What's the worst criticism you've been given? and how do you take it?

I think my worst was after a couple of seasons of mga on my much loved but much outgrown pony. Went to a riding club rally and got "...well you used to be pretty good but if you keep doing games you won't look out of place in a donkey derby....!" They were right too! My balance is much better as a result though.
 
my worst was when i was working for a well known south west showjumper, i was riding one of her horses and i told her straight up that i hadn't really had many jump lessons. after about half an hour she told me in front of the other groom 'i'll put you on something else next time because i dont want you to ruin my horses'. fair enough, i didnt want to ruin them either but she made me feel this big. after that my riding got worse because she really dented my confidence, that was 2 years ago and ive been having lessons lately (including jump lessons!
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) and they have been going really well. i always ask my jump instructor ' am i okay, do i get left behind etc ' all because of the woman!
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i am soft i know, but my lessons have been really goo lately and i have been believing in myself.

oh and ive had 'tuck your bum in, you look like a duck!' but that just makes me laugh. and ive been told im too soft, but i know that anyway, and know that i need to get some balls!
 
just reading through and im glad that im not the only one who objects to being shouted at! well its not so much being shouted at, but when they say things like 'youre crap', 'take up golfing' etc that dents my confidence because i can be quite sensitive, and comments like that dont help!!
 
Lots and lots. That is why I just hack now.
On the other hand, this was a long time ago, I was riding work at Lingfield one morning when a rather (understatement) dishy bloke came up and offered me a job in Qatar.......just like that. He said I could ride any of his horses anyday. Stupid me turned down the job, it would have been an experience if nothing else.
 
QR,

I can't think of anything horrendous at all.

I don't take kindly to being shouted and balled at. I wouldn't allow it when not on a horse so I am not going to allow it when I am paying for the privilege. LOL.

I like criticism as I can either take it and move on with it, or take it and discard it.

I am constantly striving to improve my riding and I so wish people would come up to me after a jumping round or a dressage test and say "Hey, I notice you do this, may I suggest,,,"!! That would be soooo cool!!
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oooh talking of being balled at...

a few years ago we had a sometimes very good but INCREDIBLY (to my 14 year old self) scary II working at the riding school. She once walked into the tack room to find me cleaning tack, but didn't approve of my tack cleaning methods, so proceeded to rant at me for ages, beginning with "DO YOU REALISE A TUB OF TACK SOAP LIKE THAT COSTS NEARLY £20 AND YOU'RE WASTING IT?" and finishing up with "I DON'T KNOW HOW THE HORSES IN THIS YARD SURVIVE WITH PEOPLE LIKE YOU LOOKING AFTER THEM!"

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It wasn't the first time she'd made me cry, and that certainly shut me up for the rest of the day.
 
i got told i was too demanding once, in a private lesson, i was walking and was told to go into canter which i did, but wasnt happy the horse had taken a couple of walk steps after i asked for canter so came back down to walk and did it again.
the instructor siad i was too demanding as sometimes the horse wont canter at all (!) and she;d meant go up to canter through trot anyway (which she didnt say).
 
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