On August 27 I took Ludi for my first lesson with Susan Ziereisen, hosted by the beautiful White Forest Equestrian Centre near Forester's Falls. Sue is a High Performance Dressage Coach with lots of horses and riders in her roster, and she runs Huntleigh Equestrian Centre. I'd heard good things about her and didn't hesitate to sign up.
We started with a quick intro. I want Sue to know a bit of my background: r judge, Level 1 Coach, my own farm. Competed at Fourth Level on a Schoolmaster in 2012, made my own Third Level horse before that. Started dressage with Gerry back in the day, worked for Simone, lessons with Gina, Cindy and Joanne. It's a bit of name dropping, like it or not, but I do it to say 'I can work, so let's work.'
There's a common theme to good training, and it's always a calm focus on correct basics. Sue immediately addressed Ludi's straightness and our one-sidedness. Spectators would have only seen us do big circles and straight lines, but if they'd been watching closely, they would have seen my horse going better and better, getting more balanced and improving transitions. In all the dressage lessons I've taken from these good trainers, I've never been told to get angry, to pull or kick, or make any big move. Afterwards, it's up to me to self-coach; to do it myself if I expect any results.
I read a comment online from Denny Emerson, poking at 'trainer-hoppers' who move from one coach to another frequently, often complaining that they're getting too much repetition and nothing new. Denny suggests these folks would be better served if they considered that maybe they're not listening to the good advice they're being given!
Living remotely, I've never been in a position to train regularly with one person, and maybe that's impeded my riding progress, but I've had other goals to meet along the way. It doesn't occur to me to be frustrated if I hear the same thing from someone new; that just means it's important, and probably correct! Being teachable keeps me learning, and I use the info to be a better coach.
Dressage is centuries-old, and while the times change, there's nothing new in the concepts. Training an animal to be an athlete takes a long time and requires regular assessment by someone more experienced. Whether that's a judge or trainer, there are no shortcuts, quick fixes or gimmicks to be handed out.
I'm sure we'll connect with Sue again!
We started with a quick intro. I want Sue to know a bit of my background: r judge, Level 1 Coach, my own farm. Competed at Fourth Level on a Schoolmaster in 2012, made my own Third Level horse before that. Started dressage with Gerry back in the day, worked for Simone, lessons with Gina, Cindy and Joanne. It's a bit of name dropping, like it or not, but I do it to say 'I can work, so let's work.'
There's a common theme to good training, and it's always a calm focus on correct basics. Sue immediately addressed Ludi's straightness and our one-sidedness. Spectators would have only seen us do big circles and straight lines, but if they'd been watching closely, they would have seen my horse going better and better, getting more balanced and improving transitions. In all the dressage lessons I've taken from these good trainers, I've never been told to get angry, to pull or kick, or make any big move. Afterwards, it's up to me to self-coach; to do it myself if I expect any results.
I read a comment online from Denny Emerson, poking at 'trainer-hoppers' who move from one coach to another frequently, often complaining that they're getting too much repetition and nothing new. Denny suggests these folks would be better served if they considered that maybe they're not listening to the good advice they're being given!
Living remotely, I've never been in a position to train regularly with one person, and maybe that's impeded my riding progress, but I've had other goals to meet along the way. It doesn't occur to me to be frustrated if I hear the same thing from someone new; that just means it's important, and probably correct! Being teachable keeps me learning, and I use the info to be a better coach.
Dressage is centuries-old, and while the times change, there's nothing new in the concepts. Training an animal to be an athlete takes a long time and requires regular assessment by someone more experienced. Whether that's a judge or trainer, there are no shortcuts, quick fixes or gimmicks to be handed out.
I'm sure we'll connect with Sue again!
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