Good Riders aren't always Good Instructors!

Rowreach said:
I think once riders become a name they no longer need to ride the quirky difficult horses and forget an awful lot about how they need to be ridden - and that a lot of us lesser mortals have them! I had a particularly difficult but very talented horse a few years ago. The NZ rider I mentioned above taught me on him a few times, and even rode him once - he got off, handed him back and said "you understand him and ride him better than I do, but now I know what you need to do". And that is the sort of help you want :)
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I agree with this ^^^, although I think it's not so much that they forget, just that they no longer have to waste their time on the difficult, not-top-class ones. And what a good instructor Mr "NZ Name" is, if he told you that ^^^
 
It sounds like the instructor was unsympathetic and handled it badly but from a practical point of view, if everyone else had booked in for 80cm and what you daughter needed at that point was to build confidence round the mini jumps as you said, then trying to do both within one clinic may have been impractical.

When doing clinics to get out and build confidence, sometimes it's worth booking the height lower than you normally would. Especially with a new partnership and a green horse. I'm in the same situation in that my regular instructor doesn't travel out to do cross country as she has commitments so I travel to do clinics with strangers. With a spooky, green horse I'll go down a height but often end up being given the option to pop over bigger ones.
 
I spoke to the organiser and made it clear she was targeting 80cm unaff later in the season but this was a new partnership and a 5 yo pony. Also confidence wasn't an issue before the lesson! It was the lesson that knocked it after she fell off. Before that she was doing fine at
PC rallies jumping 80cm ish.

So yes she was in the wrong group which was no doubt frustrating for the others but they put her where they had spaces not where she was best suited.

I've booked a clinic too with another instructor as I really want some XC practice before my first event in March. I've not jumped since September. I am now panicking that I am going to be put in a group with people much better than me! I've just emailed the organiser to say PLEASE PUT ME IN THE RIGHT GROUP! Super paranoid now.....
 
abbijay said:
I'm based v near Somerford and suspect it may well have been a non-british Olympic eventer you had your session with? He's not got the most sympathetic reputation.
I haven't done much XC myself so can't recommend anyone lovely for you, sorry.
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I thought of this one as soon as I realised you were in the NW. I also know of an eventer who went to him for help with SJ - after lessons with him she never competed again!!
 
Ambers Echo said:
So yes she was in the wrong group which was no doubt frustrating for the others but they put her where they had spaces not where she was best suited.
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That's bad on the organisers' part as someone is going to be upset.

The clinics I've done actually specify a height even so I've been in the groups that are just right, the person who's a little bored as the instructor reunites someone with their horse for about the 3rd time and the person who is holding everyone up because 'stupid' has decided he can't cope with bit of differently coloured ground at the top of a bank.
 
junglefairy said:
I find the instructors I get the most from are those that know me, my ambitions and my horse. I find one-off clinics are rarely that productive. I never get much from group lessons and so only do them now as a cheap and easy way to get out and about.

For the OP with a young green horse, I would focus on using one regular instructor otherwise you risk confusing the horse with different training approaches at each lesson. If after a few sessions you’re not progressing then look at another instructor with a different approach.
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Similar here - I hit a confidence blip last year and think part of that was going to too many group sessions with a range of instructors, giving me conflicting advice. Am now focussing on one instructor for all disciplines and being a bit more focussed about outside tuition.
 
I'm so sorry your daughter had such a horrible time, I totally agree that a great rider is not automatically a great teacher, although some certainly are, its not a given, also some are just rubbish at teaching children. I also agree that one off clinics are rarely a good thing, even if they are with good trainers, its often just too much conflicting information and different methods.

In your situation I would try to get a few people together (of a similar standard etc) and be very nice to your regular trainer and ask if they will do a xc clinic in a different venue, you may find they are more willing if you can get a group together.
 
AlexHyde said:
OP I had a fantastic clinic with Michael Owen at Kelsall if that's not too far out for you :). He was patient, confidence inspiring and could cope with a group of horses having different issues within a group :rolleyes3:, he managed to get the bonkers cart horse to jump this!

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Spooky fences being her nemesis :o.
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Well, YOU managed to get her to jump that ;)
 
Really good riders probably don't know what they do and they can't understand why other people find it so hard. Like the German instructor shouting at his English pupils "Ride Better."

I think you have to have struggled a bit yourself to make a really good coach.
 
Years ago I had a little ex racehorse who had at that point done a couple of 2'6" classes at local shows (so long ago it was before metric was invented). I booked into a three day clinic with a top trainer and as my horse had competed she was put in the advanced group. That turned out to be an advanced event horse, someone who did lots of team chasing point to pointing and jumped huge scary fences and another experienced horse, all warming up for the event season. Instructor was fabulous. Treated us all fairly even though didn't know me. The only thing we didn't do was the last bit of the last session as the jumps were serious by then. He asked the students watching which horse they would like him to ride and they all said mine (probably for comedy value as we had no flat schooling whatsoever) and he showed me the most amazing exercises I never knew existed Week later we went out and won a power and speed at a big local show. He had the knowledge of teaching to see that we could do it but in a supportive way rather than a forcing way and if at any stage I hadn't felt me or the horse capable, he would have understood. He even came and chatted to us at a show later in the year, which was quite amazing he remembered us. Amazing chap and rightly acknowledged as one of the best. Then I did another another clinic the following year with a top show jumper and it was rubbish - if you hadn't spent a fortune on a warmblood from the continent then he wasn't interested in the horse or you at all.
 
Orangehorse said:
Like the German instructor shouting at his English pupils "Ride Better."
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... well, it's short, sweet and to the point, I suppose that's a positive ?! Brilliant! :D

Orangehorse said:
I think you have to have struggled a bit yourself to make a really good coach.
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I'd agree with that, I had some lessons in the past with a top local SJer and she really had no concept that it didn't come naturally to some people. Hopeless.
 
Good teaching has to be learned and practised, just as good riding does. The two are definitely not interchangeable, teaching effectively is a skill in its own right.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
Good teaching has to be learned and practised, just as good riding does. The two are definitely not interchangeable, teaching effectively is a skill in its own right.
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I agree. As a trainer (we’re not allowed to say instructor) of an entirely different skill set it takes a while to figure out how to get the best out of people, especially as everyone learns differently. What is rarely effective though, is overly negative criticism and telling people just to be better. It doesn’t work when errors could cost lives and therefore I get very frustrated with riding instructors that shout and don’t explain as a lot less is at stake!
 
Oh my goodness, this has just reminded me of one of the best pieces of advice I ever got; I was at the Winters warming up with my brilliant trainer for the Elem, and my horse was quite young and in the warm up we just couldnt get the canter - trot - canter and the simple changes, we could do one or the other and we had to go in, so I asked my trainer what to do (we had been able to achieve this prior to this warm up) and my trainer said "you just have to ride really well" I fell about laughing as did Dan the steward, and my trainer couldnt understand why we found it so funny, at that moment it was her best advice! So I went in giggling to myself and of course it worked perfectly and we were placed. At the right time, and the right moment it really was the best advice.
 
Rowreach said:
I had a clinic with an eventing "name", after which I was in tears in the lorry when a bunch of people who had been spectating stomped up the ramp to tell me they couldn't believe the way I'd been treated.

With hindsight it was quite funny, her hierarchy of favourites in the group. Her Golden Child was called Bryony and to this day I remember (and use!) her saying "We must ALL try to be like Bryony!!"



x
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There are 2 pre season eventing clinics on offer near me, each with a 'name' and I'm tempted. But would want to avoid the above! Would you mind pm-ing me the instructor(s)?! Thanks. X
 
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