Why I am a riding instructor [self indulgent]

S

SouthWestWhippet

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This more than compensates for the freezing cold, boggy weather, horrid mischevious ponies, endless nagging parents, low pay, unsociable hours, lack of career progression and hateful whining children that make up the bulk of my job LOL

B's mum handed me an envelope yesterday saying B was too shy to give it to me herself... Now B is only 7 and has been the most NERVOUS kid I' have ever taught. Despite being desperate to ride her fear has held her back. It took nearly a month of private lessons just to get her to SIT on her pony (she would lead him round the school but that is it). After about 6 months of lessons she agreed to go off the leadrein but only 3 weeks later, she tumbled off when her normally 100% bombproof pony had a mini spook out of the blue... All her hard won confidence was knocked and we had to go back to basics but she gave me all her trust and gradually we've built up to the point where she has agreed to have her first canter. About 3 weeks ago she cantered Star 3 or 4 steps to the rear of the ride, holding on tight. And last week she agreed to move out of the lead rein group into the Walk Trot learn to canter group...

Anyway I opened my envalope to find the most beautiful, hand drawn card, covered in 100s of pictures of flowers and a carefully printed message inside in multi colours reading

Dear Jenny
Thank you for helping me to canter
love B

I actually whelled up on the yards when I saw it.
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It has been such a long road for B and sometimes I have felt so frustrated with her (although I've never let her know this). but it just brought home to me just how important it is for the children themselves to achieve their own goals not just ones we might set for them...

Sorry, totally self indulgent but had to share.
 
She sounds like a very unconfident child in all areas of life if she is too shy to give you the card so to master her pony IS a big thing. Well done to both of you.
 
That is lovely. Isn't it nice to know that someone appreciates you like this? You must feel really proud of her and yourself for getting her to this point.
 
Sometimes as a teacher you get so wrapped up in "you *should* be achieving x, y and z and it ought to take 'q' amount of time..." you forget just how important it is to the child when they actually DO achieve something new regardless of how long it has taken them to get there.

Cantering after 1.5yrs of riding doesn't seem like much of an achievement to me until I saw it through B's eyes... Then I realised just how much it meant to her to have conquered her fear.

Thanks everyone, I'm feeling very happy with my job today
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What an amazing person you must be! To help someone, adult or child achieve something that to them is a huge milestone, no matter what it may be is so rewarding.
 
Isn't it fantastic? It makes it worth all the days when you curse being cold/hot, dirty, sore and poor all the time.

I taught a very nervous girl years ago who sat well and seemed to have great rapport in her riding but was absolutely paralysed to do anything and often seemed on the verge of tears. Her father brought her every week and I wondered if he was pushing her or similar so one day I took him aside and suggested that maybe his daughter was not really that into riding. He looked at me astonished and said she LIVED for her lessons and it was the only thing she ever showed any enthusiasm or happiness about. He went on and on about how she repeated everything she'd done and everything I'd said all week right up until she started to talk about what she might do in her next lesson but he and his wife didn't mind because they had despaired for her happiness before she started riding. I was quite young at the time and it was really an eye opening experience for me.

I had another student turn her faltering academic progress around apparently because I told her I valued reading and encouraged her to supplement her lessons with reading books I suggested. She's recently graduated from Uni and her brother whom I also taught and encouraged to keep riding for the girls
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is now a professional.

Working with "problem" horses and their people is just as rewarding. To see someone enjoying riding a horse they thought they wouldn't be able to keep or to see a cast off horse succeeding . . . well, it's an honour just to be associated with the process. Humbling. I've had people tell me I've changed their lives - which I think is over stating the case by a wide margin, but then again horses and horse people have changed mine on more than one occasion.

Glad you had that experience - it makes it all worthwhile. And I'm even more glad B has had you to help her learn things she will use and value the rest of her life.
 
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