Treasure Valley Equine Learning Center

09/30/2024

06/26/2024

Courtesy of Carey Cathey

At a horse show, a frustrated young trainer noticed an old cowboy sitting alone in the stands, quietly watching the competition. The way his pants were tucked into the tops of his colorful stovepipe boots and the dubious angle his silver-belly stetson sat perched on his head made the old man instantly recognizable. He was a living legend in the horse world and the younger man was thrilled at the prospect of picking his hero's brain.
The young man took the empty seat next to the old cowboy and pretended to watch the show. He sat for awhile in silence until he could stand it no longer, then, with a nervous lump in his throat, he introduced himself to the man. The conversation was sparse at first, the old man being one of few words. He would occasionally point out something or other he admired about a run as it played out.
His patience finally wore thinner than the denim in the ass of his jeans and he pleaded with the wise cowhand, "I'd appreciate any advice you can spare me. I'd give anything to ride one like you."
"What would you like to know?" the man with the colorful boots asked, a quizzical gleam lighting his eyes.
"How long will it take me to get good? I've been trying forever and it feels like i never really get it, you know?"
"That one is easy. When things go wrong just take the time to listen to yourself and you will know exactly where you are at."
"I don't understand?"
The old man raised his hand and pointed an arthritic finger across the arena where an angry contestant je**ed violently on his reins. The horses eyes were wide and panicked, and he shot backwards with his head stuck straight in the air.
The man said, "If you blame your horse, you have a long, long journey ahead of you."
Then with a tip of his bearded chin, he motioned to a group of men kicking the dirt with the toes of their boots and shaking their heads in disapproval. "If you blame something outside yourself, the footing, the cows, the weather, the judge, you're a little closer but still a long ways off."
Then the man directs their attention the rider leaving the show pen after a disastrous run. The man's shoulders are slumped and his eyes are flat. The young cowboy immediately knows what the dejected rider is feeling because he had felt it himself a million times. Self-loathing
The old man sees the recognition and nods approvingly, "If you blame yourself, you're half way there."
A long silence passes as the boy ruminates on his newfound knowledge. Realizing his time with the man was about up he asks, "How will I know when I'm there."
"Another easy one, " the old man chuckles, "when you realize blame ain’t even part of the equation."

01/04/2024

Things your riding instructor wants you to know:
1. This sport is hard. You don't get to bypass the hard…..every good rider has gone through it. You make progress, then you don't, and then you make progress again. Your riding instructor can coach you through it, but they cannot make it easy.
2. You're going to ride horses you don't want to ride. If you're teachable, you will learn from every horse you ride. Each horse in the barn can teach you if you let them. IF YOU LET THEM. Which leads me to…
3. You MUST be teachable to succeed in this sport. You must be teachable to succeed at anything, but that is another conversation. Being teachable often means going back to basics time and time and time again. If you find basics boring, then your not looking at them as an opportunity to learn. Which brings me to…..
4. This sport is a COMMITMENT. Read that, then read it again. Every sport is a commitment, but in this sport your teammate weighs 1200 lbs and speaks a different language. Good riders don't get good by riding every once in awhile….they improve because they make riding a priority and give themselves opportunity to practice.
5. EVERY RIDE IS AN OPPORTUNITY. Even the walk ones. Even the hard ones. Every. Single. Ride. Remember when you just wished someone would lead you around on a horse? Find the happiness in just being able to RIDE. If you make every ride about what your AREN'T doing, you take the fun out of the experience for yourself, your horse, and your instructor. Just enjoy the process. Which brings me to...
6. Riding should be fun. It is work. and work isn't always fun.....but if you (or your rider) are consistently choosing other activities or find yourself not looking forward to lessons, it's time to take a break. The horses already know you don't want to be here, and you set yourself up for failure if you are already dreading the lesson before you get here.
7. You'll learn more about horses from the ground than you ever will while riding. That's why ground lessons are important, too. If you're skipping ground lessons (or the part of your lesson that takes place on the ground), you're missing out on the most important parts of the lesson. You spend far more time on the ground d with horses than you do in the saddle.
9. Ask questions and communicate. If you're wondering why your coach is having you ride a particular horse or do an exercise, ask them. Then listen to their answer and refer to #3 above.
8. We are human beings. We make decisions (some of them life and death ones) every day. We balance learning for students with workloads for horses and carry the bulk of this business on our shoulders. A little courtesy goes a long way.
Of all the sports your child will try through their school years, riding is one of 3 that they may continue regularly as adults (golf and skiing are the others). People who coach riding spend the better part of their free time and much of their disposable income trying to improve their own riding and caring for the horses who help teach your child. They love this sport and teaching others…..but they all have their limits. Not all good riders are good coaches, but all good coaches will tell you that the process to get good is not an easy one.