Totally Uninspired today - Advise please

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tricksibell85

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Hello All,

Had a lesson last night on the horse - with a "top" BSJA trainer who competes at a high level all the time.

Anyways, the lesson consisted of him asking me what horse did - then doing some trotting poles and some baby jumps (was a group lesson) now im all for any type of schooling and anything to improve us - but he gave me no feedback through the lesson, fair enough we werent having any issues but an hour with nothing is a bit rubbish.

Then at the end all he said was "good horse, no issues there."

Now as a person who has had numerous lessons from a lot of people if a rider horse combination is finding stuff easy wouldnt you push them a little and get them to do something more difficult??

Thoughts please..

Thanks
 
I think a lot of people believe that because someone competes at a high level themselves they will naturally be good teachers, not so in my experience. We also had lessons from a BSJA coach and it was awful, so I believe that often ' grass roots' trainers are far better. I find it hard to believe that there was no feedback for you, smacks of 'can't be bothered' to me. What a shame for you though.
 
It's so hard in group lessons, were the others finding it as easy?
Just take away the fact that he said "good horse, no issues there" and feel proud. You never have to have another lesson with him. You shouldn't feel uninspired as you're obviously doing well. I once had a group lesson and got told to wait in the corner of the school. I literally sat drinking a can of coke and chatting to one of the other riders while he tried to sort out the third rider! Wasn't the instructors fault it was just a really badly matched group
 
I wouldnt say the other people were having that many issues.

But i do agree it does smack of i cant be @rsed. I'm proud of the fact he went jumped and was well behaved but there is always always something to work on.

when you are paying good money for a lesson you expect something back.

I am a bit annoyed about it, and i really wish i wasnt
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I've had lessons with some quite high level SJers, Eventers and Dressage riders and I don't think ANY of them where as good as my current instructor and my old PC instructor. Some people can do the business on top but it is another talent entirely to be able to see things from the ground. Both of these instructors can do that and I'd have a lesson with them any day over so called 'professionals'.

I feel for you though, just take away from the session that clearly you have no issues so must be perfect in every way
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What's worse, people don't always teach everyone the same way! I've been to more than one clinic where the clinician decided pretty much off the top who was "worth it" or not.

To be fair, though, I've probably done the same thing! I'm sure it's not relevant in this case but sometimes you just get people who clearly aren't up for it/don't feel like it/have some other agenda and then it becomes a business decision - do you exert yourself and annoy them and have them think you're a bully or do you smile and try to impart the knowledge but avoid bad feelings. It can be tough. Some people are also very different in private or with very selected students, rather than in clinics where they may be under pressure to put on a show/keep everyone happy.

As said, teaching and riding are totally different skills. (I'd say good horse trainers - people who consistently produce good young horses, fix problems etc. - TEND to be more likely to teach reasonably well because they are more related skills.) And not every combination works well. Sometimes all you learn from a clinic is you won't be going back to that person.
 
Its not really the point is it? Don't see how the below is even relevant

aren't up for it/don't feel like it/have some other agenda

I cant afford to go get lessons from whoever and i do not go into a lesson i pay good money for with the attitude of i cant be bother, or have some other agenda.

I think that if you go get a lesson from someone you do expect some kind of feedback - how can you make the decision that u wont impart knowledge because your frightened you will annoy them?? lessons are for learning - not for someone saying oh you have a good horse no worries there then? i knew that before i paid money thank you very much.

I would personally prefer someone who shouts at me if im doing something wrong than have someone who is airy fairy and wastes my time.
 
I went to a lesson last night that was point at a jump and jump it..didn't speak to me until I asked was there anything I could be doing other than riding it out..no...so continued (horse was being bonkers!)
 
[ QUOTE ]
Its not really the point is it? Don't see how the below is even relevant

aren't up for it/don't feel like it/have some other agenda

I cant afford to go get lessons from whoever and i do not go into a lesson i pay good money for with the attitude of i cant be bother, or have some other agenda.

I think that if you go get a lesson from someone you do expect some kind of feedback - how can you make the decision that u wont impart knowledge because your frightened you will annoy them?? lessons are for learning - not for someone saying oh you have a good horse no worries there then? i knew that before i paid money thank you very much.

I would personally prefer someone who shouts at me if im doing something wrong than have someone who is airy fairy and wastes my time.

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Well obviously and I agree - the point of a lesson is to get as much information crammed in as possible, if you ask me. And I certainly didn't say I AGREE with the "get though the session with the least amount of fuss" but unfortunately not everyone feels that way. Some people really do go to clinics etc to be told how wonderful they already are and some trainers end up giving up in those cases because it's not worth the effort. Obviously that's not the case in YOUR situation but in the general run of watching people teach it's not ALWAYS that the instructor is hopeless if things aren't getting done. Just a caveat.

Heck, I took a horse to a Mark Todd clinic and it pretty much went like that! The horse was very new to me and came with a bunch of problems so we entered him in a group towards the bottom of is ability (and explained the situation in advance). Little sod did absolutely nothing wrong all weekend so ended up pretty much doing the exercises and standing around as there really wasn't much to work on in the group. Sold him out of the clinic though, so money well spent.
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I didn't blame Mark - what could he have done? - and learned a ton from what he said to me and watching him work with the other people there. Even when people come to clinics with very specific agendas it doesn't always work out that that's the day to deal with them. That's horses sometimes. Great that your horse was a star.

By and large I want to see an instructor make some sort of improvement and give the rider something to take away. Any less is not acceptable. Obviously this didn't happen for you so you know not to go back to that person. Simple. (You might not be able to choose who you go to but you can certainly choose not to waste your money again!) I just don't see the point of being upset about it, though - at least your horse went out and did well, the clinician had good things to say and nothing bad happened.
 
Maybe you would have got more out of it if you weren't in a group?? I go to a BSJA accredited coach, he is truly fab & we've improved loads, he gives me & my pony just as much as his clients competing at top level. I choose to pay more & have individual lessons as I don't ride well in group situations.
 
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