I want to share a story that has two parts and its meanings can be applied to a variety of things. It all revolves around a time I spent learning from Conrad Schumacher in Germany. Over time I will share my experiences working with numerous great instructors and trainers. I share will not cover all they have to offer, that would be its own book!
The first part is about me as a student.When I went to Conrad's I had not been riding as much before hand as I would have liked. The horses I did have time to ride were not at a high level,but he was patient and took me under his wing . I trusted in the fact that he was incredible, which I had been able to see in person here in the USA. I was able to attend a clinic were he worked with a variety of horses and riders. The combination that impressed me most was Lendon Grey and Idocus. Here was a Grand Prix rider/trainer that I had watched for years on horses like Seldom Seen and so many others. She rode with such focus and rider and trainer showed such mutual respect throughout the clinic that I knew if I showed the same focus and respect I would have great results too. After attending the clinic I was given the optrutity to go to Germany and train.
While working with Conrad I was able to feel and learn things that I did not even realize were possible. In one lesson he had me stay on a pirouette for 8 revolutions(most horses can not do this well and should not be asked too, this one was very specail). While Being as relaxed and focused as I could.
He asked me at all times to challenge myself to see how light my aids could be, how to go with and accentuate the horses movement more every ride. To put the horse first by always
considering what it was thinking and feeling. To ask myself, if I had done everything I could to properly prepare the horse and reward him. He said at the end of the week he was pleased with my progress and I he would be happy to work with me again.
This reinforced my belief that when you work with a gifted teacher, and you give their lesson 100%. You will learn not only how it can work for you, but something you can apply to any lesson you may take. If you do not have trust and confidence in your trainer, you have to ask yourself is this the right teacher? If the answer is yes you must try and open your mind and ask questions after your lessons to gain understanding on how you can achieve this goal.
The second part is about me as a teacher. He gave me a wonderful example of what it means to be a great instructor for many reasons, but one story he shared has stuck out in my mind more than any other! He had a horse that he trained and then leased to students. Each student leased the horse for two years. He did this five times. In between each students lease he would ride the horse for a time while he searched for the next one. Each student won championships on this same horse! What was very interesting for him is that the horse changed so much with each rider even though they all had similar success. When he would take the horse back and rode it the horse did everything well that the previous rider did well and struggled with everything the
previous rider struggled with. Each rider was different. We all know each horse has strengths and weakness's but he had no idea how much the rider played in it. Before this he spent most of his time focusing on what would improve the horse by telling the rider how to correct or improve the horse.After this experience he focused a lot more of his time focusing on correcting and improving the rider. Teaching through the rider. This thought me their must be a balance. That there are many ways to look at each situation through the horse, the rider, and the combination of both. Also the physical, mental, and environmental aspects of the horse, rider and combination of that horse and rider must be considered! Wow, its a lot. So simple and yet so complicated. I guess that is what makes it so wonderful and fasinating!!!
I hope this has helped you in some small way.
Sincerely,
John
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