I flew home from the FEI-level Trainer’s Conference in
Florida last night. On the ride home, as I was thinking about how to organize this
blog, I tossed around a few different angles-- how Steffen Peters and Scott Hassler
clearly showed all of us the lessons each horses had for us, how the inspiring
lessons make me want to come home and train with more clarity, how re-setting
my standard this time of year is so crucial in the hard-to-stay-motivated cold,
how sitting in front of such clear communicators makes me want be a better teacher,
but really, all of this has been covered so beautifully on other blogs, such as:
Then I thought of what made this experience
different from last year’s trip south, and I had my angle. This year I shared
the inspiration.
This year my assistant trainer, Maddy, joined me on the trip. I wanted Maddy to come because, although she
has watched Scott teach me many, many times, she has not had the opportunity to
watch the progression of horses from first level to schooling GP back-to-back
like this before. Also, when she watches my lessons with Scott, because I have
been working with him for many years, the lessons aren’t filled with as much explanation
as when he takes the roll of facilitator.
I wanted to give her a crash course in the training approach I have been
trained in.
Additionally, this year again I was able to spend a very
brief time watching Catherine Haddad train. Maddy got to see not only good
training and riding, but also Catherine’s assistant take the roll of her eyes-on-the-ground,
a role I want Maddy to learn to take. I haven’t
had an assistant that was confident enough to take that role in a while, and
now that Scott’s barn goes south for the winter, I’m really feeling the
lack.
Monday and Tuesday, we watched and let our cognitive learning
absorb Steffen’s effective, quiet seat while he and Scott’s words explained the
order of their priorities in each phase of the training. We took pages of
notes, and Maddy even stole a little cell phone video to watch Steffen’s canter
seat over and over again.
After watching all day, we had dinner with our friends,
Lauren and Fiona, who had also came down for the Conference, and discussed what
we saw. Fiona has a gift for starting conversation. I loved watching Maddy start in role of
listener, then, as our conversations confirmed her ‘eye’, begin to contribute
to our discussions. We talked about Steffen’s
training approach -- how he was willing to use more advanced movements to improve
the overall thoroughness of the basics, and how the basics improved the
movements themselves. We talked about
his rather short training sets, and how they would work in our colder
temperatures. We discussed his amazing ability to get the horse to offer the
movements.
Fiona asked what we were going to do with this knowledge when
we got home, and Maddy right away answered that she was going to bring Silly’s
talented canter more uphill, and use it to make her “just overall better.” She
also said she was eager to go back in the show ring on Venus, who has been helping
Maddy find her show-ring skills after being away from the competition ring
since high school, and really think about working the show ring to make Venus
really shine.
Needless to say, this all made me quite proud. Educating
horses is my passion, but I can only train as well as my teachers have trained
me. As a thank you to all of the wonderful
instructors who have not only taught but mentored me, I feel an obligation to do
the same to the next round of professionals.
Maddy is not the first young professional I have helped, nor will she be
the last, but since I taught her to canter when she was a kid, watching her
turn into a confident, skilled horseperson is a particular joy.
P.S. I want to say a special thank-you to all of those at
home who made it possible for Maddy and I to both be away, particularly with
the Polar Vortex descending in our absence.
Doug, Joyce, and Aneesa, you are all wonderful people and I am truly in
your debt. Thank you again.
Now out to apply it all in the balmy 14 degree weather.
