Friday, July 22, 2011
Good Trainers are Goldust
Back during the five years I crafted the Equestrian Diary column for my local newspaper the Cochrane EAGLE beginning in 2002, I wrote just about everything related to horses. Blanket repairs, shelters (a unexpected favourite that one!), horse behaviour…….and clinicians.
A LOT of clinicians. The horse ‘whisperers’ known across North America, Canadian home-bred versions, specialists, generalists ……. in the end I just about out-clinicianed (not proper or correct English but it’s the most apt way I can think of describing the situation!) and many of them near talked-you-to-death.
I can remember interviewing participants on a couple on those Master World Talkers' courses who, frankly, went into mental hypnosis overload by the end of day two. Oops, when you’re dishing out fairly serious $$$, eh - ?
Many clinicians were amazing, some had moments, most were superb horseman, others were superb horseman but lousy teachers (I can remember attending a British clinic given by an Olympian I had waited, dreamed of for months and she couldn’t have taught a donkey to trot – an unbelievably disappointing day where I had anticipated all my cross-country questions would be answered succinctly, like before breakfast).
There are born teachers, as there are rare naturally gifted athletes, and those you can teach to teach, or to ride who have to work, work, work to find all the right tools, muscles and independent balance (right up to Olympic, I know, I’ve taught that deal).
And, last weekend, B.C. based Jonathan Field breezed through five blisteringly hot days with humour, very real interest in every single individual human and horse during both Horsemanship 101 and then 102….. and then Jonathan atop a chance ride on a big bay gelding with just a tad of attitude showed me three very neat techniques that went into my mental “could be useful” drawer.
They were, too, just a mere two days later! Isn’t ‘coincidence’ just wonderful - ?!
Jonathan was teaching at Patty Martin’s Twin Springs Ranch (tel 403-932-7817 or www.twinspringsranch.ca - the website’s still developing). The ranch’s atmosphere’s positive plus here and they specialize in competent pasture boarding, with both indoor and outdoor arenas – plus immediate access to wonderful backcountry trails.
Patty and Jonathan, I know, were talking about the possibility of another clinic later this year
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