Another summer has swept by and it's time for Lindy to pack her bags and go off back to Kingston Maurwood where she is a Lecturer. This is her fourth summer with me and we hark back to the days of the sports car and eating Cadbury's Mini Fingers at the traffic lights. Once again we have discussed everything horsey and even after a hard day's work we still get great pleasure out of seeing the wild ponies.
The common theme this week has been just how hard it is for someone to have lessons whether they are new to horses or extremely expereinced, amateur or professional. On Monday I heard that our clients had been shouted at in previous lessons with another instructor and the horse had been upset from the very start. How can anyone learn in that atmosphere? On Tuesday I was asked to justify every move I made with a horse and although it slowed things down, it really forced me to think and communicate. I'm the first one to say question your professional because I have been at the receiving end of very poor advice and actions. On Wednesday I met the lady who has achieved so much on her own and I had to make it very clear that I had not come to judge what she had done already but to quietly assess where she had got to, what was working and what was not, and to work with her to find a way forward. On Thursday I rode out with Alan (Bryn's owner) and heard all about the way he was treated at Jockey School - it seems they don't mince their words there and everything is videoed. After one extensive *ollocking they were surprised that he turned up the next day - and that seems to have been some sort of test of his resolve.
