a good instructor
DO YOU LIKE YOUR COACH?
The Importance of a Good Instructor
Choosing a good riding instructor is not always easy. Going to one who is close to you is not always the best answer. Choosing the cheapest instructor is not always a good measure either. There are many more meaningful and important aspects to consider.
One of the most important aspects is the concern for safety. Both the horse and the rider should be kept safe throughout the lesson. Negligence is no excuse for making an accident happen. Accidents can happen frequent enough even if all safety precautions are taking.
Secondly, the instructor needs to be well educated. Certificates of achievement, awards, trophies, rosettes, ribbons and other prizes or titles are always nice to see. It goes a long way in showing that the individual instructor is out in the world and attempting to compete. But competition is not everything and sometimes the awards mean nothing at all. For example, some shows are small and earning rewards or points, actually means coming in last or second to the best. Sometimes the other competitors are not very proficient either but someone has to win. In these cases, the practical education of the instructor needs to be discussed. Certification is nice but there are a lot of instructors who have had many lessons with very fine instructors and masters. This education cannot be learned in a book or by traveling around to horse shows and events. The practical side of the education needs to be valued very carefully. Book work concentrates on theory as well as the ancient principles; therefore there is something to be said for having taken classes or courses to study on the art of equestrian as well as the practical side of riding. The bottom line focuses around how well the instructor rides horses. If an instructor never rides but always boasts, then his or her education cannot be verified.
Another aspect is how well the instructor can coach. There are many instructors who are excellent riders but cannot coach the average rider because of a lack of communication skills, unethical attitudes, biases, prejudices and other similar reasons or excuses. Every student needs to click with the horse he or she is riding as well as with the instructor who is doing the coaching.
One new form of education is via distance learning and through the use of video. This is a fairly new educational concept for equestrians but a lot can be said for its positive value. This opens the market for riders to receive more instruction and from all kinds of master or senior instructors. There may be a time delay and that may work against the timing of the rider, his thoughts and actions as by those of having the instructor right there in the riding arena for help and guidance.
Riding instructors and coaches come in all shapes, sizes and colors! There is no way to say who is right and who is wrong but rather a general focus on how the work gets done. Neither the horse, nor the rider should be in pain or have fear instilled. Riding should be educational and fun for all parties involved. These measures need to be considered and weighed all of the time, especially in the competitive world. There is nothing wrong with fostering the love for the horse and for riding but the values should never be compromised. On the same note, the horses and riders should be educated in a professional way. The education is the key to enlightenment and greater riding. Sometimes, there are a lot of famous clinicians and esteemed coaches who teach very powerful but negative aspects. Some cling to slang or ‘new’ terminology and analogies to help promote their style of horsemanship. It is very important for the student to focus on the ancient art of classical side rather than slipping into new phrases and fads. Technology may always be improving and evolving but the art of horsemanship has long since been perfected. It is already evolved into a clear and clean area of horsemanship that should never have its value stripped away. Sometimes these up and coming clinicians look like the superstars of the ring, but something very negative has happened along the way. Classical horsemanship has been lost and the discipline has begun to form into “Showoffmanship”. An enlightened equestrian can see through the false values set and will still have a better understanding than a modern day follower.
“Dressage humbles the loud and arrogant riders but blindness leads them into artificial greatness, while humble riders watch with pity”.
The Importance of a Good Instructor
Choosing a good riding instructor is not always easy. Going to one who is close to you is not always the best answer. Choosing the cheapest instructor is not always a good measure either. There are many more meaningful and important aspects to consider.
One of the most important aspects is the concern for safety. Both the horse and the rider should be kept safe throughout the lesson. Negligence is no excuse for making an accident happen. Accidents can happen frequent enough even if all safety precautions are taking.
Secondly, the instructor needs to be well educated. Certificates of achievement, awards, trophies, rosettes, ribbons and other prizes or titles are always nice to see. It goes a long way in showing that the individual instructor is out in the world and attempting to compete. But competition is not everything and sometimes the awards mean nothing at all. For example, some shows are small and earning rewards or points, actually means coming in last or second to the best. Sometimes the other competitors are not very proficient either but someone has to win. In these cases, the practical education of the instructor needs to be discussed. Certification is nice but there are a lot of instructors who have had many lessons with very fine instructors and masters. This education cannot be learned in a book or by traveling around to horse shows and events. The practical side of the education needs to be valued very carefully. Book work concentrates on theory as well as the ancient principles; therefore there is something to be said for having taken classes or courses to study on the art of equestrian as well as the practical side of riding. The bottom line focuses around how well the instructor rides horses. If an instructor never rides but always boasts, then his or her education cannot be verified.
Another aspect is how well the instructor can coach. There are many instructors who are excellent riders but cannot coach the average rider because of a lack of communication skills, unethical attitudes, biases, prejudices and other similar reasons or excuses. Every student needs to click with the horse he or she is riding as well as with the instructor who is doing the coaching.
One new form of education is via distance learning and through the use of video. This is a fairly new educational concept for equestrians but a lot can be said for its positive value. This opens the market for riders to receive more instruction and from all kinds of master or senior instructors. There may be a time delay and that may work against the timing of the rider, his thoughts and actions as by those of having the instructor right there in the riding arena for help and guidance.
Riding instructors and coaches come in all shapes, sizes and colors! There is no way to say who is right and who is wrong but rather a general focus on how the work gets done. Neither the horse, nor the rider should be in pain or have fear instilled. Riding should be educational and fun for all parties involved. These measures need to be considered and weighed all of the time, especially in the competitive world. There is nothing wrong with fostering the love for the horse and for riding but the values should never be compromised. On the same note, the horses and riders should be educated in a professional way. The education is the key to enlightenment and greater riding. Sometimes, there are a lot of famous clinicians and esteemed coaches who teach very powerful but negative aspects. Some cling to slang or ‘new’ terminology and analogies to help promote their style of horsemanship. It is very important for the student to focus on the ancient art of classical side rather than slipping into new phrases and fads. Technology may always be improving and evolving but the art of horsemanship has long since been perfected. It is already evolved into a clear and clean area of horsemanship that should never have its value stripped away. Sometimes these up and coming clinicians look like the superstars of the ring, but something very negative has happened along the way. Classical horsemanship has been lost and the discipline has begun to form into “Showoffmanship”. An enlightened equestrian can see through the false values set and will still have a better understanding than a modern day follower.
“Dressage humbles the loud and arrogant riders but blindness leads them into artificial greatness, while humble riders watch with pity”.