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| When you are lame on the left front, but lost your shoe on the right front - you might get excused from work but you are NOT excused from photos. |
So my barn buddy and I took a lesson right after one another and were able to video each other.
The whole virtual lesson thing worked out great I thought. The only thing is that our indoor has crappy lighting so sometimes it was hard to see the rider, but we made it work.
Unfortunately, this instructor was not at all what I expected or hoped for. She was a huge disappointment to be honest. I won't name any names but she just did not work for me.
I think everyone is going to encounter this in their dressage journey. There are hundreds (millions?) of roads on this path up the levels.
What I have learned is that the most important thing is that you stick to one path. Yes, take tidbits and tools from various teachers and programs, but in general stick to one road. If not, you and your horse will end up confused, frustrated, lose confidence and possibly regress.
For example, one of the huge takeaways I have been working on is to GIVE my reins. Lauren really got after me about this, and that theory continued on with Jeremy and Sarah in Aiken. Since I have become more diligent about this, Hampton has developed better self carriage, is lighter in the bridle, more supple in the neck, and his back end comes through to the bit so much better than it ever has. He poll stays up much more reliably now, too.
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| Pretty much how I feel right now |
Well. This instructor - we will call her M - right out of the gate tells me to shorten Hampton's neck at the walk and do not give with my hands. I have NEVER in my life been told to shorten Hampton's neck. FFS I have always thought that I already ride him too short in the neck. BUT, I am a good student and willing to try.
He got wiggly. He tried piaffe. He got lateral. She said he was "figuring it out." But my gut said ... ah, well this is how you make a horse's walk lateral.
Sometime during our trot work, she got rather snarly with me that I was "throwing him away" all the time and that by doing so, I am driving him down on the forehand even more. I got defensive and said, "Well, I've been told to do this so yes it is a habit." Which M answered with, "Well how's THAT workin' for ya??" ...
.... actually lady I thought it was working well for me.
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| Old photo |
But like I said, I continued to try what she said. Eventually, he started getting irregular (rein lame) at the medium trot which he has NEVER DONE NOT ONCE IN HIS LIFE At this point I knew this was not the instructor for me.
She did have some good pointers that DID align with my road:
Bounce with your seat like you are on a ball into and out of collected canter
Ride canter piros like a half pass
More inside leg int he half pass (someday I this will get into my brain)
But for the most part it was the complete opposite of what I had been told from my own home coach, Lauren, Jeremy, and Sarah (plus a number of other clinicians over the years).
Is she wrong?
I don't k now. I think there's different theories and ideas and programs. Her basic concept of keeping a rather firm contact at all times probably works for a lot of horses. But I can tell you that Hampton is more than happy to lean on your hands all the live long day. He gives zero shits. He will lean on side reins FFS.
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| Selfie time! Sorry Hamp that is what you get. |
It's the giving that makes him light and "uphill" (he's never uphill and won't ever be but you get my point). I have to give his hind end somewhere to power to and if I have a hold of his mouth, it will drive his front end down. Maybe I am wrong. She has much better credentials than I do. I'm just an average AA dressage rider with a grade horse.
But I think I'll stay the path.
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Monday (today) Hampton sees our top lameness vet to see if we can help him be comfy again. Fingers crossed.
Fingers crossed that all goes well today! I think that this is always the challenge with going to clinics vs. being in one program. It really can set you down a path that might not be appropriate. And maybe that trainer would figure that out on ride 3 or 4, but at least you know that it's not the method you are looking for.
ReplyDeleteIt would have been really easy to turn this whole negative experience into a mental spiral for me - I think you handled it well and got some really great takeaways and mindset.
ReplyDeleteI have come to agree that it is most valuable to have at least one person that you trust & stick with as a "base." There are a near-infinite number of roads & not all of them will be equally compatible. I think you did the best thing possible of trying to be agreeable but recognizing it's not going to work out & walking away. There are too many horse people (especially if they have never had a "real" job) who don't understand that a trainer relationship is professional, not personal. We can agree to disagree, no one can be everything for everyone. Your horse only has one advocate!
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