August  2004

I always learn from my students. Recently, I readdressed lesson goals with several of them and found that many students mentally understand and can technically fulfill the role of rider. What is truly holding them back is a lack of confidence. 

With my riders, I found a direct correlation between the amount of education and
lack of confidence. This isn’t a scientific study by any means, but if I take a highly educated student and ask them what their biggest challenge is with riding, I repeatedly get the same answer: Lack of confidence. Other riders with
less education specifically list a skill or task, such as “keeping my hands quiet” or “loping”, as being their biggest challenge.

What does this mean? Perhaps the level of awareness, in regards to our personal obstacles, is higher in the educated group? Maybe less education leaves students more eager to take risks and less afraid of failure? Maybe the less educated are able to address one task at a time, gaining continual success and growth versus the highly-educated seeing one problem as their total failure in riding? Maybe the sample group of my “study” is just too small to draw any conclusion!

What This Means in Training
No matter how I apply this information, I now stereotypically look at physicians,
lawyers, and engineers as riders lacking confidence, not necessarily skill – although I do know that either scenario is possible. This has affected what I do during lessons and how I gage a student’s success. I no longer see repeating the same exercise as mundane and silly to some riders. They need the repetition to build confidence! I also do not have to see major changes in the performance of the rider or horse – the rider needs to feel a change, which in turn provides a building block for the next skill or challenge. I need to be in tune with this growth and present challenges accordingly.

The challenge with confidence levels is that many horses cannot be fooled by a rider who lacks it. Conversely, riders often need a horse that allows them to gain confidence. I call this “borrowed” confidence. It simply means that: Choosing a horse for each rider involves assessing the confidence of both so that neither is overly challenged, and the one with higher levels willingly “loans” confidence to the other.

It’s like a leveling out of confidence with both horse and rider seeking balance.
Everyone has witnessed this scenario: The “babysitter” horse taking care of the green rider, or the rider who can get even the most anxious horse to walk quietly. Both are examples of borrowed confidence. Instructors and riders do need to be aware that borrowed confidence is not a license for a horse to guess or choose. It requires a level of respect between the two that insures the safety of the other.

Write Down Your Goals
My new awareness has brought me back to something I routinely did years ago:
Requiring my students to recognize their goals (in writing) as riders. I might be improperly assessing current students depending on academic experience, but all students, old and new, will soon be asked to reevaluate why they ride and why they take lessons.

Why do you ride and/or take lessons and what is holding you back? It may be worth the time to list the answers to these questions. You might find yourself one step closer to becoming the confident horseperson you’ve always wanted to be!

Christina Fleming is a lifelong horsewoman living in Cerrillos, NM. She trains, gives lessons and offers clinics on a variety of subjects. She has a BS in Biology and is a
certified instructor, judge, and guide. Visit her website at
www.newmexicohorsetrainer.com or send her an E-mail at NMVaquera@aol.com.

Hot Dog
There is an old saying in the army that, “It’s not hot until you can fry an egg on the hood of a 3 ton truck.” The bed of a pickup might also suffice for the same purpose when summer is in full bloom in the southwest. This is a subtle reminder that a piece of carpet or old blanket will make a dog happy and show a caring owner.

Speaking of dogs, I was most surprised that Marilyn has not found her Doberman show dog she lost – or it was stolen – on the 16th of October, 2003 in the area of Tramway Rd. and Tramway Blvd. in northeast Albuquerque. If anyone has information, or needs more information about her dog, please call her at 505-259-3326 or 505-856-6516

Also, my readers might remember that I mention that the dozens of lost critters listed in the papers every day, might be avoided if a numbered chip is implanted in the household animal to eliminate the heartache when one loses a dear pet. Several E-mails from readers informed me that unless a scanner is passed over the animal then...?

Upgrade
At the beginning of fall each year, especially at higher elevations, an electric blanket is most appreciated, especially if one sleeps alone in a horse trailer while attending a horse event. Summer conjures up a different picture of hot sweltering days when a shower and a buzzing air-conditioning unit is most appreciated. 

In this light, those who have generators are in a good position to crank up the TV in the evening, though there is an un-written rule which states that all generators are to be shut off at 10 o’clock. One of these infernal machines pounding its sweet song when one is trying to sleep can be most annoying.

At last, the Bernalillo Sheriffs Posse Grounds in Albuquerque, NM, has installed
new posts, upon which a tin box resides, with three little holes neatly placed within. Three little holes to plug in your extension cord (not your fingers) at your allotted parking space can now accommodate the long trailers with living quarters. J.C. (505-292-6515) also tells me that he will soon have a water hook-up at each space. Later, JC will install a dump tank at the far end of the grounds. All of a sudden, the comforts of home are ready to delight and comfort you until the sandman comes.

Advertising
I have received a few requests to mention certain businesses in my column. Even
though I have been promised compensation for my advertising plugs (sic), alas, I must tender my sincere apologies and decline.

John Flint Martin may be reached at; rodeoclown6@hot-mail.
com or the same phone number 505-250-5908.