Conference noted::equitation

  If you haven't already, read topics 610 and 1597. They are discussions
  about what people like and *don't* like about some instructors. 
  That should give you some insight about what to avoid anyway. :*}

initial reactions to this (in no particular order, and not necessarily complete):

1) must be competing _successfully_ at a level _beyond_ where I compete 
   _in_the_discipline I compete in.

	For example, I don't want to take lessons from a strictly dressage 
	instructor and then expect to do well at hunter shows.  

2) if the instructor is not competing actively themselves, then they must have
   _students_ who are competing successfully at _at_least_ the level I 
   expect to be riding at.

In other words, I want my instructor to be current with what's happening
in the 'outside' world.

3) should be able to communicate their concepts/instructons etc. clearly and 
   in a variety of ways.

4) should be available when I have the time to ride.  

	For example, I'm not very apt to take regular lessons from 
	someone who only teaches 9-5, since I don't get to my horse
	until 6:30pm most days.

5) can/will the instructor come to me, or do I have to go to them. (Since I 
   don't have a trailer, this is important to me)

6) should be _interested_ in teaching me on my horse and seeing us improve.

 The first great axiom of teaching:
 Great doers are not neccesarily great teachers.
 Great teachers are not neccesarily great doers.
 Get yourself a great *teacher*. 

 Set some short and long term goals for your riding. 
 They don't *have* to be glorious, but if you *really
 want* to go to the Olympics, then say so! When
 you talk to prospective instructors, tell them your
 goals. How to they react? Excited? Skeptical? Even
 if your goal is GP jumping and you own a 15h QH that's
 never jumped higher than a crossrail, the instructor's 
 first words should not be discouraging things like 
 "No way, not on that horse!" or "That's only for the 
 rich and talented." Wrong answer!
 What you'd like to hear is, "Well let's see how much we 
 can do with what we have." and "What are you willing to 
 do to reach that goal?" 

 You have to know something about yourself to find
 the best teacher for *you*. Some teachers can teach
 many types of people, some work well with certain
 types of students but not others. When you look at
 the teacher, also look at the *students*. Are they
 aggressive? timid? confident? scared? tense? relaxed?
 quiet? talkative? self-critical? critical of others?

 Are you like those students? Which ones seem to
 be the most happy with that instructor? How does the
 instructor react when the students make a mistake?
 Yell? Get mad? Laugh? Encourage? Did that bother you?
 What kind of goals do their students have? Are they similar
 to your goals?

 Are you a timid rider? Then you need a cheering section,
 a "You can do it" teacher and one that can teach you how
 to be in control so that you can be a confident rider.

 Are you confident but tense? Then you need a teacher that 
 knows how to make you use your confidence to relax. 

 Are you relaxed but don't feel focused? 
 You might not be happy with a "just do it until it feels
 right" kind of teacher. Maybe you need more "mechanical"
 instruction; "More left rein when he's not balanced on 
 those corners". 

 Are you a highly motivated perfectionist who rides
 until you drop from exhaustion? Then you need a teacher
 who is a calming influence, who will help you format
 your riding so that you and your horse get the most
 out of it. Two hours of pounding away at shoulder-ins,
 until you get it RIGHT, may be less effective than 
 a half hour of learning something about the *way* you
 ride shoulder-ins, even if it wasn't perfect. 

 I have been through many instructors so I know exactly 
 what I want. When I was starting out I didn't know what
 to look for. You should feel good about your very first 
 lesson, even if it was a 'disaster' (lost my stirrups,
 couldn't pick up right lead to save my life, etc). You 
 should feel good about the ability to improve your riding 
 and about your lessons as a whole, even on those crazy
 days when the horse is out to lunch and you can't even
 get a nice trot circle. Every lesson doesn't have to be
 *brilliant*, just effective at dealing with the situation
 at hand. (I still occasionally have lessons when I don't 
 even get past a trot!)

 One more thing...if your instructor really hates your horse
 you are not going to get maximum benefit from the lessons.
 My favorite instructors have the attitude "Even though it's
 not *my* preference, we can still make this horse into the best 
 it can be." If your instructor is always blaming your horse
 then find another instructor, or, reconsider that the horse you 
 have may not fit in with your riding goals. Are you willing
 to compromise your goals?

 

    Kiirja pretty much nailed it.  I would only add that the instructor
    should like both your horse *and you*!  I know of one instructor that 
    if she likes your horse, and doesn't like you, then very likely she 
    doesn't feel that you deserve it and she'll eat you alive.  Also, if
    your horse is the more intelligent, sensitive type, he or she will need
    to like/respect your instructor.  This instructor got a little
    intimidated by Algiers because she sensed that he didn't like her. 
    
    mary

    Re .5
    
    Boy, what you said!
    
    When I was taking lessons, I had the luck of an instructor
    who liked both myself and my horse.  BUT, there was another
    instructor who had this voice that reminded me of nails scraping
    down a blackboard....she would sometimes come and watch while
    I had my lesson, which was fine.  Until she spoke, which was usually
    in a loud manner, and directed at someone 50 feet away, and my horse 
    would literally cringe.
    
    Just her voice would shatter his concentration....it was amazing, as
    she had little contact with my horse, other than she boarded her horse
    there.
    
    L-

I think its ideal when your instructor voluntarily hops on your horse from
time to time to gain a better understanding of you & your horses's weaknesses.
Your instructor can better prioritize whats next in your training schedule if
s/he feels whats going on.  A judge once said he would try to pin a class
based on the horse he would want to ride home after a late night dinner party.

I think an instructor can tell more about _both_ horse and rider errors by 
riding the horse, rather than just by watching the horse.  I don't care how 
good an 'eye' the intructor has.  If your only goal is for other people to 
like what they see in your horse or your riding, then you may have missed out 
on how much more pleasurable a well trained horse really can be. Its a great 
feeling to hop back on your horse just after your instructor has 
performed a tune-up...first of all, you get to experience and hopefully 
memorize the new feeling.  It can also be a great feeling when your 
instructor is truly shocked over some difficulty that you've been 
mentioning existed, but that s/he was not addressing, or that s/he was blaming
you for, for not applying aids correctly.

I think an instructor can also identify a lot of rider errors by riding
someone's horse.  Like a fingerprint, a rider leaves an impression on his horse.
A hard mouth can mean hard hands.  A need for heavy aids can mean the rider
needs to work on improving his/her own understanding of what light aids mean.
A horse who doesn't listen to seat aids reveals a rider who probably depends 
too heavily on the reins. A horse who snatches at the bit can reveal a rider
who gives too much.  The list goes on and on.

Melinda