Like most of you, I’m limited by how many trainers and clinicians I get to see in action. I try to attend clinics if possible but mostly my experience comes through the internet.
When I was younger and in the “rapid growth” stage of my learning about riding and horsemanship I had to learn a lot of exercises. I needed to absorb the basic ingredients of how to correctly sit on a horse, how to lunge a horse, how to steer a horse, how to execute hindquarter yields, how to perform half halts, etc. I was learning all these basic exercises. Everyone does. We all must do it.
I watch a lot of other trainers and clinicians at work. I’m largely restricted to what gets posted on the internet. Nevertheless, I study the work of others as much as time permits.
The vast majority of professionals are teaching the steps to teaching a horse how to do something. It could be a side pass, loading into a trailer, how to create collection, how to approach a water jump, riding at liberty, or teaching to lay down. The information available is vast. Anything you want to teach a horse, someone, somewhere has a video or blog with all the steps on how to do it. My website, YouTube channel, and membership channel have their fair share of material explaining the steps to doing something. It is part of the business. Everyone needs to learn the steps.
Many years ago I was reading a biography about Fred Astaire (c1899-1987). I appreciate Mr Astaire as one of the greatest dancers of the 20th century and I strongly recommend every horse person study his dancing (lots to be found on YouTube). In the book there was a section discussing Fred’s approach to teaching his movie co-stars a dance routine. Fred was quoted as saying (paraphrasing), “I can teach them the steps. I need to teach them the steps. But just learning the steps does not make them a dancer.”
This was so profound to me that it changed the way I looked at my horsemanship.
Everybody who trains a horse has to teach them the steps. Every one of us has to teach a horse to stop, go, and turn. We teach circles, spins, lateral movement, straightness, etc. Every teacher, trainer, and clinician teaches the steps. However, just because a person knows how to teach the steps does not make them a horse person. Who is teaching horse people to be dancers? I don’t see many professionals teaching their audience more than the steps. I feel it is what’s missing in transforming people from being riders to being horse people. If you know of any trainer or teacher who goes beyond teaching the steps, attach yourself to them like a tick and deplete them of all their knowledge until there is nothing more they can teach you. Hang on to them and don’t let them go. Be their biggest nuisance because you won't go away until you know everything they know.
If you want to be a horse person, like Fred was a dancer, you have to go much deeper than learning the steps. Don’t be satisfied with just influencing movement and posture. Aim for influencing the thoughts and emotions of your dance partner. Aim for you and your horse to move as one unit. Anyone can teach you the steps, but that does not make you a horse person.
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in ‘The Barkleys of Broadway” 1949