Shannon Lilley has generously sent us her report from day two of the California training sessions with David O’Connor. Shannon’s description of returning to the basics at the training sessions has been echoed by a couple insiders I have spoken with over the past few days. We have a long way to go, but it’s clear that David’s long term vision for the program involves taking however long is necessary to master the basics before moving to the next stage of development. This is certainly not going to be a sprint to the top. A million thanks to Shannon for writing this and thank you for reading.
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Photo from Monday
From Shannon:
Even if we don’t want to admit it, all of us love watching the proverbial raking over the coals of others because we all have been there and truly can relate. This is why we watch shows like Hell’s Kitchen or liked Simon Cowell on American Idol. Honesty, in coaching, telling it like it is and then guiding the person to better his or herself is extremely respectable. A coach who tells you what you want to hear does nothing for either party, creates no growth, and can be potentially dangerous.
Tuesday at the training session I felt like maybe we were witnessing an episode of Hell’s Kitchen with Chef Gordon Ramsey who, we all know, leaves no detail unturned. Coach O’Connor is extremely detail oriented, which I gathered from Monday, but on Tuesday I realized nothing gets by him. In the lectures yesterday, Coach stressed the necessity of being detailed oriented in this sport for a myriad of reasons. Today it was evident he practices what he preaches.
We started out the day again with a lecture. It was about jumping, particularly show jumping. However, he did test the crew about some terms like the levels of the training scale and rider responsibility components. Unlike yesterday, the Eventing 25 kids got it all right today! An exciting moment to say the least. These two concepts were not just quizzed because they got them wrong yesterday, rather because they were pertinent to riding over fences. The components of rider responsibility are direction, speed, balance and timing. Throughout the day, these were crucial to remember and execute.
The first group started around 9:45 with three members in the lesson. Coach spent a significant amount of time on the warm up, making sure the riders could execute any movement on the flat in any type of position- forward seat, half seat, and full seat. Once completed to his satisfaction, you were allowed to move on. If you were not able to execute any of this in the accurate position, the Jekyll in David O’Connor came out. If the person executed, paid attention to every detail of rider responsibility, and showed that he or she was thinking to the next step, then Coach applauded him or her. The odds of that happening on the first try were slim to none.
The highlight of the day was in the second group when one rider was having some trouble as the horse was in a frame that could not allow him to go in the right direction maintaining any balance or speed, thus creating a scenario where the horse was completely detached from the hind end. Coach emphasized the point that once a rider had lost the hind end, he or she has nothing. O’Connor got on the horse and spent the better part of a half hour to basically retrain a few components as it pertained to direction, which lead to straightness. The transformation from where the horse started to where it ended up was uncanny. The horse started out looking strong, making a bid, and losing its shape in the air and by the time O’Connor got off, one might say the horse traveled like a hunter. Additionally, the rider got back on and was able to recreate much of the same work. The result is incredible but the transition of David’s vocal range and looks are equally incredible and often sweetened with a sarcastic comment to lighten the mood of the crowd.
No matter how one gets from point A to point B, getting there is most important. Coach O’Connor has his own style as many great coaches do. The product is really all that matters. Each and every horse and rider changed their way of going today for the better, which is the first step onto the path to success: leadership.
