Use these Five Questions to get the maximum benefit out of your next riding lesson!
Lessons are an invaluable component of any riding
career. No matter how experienced or
successful you are, there is always room for improvement and something else to
learn! Information, opinions,
instruction, and even scientific studies are available in print, on-line, and
via video to help guide you in between training sessions with your equestrian
professional. However, while advice for
proper riding and training abounds, one important topic appears left
untouched. Well that ends here and
now! Today, we will explore the Five Key
Questions you can use to take your Riding Lesson experience from ordinary to extraordinary!
1. What are my goals? As
with anything you pursue the most important thing to know is where you are
going. Create a clear and defined
picture of what riding and horsemanship success is to you and communicate your
vision with your instructor. She/he can
help mold your dreams into attainable and well defined goals. Be aware, a simple disconnect in destination between
student and instructor can produce a frustrating lesson experience, slowed progress, even to riders and trainers to parting ways. Communicate and develop goals with your trainer and see the energy and focus it brings to your lessons!
For
instance, one rider may have her eyes on the next blue ribbon, wanting to learn
everything she can about how to ride her seasoned horse to a winning hunter
trip, while another student may be more interested in mastering the “how’s” and
“why’s” and “when’s” of training her green horse to jump with scope and
style. The same trainer can successfully
guide these very different students to reach their goals, providing she/he knows each
student’s priorities.
Keep in mind,
goals, horses, students, and circumstances all may change over time, revisit
the conversation with your trainer every few months. Ask how you are improving toward your goals
and what, if anything, is holding you back.
Have you gotten sidetracked by the latest riding tricks and trends in
the barn? Has an injury to you or your horse kept you sitting out for a while? Setbacks happen, and they can be
discouraging; remembering where you started and having a clear goal in mind
will help alleviate the frustration which comes from the inevitable delays you
encounter. Use these
conversations with your instructor as an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the progress you and
your mount have made along your goal-bound journey. It will keep you on-track, enthusiastic, and
encouraged for each and every lesson!
2. Is my goal still my goal, and am I still enjoying the
journey? Remember, reevaluating your goals
can be a great time to make changes. Did
you once dream of riding perfect pirouettes and wowing crowds with your trot extension,
only to realize jumping is really fun!
Or maybe you envisioned winning a Grand Prix at HITS when your troublesome
back means your jumping days are over. Perhaps
your goal change is more subtle? Did you
realize the show ring goals you set are not really your style? Would you prefer
to trade-in the horse show stress for riding consistent rounds at home and
spending your extra money participating in clinics with the Equestrian Greats you admire? It is just fine to modify your goals or change
them completely! Remember this is what
you do for fun! If you have a goal
change in mind, keep your instructor in the loop, so she/he can advise you and gear
your lessons toward your desired destination.
If your goal change is more on the dramatic side, you may be in need of
a new trainer. Instead of quietly “trainer
shopping” while slowly slipping away from your current trainer, discuss your
new goals with your trainer! I see it all the time, people change trainers
thinking their current trainer wouldn’t want to teach them X discipline instead
of Y discipline, when in reality that trainer is incredibly knowledgeable and
capable in BOTH disciplines! Now, sometimes a new discipline does require a new instructor, but a good trainer knows her/his strengths and weaknesses, and is happy to refer you on if your equestrian dreams
exist outside her/his expertise.
Communicating in this way with your trainer will create a pleasant
conclusion to your relationship, and it will also leave you with a good lead
for selecting your next instructor.
3. How was that? This is
the most important and my favorite riding lesson question. It is the critical question your trainer
should be asking you! Though it comes in
a variety of forms, this is probably the version I ask the most. At the end of an exercise, after a practice
round of jumps, upon exiting the show ring, or even as I am bringing your
rider-less horse to you while you dust off your breeches, “How was that?” is my
go to question! Before you start to
wonder, No, I’m not asking because I don’t know what happened during your ride. Chances are I could give you a thorough dissertation
on your ride, your horse’s effort, and your performance’s probable placement in
your division at the horse show. I don’t
ask for my benefit; I ask for my student’s.
The most important responsibility of a Teacher is NOT to instill a
litany of facts or to create a class of clones, it is to equip students with a foundation
of knowledge and a comprehensive set of critical thinking skills. A good instructor not only teaches a student what to do, but also empowers and educates each student to assess, evaluate,
and problem solve for her/himself. I am not in the business of creating the Super Student, a near robot who vacuously
follows commands, nor am I interested in developing a Mirror Image of my own riding.
I am a riding teacher, and as such I am instructing my students in
correct equitation and riding/training techniques, as well as developing their ability
to analyze, critique, and improve their own riding. It is my goal to take each client from being
a student to being a mature horseman and a consummate rider, perhaps even a
future trainer.
If your trainer isn't asking you "How was that?" or a similar question, ask her/him to let you evaluate your next round of fences, dressage test, or other exercise. In your evaluation identify the good components of your ride (for both you and your horse) as well as describing the parts that need work. Suggest improvements and ask your trainer how your critique differs from her/his. Ask if she/he is comfortable incorporating a few mini-evaluations like this into each of your lessons. Also, see if your trainer has any suggestions as to how you can develop your riding assessment skills.
4. What does that mean? Ask clarifying questions of your trainer and consider her/his answers in depth. Remember every trainer communicates
differently. So for instance, your new instructor
may sound very different from your former instructor, even though they are
giving you the same direction. As a very simple example, one instructor may say “lift your toes to the sky” and another
may say “heels down toward the ground.”
Two very different ways of saying the same thing. Variations in our "trainer vernacular" can confuse and frustrate students. So if your instructor seems to be giving you
confusing or contradictory advice, Speak
UP and ask for clarification. I once
told a student for many lessons to release her horse’s mouth in order to slow him
down. Though she wasn't really getting
it done, I thought she was doing her best to execute the instruction. Then one day she says to me, “I know you keep
saying to half-halt and release him when he is too quick, but you can’t
really mean that, right?” Well, “YES I
most certainly do mean for you to release him!”
I had given the same direction for many, many lessons, never realizing
she did not understand the why’s and how’s of the instruction. Once I explained in more detail she was able to
give the crucial release to her horse, allowing him to carry himself and to rock
back on his hind end, slowing his run-away canter to a more balanced gait. Thank goodness she ASKED!
Trainers
need to ask clarifying questions too. Recently I taught
a capable riding student in a clinic who just could not get her hands in the right
position. I asked her if she knew where
her hands should be and why. I could
tell she was frustrated when she answered, “Every trainer I've ridden with has
commented on my hands, and they have all told me to place them somewhere
different.” Bingo! I thought, if I had simply said “pick our
hands up,” I would have been just
another trainer who didn't like her hands.
But since I asked the question, we could address the Real issue. This rider was perfectly capable of holding
her hands wherever instructed. The
problem was not her hands; it was her understanding of their orientation in
relation to her mount. This rider
regularly rode different horses in her lessons, and since every horse is built
differently her hand position changed with each horse. Since her trainers had only instructed her to
“lift your hands” or “hands near the martingale” or “hands just in front of the
saddle pad” she had become frustrated and nearly given up getting her hand
placement correct. But, when I asked the
right question, I revealed the actual obstacle. I explained how the conformation of horse and
rider affects the correct orientation of the hands, and I showed her how to create a straight line from bit to elbow.
Now, she can find the correct hand placement on any horse she
rides! Questions again were the crucial
key to moving beyond months of frustrating lessons!
5. What’s my homework?
Since most riders take one to two lessons per week but may ride their
horse four or five times per week, there are several days of schooling
available for a little homework assignment.
Of course not every riding session should be 45 minutes of intense work
but the old adage that you are always teaching your horse something is very,
very true. So ask your trainer what you
can do to keep you and your horse sharp in between lessons. Neither you, your horse, nor your trainer
want to work on the same things every lesson.
To avoid this, make sure you are making improvements in between your
training sessions. Homework can be
simple such as incorporate backing up into each ride, doing transitions, or practicing lengthenings and shortenings. It could also be
geared toward strength training. Often
the thing that holds you and your horse back from reaching your goals is
fitness. Does your horse have trouble
with lead changes, does he not have the hind-end push to get you through a
course of jumps at your goal height, does he get cranky toward the end of your ride? Is fitness what you are missing? Fitness is vital. Riding a fit horse will not only make training easier, but will also
make your rides safer, as your horse will be strong enough to get you and he
out of a sticky spot. If strength and
fitness is your weakness, ask your trainer if trotting hills, brisk trail
rides, trot poles, laterals, or isometrics (like belly lifts) will give your
horse the boost he needs. And don’t
forget about yourself! Be sure to ask
what you can do in and out of the saddle to better your riding. I've often suggested swimming, riding without
stirrups, riding in two-point, and even Pilates or Yoga as great between lesson fitness
homework. Ask your trainer what she/he
thinks will help you, and give it a try!
Now that you are armed with a few questions, it’s time to
call your trainer, head to the barn, and tack up your horse! And remember, in equestrian sports there are Passengers, who can sit attractively on a horse, and there are Riders, who can get the best out of a horse. I’m educating perceptive, reasoned, and capable Riders! Is your trainer? Happy riding everyone!
Mary Berlauk is the owner and trainer of Made to Order Equestrian. Please visit www.mtoequestrian.com, www.facebook.com/MTOequestrian, or email mtoequestrian@gmail.com to learn more and schedule a riding lesson.
Copyright Mary Berlauk and Made to Order Equestrian 2014. All rights reserved.
