[From the January 2012 Sho Times:Shannon Dueck is a contributing writer to the
Sho Clothes Sho News monthly newsletter]
by Shannon Dueck
(Photo of Shannon Dueck by Sue Stickle)
How to be a Good Trainer (Even if you can’t ride like Steffen Peters)
Last month I wrote about the benefits and pitfalls of full training. This month I want to write about how to keep progressing (or at least not regressing), regardless of how often you get coaching from your favorite trainer.
The first thing you must realize is that you are training your horse every time you get on - or for that matter, every time you work around him (or her). It’s really not fair to a horse to have the rules change from ride to ride, but I see that happening all the time. If you trust your trainer to do the right job, you must try to emulate the trainer every time you are working with your horse. You can say “well I don’t ride as well as Herr _____” but that really doesn’t matter as much as you think. What matters is that you try to say the same things to your horse as your trainer says, and reward the same behavior your trainer rewards.
This concept of consistency in training is crucial in keeping your horse happy and confident. If the rules change all the time the horse is confused. Some kind souls will keep trudging along like good citizens of a changing dictatorship with inconsistent training, but many other horses will shut down or act out when they are faced continually with conflicting messages from their riders. For this reason I am also against riding with every clinician that comes your way, although they may all be very good in their own way. It is not a recipe for progression if you get 10 different trainers telling you 10 different routes on how to reach Rome. You end up going in circles and dead ends and short cuts that just get you lost and on your way to Moscow instead.
To be consistent in training means that you must really understand what you are asking for, where you are going, and you must be comfortable demanding it if necessary. It means you must ride well enough to be clear in your aids and to demand a reaction (and ride the consequences) if your horse ignores your request. So while my title says you don’t have to ride like Steffen Peters, you do need to have an independent seat to be clear and consistent in your training.
In theory this sounds good, but in reality what does it mean? First of all be sure to know that your horse is ready physically and mentally for what you are asking for (eg: don’t try flying changes on a 3 year old that cannot balance the canter). Make sure you are physically and mentally ready for what you are asking for (eg: if you can’t sit the working trot then don’t try extended trot sitting). Then ensure that you ask clearly for what you want (eg: if you want your horse to go forward don’t pull back at the same time). If your horse ignores you, demand it clearly - make it happen. Lastly, after your horse tries to do what you want make sure you reward - the bigger the try the bigger the reward. And yes they do respond to voice rewards, and big pats. A sugar is always nice, but please don’t stop everything just to give your horse a sugar every time he trots, make sure the sugars are saved for trying something difficult.
Hopefully you can carry this concept of consistency with you every time you work with your horse, and every time you ride. Your horse doesn’t need to look like a Grand Prix horse every time you sit on him or her, but even on a trail ride you should insist that your horse goes, stops and goes sideways from light aids. It’s just not fair to get lazy and start bashing your legs rhythmically against your horse’s sides, and then out of the blue expect him to react to a leg aid. So try to be aware all the time of the messages you send your horse. Be clear in your aids, be consistent in your demand that your horse react to your aids, be free with your rewards, and your horse will be happy to comply. I know it works (with horses and dogs anyhow) and you can help keep the path your trainer paves while you are working on your own.
International Grand Prix trainer and competitor Shannon Dueck is a Pan Am Games Individual Silver Medalist, and has competed at both WEG and the World Cup Final. She has trained with Bert Rutten of the Netherlands, Kathy Connelly, Lars Peterson, Hubertus Schmidt, Robert Dover, and most recently, Wolfram Wittig while in Germany this past summer.
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