All riders possess a main motive or set of motives. This is what drives them to perform better. All riders have their own perceptions and standards of success as well; this is what evaluates “better.” For each definition of success, because this will vary widely from rider to rider, there is a set of objectives and challenges that must be learned and overcome. Different challenges, each with their own success, will suit and serve each rider as she chooses. I personally admire the challenge of training a young event horse from the early stage, if not the first step, into a developed, educated, strong, obedient athlete.
There is something very purposeful in being responsible for developing a young horse, as well as yourself, physically and with education. This challenge takes years and is very demanding in its practice, both mentally and gymnastically. To uphold myself to respecting the communication methods of horses, to practicing good form and strength in my seat, and to honoring my horse as a rising athlete and an individual is very rewarding. While possessing all of the above traits with natural ease, teaching the horse skill by skill, layer by layer, squat by squat is what I believe creates the finest event horse.
To begin on this endeavor, the event trainer must first educate herself, and become well accustomed to correct riding. The event trainer must solidly know each skill that she would like to teach the horse prior to teaching it. She must have a plan of how to teach it, keeping in mind the rules of equine communication. She must have a plan of how to react to the horse and move forward proactively when things go wrong. She must understand that skills are taught in an integrated fashion, adding more sophistication as the horse is ready. She must understand when a horse is ready to move forward by accurately assessing the horse’s comprehension. She must understand that strength is also gained in a similar fashion, and that the complexity of each skill can be increased as strength is increased through daily repetition. Most importantly, a trainer must be able to honestly listen to the feedback from the horse, and adjust her training methods based on this feedback, understanding that any imperfections began from her teachings. This is a process that never ends. A trainer can always work through current problems, learn about new skills, and begin teaching those new skills, working through the next set of problems. This process is worked on each day until more and more skills are attained. It is this attainment of skills by a willing and happy horse that marks the trainer’s success. Finally, during this success, the trainer gets her gratification, and her appetite that drives her motivation is fulfilled.
I choose to practice the above method in my daily riding because it is something that I hold to high esteem. It is something that I believe in. A rider must believe in whatever success they are striving for, otherwise the motivation will not be strong enough. Not all riders and riding businesses consider success to have the same meaning or significance to it as I do. There is nothing wrong with this. Riders are all individuals, with unique motives behind their passion. What matters is that each rider believes in what she strives for, as well as chooses something to strive for that is healthy for both horse and rider. It is in this way that riders can remain genuine and strong, true to their practice regardless of their surroundings. This is something that I personally believe in and promote.