Matt Ryan

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charlotte1

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Has anyone had any lessons with him or know what he is like as a trainer. Thinking of possible having a lesson or two with him as he's fairly close by, but would like to know weather or not it would be worth it.
 
Good few years ago now went to a xc clinic at Milton Keynes. Horse I was riding was a git, Matt was incrediby patient with said horse and extremely encouraging which gave me confidence to carry on.
 
He talks a lot, which can be seen as a good thing or a bad thing.
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I've seen him teach a few times as he use to come and teach a few people at my old yard, the one thing that concerned me slightly was that when he use to get on and ride their horses he use to ride the very deep, some people would almost say over bent, the riders that he use to teach struggle to ride their horses in an outline so not sure if he would encouarge the riders to ride them deep.
 
I had a few lessons with him on a point to pointer that he started. TBH I found him pretty ignorant, and his wife even more so.
He couldnt seem to get that I was putting the horse wrong on purpose - that is how you teach horses to jump at speed. It is impossible to meet every fence spot on (unless you are Best Mate class), and they need to know what to do when they do get there wrong.
 
He's ridden at the olympics!! If he rides certain horses deep I'm pretty sure it's because they would benefit from it. If you get the chance to have a lesson with an olympian I'd do it - you can take what you want from it and ignore the rest.

It would be an amazing experience even if you only do it once.
 
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He's ridden at the olympics!! If he rides certain horses deep I'm pretty sure it's because they would benefit from it. If you get the chance to have a lesson with an olympian I'd do it - you can take what you want from it and ignore the rest.


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doesn't necessary mean he can teach though does it?

Someone on here did a couple of weeks at his yard, might be worth pm-ing them. Just can't remember who it was.

They posted a lot in the careers section so might be worth a search
 
I find your reply here interesting vicijp and it tally's my experience. I bought a horse from him, I couldn't ride one side of it because it couldn't think for itself, if it/we got a fence wrong it jacked it.
Whether that was because the horse had only ever been placed sopt on into a fence, or because horse was just ungenuine or I was just cr@p who knows.
 
I have heard this story so many times but about horses from many different professional yards, I personally would never buy a horse from someone like that as the chances are I would never be able to ride half a side of it, nothing to do with liking or disliking the pro rider.
 
Several friends of mine have bought pro horses and cannot ride them - if they get it wrong at a fence the horse just tells them to get lost. This is for SJ and eventing.
As for Matt Ryan have heard he is very good at sorting out problem horses such as Napping.
 
I've seen him sort out a really seriously nappy horse at a clinic and he was pretty impressive.
He was great at the clinic generally, very focussed on lower leg & XC position etc. but it was all very relevant.
 
Had a lesson with him a fair few years ago on a fairly straight forward but not particularly talented horse. I found him little help provided you did the exercise competently he just moved onto the next one and offered little advice. Certainly in a group situation I got little out of it.
 
in defence of Matt as a rider, he hasnt been to the olympics just the once guys and he has also beeen individual gold medalist. now while i agree that doesnt mean he can teach, i do think that those of us lesser mortals who buy horses from such luminaries might bear in mind that we dont all ride as well as him and some horses will carry on and suffer our mistakes and some wont!! i can think of a couple of other people who ride so fantastically xc that their horses having been winning right left and centre, get sold on and lose the plot because these creatures just dont know how to get out of trouble (as someone said) not be tcause they are badly trained but because they never have been 'missed'.
And as for matt as a teacher, i think you will find one of his pupils is was 4ht at Burghley this year!!
 
It is the same with buying any horse from a pro, some are "pros" horses, others arent. They are not used to being missed, and just cannot cope with it when it happens.
 
I bought my horse from him and it has taken 3 years to get him half right.He was VERY thin and had jacked it in as a 4 year old. He was backward to ride ansd would throw in the towel when things got too difficult for him (refuse to budge). He also had no personality what so ever , wouldn't play in the field, wouldn't even look at you. He was one very sad horse. When I tried him he came above the bridle into canter(bearing in mind he was 4) and the groom said he was not allowed to do that.

I was also sent a picture of him being schooled as a newley backed 3 year old in a pair of draw reins.

He is a new horse now!

However, can't comment on his standard of teaching.
 
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