Thoughts on trainers/lessons

[glamourpuss]

Wench I think the ££ thing is an important point.

Locally there is an instructor who has a lot of clients. I had lessons with her for ages. She is very reasonably priced. Now I came away from each lesson feeling good but was dubious about how much progress I was actually making.
Now I pay double but in the 1st 10 mins the fact I throw my left hand away in the right rein was picked up & small changes made to help me address it (you can't get a horse to work into a rein that isn't there )
I would hate to think how much money I 'wasted' on cheaper lessons where a fundamental issue wasn't being addressed!

 

[milliepops]

Have enjoyed reading this thread so only right & fair that I contribute something

At the moment I'm only having flatwork training but am seeking out a jump/eventing trainer for some lessons at the moment because I think we might benefit from something completely different - have got ourselves in a stew seeking perfection with previous trainer over the last year or so, to the point where it's difficult to progress because the basic work is *never* perfect

Have you ever been given 2 vastly different styles from different trainers and how did it impact upon you and your horse?

Yes. Earlier this year I was lucky to win a lesson with a (very!) top rider whose approach was completely different to my then trainer. Both very horse-centric & in theory coming from the same 'camp' so to speak, but fundamentally opposing approach with my own horse.
Top rider was utterly straightforward, simple and uncomplicated - horse went willingly and delivered best work I've ever felt. (Then) current trainer didn't feel that we could work like that all of the time and I began to realise that Millie was withdrawing and becoming less willing with the way she wanted me to ride.
Talk about feeling torn.. I trusted my trainer's eye but trusted the feel I got from the single lesson with the rider so much more

Have you ever stopped getting lessons for a while even though it's not going well to try and improve yourself?

Well, this is sort of the position I'm in now. Actually I think *I* have benefitted from it because I was so confused with the situation above and I began to distrust myself. I haven't had a lesson since April (was seeing trainer every 2-3 weeks before) and actually I'm starting to trust my instincts more now which is good. I was paralysed with doubt before. I'm lucky to have a v good experienced friend to bounce ideas off in the interim.

We've moved yards so it will take a while to find a new trainer, but I'm really struggling to work out who I can ask, who would have the same approach as top rider - who made it all feel easy and natural for my horse

What makes you change trainers?

In my case, I've changed trainers in the past when I've twigged that I'm leaving lessons feeling less confident/competent than I did before I arrived And in this case, when my horse has told me it's not working

I'm finding myself dreading lessons rather that looking forward to them because I feel I don't know what I'm doing anymore

^^this sentence stood out to me because that's exactly what I was trying to get at. When I leave a lesson in a right old muddle, that's when I finally realise that it's not a good fit.

 

[FfionWinnie]

I think you need to try a new one now and again to see if someone may suit you better. This has worked well for me recently.

 

[Baggybreeches]

Siennamum it is Dorothy Johnson, I think even Stephen Clarke would say there's few better! And I won't be indiscreet enough to say what she charged me ( I think she gave me a hefty discount for being near her home in recent years) but lets just say I could ( and would rather) have 4 lessons with her than with a lot of higher profile trainers.

 

[Mouse&Bay]

In my opinion (fwiw) you always have two trainers - the instructor and your horse. They both give you feedback on what you're doing. If the instructor says something and the horse feels good as a result, go with it. If the instructor says something and your horse hates it - maybe its a new thing and they find it difficult, but if they continue to not like it, your horse is feeding back to you that it isn't good. As long as you keep mentally checking that both your trainers have the same opinion, then you tend to get along ok

Exactly!

I ride at an eventing barn. Our 'regular' trainer does jumping lessons, weekly for us. We also have a dressage trainer - I would love to ride with her weekly but finances forbid it... we usually find time about 2-3 times per month.

Most important feature of both trainers? They both realize that they are coaching the team. Not just me feeling good and looking pretty... not just the horse looking good and pretty. I need to learn how to be an effective rider; horse needs to learn and progress up the levels. There is always something to improve on, but never at the cost of the horse or the horses confidence.

I am one of those annoying students that will pull the plug if it is getting really ugly. I can take a little ugly; I can take horsey grumbling because whatever we are doing is hard. But I will not accept a trainer that is so rigid in their thinking that they cannot understand that this team cannot fit in their 'box'. Or that whatever exercise they're attempting is not progressing the team forward, but instead creating holes and set backs that are not necessary.

Example: Regular coach is very pro 2-point forward seat. She's grown up galloping racehorses and prefers (and usually has) the hot forward ride. I'm little. My horse is a *huge* warmblood (think wither more than 12 inches above my head). He is also green, in his first 1 1/2 years of schooling. Despite her preference for the forward seat, we quickly figured out that he doesn't like it. He needs more support coming into jumps, just likes having that little bit of extra help finding his balance that a sitting rider can provide. So I tend to sit. And my lesson-mates do the two point... and you know what? It's okay. It makes the horse happy, I figured out how to make it work for him & (most importantly) my coach is smart enough to know that her ego is not tied up in whether I sit or no - what matters is that it works. Which it does.

 

[Foxford]

Siennamum it is Dorothy Johnson, I think even Stephen Clarke would say there's few better! And I won't be indiscreet enough to say what she charged me ( I think she gave me a hefty discount for being near her home in recent years) but lets just say I could ( and would rather) have 4 lessons with her than with a lot of higher profile trainers.

I was very lucky to share bbs trainer for a couple of years which was an eye opener for me as she was the first "serious" trainer I'd had. The thing I most took away from the experience was the constant self-questioning instilled in me. When someone's yelling at you "why is the horse doing that?!" You learn to come up with a good answer pretty quick. That's what will help you when the trainer's not there as you have to trust your own instincts and fall back on what you've learned.

I'm currently in the fortunate position of having a lovely horse who I've brought on myself for a few years now. I'm determined that "now is our time" and I'm looking for a new trainer to help take us both into some new territory. It doesn't exactly matter what letters they have after their name, but someone who has proved that they still want to keep on learning - even when they don't have to - will certainly encourage me to try them out.

 

[Perfect_Pirouette]

I see a variety of trainers but they all sing from the same hymn sheet. I have enough experience to know what works for me and I will not try anyone new unless recommended by someone I really trust.

The difficult bit is building up this circle of trust in trainers. I did it the slow and painful way, through trial and error! Its a very hard conundrum as you have to have trust and belief in your trainer and that the long term results will be worth it. Rome is not made in a day and like that training is a long and slow process. I am very lucky I have a trainer, I have seen for 7 years now and I never get bored of going but I do have days of what is the point, and sometimes will see the results of that lesson a month later instead.

This ^^ is almost exactly my situation and how I too feel.

I do think training is essential if you want to move up the grades in any discipline but it has to be good, effective training. I think so long as someone is getting the desired results in their lessons and themselves and the horse are continuing to improve then really, that's the main thing. There is no point in having a trainer who's lessons leave you thinking 'Well I get better results and feel when I am out here schooling on my own' or a trainer where you spend the whole lesson not really understanding what it is they are asking of you/your horse.

Finding the right trainer is hard and as others have said, it will often get worse before it gets better. I think this is especially true in dressage, particularly if you use someone 'classical' as you will probably find the way you've been previously doing things isn't 'classical' or 'correct' and stripped right back to basics and put back together again!

 

[wench]

Wench I think the ££ thing is an important point.

Locally there is an instructor who has a lot of clients. I had lessons with her for ages. She is very reasonably priced. Now I came away from each lesson feeling good but was dubious about how much progress I was actually making.
Now I pay double but in the 1st 10 mins the fact I throw my left hand away in the right rein was picked up & small changes made to help me address it (you can't get a horse to work into a rein that isn't there )
I would hate to think how much money I 'wasted' on cheaper lessons where a fundamental issue wasn't being addressed!

Yes that's true... but it depends on where your goal is at the time. For instance when I start having lessons on my horse I will be after someone very basic to help me get along with my mare (haven't really ridden for a long time for various reasons, and shes a bit lively), so I will need someone on the ground, mainly to tell me where I'm going wrong!

 

[CaleruxShearer]

I have two fabulous trainers who I really trust, when I'm at uni in Ciren I train with Richard Waygood who I really really rate, the first lesson I had with him he watched me work in and jump and couple of fences then we had a good chat about the horse, my goals, what I'd done, issues that I had encountered etc and went from there. I wouldn't say he has totally changed my natural riding style at all, more that he has just made me slightly more relaxed about the whole thing. Now in my lessons I'll work through an exercise etc and we'll just talk abo how the horse has done it, how I rode it, how it felt, etc. I don't like paying for someone to sit in the corner and shout at me without any feedback from me about how the horse feels, how I feel I'm riding etc.
I have recently started training with a new instructor at home who is a pure dressage rider but used to showjump when she was in young riders. The difference she has made to the horse in 4 lessons is amazing. I had one lesson where she just got to know me and the horse and worked basically, then the next session she rode him, which I totally agreed with, both of us felt it would be beneficial for her to ride him and feel what I was feeling s we could work more effectively together. She has been excellent at going right back to basics and really establishing the basic lightness of the forehand, and making sure he is through and over his back all the time. This has seen our scores go from 44.5 to 33 in the space of ten days!! It has also really helped with the issues I have had jumping him.
I think trainers are a very personal thing, you have to get on with them and they have to get on with you. Horses for courses and all that!

 

[Countrychic]

Just wanted to add I had a fantastic ride this morning. I removed her martingale and forgot about anything technical. I didn't try and interfere with her, I just looked at the jump and picked a stride that felt natural and we both had a great time. Jumps were only 85cm but we both had fun and no hiccups at all. so so happy!

What was interesting is trainer has wanted me to change saddle but I've had a few professionals check it and they were all very happy with it so I didn't. This morning I rode her in a different saddle and she felt much better and was looser in front.

Think I just need to listen to advice on the thread and take advice but listen to the horse and speak up if I'm feeling unhappy. I think it will be a while before we're jumping what we were but this morning was a good start