Good Coaching

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My bad Riding Instructor posts, (see Riding Instructors and Riding Instructors Part II) had a bit of a following. It seems from the private posts I received that the string of Bad Instructors I described have doppelgangers in every part of the country.

I’ve had a little time since my spring show season ended to contemplate my journey. And ponder what next?

Where on earth does Bad Eventer go after that?

It brings tears to my eyes when I think about 2009 when I started eventing again. I had some pretty unrealistic goals, and I was going about them all wrong.

I’m actually pretty excited that all those RFs and Es are about to drop off the first page of my show record.

In short, I decided after a very long break (that means no jumping, and no English saddles) that I really wanted to event. I bought a horse (the wrong horse) and I started eventing at a level well above my (and my horse’s) ability.

Yeah.

Bad Eventer was on the scene.

After my second CAT scan in one show season……… I was able to lease the most perfect horse in the world.

A seasoned veteran who knew just to look for the flags. I never had to ride do anything, and in spite of being 21 years old and only marginally sound enough to compete we had 4 perfect competitions where he was in the top few in dressage and put in a double clear on XC and stadium every single time.

Honesty, he was such a rock star that he didn’t teach me a thing about riding. He was the definition of point and shoot.

But he gave me confidence, and you can’t put a price on that.

After a few months of toting around Bad Eventer (not to mention 15 years of Eventing after 57 races (yes really!) he very much earned his retirement…… and I was off on the horse search once again.

I found the most incredible horse I could ever have hoped for. When I went to get her my truck blew up, and I spent 2 weeks stranded. I made the most of those 2 weeks and took her to a schooling show (I’d ridden her 3 TIMES!!) But it was a blast, and I also got to do a XC schooling with a top rider.

At  that time, trakehners were my bogey fence (and the cause of all those CAT scans.) Next thing I know I found myself at the lesson………..hearing these words,

Jump the trakehner.

OK, jump it again.

OK, jump it the other way.

Now jump the bigger one.

I swear we jumped a trakehner at least 20 times in that lesson!!!

At the end this was what she said, “I understand you’ve had some problems with trakehners, I just wanted to make sure you knew this mare would jump them.”

I finally got my wonderful new horse home, and in the most tragic of turns I lost her to colic before I’d had her a month.

At this point I had to seriously reconsider my goals, and I thought maybe the universe was telling me not to be an eventer.

After the shock wore off I bought another horse. A reject actually (yeah I know). One that no one else wanted, but that had jumped around at Prelim and could get the job done.

It was about 6 months after getting this trouble maker that I found my coach.

Don’t get me wrong.

I’d been taking lessons and going to clinics from day one, but I hadn’t really found someone that believed I could do it. One of my former instructors had even told someone while standing next to me, “Oh she’ll NEVER go Prelim.”

So I went looking for a new one. I remember my first lesson like it was yesterday.

It was a XC schooling and I couldn’t find my spurs to save my life. I decided that showing up
without spurs, but on time, was better than being late.

” Never leave your spurs on the fence.” was echoing in my head.

I walked up and introduced myself.

He gazed at me and my horse for exactly 3 seconds and said, “Where are your spurs?”

I didn’t think admitting that I was such a Bad Eventer that I couldn’t find them was the best choice, so I quite convincingly told him she was a hot sensitive mare and did better without them…………………..
It only got better when I showed up a few lessons later with my shirt on inside out. (see I’m a Highly Skilled Surgeon-Really!!)

In spite of my truly Bad Eventer start……fast forward 6 weeks, and I was jumping around my first Prelim. (Where we happened to finish 4th – in an open division – on our dressage score.)

I’d spent 30 years trying to jump around at Prelim, and when I finally found the right instructor I got there in less than 2 months.

Bad Eventer finally found her coach……

that is……….until she gets fired as a student for using him in her blog……………….

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