. Added to that I only saw my RI on horse back for the first time last week and I've been with her nearly a year! I've seen all three of the other RIs ride, and their technique's great, but their teaching style isn't - I wouldn't switch to any of them, not even if they were cheaper!
 
I love teaching more than anything else :o and I hope that I am a better teacher because I struggle with my own riding, need a good trainer myself, who will answer my queries and explain the "why" of everything, and because I work darn hard at it:) There are times when I wish people weren't watching me though!:o:o

The two people I train with mostly are top riders in their own right, and I love their styles of teaching, but I know other people who don't, so maybe it's horses for courses?
 
I used to train with a BHSI who could get on a horse, sit like a sack of spuds and look fairy awful in terms of "position", and horse would happily within a few strides look like some advanced dresage horse and willingly offer up all sorts of moves - was always impressed by that.
One of my current trainers cannot ride any more due to physical limitations, and yet has an inate talent for being able to produce fantastic results from the floor. I like to see people on my horse just to make sure we are singing from the same hymn sheet, but its not the be all end end all.

OF course - I do make judgements on how people ride - if I see someone out bullying a horse, sawing on the front end or just doing something I don't feel comfortable with, I wouldn't be going to them!

As an instructor I always get on clients horses, just to get a feel of whats going on and make sure we are barking up the right tree - I do think if someone isn't happy for me to ride their horse, I'm not happy to teach them as there is very much trust and understanding involved in teaching someone - if they don't trust me we can't really move on happily.
 
Interesting replys :) I do think that in some situations that having experience with a certain ridden problem helps to understand more and help the rider. I once let an instructor on my nappy horse and she beat the arse off him which made matters even worse, needless to say she never touched my horse again. I was also talking to a friend, also an instructor, who jumps upto 130 sj and asked her about seeing strides etc (im hopeless at seeing strides) She told me she was hopeless at seeing a stride!! I was rather shocked as how the heck can you get round a 130 without seeing a stride :eek: I was going to get jumping lessons with her but opted out as it would be the blind leading the blind!! I was also watching a Level 2 coach riding and thought, ah i dont much like your method of training much, but then today seen said person on a difficult loon of a horse and now think, ah said person actually is rather sympathetic. Maybe it was a case of different horse different technique but it has changed my view for the better. I am one of those annoying folk who ask alot of questions and wont do something unless theres good reasoning behind it, im also funny about people riding my horse ... gosh if i had an instructor they would infact hate me!!!
 
I think it depends entirely on the student, the horse and the instructor.

I have had lessons from a Pre St George dressage rider and found her useless! My old gelding learnt best in lessons that were short bursts of good experiences in the school rather than 50minute lessons of 'pushing him' constantly.

It is important to find an instructor that you like, that can communicate well, has a good theory behind the way she rides or teaches and can tell you WHY you are to do something in that particular way.

Many instructors can ride very well but if you ask them WHY you should do that particular exercise, for example, they often go quiet.
 
Interesting thread.

I think I'd like the people who teach me, if physically able, to be good enough to sit on my horse - and therefore know exactly how he feels, rather than how he looks. As an instructor - I do like to sit on my pupils horse's for exactly the same reason - sometimes the horse is much more difficult than he/she looks from the ground, sometimes not (:eek:) - but I do think it helps to offer effective advice if you have sat on said beastie.

That said - in the past I have had some excellent instructors (each had ridden top level in their specialist discipline) that never sat on my horse, yet were absolutely spot on with their observations and corrections.

I've got a lesson tomorrow - my first in years - I can't wait!!
 
Yes, they must not only ride well but also be able to teach me what they are doing! And be willing to get on my horse and demonstrate how if necessary.
 
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