I have to start off by saying that I truly enjoyed the 70+ degree weather in Watsonville, CA this past week- I even got a sunburn! I was not in California to enjoy the sun, however- I was there to become a better teacher and to expand my understanding of not only riding, but learning, at Sandy Howard's American Sport Horse facility. The three day clinic is spearheaded by Mary Wanless and Sandy Howard- you can't get much better than those two! The real fun (and benefit) of the clinic, however, comes in the form of the unbelievable collaboration among the roughly two dozen participant trainers. Ideas are exchanged, observations are made, suggestions are given to riders, suggestions are given to trainers, philosophy, cutting edge research, and things far outside the normal box are broken into tiny bits for discussion, old theories are embraced or debunked, hot topics are discussed, and connections are made.
A day at teacher training goes roughly like this... 9am- find a seat, with coffee in hand, watch a few minutes of Mary and/or Sandy interacting with the two demo riders for the first session. Think about what where the rider and horse are in THIS moment. Listen to Mary's fix (often an amazing visual metaphor, based on real biomechanics research). Sit on the edge of your chair, trying to recreate the described feeling in your own body while stationary. Wonder if you've ever done that, and how you would describe it. Listen to Mary ask for, coax, or cajole feedback from the riders. Some riders (usually those who are firmly rooted in Mary's system) can give unbelievably detailed feedback about their bodies and how they are influencing their horses. Some need some serious leading. Wonder how you can get your students to interact and give you feedback like that. Resolve to watch that detail more closely in the next session. Watch Mary and Sandy continue to build on whatever skill has been started. Watch the watchers- there are multiple FEI dressage trainers here, so you try to sit behind or beside them and listen in on their observations and feedback. Follow when they get up to help a rider- its always good information, even if its about piaffe, or tempi changes, or pirouettes... The beauty of Mary's system is that its so systematic- If you pay attention, you can even apply all the concepts to jumping. Watch the riders to see what changes they are going to be able to maintain- is is physically challenging? Mentally challenging? Are they on board with the changes being made? Listen to the other participants... "I used to," or "So and So big name does," or "I have a student who," or "To me, it feels like..." or "What language would you use to best describe this feeling?" Realize you have drunk three cups of coffee this morning. Run to the porta-potty and hope it isn't occupied so you can get back to your seat before you miss something really important.
This goes on for 4 more session a day, for a total of 30 rides over three days! Demo riders range from local Pony Club instructors to serious FEI dressage competitors. Mary has this saying... "The rosebud is no worse than the rose." Meaning, EVERYONE is capable and deserving of good, thoughtful instruction, and EVERYONE is capable of becoming a better rider, no matter if they are beginners or Olympic competitors. In order to achieve this, our students have to become good learners, which means we, as instructors, must become very good at teaching our students how to learn. Without learning as a skill, our students are at risk of becoming stuck in our rut. As an instructor, I hope that my students will someday out ride me, out teach me, and out think me. That is when I will know I have arrived.
In the meantime, I'm eagerly awaiting Mary's clinic at Kimball Ranch in May, Sandy's multiple yearly clinics, and next years Teacher Training in sunny California!
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