Learning Never Stops No Matter How Successful One is in the Show Ring

Posted by By WDN Staff at 28 April, at 07 : 14 AM Print

By Lendon Gray

I just returned from a weekend of continuing education for myself. I found it a bit sad that at both programs I attended the speakers and organizers made a big deal that a   “two-time Olympian”, etc. was attending. Okay, I have been a professional for about 45 years, had a lot of success as a competitor, as a trainer, and as an instructor, but I sure as heck don’t know everything. I am always looking for new ideas, new ways of doing things, new ways of expressing myself, and reminders of things I knew, but might have forgotten.

First of all, as professional instructor/trainer/coach I first learned by doing, by watching and by listening. Along the way I read a lot of books. Now I no longer ride – I only teach.  I have a highly useful degree in Greek and Latin J. I received no formal education in teaching. I have learned by doing (often badly) and by watching others teach (again analyzing what is well done and what I would want to do differently).

I was fortunate to start in pony club in the 1960s and 70s. As a B and an A, we were encouraged to teach the younger ones, were given some teaching guidelines, and I even took part in their short-lived instructor certification. As an eventer, and then as a dressage rider, I participated in clinics, but my concerns were myself – what would and would not work for me and for my horses. By osmosis I gleaned ideas about teaching and training of various horses.

While at college I was “indoctrinated” into Littauer’s Forward Riding system as I learned to ride, train, and show hunters and then to teach the same system. This was a huge education for me, even though it was in many ways a very different approach than the dressage riding I came to embrace. I learned about educated riding – truly analyzing what was happening and why, having a progression for training and learning. It had a profound effect on the rest of my career (Thank you, Paul Cronin!)

When I was 28, I started to specialize in dressage. I received a Grand Prix horse in the beginning of 1978 with the understanding that I would try out for the World Championships in June. I had never ridden higher than one horse at Intermediare 1. I had a crash course with Michael Poulin. My education included not only daily lunge lessons and riding lessons, but also evenings analyzing movies (no videos or dvds back then) and hours upon hours sitting in the indoor watching Mike and his brother Tom teaching and riding (often at 10 degrees bundled in blankets and coolers with Mike’s dog Rufus on my lap helping to keep me warm). Much of the time I wasn’t consciously analyzing, but after a time, I was able to anticipate the correction to the horse or the lesson to the rider before they did or said anything.  For months and years I sat and watched and soaked up information.

Interestingly enough, after I was named to the Olympic Team in 1980 I became an instant expert. I don’t think the naming to the team gave me any added knowledge, but suddenly I was sought after for clinics and articles. That was the first time I really pushed myself to become more educated – mostly about riding and training. I read voraciously and started paying more attention to what others did for themselves. Up until then my concerns were quite selfish – what would work for me and what would work for my horses. Now I wanted to broaden my experience to be able to help others with their riding and their horses – a whole new world.

As years passed, I continued to search for ways to broaden my knowledge. Getting involved in USDF Instructor Certification challenged me as I compared my personal ‘system’ with that of other educators in the U.S. and also in Europe. As I tried to help others to improve their teaching and to evaluate the teaching of others, I finally realized how ridiculous it is that we riding teachers have no formal education in how to teach, in the ways people learn, etc. I had spent decades expecting people to learn the same way I learned (You mean there was another way!?!) I became ridiculously frustrated when people didn’t react to education the same way I did. I had been a really good teacher for a small number of people – oops, and the others? For them I hadn’t been a teacher at all.

So now I broadened my reading to include psychology, coaching, mentoring, how the brain and the body learns, etc. I try to learn about how other sports’ teachers work. I look for new ideas in many different places.

What profession doesn’t expect its professionals of all ages and years of experience to participate in continuing education? I am saddened to see so few professionals at many of the clinics, lectures, and educational activities that I attend. There are usually amateurs there, and often lower-level professionals, but so seldom are the truly experienced taking advantage of broadening their knowledge.

Since we have no regulatory body in our profession, I would like to suggest that all students encourage their instructors to take the time to broaden their education in areas that will help the students. I often hear instructors say they cannot afford to take a weekend off – to miss the income from those lessons. At some of the educational programs I have run, I have had several professionals sent by their students. They pay their regular lesson fee to the instructor so the instructor can go and improve himself and not lose income. Or they all go together and learn together. I want to take a moment to congratulate instructors who will ride in clinics in front of their students. If the instructor rides in a clinic the rest of the time they all sit together and analyze not only what the clinician is saying, but also how the clinician is teaching. Let learning become a group activity.

So my challenge is for every professional to ask what he or she has done in the last 6 months to improve him or herself. And I ask every student to ask your instructor what he or she is doing to broaden his or her knowledge.

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