Instructors that click your horse on - not always welcome?

BlueSocks said:
Are you more stressed with the instructor's clicking, or with your youngster's inability to cope with it? Your reaction to three clicks seems a bit over the top, which is why I'm saying that. Often in situations where we feel stressed or tense, we focus on little things which are actually only a small party of the bigger picture. Not criticising you - everyone does it, I do it all the time!! Try to take a step back. Yes, your youngster is sensitive to noise, yes she was in a new environment - but three clicks is nothing! What if a door had slammed, or a car backfired etc? Maybe the best thing to do would be to explain all this to your instructor, and work on the noise sensitivity with them in a safe environment, before you bother with more proper schooling type of work? But I would also say, clicking during training should always be appropriate - not just for the sake of it - and a clear instruction to the horse. Years ago when my lad was young, in my first lesson with him, I clicked him for something,can't evening remember what. My instructor (v old school but amazing), asked me why I was clicking, and I couldn't explain, it was just something I did, which really made me think about how horses respond and learn about noise cues.
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I've clicked or given a little lungewhip encouragement to a horse a great many times over the years I was teaching. Its all about getting the result for the rider surely? If I see someone is struggling to get a canter strike off, or has frozen coming up to a jump then a little outside assistance from me solves the problem and boosts the rider's confidence because it didn't all go wrong, nothing disasterous happened and they achieved the movement or whatever, what on earth is wrong with that? I teach children particularly to really bark at their pony if they are trying it on, just like a dog and it gives them confidence that they can overcome the napping, stopping etc without having to use bodily strength which they might not have or can't quite coordinate properly. At first they squeak like little mice so I walk to the other side of the arena and ask them to try again so that I can hear them. But equally I teach them to talk to their pony because it helps to relax the animal, plus you need to breath in order to talk, and that sets up a calming rhythm for both horse and rider. Who has never lunged a horse without clicking to it to keep its attention and forward movement. I think that is partly why instructors do it too. We are effectively doing a lunge lesson without the rein.

I wonder if the OP has more self-confidence issues than issues with the instructor actually.
 
irishcob said:
What is it with all this clicking?! I always think riders sound like demented chickens clucking and clicking away.... it drives me potty! So glad I mostly ride on my own now. What's wrong with riding with seat and leg aids?
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You are forgetting the very real value of voice aids.
 
Gingerwitch said:
But you would not tell someone elses dog off if the owner was there - so why on earth do instructors do this?
What else could I have done ? I explained what she is like, she saw what she is like, she finally saw her settle, and thatw as not enough for her first session?
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As a dog trainer and used to be riding instructor-sometimes something that can been seen is not felt and often getting the horse moving forwards does put the rider in a safer situation. I would just speak to the instructor if I was happy with everything else in the lesson-maybe you should ask them why they clicked as they are the only person that can tell you.
As a dog trainer when giving lessons i have corrected dogs when owners have failed to do so or their response to a situation has been slow.
 
Gingerwitch said:
So why does the instructor not say "needs to be more forward" and allow the rider to learn and implement?
And yes she needs a lot of work - that is why we were having a lesson.
And yes a click set her off, but as I had already posted we had spent most of the session leaping around the school as she was experiancing a different world to her.
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because sometimes helping the rider reach what they are aiming for gives them the experience of 'feeling the end goal' and once it has been felt and aknowledge the rider knows what they are aiming for and will recognise it when the instructor is not there to point it out,
 
Ah, the fine line between brilliance and explosion...

Maybe instructor thought she was dropping off your leg a little, and wanted to encourage forwardness without upsetting your concentration? My instructor does this to me, horse has now got used to it :)

I'd just tell her that it bothered you, otherwise she won't know what happened.
 
fatpiggy said:
I've clicked or given a little lungewhip encouragement to a horse a great many times over the years I was teaching. Its all about getting the result for the rider surely? If I see someone is struggling to get a canter strike off, or has frozen coming up to a jump then a little outside assistance from me solves the problem and boosts the rider's confidence because it didn't all go wrong, nothing disasterous happened and they achieved the movement or whatever, what on earth is wrong with that? I teach children particularly to really bark at their pony if they are trying it on, just like a dog and it gives them confidence that they can overcome the napping, stopping etc without having to use bodily strength which they might not have or can't quite coordinate properly. At first they squeak like little mice so I walk to the other side of the arena and ask them to try again so that I can hear them. But equally I teach them to talk to their pony because it helps to relax the animal, plus you need to breath in order to talk, and that sets up a calming rhythm for both horse and rider. Who has never lunged a horse without clicking to it to keep its attention and forward movement. I think that is partly why instructors do it too. We are effectively doing a lunge lesson without the rein.

I wonder if the OP has more self-confidence issues than issues with the instructor actually.
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I wouldn't like to comment on the OP's personal self confidence, however I agree with you - there's nothing wrong with voice cues / clicking, but done appropriately and not just willy nilly - that way the horse learns what the noise means in a consistent manner. Voice aids are some of the most useful available - that's not saying use them instead of leg or seat - but alongside them and at the right time.
 
I would not care at all .
I would however have made sure I had dealt with the over sensitive attitude to noise before I went away from home .
My horses are all voice trained and used to working with two humans often one on top and one on the ground close to it.
My trainer does click and give voice commands to the horses and also uses the whip sometimes when trained passage etc .
 
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