Have I just had the rudest riding instructor on the planet?

I never had a lesson with the very high level dr instructor that came to the yard, but she was exceedingly sharp, much sharper than the woman you describe so that is perhaps normal in Germany. I think it is just a different system really, with different standards towards riding. Even little kids in Germany ride in an outline or side reins if there is no outline, and they take exams before they can compete and stuff. They do indeed love their draw reins, but after living there for a while I have to say, I think draw reins are an excellent tool if you use them correctly.
 
When I first got my horse about 5yrs ago I went to a PC rally with a very well known and often complained about instructor and judge in my area. We were just walking around before the lesson even began she called me over and told me she knew my horse and that I was very lucky to have her as the girl who had owned her before me hadn't been able to ride either (even tho she had done well at JRNs) and neither could I - according to her I was just lucky to have a very easy push button horse. She sent of the rest of the group off doing trot and canter work and told me I had to stay in walk the whole lesson as that all I was capable of. :( I was 14 then and came out of the lesson in tears.

We later found out that the instructor had tried to buy my horse for a client of hers and that the people who we brought her off wouldn't sell her to them as they wanted Purdy to go a home and not a competition yard. She was obviously miffed about this and decided to take it out on me!!

I am hard on myself at the best of times but considering we were successfully doing PN at this point with dressage in low 20's I knew I wasn't so bad I could only do walk!! :eek:
 
illy89 said:
When I first got my horse about 5yrs ago I went to a PC rally with a very well known and often complained about instructor and judge in my area. We were just walking around before the lesson even began she called me over and told me she knew my horse and that I was very lucky to have her as the girl who had owned her before me hadn't been able to ride either (even tho she had done well at JRNs) and neither could I - according to her I was just lucky to have a very easy push button horse. She sent of the rest of the group off doing trot and canter work and told me I had to stay in walk the whole lesson as that all I was capable of. :( I was 14 then and came out of the lesson in tears.

We later found out that the instructor had tried to buy my horse for a client of hers and that the people who we brought her off wouldn't sell her to them as they wanted Purdy to go a home and not a competition yard. She was obviously miffed about this and decided to take it out on me!!

I am hard on myself at the best of times but considering we were successfully doing PN at this point with dressage in low 20's I knew I wasn't so bad I could only do walk!! :eek:
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What a bitch - some people can be so cruel
 
Perhaps you should have done as she told you too. You were paying for her expertise after all. Instead of worrying about how polite she was towards you and trying to second guess what she was asking, you may have achieved more in your lesson. It appears from your post that you were concerned that you were asked to do things differently from the other pupils, are they at a higher level than you?

When in the role of student, it is usual to do as the instructor asks.
 
AndySpooner said:
Perhaps you should have done as she told you too. You were paying for her expertise after all. Instead of worrying about how polite she was towards you and trying to second guess what she was asking, you may have achieved more in your lesson. It appears from your post that you were concerned that you were asked to do things differently from the other pupils, are they at a higher level than you?

When in the role of student, it is usual to do as the instructor asks.
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I actually agree with this - i pay my hard earned money for lessons and would much prefer good instruction even if it does hurt my feelings than the nicey nicey approach - i cant bear it when i know im being rubbish and the instructor says well done.
 
ginabella said:
I actually agree with this - i pay my hard earned money for lessons and would much prefer good instruction even if it does hurt my feelings than the nicey nicey approach - i cant bear it when i know im being rubbish and the instructor says well done.
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My instructor has made me cry before. She tells it like is and doesnt sugar coat it! I laugh at it now because I know for all she has put me through I am a better rider and I have a lot of respect for her.

However:
I understand her and where she is coming from and comprehend the points she makes, BUT: if you dont with your instructor then there are plenty more out there of a good calibre (some rubbish 'cba style' ones too!) but plenty of other good ones who you may find you 'click' with, dont waste time and money if you arnt getting anything out of it. Plus I would also say is worth a try to ask her if she has 5 mins outside the lesson to explain to you are you are a little confused with her methods.
 
I do not like rude and unpleasant instructors and in my experience they are often very poor teachers.I would never tolerate it again having been badly hurt by said instructors.There is no need for this and remember YOU are the one writing the cheques!
 
I'm just going to hijack your post and say I'm terribly jealous that you are in HK. I lived there as a child and went back in 2006 - I adore that smelly, congested island, even Stanley :-) I found the Lush shop pretty damned easily because their wonderful whiff rose above that 'dodgy drains' smell lol.

Whereabouts do you ride?
 
Hedgewitch13 said:
I'm just going to hijack your post and say I'm terribly jealous that you are in HK. I lived there as a child and went back in 2006 - I adore that smelly, congested island, even Stanley :-) I found the Lush shop pretty damned easily because their wonderful whiff rose above that 'dodgy drains' smell lol.

Whereabouts do you ride?
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Me too!!! I used to spend all my spare time at Lowu, miss it like hell!
 
Pedantic said:
Maybe her liddle tank had broken down, or the fallen Maddona with the big boobys had been stolen from her Frankfurter, or she isn't getting any gateaux in her chateaux ;)
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Allo Allo so love that programme - we get it here on Sky UK TV - I have a Liddle Truck!

Miserable woman - I hate instructors like that and the ones that keep telling you well done that was great because they don't have the knowledge to teach you further. I happily take critisicm (sp) so long as it is constructive and helps me improve.

Sneak in take a picture of her, pin on your wall and throw darts! Teee heee.....
 
millreef said:
Bet you can't beat this.
She is the senior instructor - German so has lots of European qualifications (not sure what they are but she's a brilliant rider). My regular riding instructor was off so she took the class. I have never even spoken to her despite riding there regularly.
  1. She begins the lesson without introducing herself
  1. Four other people in the lesson - she checks all their girths, ignores me.
  2. Nearly 15 minutes into the lesson she has spoken just twice to me - to tell me to keep my fingers on top
  3. She asks me and two others to trot at one end of the school on a 20 m circle and the two others at the other end doing the same.
  4. Then asks the other four to start cantering on the 20 m circle
  5. I trot for about 5 mins whilst all about me are farting and cantering and finally give up and wait in the centre of the circle as I clearly have misunderstood
  6. She then ignores me for a further 5 minutes
  7. finally she asks me what I'm doing.
  8. I have no idea I said
  9. You should be trotting said she
  10. But people are cantering on the same track as me I replied
  11. Yes, can you not ride? Replied the Teutonic one
  12. I've never known this before replied I, the confused one.
  13. I am German she states
  14. And I have a masters degree! she further states
  15. (I have two so what)said I
I then explained that I have to ride well as I have an exam on Tuesday.
WHAT EXAM - STAGE ONE!!!!!!She said. (She knows full well that I'm having my stage two exam. She even had a grin on her face.
After we resumed the lesson she came over to me (last) and I thought she would give me some gems to be going on with.....BUT..... she told me off for not checking my girth (I FECKING DID CHECK IT AND IT WAS FECKING FINE).
Finally I told her that she was the rudest person I have ever met and that there is no need for her to be so nasty. I then went and cancelled the rest of my lessons. What a complete B.I.T..C...H.
This has got to be the rudest instructor on the planet
Annoyingly I have loads of instructors and I absolutely love them and they're all really different. I am off to Toys r us to buy a small german doll to which I plan to stick pins into.
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Darling...poor you!
Don't you know all the dolls in Toys r Us are Chinese...sighs.....:)

Bryndu
 
LOL, loved reading this post, she sounds a real gem of a lady!!
Does she want a boyfriend???!!!!!! ;)
I think you should keep her on and report back to us on here purely for the entertainment value just make sure it is at regular intervals, enabling us to get over each installment before the next one appears!!
Oz :)
 
Hi, So sorry for you, this is all you need before an exam, there are obviously no pills in Germany for her kind of crazy!!!!. Hope you get on well in your exam and don't let this woman get you down. What an expletive!.:D
 
10 years ago I paid £35 for a 45min lesson for my daughter with a top dressage instructer. She hardly spoke to my daughter was exceedingly rude to me and her and her lesson had no point at all.
When I commented on her rudeness and her lack of feedback to someone else, the comment was,' she's very shy and you have to have a few lessons before she tells you anything'.
I think riding is one of the few sports left were people can charge and not give a good service on any level and the customer is left feeling at worst belittled and at best angry.
If you complain its the emperors new clothes syndrome and you are obviously not getting it. I think there should be the equvalant of the tripadviser website for instructors wher you can get a feel of an instructer before you part with your cash.
 
honetpot said:
10 years ago I paid £35 for a 45min lesson for my daughter with a top dressage instructer. She hardly spoke to my daughter was exceedingly rude to me and her and her lesson had no point at all.
When I commented on her rudeness and her lack of feedback to someone else, the comment was,' she's very shy and you have to have a few lessons before she tells you anything'.
I think riding is one of the few sports left were people can charge and not give a good service on any level and the customer is left feeling at worst belittled and at best angry.
If you complain its the emperors new clothes syndrome and you are obviously not getting it. I think there should be the equvalant of the tripadviser website for instructors wher you can get a feel of an instructer before you part with your cash.
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100% with you there Honeypot.
 
I do wonder about some instructors' teaching skills - as in, do they have ANY?

When I teach (not riding but dog training), I watch my clients work then I give them feedback - about what they did well, and what can be done differently to improve next time. Some clients are not confident (despite actually having very good handling skills) and therefore they need more praise to build their self-confidence, while others need more tips on how to improve. They are CLIENTS, they are paying good money to learn, not to be reduced to quivering heaps of jelly or floods of tears! And you don't learn when all you are ever told is how awful you are - the human brain finds it very hard to process negative commands. Try telling yourself NOT to think of a donkey playing a banjo while riding a unicycle - I bet everyone you try that on will not only think of the donkey but will add a straw hat on too. ;)
 
Sorry to generalise, but I feel I am allowed as I am half German (German mother!). Germans imo have yet to learn to the art of subtlety and tact. They can be extremely rude and say the most outrageous things without so much the bat of an eyelid and then look amazed that people are offended or upset. Yes they can be fun too, but to generalise again they are a harsh feisty race imo.
 
I once had a lesson with an instructor who said that my mare was only fit for dog meat. I kept the horse and never used the instrucor again. I just wish that I'd had the guts to leave the lesson and not pay, but I was so shocked by it all that I only got angry once the 'dazed' feeling cleared a few hours later.

I later learnt that she was notorious for making her pupils (whatever their age or gender) cry.
 
Hi Millreef, sorry I missed this this first time around and what an awful experience!!!! I'm utterly gobsmacked! I hope you manage to find some exta sharp pins to stick in your doll.

She's obiously jealous of you or something equally bizarre. Anyway, big hugs xx
 
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