Monday, March 14, 2016

If you want to be a great rider, let go your ego!

       PLEASE: Not meant to be a rant, rather in response to a recent (and seemingly recurrent) experience; a new rider who claimed 1.20m show experience, came to ride, yet failed to do simple canter departs and had some basic issues on my former Grand Prix level "school master" and so I limited the lesson to flat work, focusing on position and aids. Some days later, the student called me and ranted on that they expected a "jumping lesson" and felt I had insulted, in some manner by working on such "basic"work, insinuating a "beginner" and had expected to "Jump Big". I explained my thoughts as carefully as I could and yet don't expect to see a return.

 I am often perplexed by the enormous variety of expectations I encounter as an educator of riders or "horse enthusiasts".  What I have had a hard time accepting and perhaps that's been my own obstacle is the fact that "EGO" plays such a huge role in the process. This single thing has caused me much consternation. A perfectly able student is suddenly up in arms or retreats away from a simple correction, one that they may have known and dismissed or just didn't ever realize, perhaps another teacher missed or dismissed the importance of a BASIC riding error, but upon my illumination it's slanderous.

        I am not perfect nor do I consider myself the very best as I look up to so many other riders, but I believe I have after five (5) decades of horsemanship, enough solid experience, knowledge and ability above the average. Without fear of contradiction, throughout my life I have studied hard the smallest of idiosyncrasies of any job or sport I have undertaken in order to do it to my best ability limited only by time or money or previous obligation. I write now about Equestrianism, something I have devoted the majority of a life to. 

 To support my indulgence, here is a short list of accomplishments: I have in my life in order to make a living and for my own interests, became certified as a USHJA trainer, I also certified in piloting light aircraft, as a commercial driver, scuba diving,  I played soccer through high school to intercollegiate competition, I studied multiple forms of martial arts, earning my belts and even teaching for a short stint, I rock climbed (free solo) crazy cliffs and mountains,  I learned to do freestyle downhill skiing, became certified in advanced lifesaving.  I have over several years now, thanks to my love, Pam (100 ton Master Mariner licensed captain), learned to crew and be helmsman under sail an 18 ton, 51' ketch rigged yacht, even in 40+ knot winds in rough water, I may even sit for a Captain license.   What does this all lead up to? What does it mean to horsemanship? Riding?

Training with Susan Hutchinson
       In order to achieve any competencies in the above; I had    to drop the"EGO", I had to be the "STUDENT"every time I was training. To this day, I hold the desire to learn, to absorb any and all the information I can, by watching, reading and actually doing well, whatever it is I set myself upon or am taught by someone above my ability or knowledge!  I am so surprised that in the business of horses how many "EXPERTS" I am presented with. It is the most frustration I think I have encountered, when trying my best to pass along the information I learned,  my many countless hours, years of studying, my mistakes (YES) and by my MANY successful efforts, just to be confronted by an eruption of an EGO. Stopped cold in my efforts to share, because another is suddenly an emotional puddle or worse a belligerent, stuck in the mire of their vanity.

Rich Fellers and Flexible
       I love conversing and learning from George Morris because he is a realist, just like my good friend and mentor Col. Julian McFadden was, like my friend and teacher pictured (left) Rich Fellers is, like Susan Hutchinson (above) is, like my Mother and many other great people I have learned from are..... They were the students with the white heat of desire to learn, they achieved so much and they have become my teachers, they passed along VITAL information and you bet, I grab on to as much as I can! THAT, is my foundation, that is now my knowledge I teach from. Yes, we all need to make a living,  but why do so many teachers (trainers) become so very complacent? To be a mediocre teacher spreads mediocrity to the student. I will not, I must hold my students to a standard, that desire to learn must be ever present and to learn you must put your "EGO" aside in my program.  

      SO, "everyone" has an (ego) right?And the best way to serve it healthily, is to better yourself, honestly. To put forth your best effort and wherever you reach a new threshold, you have that to be proud of! Your self image, can be a result of your open minded, harvested education! In my belief, until I pass on from this world, unless I am incapacitated from understanding, I will always be learning and then teaching. If you allow your pride alone to rule your action,  chances are you will suffer the indignation of your "EGO" stopping or at least hindering your life's ambition. 
We all struggle, even the wealthy, the gifted, someone, everyone alive always has a problem. But we have choices.....
Don't pass it onto the horse, we have the EGO, they have the HEART and those in my opinion are often diametrically opposed by many. I am very proud of my accomplishments and I will be damned if I let my ego ever stop me from learning something new, even about myself (which can be the hardest lesson) and then suffering a student or horse by ignorance or closed mind.

Knowledge never ends....... so ride on!


Clayton  Jackson


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