Re: LD, kids competing etc.

[Sue Brown <sbrown@wamedes.com>]

>Children are the future of this sport (or any horse sport we participate
in). I think that kids need to learn all aspects=
>of the sport from the basics up. I have seen the kids who show
Hunter/Jumpers at big show barns. They arrive at the show=
>, the horse is groomed, tacked, and prepped by someone else. When the
horse is ready, the trainer will school it some, th=
>en put the child on the horse. They go in the ring, perform, come out, and
hand the horse back to the groom so they can g=
>o about their business. 

I've run into this situation quite a bit -- kids arrive saying "I've been
taking lessons for a whole year..." when what they mean is that they have
been showing up at a barn, getting on their already groomed and tacked up
horse, make several laps around an arena while someone yelled non-descript
instructions at them like "You need to connect your horse better!", then
hand the horse over to someone to untack and leave.  What kind of horse
education is this????  

I ran the pre-op holding area in our surgery department for 6 years and had
to orient people to that area whenever someone new started in the OR.
There was one lady who, when she brought someone in to the department would
tell them that this was ""Sue's Room" and she does things a certain
way...and she'll gladly give you all the reasons for why she does
stuff...whether you want to hear them or not...hehe!!"  And I would!! ;-)
I've found that people remember stuff better and can reproduce the
instructions better if they know WHY what they're doing works.  I ramble on
with my riding students the same way...and even my *kids* (students) can
tell you WHY, for instance, putting your leg on the horse's side makes them
use their rear end or why the saddle has to go where it does when you tack
up the horse.  Nobody has suggested an alternative use of my socks yet
<bg>...but I'm sure there have been moments when someone wishes I'd just
shut up for a while. ;-)

Sue 

sbrown@wamedes.com
Tyee Farm
Marysville, Wa.


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