Learning From Students

One of the greatest gifts of being a riding instructor is that I have the opportunity to present material to a variety of different horse and rider combinations. This poses many challenges, and many opportunities. Not every exercise is suitable for every combination, of course, but many apply across several. However, not every rider learns the same way. So the same exercise might need to be presented in a variety of ways to be effective for a variety of people. This is of course one of the challenges, but also an opportunity.

I attended a clinic with my mentor last fall, and one of the huge take-aways for me was a different longing methodology. It was transformational for my horses and I was excited to share it with my students. What was just fantastic to me were the questions they asked me. They were not questions I had asked, or had explained, by my own trainer. The things that were hard for them hadn’t been the things that were hard for me when I learned it.  It forced me to think really differently about how I was doing what I was doing. I had to break the process down further, really get specific about my instructions, and even went so far as to draw a diagram.  Don’t worry, I’m not at risk of switching to a career in art, but it was good enough to help them understand.

I have to say that was one of the clearest examples of learning from my students I’ve had to date. Through their questions, I developed a deeper understanding of something I was using effectively already. It not only made me better at teaching the technique, it made me better at executing the technique.  

I know that teaching isn’t for everyone, but it’s certainly a great way to develop a greater depth of understanding. It’s also essential if you decide to teach, that you develop different ways to get the same information across.

I was blessed to ride with an exceptional horseman in his later years. He was a Swedish gentleman, with Olympic gold medals to his name, and students who had achieved enormous competitive success. He was so passionate about educating that he continued to teach well into his 80’s.  He was a true master. He was also not a native english speaker, and sometimes had only one way to say something. I am still learning today what he meant by some of the phrases he used, because my level of riding or my interpretation of his words were not sufficient at the time.

The Baron was also the man who informed me that I would be a teacher. Yes, informed. I had no interest at the time. I enjoyed the riding, and was doing a bit of teaching at the time but had not honed my craft by any stretch. He told me I would be a teacher, and he was right.

Because there’s no gold standard teacher training, at least not in this country, there wasn’t an option for me to learn other than “on the job.” I’m grateful for all of the riders who helped me learn to teach, and who continue to challenge me to improve every day.