Trainer level

[lizziebell]

How important is it to have a trainer who has competed/ trained above the level at which you are competing/ training?

At what point do you feel you have "outgrown" your trainer?

At a bit of a crossroads as to where my training is going....

 

[ruth83]

Firstly I would say talk to them and discuss how you feel - it may be that they are relieved that you have brought it up. It may be that they have been going down a different track and not realised what you wanted to do.

It depends what you want out of your sessions. Trained at the level yes, especially if you want them to teach you 'put your leg there, sit here' etc. Competed above the level, not necessarily. There are a number of trainers out there who are incredibly good trainers/coaches/mentors but who do not have the financial means to compete. Equally there are incredibly good riders who cannot train well at all.

 

[PorkChop]

It does not matter to me what level my trainer has competed at or what qualifications they have tbh.

If you are new to an area, or are looking for a new instructor then it does at least give you a guide as to whether they will fit with your ambitions etc.

Some of the best riders are rubbish instructors and vice versa - it is an underestimated skill to explain how to influence an animal without knowing ultimately what the rider is doing/feeling.

If you are feeling as though have outgrown your instructor than this tells me that you should at least try a few new ones before making a decision - the best way is through word of mouth recommendations and also if they are busy this generally means they are good

 

[Cortez]

Absolutetly I would want my trainer to have achieved way above whatever level it is I want to ride at. Why on earth would you want to go to someone to tell you what to do who cannot do it themselves? At the very least I would want an instructor who has felt what a movement is supposed to feel like. Theory is important of course, but the ability to know how to produce a movement and counteract all the myriad evasions, etc. along the way is vital. Too many people who spout the theory, but cannot "do".

 

[Barnacle]

Really depends... I don't think they need to have competed unless what you want to know is how to fill in paperwork or arrange travel (or give you tips for waking up early and how to deal with all the waiting around) It's probably important that they can ride at that level themselves though (i.e. could theoretically compete - whether or not they have chosen to do so). However, it does depend on what you want from them... For instance, you don't need someone to be able to teach advanced dressage if what you need is a confidence boost. And if you know how to do something and just need a knowledgeable pair of eyes on the ground, you just need someone capable, not someone who can do the movement themselves. In my case, I have an instructor for jumping because I find someone on the ground telling me what's going on really helpful but I don't really care if she's ever jumped what I'm jumping or on a horse like the ones I use... Cause she's seen hundreds of other people do it and that experience from the ground is just as (if not more) valuable for me.

 

[GlamourDol]

Absolutetly I would want my trainer to have achieved way above whatever level it is I want to ride at. Why on earth would you want to go to someone to tell you what to do who cannot do it themselves? At the very least I would want an instructor who has felt what a movement is supposed to feel like. Theory is important of course, but the ability to know how to produce a movement and counteract all the myriad evasions, etc. along the way is vital. Too many people who spout the theory, but cannot "do".

This exactly!
I also think you need someone who can get on and do it if there is a problem. I've recently started teaching someone who was training with someone who wouldn't get on the horse. Whilst I agree that the rider needs to be able to sort the problem when I'm not there, at that moment the rider and the horse were at complete logger heads. I got on, showed horse what was expected, explained to rider what I was doing, and voila I haven't needed to get on for weeks.
How can someone move you on if they've never moved on themselves?

 

[SpringArising]

It does not matter to me what level my trainer has competed at or what qualifications they have tbh.

I feel the same as this.

It's more important to me that they actually understand horses and how they tick, that they have a nice technique and that they are thorough in their teaching.

I can think of an instructor local to me who competes far more than me, and who did bother to get all the relevant qualifications, but she has absolutely no style and is completely uninspiring to watch. You can usually find her at all the local shows swearing at her horse after its 5th refusal - and yet she's one of the most recommended people around here!

 

[Palindrome]

I have taken lessons with a GP rider. She has ridden at GP level, has trained horses to GP level and has competed at GP level. I have learned more with her than any other instructor in my lifetime. She has never sat on my horse yet in the lessons my horse was going beautifully. She also allowed me to ride her GP schoolmaster to feel the movement of the hindlegs and take lunge lesssons. It is a truly exceptional experience, she changed the way I ride and understand riding and I feel very lucky.

 

[lizziebell]

Interesting mix of opinions, thank you. To be more specific to my own situation, it's in relation to dressage training. Friends have suggested that I'm beginning to outgrow my regular trainer (I do also go to various others when opportunities arise). And at a recent clinic with a List 1 judge, they also mentioned to progress further I should be regularly training with a GP rider/ trainer, and that they felt my current trainer isn't experienced enough.

I've been really happy with my trainer who has been hugely supportive, but with others making comments on suitablility, I'm just starting to wander if I have outgrown my trainer.

 

[Goldenstar]

Some of the best classical riders in the world have never competed so it's not an absolute that you need your trainer to have competed .
However I think you need to know that the trainer knows and understands the issues around competing first hand .
I think it's perfectly possible to have one trainer as your normal eyes on the ground and go to a higher level trainer when it fits in if 'normal 'trainer is open minded .
Or just move on , but be kind and honest with to the trainer who has worked to get you this situation .

 

[lizziebell]

I think it's perfectly possible to have one trainer as your normal eyes on the ground and go to a higher level trainer when it fits in if 'normal 'trainer is open minded .

Thanks Goldenstar, I was thinking I'll do this.

Or just move on , but be kind and honest with to the trainer who has worked to get you this situation .

This is what makes the situation difficult in that trainer has got me this far and is very much appreciated for it, so I don't want to appear ungrateful or that I'm getting too big for my boots.

 

[Goldenstar]

Thanks Goldenstar, I was thinking I'll do this.



This is what makes the situation difficult in that trainer has got me this far and is very much appreciated for it, so I don't want to appear ungrateful or that I'm getting too big for my boots.

If it works for you go the two trainer route and see how you get on if it does not work out you have lost nothing .
Good trainers at both levels ought to have no issue with this .