Riding Instructors: Can’t live with them… Should you live without them?
Finding an instructor or trainer you can live with is no small feat. Like many riders, I have struggled to find a compatible trainer that I can respect; who respects me and my horses; who understands our abilities as well as our limitations. A largely self-taught rider, I have been very fortunate in that I have always had a variety of horses of all types, ages and dispositions to work with, which amounted to a kind of hands-on laboratory of horsemanship. Adding to that, I had in my early years of riding a few decent trainers and employers who respected my abilities enough to leave me on my own to both train these horses and be trained by them. It was probably this experience of independence and self-reliance which most shaped my perceptions of the trainers I have come into contact with over the years, most of whom I haven’t even a shred of respect for. I’ve personally seen the benefits of self-education, of trial and error, and of working without a net, but this is not for everyone