The best and worst coaches you've ever had?

Laura F · Well Schooled

The best and worst coaches you've ever had?

Ranna · Well Schooled

My first trainer was a guy with a lot of humor but in our lessons he made me fall asleep.
He was just soooo... *looking for the right word*.... laid back (not to say slow.)

I need someone with fire, who is very strict with me and tells me straight away what I'm doing wrong or good and how to do things better. Someone who motivates me and that's what I found in my second trainer and I stayed with her for 10+ years.

justice · Grand Prix

The best coaches/instructors are my horses. The worst, well most inconsistent anyway, are the people : )

-- Edited by justice on Tuesday 16th of November 2010 04:53:37 PM

Barbara F · Grand Prix

My best coaches - years ago, a lady named Diane Neal who gave me a broad and thorough foundation, In the last 15 years, Gina Smith and currently, Belinda Trussell.

My worst coach, again, years ago. The man who first taught me when I got my first horse. He just didn't care. Once my horse bolted in the arena. His very helpful instructions to me were
"Stop Him!!"

Jackie Cochran · Advanced

I have been really fortunate in having 3 instructors who I can respect, decades ago Kay Russell at North Forks School of Equitation (when it was in Purcelville, Va..) She got my seat together and taught me a lot about horses.

For the past 3-4 years I've ridden with Debbie Barnham Campbell at Brandywind Springs South stable in Midland, NC. Debbie is probably the best teacher I could ever hope for. She has taken the challenge of a disabled rider and has patiently helped me regrow nerve paths that help me ride much better.

I also trust Karen Fenwick at the present day North Forks School of Equitation (in Jefferson, MD.) I have had two lessons in the past two years, each time she told me exactly what I needed to improve on to be a better Forward Seat rider.

None of these ladies has ever let me use the excuse of MS to ride badly. Debbie is particularly good at this. If I ever become a really good rider it will be because of Debbie's instruction. If I ever got a horse again it would go to Debbie for training because she does such a good job.

MagsNMe · Advanced

I've had a number of coaches over the years.

Hands down worst was when I was in my teens. I had a half of a lesson with her before she threw me out of it and then was absolutely horrified that my mother wouldn't make me take lessons with her (my brother still did).

I've had great coaches too:
Sharon Merkel-Beattie - took clinics with her, she's straight forward and has lots of options if one thing doesn't work
Shanna MacNeill - my first dressage coach, she helped me learn dressage without making me feel like a moron after 20 years of hunter/jumper.
Jen Winkler - my current coach. Again with the straight forward thing, and has ridden hundreds of horses, so she has a stack of tricks if she can't get me or my horse to do something, she tries another way! She is also well aware that, with me, you can't throw a hundred things at me, give me one or two to focus on, then we'll go from there. PLUS, she can and will ride my horse, which makes things easier on me (Maggie throws her worst behaviour at Jen, when she's learning something new).

The key, of course, is to find someone who can work with you and your horse.

Barngoddess · Yearling

Best Coach - Belinda Trussell!

Barbara F · Grand Prix

Barngoddess wrote:

Best Coach - Belinda Trussell!

I second that! BTW, I'd love to know who was your worst!

Geoffrey Pannell · Well Schooled

Mark Todd, best coach----- Worst coach, an aussie eventer ( won gold medals) great rider but he can't coach to save his life.

hedgren · Yearling

Worst ever - When I was eleven and just started riding the coach used to swear, scream and yell so much they made the kids cry by the end of the lesson. When I was 14 a different coach used to yell at me the entire lesson in German. They also threw horse balls at you if you did not complete the exercise the exact way. I have now realized these people had issues and was not a reflection on my riding. ;)

Thankfully, my coaches have improved over time and have been pretty supportive.

Best Coach - Walter Zettl and Eddo Hoekstra

Sonia · Well Schooled

Worst coach - when I was in my teens, she used to stand at the entrance to the barn and chat with all the boarders while I continued to w/t/c around the outside of the arena until I was dizzy. Useless.....

The best....hmmmm I have two, nope three.

My aunt who first taught me to ride on her wonderful Morgan stallion when I was 6 years old. She taught me the foundations of the classical style of Dressage and to this day I thank her over and over for the 'boring' repetition she put me through.

Second is Linda Weldon at Caydon Farm in Newmarket, Ontario. I came to her a few years ago with some sporadic riding over the last 5-6 years and she listened to what I wanted to accomplish and led me there. She 'cured' my fear of jumping (after a nasty almost-fall as a teen) to the point that I actually enjoyed it and was jumping 2'6". She also gave me the confidence in myself that I could do everything that I wanted.

Third, that stallion, Buddy, was the most caring gentle teacher any rider could have asked for. Even though he was a stallion, he was so gentle and I'm pretty sure I was just a 'little person' on his back and he took EXCELLENT care of me. If I was slightly off balance, he would stop etc. That was 22 years ago that I first sat on that horse's back and 11 years ago that he passed, I have not experienced that connection on a horse until I started training this 5 year old of my aunt's. It's really magical when that happens.

I think for a coach it's just as much teaching the mind as it is teaching the body and the horse.

Eclipse · Yearling

My worst coach was when I was riding western. My first lesson I just walked around my whole lesson... I had ridden before but he wouldn't let me do anything. My second lesson he lefft me in the ring to walk and trot around while he started working on his chores.... I only ended up having a few lessons to say the least.

My best coach is my current coach. She pushes me which I enjoy because I constantly want to get better and getting her horse (I lease her) better. Sometimes we even switch up diciplines just for something different for the horse and me and after that my horse listens better. Also she lets me work off lessons without that I would not be able to ride often because I cannot afford it, I'm a college kid, and by doing that I also learn so much more about "my" horse and the other ones.

Figarocubed · Advanced

Worst coach was the woman who never had anything encouraging to say, who compared her students to herself in a disparaging manner. You'd think the woman could walk on water. Insensitive and self-absorbed most of the time.

Best coaches, besides the gal I'm working with now, two in Minnesota and my first instructor ever, a Hungarian gent who'd ridden as a young man at the SRS. Oh, and another Hungarian that I work with in clinics when he's in town. He's a master teacher. All these people were positive without being treacly, strict without being overbearing.

I've been blessed to have more good teachers than bad ones.

Kairen Jamieson · Yearling

Best coaches were Lee Tubman...Walter Zettl and Belinda Trussel.

The worse was a wll known jumper coach who nearly killed me and my horseby "rapping" him as I went over a fence...I had no idea what he was going to do...after I lost my voice yelling at him....I never took a lesson/clinic or free school with him ever again.

-- Edited by Kairen Jamieson on Thursday 16th of December 2010 09:55:58 PM

kschmittendorf · Well Schooled

I have had only two so far and I think each has their strong points. My first was good for me since I was a new, older rider and needed a lot of hand holding. But I came to a point where I was past this and the lessons became actually detrimental. My new trainer comes from a very different background and is perfect for me at this time in my riding life. So I think it depends on where a person is in their skill level. There definitely are bad trainers out there that have poor communication skills and very little professionalism. My advice is to interview and audit a few lessons. If they won't allow this then don't use them!

Queenrider · Advanced

One of the worst coaches I ever had was Ian Black. The guy was just incompetent and asked me to jump a ramped oxer backwards. I said no and that was the last lesson.
My current coaches are the best. I have John Lassiter who comes twice a year and I have Jill Steadman!

Sparks · Yearling

I've got two that fall into the Best category:
- Hugh Graham. He taught me how to sit on a horse properly, which is funny because for someone who rides with such notoriously long reins he's a stickler for equitation. He also really hammered in how to adjust in a line.
- Amy Millar. She taught me how to flat ride a jumper and how to properly ride a jump (though I can't say I'm too great at it these days!). You can pick up a few of her jumping tips in the 5 Minute Clinic at www.getmyfix.org.

Worst, I'd never put it in writing... ;)