09/08/2025
Shutting up isn’t my best skill, but there are plenty of times with the best thing I can do for Rider is just leave them alone while they go play with whatever we are working on.
Some instructors teach teach teach teach, move this hand here, left shoulder back, step right, watch the tempo,….. just a steady stream of instructions for a solid hour. And hey, if you learn that way, awesome. We all have different learning and coaching styles. And honestly, sometimes we are working on something where I do need to give intense coaching- like to walk someone through a new tricky movement, like a first time haunches in.
But I also like to give students time to process.
- When I am the student I can’t be in my own head if my instructor is taking up residence in there the whole time. Personally, the best lessons I’ve ever received are in a semi private with one other person! This way, the instructor is forced to give me personalized coaching and then leave me the heck alone!!!
- When I am the instructor, I want to give students time on their own, but in front of me, so that I can see what they are going to do when left to their own devices. Maybe when I’m coaching, they remember to step into the inside stirrup every time we change directions, but the moment I’m not there reminding them. they end up hanging to the left the whole time. That’s information I need and it’s information I wouldn’t know if I didn’t just shut up for a few minutes!
Also, I want to develop riders with feel…. And that’s not gonna happen if you keep them in their logical brain the whole ride.
Sometimes instead of shutting up completely, I give them a mantra that I keep repeating out loud in a slow pace…. “Sit deep, ………., ………., Left hand, …….., …..….,  both stirrups, …….., sit deep, …..”
We would have already had a conversation about what those things mean individually and it’s just a shortcut phrase that reminds the student or whatever it was we were working on.
Another one I might do is simply call out when the inside hind leg is in swing phase. I will let my student know that just because I’m calling it out doesn’t mean I’m telling them to do anything. I just want it to absorb into their subconscious so that they become aware of what moment of the stride they are in
 My goal is to assist my riders at becoming independent and developing good feel and timing. What I don’t want to do is try to ride the horse through the rider like a puppeteer.
