Experiences with rubbish instructors?? - long!!

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OK, so have had a year off riding pretty much as been living away, but before that was doing up to PN and Discovery on my 6 year old, who I have had since being a very green four year old. I came back last friday, and decided after watching my friend have a jumping lesson at the yard where she works that i would go there to - just for a basic flatwork/jumping lesson.

This was with an instructor that I have had not so positive experiences with before whist I was in pony club, but thought I would give it another chance (plus she had a lovely little course set up).

Anyway, after about 5 mins of me warming up, she watched about 2 mins, I was told that I was, and I quote, 'sh1t at riding'. Also that my horse went well for a youngster, but not for an eight year old!
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Well horse was very good, jumped everything (despite crap jockey!) and she did have a few good things to say. However at the end, I was reminded again what a poor rider I was and that I shouldn't 'spoil my horse'.
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Has anyone else had experiences like this? I wouldn't say I was good by any stretch, and accept that if I was a professional people would be harsher on you, but just seems a tad mean to an enthusiastic amateur! I should say that experince in pony club was that she told me I would fail my B test, on the morning of the B test - what a lovely instructor!!!

Needless to say I shall not be returning!
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So apart from saying you were sh*t, did she say why you were sh*t, did she do anything to improve your sh*tty way of riding?

If she didn't do any of these things, then as I once said to someone whose response to each of my questions regarding an IT installation was "it's sh*t", "please define sh*t in order that I may do something about it or keep your mouth shut".

Personally vote with your wallet and find someone who can offer constructive criticism if needed, do something to improve you and above all, make you feel like you want to ride and enjoy yourself.

Rude cow.

Sorry, I also meant to say I am not saying you or your horse are sh*t.
 
Well, she did say that I needed to look up over the fences (but the horses toes are so pretty!!) which did help the landings etc. But I wouldn't exactly say that meant I was sh*t, just that I needed someone to tell me to look up - which is surely easily fixable?!!!

Just never very nice being told you are sh*t, don't think she'll be getting a job in PR anytime soon!
 
What gets me is that surely these people should realise they are there to teach and improve, not bully and shout.

I have only ever had this experience once, and I politely reminded her who was paying, and her job was to improve rather than shout and insult and that if she could not teach and improve me then I was wasting my money and time - her face was a picture as I then rode out after 20 mins of an hour lesson.
 
she sounds like one sh*t instructor!!

you were there to improve , those types of statement are not going to help anyone! either the woman has an attitude issue or she's not actually that good & needs to put anyone down who shows a bit of talent!

(i'm sure you can't be thst sh*t if you were managing PN & disc. with sucess!)
 
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Well, she did say that I needed to look up over the fences (but the horses toes are so pretty!!) which did help the landings etc. But I wouldn't exactly say that meant I was sh*t, just that I needed someone to tell me to look up - which is surely easily fixable?!!!


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That makes me sh*t too then as I keep forgetting to look up!

I had a similar experience with a flatwork instructor who wanted me to carry my hands further forward with my elbows more bent. I have short arms so it was physically impossible and my horse was really unhappy. When I pointed this out she said he'd have to get used to it because it was correct
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(presumably I'd need to have arm extensions too so I could do it right)!
I left halfway through our 3rd lesson with her when you told me I was "lucky I wasn't riding another pupil's lovely horse as it would've bucked me off by now as I rode so badly".

To be honest I see it more as a sign that she can't teach than you can't ride!
 
Thanks for all the replies - makes me feel much better!! I would expect that kind of comment if I was arrogant (I am not!!!) but obviously if I am paying for a lesson I am aware that I need improvement.
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Also annoys me that she said he was behind in his schooling for an 8 year old
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- had to start him slow on account of his wonky legs as a youngster and I think andalusians (well half andalusian.....)- are meant to be slower starters anyway!
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Pah! *goes to give lovely slow-to-learn horse with incompetent rider more polos*
 
she sounds s*it, totally. a good instructor is encouraging, not demoralising. i wouldn't have paid for that, tbh! she must be a very mean-minded individual.
the worst thing ever said to me, after lots of lessons with an instructor, was "i give up, i can't teach you feel." i ended up in tears of frustration, totally demoralised.
i now know that he was wrong anyway, and, with the benefit of hindsight, that he wasn't a good instructor for me. what a waste of time and effort and money.
feel can be taught, by a good enough and patient enough instructor.
btw my brilliant dressage instructor once taught a guy at a clinic i arranged. this guy was pretty inexperienced, not a lot further on than a beginner really, but my instructor was patient and straightforward, and the horse started going brilliantly. he didn't talk down to the guy, he didn't make him feel like s*it, (the guy was apologetic from the start about his inadequacies and lack of experience), and by the end of it they looked like a totally different combination. not bad for 45 minutes...
that's what a truly gifted instructor can do.
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shame there's so many rubbish ones one has to go through to find the gems!
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That instructor is quite wicked!.
Instructors are ment to encourage not to discourage, to comforting not to discomfort, to teach not just to criticize blah blah blah, and do nothing.
Instructors must teach, say, give ALL their knowledge to students. They must not be selfish, must not keep any secrets. It' their job!!!!!!!!!!
Absolutely agree "VOTE WITH YOUR WOLLET". Get another instructor.
Envy and selfishness is a bad thing to deal with.
 
so, where was this good instructor?!!! I have a friend who has said she will teach me - but I feel bad as no money involved - but would really like to have a good instructor (even if they are expensive!!) for a lesson every so often. Any good ones in the west/north yorkshire area?!
 
These instructors are great.
I loved them when I was freelancing. I also loved the ones who screamed/shouted people over fences outside their comfort zone, terrifying them witless.
Thanks to them, I managed to steal enough clients to pay my way through my studies
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Vote with your feet - the instructor and the pupil should respect each other.
S
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Envy and selfishness is a bad thing to deal with.

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Ooooh like that bit - my horse IS exceptionally pretty, and as he likes me so much he let me play with him whilst he was lying down in the field today - think he secretly wants to be a circus horse!!!
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Yes, I had a lady who didnt like my horse as it was nothing to look at (then) and in very poor condition. She also didnt like me, as I was not a high flier in pony club. She proceeded to humiliate me over the course of the lesson, and insist I canter this horse (after I had specified that he was to do light work only) around and around and around to 'teach' him to strike off on the correct leg. I walked out of the lesson and never spoke to her again, and left that yard soon after. Appalling woman and I would love nothing more than to see her now, and inform her that the horse she told me I would 'ruin' because I wouldnt beat it around the school actually turned out to have chronic hock problems, hence its difficulties
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She also employed the good old sawing technique to get my young and just broken haflinger mare to 'work properly'. Thanks P, you know who you are, and if I had any say you'd never be let loose to 'teach' again

xxx
 
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These instructors are great.
I loved them when I was freelancing. I also loved the ones who screamed/shouted people over fences outside their comfort zone, terrifying them witless.
Thanks to them, I managed to steal enough clients to pay my way through my studies
grin.gif

Vote with your feet - the instructor and the pupil should respect each other.
S
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I have a fantastic sj instructor - quite marvellous - I mean she laughs at me, but I don't really mind that!!!!
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A good dressage/flatwork one just seems so hard to find!
 
Heck, next time a student hands me an assignment that's got issues I'll just write on the front, "This is sh*t". That'll save me reams of work! My boss has a sense of humour, so she'll probably write "You're sh*t too" across my P45 later the same day. More seriously, as we are forever being told, instructors/lecturers/teachers/whatever don't teach, they create an environment in which the student can learn (nauseating but true since no amount of ramming good grammar down my students' throats seems to work - they really do have to 'embrace' grammar willingly). Alongside that, criticisms need to be clear and precise, and for every criticism, at least one possible solution (but preferably more) should be provided. Your instructor seems good at picking up problems but bad at presenting them clearly with solutions.
 
I had a crap instructor for 3yrs as I had no oportunities to go anywhere else, as they wouldnt let any other instructors on the yard. She hated my horse and constantly moaned about him I didnt learn anthing as I spent the whole time defending him. I now have the most fantastic instructor for flatwork who when I moan about my horse he reminds me how much I love him. And he has taught me so much in the last year, and our dressage marks have gone up over 10%!!!!!!
 
I had an instructor similar to this, all she did was put me down whether it was flat work of jumping, my horse was a 4 yr old last year when I had lessons and Im not a great fan of jumping anyway. I stopped having her at the end of the summer.

Well this year we are on our 2nd season of showing under saddle and I missed the last show as I was away but the AI went in the class that I go in. I saw the pictures, what a Fuc*ing lash up!!!
Me and Bear should pi$$ over her at the next show!!
Maybe thats why she was always so bitchy as me and my YOUNG horse are better than her 41 yr old ass and her 9 yr old horse!




**Tuts** and she thinks she's a good AI!!!!!

Sorry rant over!
Oh and I am not competitive I just can't stick the woman!!!
 
Hmmmm, my daughter had an instructor who rubbished her constantly, using quite foul language, belittled her, sighed in exasperation & generally made her feel c**p. - Result? - lost her nerve - now has no horse. Unfortunately, she really liked this person (I have no idea why) & went to work for her in her gap year!!!!
Before you all yell, WHY DID YOU LET HER KEEP GOING??
All I can say is ..... teenagers dont listen to their mums.
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I fully sympathise, I once had some lessons with a hideous male instructor, my pony is a little tricky to say the least, when she was being good, & therefore I was more confident, the lesson went well, when she was naughty & I was less condfident, he screamed, shouted & generally made me feel like sh**, one time I just could not turn her, she kept galloping off & rearing in the corner of the paddock, his instruction was "turn her, turn her", clearly I couldn't or did he think I wanted to gallop & rear?? He AT NO TIME told me HOW to turn her, his answer?? To beat her so hard with a lunge whip with me on her that he broke it, I had a panic attack, I really truly thought I was going to suffocate. It was absolutely horrendous, he then shouted at me "You can't ride, that F**** thing will never jump, why don't you give up & put it in Reading market" Needless to say, I left in floods of tears, confidence in tatters. Before you all say, "I would never let someone do that to my horse", I was truly begging him not to hit her, but I was absolutely terrified as I thought she was going over backwards with me, & I couldn't get her out of the corner. Now however, different picture, I found Paul Crago, fab BSJA accredited coach, very patient, at first assesment he said "Nothing too much to worry about here, you've just lost your confidence a bit", within a few months we were jumping round BN standard courses at his house, proving, that in fact she can jump, & I can ride, with correct & sympathetic training. Sorry its long!!
 
You are all mad.
If you have an instructor like that you should firstly, mow them down with your horse.....preferably at speed, and secondly, gather what's left of them up and send them to me.
With my taxidermy skills, I can make them into a lovely jump filler (think Dejeuner sur l'Herbe).
Then you can find a nice instructor.
S
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I had an instructor who told me I was such a bad rider that I should never ride my horse again, or indeed any horse. Then I saw him "ride" and OMG what a cr*p rider he was. It was laughable really. No wonder he didn't think I could ride since his idea of riding was flopping about in the saddle like a dummy that had been tied on with a bit of string.
 
S you have really made me laugh
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What a brill idea, but sadly at the time I was completely able to gallop anywhere apart from to the corner, so was unable to do any sort of mowing down. However, now I can gallop & steer in the right direction, this is a handy tip for the future, but hopefully I will NEVER EVER need it, perhaps we should all carry guns, then if the instructor is really bad, one shot & it would all be over!!
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S you have really made me laugh
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What a brill idea, but sadly at the time I was completely able to gallop anywhere apart from to the corner, so was unable to do any sort of mowing down. However, now I can gallop & steer in the right direction, this is a handy tip for the future, but hopefully I will NEVER EVER need it, perhaps we should all carry guns, then if the instructor is really bad, one shot & it would all be over!!
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* * * Shilasdair sighs * * *

Now how can gunning your instructor down (like a scene from the Wild West/London) ever look like an accident?
S
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Yes S, guess you may be right, but I'm sure some of them actually deserve it, & you definately don't think it could be made to look accidental in any way at all.......?? Like "Oh sorry officer, my handgun just went off by accident as I was cantering along" No, it just doesn't sound realistic, shame though.
 
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