Riding Instructors (some!) RANT

E

eahotson

Well-Known Member
Joined
4 June 2003
Messages
4,901
Location
merseyside
Visit site
OK O our yard we have a woman called Jay and her horse BOB an ex competition horse who ended up on working livery at local riding school.From there one of their adult riders has got him on loan.She has as her instructor one of the RI from school. This horse is a saint AS this woman has poor seat at trot and no seat at canter which IMHO she is not yet ready to do. They have the horse in a Dutch Gag second rin (RI advice!) and she bounces round swinging on his mouth and gobbing him!He isn't very forward, I wonder why not!!! SO she is now equiped with a large stick and long spurs, YES long spurs!! BECAUSE Bob is a lazy so and so!!! He goes round the school, even with the dutch gag, with his head up in the air!! And do read the post about Dutch Gags! This woman is quite novice and has a QUALIFIED i.e AI instructor and has no idea really what is actually going on. I read in one mag about finding an instructor and the advice was that qualifications don't always mean a lot. Ain't that the truth.
 
I don't think you should blame the qualification: the AI stands for Assistant Instructor. It is the first rung on the ladder, which means that someone who is an AI is qualified to teach under supervision. This doesn't mean that they should be constantly supervised but that they need some mentoring / advice in lesson planning etc .The problem is that RSs employ them as Chief Instructors because they are obviously cheaper than some one more qualified. Unless they are on the register of instructors there is no requirement for CPD and so they can become a little stagnant in their approach.

In this instance it is a real shame for the horse, but I'm wondering what you are hoping to achieve by posting this? Have you spoken to the rider directly or discussed your concerns with the YO? Should you really have included the rider's name and her horse's name in the post?
 
I agree riders/horses names ahould not be involved as your making a rod for your own back you can never tell who is coming on here and reading.

Its a shame but this woman will only be an assistant instructor.
But on the same note this woman has to be cantering to learn and to develop her seat it dosent just happen for everyone.
She should not be riding in spurs especially if she is a novice and the horse should not be in a gag if he does not require one.

But maybe there are underlying reasons as to why this is going on and obviously the YO is aware of it and not too concerned.The thing with riding school horses is most of them do go round having there mouths pulled and there sides kicked it is the life of a school horse im afraid.

Its not nice when i was teaching before i had my baby it used to make me cringe listening to horses sides been kicked but then once the riders are a little more established you can teach them to wrap the leg around and squeeze.
If people were told they were not ready to canter becuase they had a bouncy seat everybody would be trotting.
 
Well 2 things really. One, the horse is doing his best under very difficult circumstances (and he is on full loan actually) and he has behaved like a saint and he is called lazy and ignorant. Would you like that? Secondly my best instructor (who wouldn't have known a BHS qualfication if he had fallen over one) wouldn't let you canter until your seat was established enough in walk and trot.He would say occasionally canter down that side there. That will do you, stop now. A week or two later the same thing until he was happy that you were secure enough to start canter work properly. NOT only did we not spend our entire lives only walking and trotting we did things I never thought I could. GOOD sitting trot (when you were ready) flying changes, extended trot etc.As for the jumping well he was wonderful with that.Interestingly he rarely used riding without stirrups.I don't blame the woman who is very novice has what she thinks of as a QUALIFIED instructor and thinks that if this is what she is teaching it must be right.
 
your coming across as been a bit nit picky and childish i have to say.

As an instructor myself i can assure you no 2 instructors teach the same and if that was the case nobody woul dmake a name for themself good or bad as that may be.

I think the lack od replies to your thread should tell you people are not generally agreeing with your views and its been a head shaker.

Is this horse actually yours or have anything to do with you at all?

If not i really do feel you should keep your nose out its not a neglect case,if the horse was that uncomfortable it would be showing worse signs then head raising.
Again as i have already said school horses tend to go round with there heads up and not on the bit unless ridden but a more compitent rider.

The instructor will be doing things according to the womans capability i used to teach one woman who was in her late 50's when she took up riding and bless her after 5 of us all taking it in turns to teach her she still couldnt do rising trot nicely after a year.
Some people get to olympic standard others like one of the liveries at a place i used to work have lessons there entire life and would not pass stage 1 and she was having lessons from someone who competes for GB.

Before you judge this womans teaching ability you really should know the full story [you may think you do but even if you are watching the lessons you have no real idea on why and what they are doing unless your involved in it personally]
If your that concerned talk to YO but im pretty sure she would tell you its non of your concern.
 
You're not really making sense. Because this instructor is an AI she knows nothing, because your instructor has zero qualifications s/he knows better, and ... erm ... what about you?
Not to put too fine a point on it, how do we know that you know any better than someone who has at least a basic qualification?
And what's the point of saying it all on here?
Just sounds like a good old fashioned yard bitching session to me.
 
Sorry, but I don't really get the point of your thread.

If you're concerned about the horse, have a word with the YO/RS Manager/owner.

I'm inclined to agree with the_skewbald, it just sounds like a b*tching session.
 
Well for a start, I am not a natural or talented rider at all. Never have been, never will be, I just had a marvellous instructor thats all.Thats why I know the difference.It does strike me that you are all very defensive and I do apologize if I come across as a yard bitch, I didn't realize that feeling angry that someone is being ripped off is being bitchy.Obviously I am wrong.
 
but the point is, duck, how do you (or we) know that you know better? How do you know your instructor is so marvellous? Who says? You. And what are your qualifcations to assess an instructor?
You just sound as if you have a chip on your shoulder about people with qualifications.
It can be jolly easy to know better from the ground. I should concentrate on improving your own riding with your wonderful if unqualified instructor, if I were you. Does s/he have insurance?
And consider the possibility that the owner/ instructor/ rider have thought this through, and may, just may know better than you where the situation is going.
 
I can't see any defensiveness from any posts.

There wasn't really a question in your opening post or any subsequent ones so it really does sound like a slagging off session.

Do you want to help the loaner and the horse?
 
may i ju say to you and mollywops THANKYOU she wont be told though as an instructor myself i know there are many different ways to teach many different people.

Take me i can teach a very good sitting trot cant do it myself for toffee im crap,but i know how to teach it.

she seriously does sound like a over opinionated yard stirrer and it really is non of her business what this lady is doing in her lessons,and as for using the names that is out of order nothing gives you the right to name and shame people who cant defend themselves.
 
as always, there is good and bad in the world, and people have to accept there are good and bad AI's. some AI's are very good in a riding school situation and lost in the real world, some are good on a normal one to one private but would go to pieces in a riding school situation teaching rides of 6.
6 of one and half a dozen of the other. i would always say take all advice and use what you find the best! If you want instruction, go to an AI, if you want to compete BD elementary get a dressage trainer, if you want to SJ, a bsja reg. coach. horse for courses! lol!
 
i think your all being a little childish n nit picky really. Your all being too personal toward pirani although it did seem she was being bitchy i would personally be upset having seen a horse with a gag in being yanked about by a complete novice wearing spurs n james_08 just wondering as an instructor yourself would you personally let a complete novice that isnt particularly balanced in trot ride a horse in a gag n spurs? not being a b*tch just asking. N although i would not let a novice canter with spurs n a gag i dont see any problem with this really as my seat wasnt exactly brilliant before my instructor let me canter n even jump as that also teaches balance.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top