The following is an extract from an interview with Susan for a Spanish Magazine September 2007.
Q. You teach at all levels – both people and horses. How do you start with a complete beginner ?
It is useful for new riders to first become accustomed to handling the horse from the ground. The mounted work will begin with just feeling the movement of the horse and gaining confidence in being able to stay with that movement. A look at the posture is helpful as the student can work on this in between riding lessons.
Q. Some people who come may have had a bad experience. How do you start to rebuild confidence ?
“The greatest fear is fear itself” - we work with the rider on a lead rein so they don’t have to think about controlling the horse and can concentrate on how they are feeling, it is important to be honest with yourself about your fear as it can only be overcome by first accepting it. We use breathing exercises to keep the student in the present and override panic response so they little by little can relearn to take control of themselves and then the horse.
Q.Equally some horses have had bad experiences. How would you begin to discover and correct problems, when they can’t tell you what has happened ?
As soon as you work with a new horse you can tell how it has been treated, when you ride a new horse you will know straight away the kind of hands that have previously held his mouth. Normally we go back to basics as often a good foundation training has been overlooked and this will obviously cause problems sooner or later. Work from the ground is very useful to rebuild confidence. We try to show the horse that being ridden and/or interaction with people can be a pleasurable experience and restore his dignity. The validity of the retraining depends on the character of the horse and the extremity of the abuse and some horses can never fully recover. This work is for the person who has a deep interest in training and horse psychology, it can be highly rewarding but also heart rending.
Q. You have taught some experienced riders, do you ever feel intimidated ?
Yes, often at the thought of it ! but as soon as we get started the doubts disappear and horse sense takes over, everyone can learn something new or try a different way of doing things, even after a lifetime of being stuck in a rut. The horses help a lot as they give me clues about the rider seat and general tension levels by how they react. Our horses are very sensitive and I am still sometimes surprised at how differently they will go with different riders.
Q. What is the single most important thing people need to know / learn
That the sensitivity of a horse is much more highly developed than most people imagine, of course he feels the aids for example but has learned to switch of to the barrage of commands or go crazy. Even the constant dialog going on inside our heads sounds like disturbing noise to a horse.
Q. Do some horses simply not like their riders and vice versa ?
That can happen with a clash in character but is a challenge worth taking on as so much can be learnt along the way. With sympathetic training and dedication we can always learn to get along better with our horse.
Q. What advice would you give to someone who wants to buy their first horse / pony?
Think very carefully about the responsibility you are taking on, take an independent experienced person with you and make sure you chose a mount that is suitable to your level of experience, don’t be tempted to overhorse yourself as that will take away so much fun. Apart from studying the conformation too much in depth watch the horse moving in liberty, the harmony of the whole and study his face, do you feel like falling in love ??
Q. You teach at all levels – both people and horses. How do you start with a complete beginner ?
It is useful for new riders to first become accustomed to handling the horse from the ground. The mounted work will begin with just feeling the movement of the horse and gaining confidence in being able to stay with that movement. A look at the posture is helpful as the student can work on this in between riding lessons.
Q. Some people who come may have had a bad experience. How do you start to rebuild confidence ?
“The greatest fear is fear itself” - we work with the rider on a lead rein so they don’t have to think about controlling the horse and can concentrate on how they are feeling, it is important to be honest with yourself about your fear as it can only be overcome by first accepting it. We use breathing exercises to keep the student in the present and override panic response so they little by little can relearn to take control of themselves and then the horse.
Q.Equally some horses have had bad experiences. How would you begin to discover and correct problems, when they can’t tell you what has happened ?
As soon as you work with a new horse you can tell how it has been treated, when you ride a new horse you will know straight away the kind of hands that have previously held his mouth. Normally we go back to basics as often a good foundation training has been overlooked and this will obviously cause problems sooner or later. Work from the ground is very useful to rebuild confidence. We try to show the horse that being ridden and/or interaction with people can be a pleasurable experience and restore his dignity. The validity of the retraining depends on the character of the horse and the extremity of the abuse and some horses can never fully recover. This work is for the person who has a deep interest in training and horse psychology, it can be highly rewarding but also heart rending.
Q. You have taught some experienced riders, do you ever feel intimidated ?
Yes, often at the thought of it ! but as soon as we get started the doubts disappear and horse sense takes over, everyone can learn something new or try a different way of doing things, even after a lifetime of being stuck in a rut. The horses help a lot as they give me clues about the rider seat and general tension levels by how they react. Our horses are very sensitive and I am still sometimes surprised at how differently they will go with different riders.
Q. What is the single most important thing people need to know / learn
That the sensitivity of a horse is much more highly developed than most people imagine, of course he feels the aids for example but has learned to switch of to the barrage of commands or go crazy. Even the constant dialog going on inside our heads sounds like disturbing noise to a horse.
Q. Do some horses simply not like their riders and vice versa ?
That can happen with a clash in character but is a challenge worth taking on as so much can be learnt along the way. With sympathetic training and dedication we can always learn to get along better with our horse.
Q. What advice would you give to someone who wants to buy their first horse / pony?
Think very carefully about the responsibility you are taking on, take an independent experienced person with you and make sure you chose a mount that is suitable to your level of experience, don’t be tempted to overhorse yourself as that will take away so much fun. Apart from studying the conformation too much in depth watch the horse moving in liberty, the harmony of the whole and study his face, do you feel like falling in love ??