Sally Cousins’ Weekly Training Tip: Trying New Things

We are delighted to host Sally Cousins as our newest guest blogger, as she shares her wealth of knowledge with us in the form of weekly training tips. We hope these nuggets of information can be integrated directly into your program at home and can influence the way you ride and train your horses. Be sure to check out both the Sally Cousins Eventing website and keep up with her on Facebook.

Photo by Kasey Mueller

Photo by Kasey Mueller

For most of us the fall season has tapered off; however, we still have some good riding weather. This is a good time of year to try clinics with new people, take a lesson from a jumper trainer or try out a new dressage instructor. This does not mean that you will not continue to work with your regular people, but it’s always good to have a new perspective and try new things even if what you learn is what you won’t do.

I don’t think its a good idea during the season or in front of competitions to have lessons with people that you don’t regularly work with. If your horse is going poorly and you’ve got nothing to lose, you might have to change trainers mid-season. The risk with this is that they don’t know you or your horse, and often when starting in a new program, things get worse before they get better.
If your clinic or lesson doesn’t go well and you or your horse leave a little rattled, you still have time to get back to where you would like to be instead of having to go right to an event off of that experience. I still think it is important to do your research before riding with someone new. To make sure it is likely to be a good match, ask someone who currently rides with them or try auditing a lesson.
Ask your current trainer if trying a clinic with another person is a good idea. Sometimes the new clinician is not a good match for your learning style, or it may be an inappropriate situation for your horse in its current level of training. Lastly, consider your budget. If taking the weekend clinic will limit your ability to take lessons with your regular trainer, this may not be a good use of your money.
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