Instructors

[Neptune]

How many people use the same instructor for both disciplines? How do you think this is advantageous to you or any dis-advantages you can think of? What discipline does your instructor primarily ride/compete at?

Or if you use different instructors. Do you use a dedicated dressage rider for your flat work and the same for jumping? Again how is this an advantage to you.

Do you compete in a certain discipline or just as an all rounder kind of person.

Sorry, for all the questions. But I seem to be struggling with instructors at the moment. I am looking to event my horse. I have found myself a really good jumping instructor whom I really get and understand. But we rarely touch on any XC techniques and things like my two point position/light seat need work and improvement but I need help on correcting it. The instructor is a previous eventer herself, so was hoping XC techniques would be incorporated into the arena jump lesson so when you get outside on the proper course you have a head start. Maybe something I need to bring up with her and discuss?

As for the flat work instructor I am struggling. Flat work is definitely not my forte and I do struggle to understand a lot of the stuff. I need an idiots guide! But most instructors seem to think I know how to do a lot of stuff already and don't really explain things through to me properly, then I get frustrated because I can't do what I am trying to do as basically I do not understand what I am doing!

I have had a couple of all rounder instructors whom I start off well with but then we seem to wander off on different paths and no longer end up working together but more against each other.

I have tried pure dressage rider instructors but they seem to want to build my horse into some dressage superstar horse which if I am wanting to event then surely he wont make it around a XC course if he is built like a dressage horse! Its all long and low stuff they want me to do. Which fair enough my horse does need to build his top line but when he wants to hold himself in a nice little outline with a higher head carriage why try and push him down? why not make him work through from behind at the head level he wishes to hold himself at. He will be welcome to the idea of lowering his head as the schooling session goes on so why not encourage long and low after a bit of a schooling session.

Because I have then had these lessons at a long and low head carriage the whole time then when it comes to jumping he wants to go round all stretchy and low. Not quite what you want or need for jumping!

I am really struggling as to which way to go with this. I feel like I spend more time jumping from instructor to instructor and just not getting anywhere. I just want someone that will take the time to explain things to me correctly and properly and not expect me to just to be able to do stuff. Not to jump from one thing to the next with out an explanation of why.

Sorry for the long rant. How do you all work your lessons and instructors? Maybe I am just not communicating enough to the instructors and telling them my thoughts and feelings on the lessons. Or does it really take this long to find an instructor you actually click with?

Just want to get on and improve now and be able to reach my goals.

 

[be positive]

You need to communicate, they are not mind readers, if you need to practice XC technique then ask if your next session can be based on XC rather than SJ so they know before the lesson starts what is required.

Much the same with the flatwork, if you don't understand ask for things to be clarified rather than just going along hoping they realise you didn't get what they wanted.

The long and low work will do no harm, it will be beneficial whatever sphere you are aiming for, but if you do not understand why it is done or how to put your horse in different frames during a session then it comes back to your lack of understanding or possibly using the wrong trainers, the horse should be able to pick up or put down into whatever frame you want once he is working through correctly.

If you are just starting out BE90 level you don't require a high level trainer to get results but you do need someone who can focus on getting the foundations properly in place so when you are ready to move on the horse is well established and so are you.

I would speak to your current trainers about how you feel, try and get a plan of action in place so you can work together with the aim of getting the basics well established and better communication throughout each lesson, a 5 min chat at the start and end would help to discuss the lesson plan, aims and some homework to work on between each lesson.

 

[Bexx]

I have the same instructor for all. She teaches me on both horses. She has evented herself and knows what my aims are and also knows the horses very well. I generally go in with an idea of what I want to do or an aim of what to work on and she will take the lesson to that. She is a very good instructor and my riding has come on loads in the past year. In addition to that, I've just joined a local riding club so I get access to clinics and things too.
I'd say you just need to be clear with what your aims are so your instructor knows exactly what you want to do in your lessons otherwise they will just do whatever they think

 

[ruth83]

I agree that you need to talk to them. They should be giving you the opportunity to discuss with them how you're feeling things are going etc. As bp says above, they are not mind readers!!

If a number of instructors are encouraging you to work your horse long and low then chances are that his current outline is not connected through his whole body and he is probably not using his back. Sometimes you have to let them out to bring them back together.

If you don't understand something, say so. It may be as simple as a different phrase being needed. If you continue to smile and nod then your instructor isn't going to have any signs that you don't understand.