Reflections on XC clinic

Cherryblossom

Cherryblossom

Well-Known Member
Joined
3 May 2015
Messages
495
Location
Northern Ireland
Visit site
I’ve just done a clinic, and am not sure how I feel about it, but I know you lot will tell me straight!
It was advertised as XC clinic with mini/midi/maxi classes. I ride a friend’s horse, but haven’t ridden at all since January and the horse isn’t fit, so I explained that and asked to be put in the mini class.
I started out pretty nervous and backwards thinking, and had a few stops, but the instructor got me riding much more forward, and towards the end of the class we were happily jumping 80-90cm (I usually potter around 70-80cm classes). She then told me to do a course and finish with an enormous (to me) fence that was about 115cm. We managed it, and I was delighted- it’s the biggest the horse has ever jumped and the biggest I’ve done in 20years! At this point I was wobbly with adrenaline, it had been the best lesson in ages, and I started walking the horse to cool her off. The instructor then told me to go do the same again, and the mare’s owner said she’d rather we stopped as she could she signs of getting tired. I said I was happy to end on a high, but was sent off to do it again. At this point I’d lost focus between the elation of jumping that size, and the concern that the horse was tiring, so didn’t ride positively enough and we both fell at the next fence.
I’m mostly just gutted that such a great experience ended so badly, but there’s another clinic with her in a few weeks and I can’t decide what to do. Was she was right to push me, and I should be learning to focus and pull myself together, or should instructor should have listened when both myself and the owner said we were done? I find myself nervous at the thought of doing another lesson with her, and yet if we’d stopped 5 mins earlier, I’d be super keen!
 
Oh that is really horrible, sorry to hear you both had a knock!

Similar things have happened to me before where the instructor has gotten me to do something scary, it’s gone great and then they’ve asked me to do it again and I’ve messed it up.

I think in this situation the trainer was in the wrong. First of all because she herself should have recognised that there is really no need to do it again, you’ve already had so much success, why push it? And then when the owner said she didn’t want you to do it she should have respected her. I’m really sorry this happened as it sounds like it was such a good clinic up until this point!

As I’ve grown a bit older (late 20s lol) I try to take charge a tiny bit more in lessons where we are doing something that’s out my comfort zone. My teachers now know that if they put something up that’s scary and I jump it well, it’s best for me not to do it again! I think it sounds like such a great clinic but sounds as though the instructor wasn’t quite as aware as they should be. Tired horses doing Xcountry can quickly get very dangerous so I’m surprised at her reaction.

I really wouldn’t let it get to you as it was just one jump out of however many and it was WAY outside your comfort zone, plus on a tired horse! Try to think of the positives and remember that if you had ended 5 minutes earlier (which you should have done!) you would be feeling absolutely elated.
 
What happened after the fall? Did you pop a few fences and what was the instructors response?

She was probably trying to cement your good experience but it was just too much on this occasion
 
Yep trainer shouldn't have pushed you, but equally you should have listened to the owner (and yourself) and been more insistent that you were stopping. Glad no harm done.

I used to have a sharer who took George to a XC clinic and I went along. After a while, George started getting tired and I said to the instructor that I thought he'd had enough, as he wasn't very fit. She disregarded me and told sharer to do a few fences together, which were probably around 1/1.10 so big enough. About halfway through he hit one quite heavily, I don't know how he stayed upright or the girl stayed on but it was a real heart in the mouth experience. Instructor then said he'd had enough and stopped.
 
Unfortunately some instructors don't know when to stop and need to listen to the rider and the owner. You could have both been killed. I would not return.

I know my horse and I know myself. I have stopped early or refused to jump something in a XC clinic. That's my perogative. I will not be bullied into doing something I don't want to do or feel confident doing as it's too dangerous if you're not 100% committed.

Hopefully the instructor will have learned a lesson.
 
Afterwards I got on and popped a wee log. Instructor just pointed out that I’d been far too passive and that I’d reacted too slowly to horse trying to stop; which is absolutely true.

I think if I do the next clinic with her, I need to talk properly about what I want to achieve. As a very part time rider, I think it’s fair enough doing a bit of training over the 90cms, so that nothing on an 80cm Track concerns me, but this horse has come back from several major injuries and I’d never forgive myself if I broke her. At the end of the day she’s an overweight cob, and post baby I could be described as the same! ?
 
I think you and owner should have stuck to your guns and stopped. I wouldn’t be going to any more clinics with that instructor but I would perhaps be hiring a course Soonish so that you can jump a few jumps and make sure it has not knocked you or the horse.
 
That's really unfortunate - unless the first jump was terrible, I think it was poor form to make you do it again if pony was tired.
 
Trainer was in the wrong and should not have made you do it but you should have stood up for yourself. You could have had a terrible accident. I always think ‘quit while you’re ahead’ when I’m training and will often stop before the end of a clinic if I’m happy with what I have achieved. The trainers always try to persuade me to continue but I’d much rather finish on a good note and with my pony feeling confident. Glad you are both ok!
 
You’re all right. I should’ve stood up for myself. And I guess that’s as valuable a learning point as anything else! And to be fair to the instructor, when she first told me I was going to jump it, I protested and said I’d never get over it, so perhaps it just sounded like more of the same, although I’m wasn’t negative about anything else the rest of the time.

I wouldn’t say I’d never use her again, but I’ll maybe get a lesson with someone else first, as when I think about doing that clinic again, I actually feel quite anxious; which just isn’t me, and it’s not about going and jumping in general, but this specific clinic.
 
it's hard to stand up to a trainer sometimes and say "that's enough" if they are getting carried away. however, having had this experience I am sure you won't find it so difficult the next time. Ultimately you know how you and your horse feel and although it feels horrid at the time, sometimes just saying no, patting your horse and getting off is the best thing you can do.
 
Some trainers are very pushy. At pony club camp last year Katie was clearly saying Dolly was tired during the XC lesson and she was more or less told to be quiet and do as she was told! She did dig her heels in - after losing Ginny she has always been protective of Dolly - but it was not easy.

There is a 'Name' who taught at Somerford when he was based there who basically just got people jumping huge. I had friends who had a lesson with him and some were buzzing afterwatds but one woman tried very hard to refuse but he bullied her to jump a ditch-hedge, Horse and rider ended up in the ditch. She came home, pulled out of the ODE she was preparing for and has never been XC since.

I have no time for 'get on with it' trainers. The key for me is rider and horse confidence. Plus you can find a level that is comfortable - like say 80 - and then make it more technical. Angles, curving lines, bounces, dog legs, skinnies. Why scare a rider or overface a horse? I don't generally like trainers who focus on the height of the fence as opposed to improving your skills at a given level. There is a VAST difference between 90cm and 115cm. That is like 3 levels up! So why jump something that big? It is asking for trouble imho. A kick up the butt is appropriate sometimes - I definiely need them from time to time - but sounds like the trainer got this one very wrong. I'd avoid.
 
I feel for you and I hope both you and your horse don't lose their confidence. I can't believe she kept you going even though you said the horse was unfit. I can understand her doing a bit of psychology on you to get you to jump out of your comfort zone but not when it's about the horses welfare. It's so hard at a clinic to say ' Ive had enough 'isn't it? I have suffered badly with my confidence and put it down to having a few lessons with a trainer who made me jump bigger than I wanted to. I was a bag of nerves, nothing bad happened but I just felt I was winging it all the time and so stopped having lessons with him. I'd rather get super confident over smaller ones. It's funny how jumping what you think is huge does not necessarily make you feel more confident. I know we all need pushing but it's a question of timing. Someone I know had a bad fall at one of his clinics because he was making them jump huge.
 
I feel for you too. Don’t be hard on yourself though. It’s difficult in the moment to know what to do. Trainers will often ask you to do it again to cement your knowledge or show it wasn’t a fluke. It must Be hard for them to gauge it.

last year I limited the people I used as I think having people who don’t know you well, or don’t have the right approach, can be really detrimental.

I did have a lesson that pushed me out my comfort zone and the trainer would not let me give up (which I clearly wanted to do). We did it but I didn’t feel good about it. Was worried it had damaged my confidence afterwards but actually I was ok. However, it’s def true that even though you jump bigger in one lesson, it didn’t make me any more likely or more confident to jump bigger the next time. There’s clearly a lot more to it than that.

keep plugging away but be careful who you train with.
 
There's bigger and there's BIGGER. Even a small step up can feel daunting so sometimes you do need to venture out of your comfort zone. If a trainer can see that you are balanced, the horse is clearly capable AND you want to jump bigger but are nervous (some people have no interest in jumping high. So why should they?) then yes a good trainer will know when you need that push to do it. And you need to have the time to actually do it more than once so you feel you are riding not just hanging on for dear life.

I see absolutelty no training value or confidence building value in jumping a tired horse and a nervous rider over a single huge fence. Even if it doesn't go wrong. Confidence comes from a sense of mastery not a sense of getting away with it! And if it DOES go wrong then at best it sets you back and at worst it's very dangerous.
 
Confused. Owner asked you to stop but trainer said continue and you listened to trainer? I’d be quite annoyed if I was the owner. If I want my horse to stop, I expect that to be respected by both rider and trainer. Especially given the horse has had injuries and is unfit!

If my sharer or my paid jockey (who I’ve often paid to take my horse to clinics etc) did that and outwardly ignored my wishes they wouldn’t be riding my horse again. Nor would I use that instructor.
 
Last edited:
Michen said:
Confused. Owner asked you to stop but trainer said continue and you listened to trainer? I’d be quite annoyed if I was the owner. If I want my horse to stop, I expect that to be respected by both rider and trainer. Especially given the horse has had injuries and is unfit!

If my sharer or my paid jockey (who I’ve often paid to take my horse to clinics etc) did that and outwardly ignored my wishes they wouldn’t be riding my horse again. Nor would I use that instructor.
Click to expand...

I'd have stepped in, said the horse had had enough and probably had strong words with the trainer afterwards. No way would I have allowed a tired horse and rider to have been forced to jump something out of their comfort zone for no good reason.
 
It sounds like a lot of work for an unfit horse so unfortunately an accident wasn't a huge surprise.
It wouldn't necessarily put me off going again BUT I'd make sure the horse was fit for the task and be firm when he's had enough, the trainer can't make you jump anything you don't want to.
The owners word should have been final and I'd be annoyed if I was her. What does she think about you going again?
 
A tired unfit horse and a rider being expected to jump substantially bigger fences than they are comfortable with is a recipe for disaster. It’s so dangerous and I’ve probably seen more falls for this reason than any other. The trainer was trying to make herself look good by being the one that gave you confidence to do it, but unfortunately it ended badly.

Whilst we all need encouragement to go outside our comfort zones on occasion, we still have the right to say no if we don’t want to do something. The difference in height that you said you are comfortable with and used to and what you ended up jumping was too much, particularly when the horse was tired. The trainer should have listened to you and most certainly to the owner and you should have refused to jump that course a second time. And jumping 115cms when you usually jump 80cms is bonkers. You build up to that height (if you want to). Any trainer getting you to do that at the end of a session when you’ve said the horse is tired is downright irresponsible.

Sorry for the rant, which is not aimed directly at you Op. I’m just fed up with trainers who think they are god, don’t listen to riders and risk them losing their confidence by instructing them to do things they aren’t comfortable with. It’s not how high you can jump that should matter. It’s jumping the height you are comfortable with well.
 
There is a bit of a 'doing it for insta-likes' sometimes. I was at pony club camp at Somerford on their XC course and there was a young instructor with a group of kids one of whom was trying to jump an absoutely ridiculous fence for the level of rider. Pony refused/ran out repeatedly. Pony was getting stressed, rider getting frustrated with pony. Mum there with the camera going 'try one more time'. Just silly. Not saying this had anything to do with your clinic OP - but I guess trainers get tagged in posts and getting people jumping bigger than they normally would is probably one way they build up some exposure.
 
I think you've had a lot of sensible comments. You have my sympathy. I also learned the hard way to stick to my guns when it comes to doing/not doing something!
 
It sounds like a very unpleasant experience. Be sure to start jumping (smaller fences) asap so you and the horse don't lose your confidence.
 
Leo Walker said:
I'd have stepped in, said the horse had had enough and probably had strong words with the trainer afterwards. No way would I have allowed a tired horse and rider to have been forced to jump something out of their comfort zone for no good reason.
Click to expand...

Owner did step in- owner said no and rider and trainer did it anyway! I cannot understand that. Very easy for to say sorry, owner doesn’t want me to, therefore I won’t be jumping the fence.

I find it unbelievably disrespectful that the owner would be ignored by both parties, neither of who are picking up the vet bills for a horse with injury history.

Nope, never on my horse again.
 
I agree. I have had a couple of people ride my horse, eventing, XC lessons etc, and if I had said to stop jumping now and they carried on jumping I would be very cross. Then if by carrying on jumping the horse had fallen I really wouldn’t be happy and would be reconsidering if they could ride my horse at all.
 
Any decent trainer knows it's not about height/width, and pushing a tired horse, but quality of the approach, jump, and confidence of horse and rider.

Unfortunately lesson learnt that you must always voice your opinion, especially when it comes to welfare.
 
Yes I've come across trainers who could be a menace. 1. My novice horse with my daughter, I told the instructor, so the first fence they were asked to jump was an upright hedge, inviting, eh? And so it went on, I was not impressed. Fuming infact.

2. A friend had a lesson with a Very Well Known XC instructor. Horse was getting tired and asked to jump a fence with a ditch on the landing side, which she caught. Turned out to have broken its pedal bone and effectively put an end to its career.

I think that when you are a Pro Instructor it is too easy to forget that the horses in the class are maybe not very fit and they are trying to balance riders wanting their money's worth with the less than very fit animals.

Doing a cross country clinic is a lot of concentrated work, if you work it out, how many fences have you jumped? I know its not the same as galloping round the course but lots of repetition is hard work. Horse and rider can loose concentration.

OP I think maybe you could go again to the same instructor, but be very firm when you think the horse has had enough, and warn the trainer that you will pull out when youv'e had enough.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top