Proud Moments…

Let me tell you a little story 🙂

29 September 2013

 

Rewind

Almost 4 years ago I took a phone call from a mum desperately seeking someone would teach her daughter. After many bad experiences in various riding schools she was looking for someone who would treat her daughter’s ambitions and riding dreams seriously even though she had no own horse at the time and was only able to ride once a week at best.

At the time I didn’t take on children on Aspire Programmes because I didn’t feel they were suitable for youngsters. Before I amended the teaching structure in late 2011 my cut off age was 13 but I agreed for the girl to come for an assessment lesson. I reckoned that if her mum made an effort to read through my site, understand the difference my approach provided and call me I ought to meet the girl at least!

February 2011. Hall-Place Equestrian Centre. Anne patiently and regularly letting me drill her basics. She was all about jumping but never complained on number of lunge lessons in her training plan. Superior own balance is a corner stone of every good rider’s seat.

We met shortly after that phone call and a few years of great training adventures followed. To this day I have not met such a committed, focused, intuitive teenage rider and it’s been such a pleasure to be part of Anne’s riding education. I am usually hesitant to say I am proud of someone’s progress because it seems as if I was somehow increasing my own importance in the process. The truth is, 80% of the progress is down to the rider, their mentality, their willingness to learn, to try and to believe in my system. The other 20% are many people involved in training, the silent supporters: parents, friends. And horses.

But hell, I am very proud of Anne nevertheless 🙂 She put hours and hours of practice into the ABC of her riding education juggling it with highly academically demanding school and she continues to do so. It makes me smile to watch her compete now and develop further into an always aspiring rider she wishes to be.

Aspire Intensive Training Day at Cullinghood Equestrian Centre. Anne learning how to influence shifts in weight (balance) in an unknown horse. Work In-Hand. June 2013

Aspire Intensive Training Day March 2012 at Checkendon Equestrian Centre. Anne (in burgundy) and Emma (in green; another rider who made superb progress over the years) after their jump training.

 

Keep training guys. Amateur riders rule 😉