In my line of work I come across a wide range of riders, with one thing in common - their need for knowledge. Without realising it, all riders are constantly learning, even more so with regular training and lessons. In more recent years I have been more observant of how people like to learn, and what they actually take away from that imparted know-how. With the more experienced rider, I often merely tap into the wisdom that they already possess, and encourage them to bring it out and apply it at appropriate times, Sometimes I need to elaborate on their current knowledge, and more often I am required to explain why, as riders, we have to execute certain manoeuvres.
In teaching every level of rider, it is easy to tell someone to do something at a certain point. For example, when to execute a half halt. A novice rider might attempt to ride a half halt, maybe not fully aware of what they are doing, or why. An intermediate level rider might start to ask why they do it, and why they had to perform it at that exact moment. | "Any fool can know. The point is to understand." |
An experienced rider might begin to question the mechanics of how a half halt has a certain effect on their horse, and why it may have varying affects depending on when it is performed.
For me, I love this part of teaching. The more questions the rider asks, the more they are wanting to expand their knowledge, the more effective rider they can become. Riding is not a straightforward 1-2-3 step by step process, it is very complex and almost never easy!
Without having the relevant knowledge and understanding how and when to implement it, as a rider we are rendered pretty useless. As a rider we need the ability to educate, discuss with and perform with our horses. More often than not, I'll walk away from a client's session realising 'I haven't actually imparted any new knowledge to them today, I've just taken the appropriate tools out of their toolbox.' This is the part of my job which I completely adore;' by making the rider aware that they already know what they need to do. It's having the confidence and the correct timing that I can help with. And if I can elaborate on a skill set that a rider already possesses by explaining the when and the how, well, then that's just a bonus.
For me, I love this part of teaching. The more questions the rider asks, the more they are wanting to expand their knowledge, the more effective rider they can become. Riding is not a straightforward 1-2-3 step by step process, it is very complex and almost never easy!
Without having the relevant knowledge and understanding how and when to implement it, as a rider we are rendered pretty useless. As a rider we need the ability to educate, discuss with and perform with our horses. More often than not, I'll walk away from a client's session realising 'I haven't actually imparted any new knowledge to them today, I've just taken the appropriate tools out of their toolbox.' This is the part of my job which I completely adore;' by making the rider aware that they already know what they need to do. It's having the confidence and the correct timing that I can help with. And if I can elaborate on a skill set that a rider already possesses by explaining the when and the how, well, then that's just a bonus.