Guest Blog post # 77: "The Amateur's Affliction" by Bill Woods

Lots of things stand in the way of someone becoming a really good rider. Among amateurs high on the list is guilt—guilt for not riding as elegantly as Charlotte DuJardin (or whomever their hero might be). Maybe you are beyond this stage, but many amateurs always want to have their horse and them  look like the finished product, when skill level aside, they are really just a work in progress.

First of all, some riders need to redefine in their own minds what a horse being "your best friend" entails. It's not like a cat. Yes, there's a partnership, but face it, a performance horse—particularly a dressage horse—is a servant. Not a begrudging one, in the best world they serve willingly and without question.

By establishing yourself as an authority figure not to be challenged, you will reach a crossroad where strength isn't much needed on a moment by moment basis. A student of mine said she didn't want a strong rider on her horse. I corrected her. "No, you do want a strong rider. You just don't want one who rides with strength."

With your very presence its availability is implied and therefore not tested.

If the horse does test it, the correction is instantaneous and surgical followed immediately by a softening—a reward—for the resumption of cooperative behavior.

A colleague of mine, Jill Barrera, admonishes her students, "You don't have to be mean. You just have to mean it!"

Remember, creating a non-argumentative set of expectations based on long running respect and authority sets you up for success. Riders who mimic the appearance of the finished product without having laid the meaningful foundation first will always be disappointed.