[QUOTE=Spiritwalker;7104290]
Nope…this was a few years ago and with the re-design that info is no longer there I could be wrong but I don’t think this is the first issue you’ve had with CH. I want your job I wish I had the time to spend on these nasty boards:)[/QUOTE]
Oh the re-desiiiiiiggnnn…
Meanwhile wcporter had no problem pulling up a CH wank fest that I did not participate one iota in.
Can anyone else remember this mystery thread from years back?
Anyone?
Bueller?
People she is not blaming the AA she is frustrated with the so called trainers. If you were AA and knew how to sit and actually put the horse in the correct frame I’m sure she would love to teach you. She is beyond gifted at teaching. It is not worth CH time to be away from her horses and husband to put people on a lunge line. Could she have said it in a different tone. YES but the meat of what she is saying is correct.
Are we really saying that a horse not even onto the bit should be going to clinics at large to be taught? Or riders who don’t know how to ride in contact need someone who is $$$ to tell them.
I think looking in our backyard for help is the right idea ;D
PS she is not saying ONLY pros either, she makes it clear if they are going to encourage students to come to her make sure they can do some dressage first and secondly the trainers should join in!
This seems reasonable regardless if you like her or another clinician I can see my trainer saying as to who would be ready for xyz trainer and who would not as well as riding a few herself!
But she is german so 
[QUOTE=Spiritwalker;7104299]
It is not worth CH time to be away from her horses and husband to put people on a lunge line.[/QUOTE]
Well, you certainly said it as badly as she did!
It is not worth CH time to be away from her horses and husband to put people on a lunge line.
:lol:
let them eat cake!
Lunge line lessons are very valuable. The SRS does it for a long time to help the rider develop a good seat. I love having them every once in a while.
Can we get back to the origin of the thread. If someone wants to have an opinion and the put it on their blog so what, it is theirs and they do not have to worry about how it is said.
People can certainly control what they like to do and if her forte is GP horses that is her choice. Some people do not like to work with kids.
I work in healthcare and if I tell you most people do not want to deal with kids either in the NICU or PICU they want Adult care what is the difference.? Personally, I will take a room of screaming children over a room of whinny adults!
Well, I’m definitely glad that Suzanne von Dietze thought it was “worth her time” to
TRAVEL FROM ISRAEL
to give longe lessons to a barn full of amateurs in the middle of the US.
And she has not only :eek: a husband but :eek: kids, too!
I feel obligated to mention that my GP trainer ALSO took a longe lesson from her, so maybe that’s what made it “worth her time.”
I actually agree…and I personally wouldn’t sign up to ride with anyone “at her level” unless my trainer told me that the clinician would be okay with beginner riders who are thisclose to a more independent seat and are working hard on having horse together and on the bit but aren’t there. I didn’t even sign up for a clinic at my own barn with a BNT but watched every lesson through two days of clinics and then again a few months later. Toward the end he asked me if I was riding, and when I told him I wasn’t “advanced enough,” he said nonsense and gave me one of the best lessons…and he had me with horse energetic and on the bit…I was a bit terrified of how we got there but that was MY issue that I’ve fixed (nothing bad, no draw reins, etc.). His best skill is much “higher” than getting the horse on the bit but he taught me a lot that day… Was I a waste of his time? He INVITED me…I wrote the check…I learned a lot…I frustrated him, too, I’m sure, but now I can hopefully show him improvement next clinic…
Is CHS in the same category as Hilda? Hilda’s clinics aren’t run like this…she works with riders and horses at all levels; several horses weren’t on the bit and they were chosen for the clinic. Hilda got them on the bit. I learned something as an auditor.
No, I wouldn’t go to a BNT to learn basic skills. But if I were loaded and Steffen Peters lived a mile away and I didn’t have access to my current trainer, I’d sure like to train with him if he trained beginners. I think I’d probably pay the same rates as the UL riders, right?
It’s funny; I do not disagree with a lot of what she said. It’s just the way she said it and the way she came across philosophically as a blogger. I’m sure I highly irritate people too, but I’m not blogging to my potential client base and saying things that might potentially be found offensive or insulting to the very people who may want to pay me one day. And you really never know whom your next sponsor will be (she talks about needing one of those as well). What if a potential sponsor is a budding amateur who wants to learn from someone of CHS’ level? As a beginner, I do need a bit of hand holding and “good job” talk. People are right, the meat is there…it’s the self-congratulatory, I’m über better than everyone else attitude that I infer from her written words only. And that alone leaves a bad taste in my mouth, sadly. She may be a great clinician, I believe you, but then she needs a much better marketing guru with a red pen.
But that just makes the point… We shouldn’t NEED people to fly from other countries to teach us on the lunge line and we shouldn’t NEED to learn basics from people who have to come so far.
[QUOTE=NOMIOMI1;7104356]
But that just makes the point… We shouldn’t NEED people to fly from other countries to teach us on the lunge line and we shouldn’t NEED to learn basics from people who have to come so far.[/QUOTE]
I suppose US Dressage, like most riders, wishes it could just know now what it will know in 20 years. Wishing won’t make it so. The way it stands now we need the people who are willing to teach what US Dressage needs to know. Perhaps US Dressage, like many riders, would LIKE to be working on tempis and pirouettes and going to horseshows but needs more work staying home focusing on straightness and sitting instead.
Some people want to skip past installing the basics and just skip to tricks and medals.
So do some BNTs, it seems.
Maybe instead of slapping on the drawreins, throwing more money at it, and begging for nicer horses so that we can scratch something together for the next show, we should wait a while longer, do our trot sets, make small steps/big steps, take longe lessons, and stop spending so much money on horse showing when at this stage of the game we really ought to be focusing on education.
US Dressage doesn’t need $500,000 horses for a short list of people to ride.
It needs a $10,000 horses and $490,000 in lessons.
Everyone is all about the basics until it is time to just slap some lipstick on that pig and try to medal at the Games.
[QUOTE=NOMIOMI1;7104356]
But that just makes the point… We shouldn’t NEED people to fly from other countries to teach us on the lunge line and we shouldn’t NEED to learn basics from people who have to come so far.[/QUOTE]
You can learn much more than just the basics on the longe line. Suzanne specializes in biomechanics and I watched her make drastic changes in upper-level riders as well; not things they were doing wrong, just things they could change to affect a certain movement. For example, she pinpointed something about my trainer’s pelvis that made the one-tempis much easier for her.
We clinic with people of the caliber (higher, imo) of Catherine Haddad, and not one of them had ever mentioned this one thing, to a woman who has been training and showing up to Grand Prix for 2 decades.
[QUOTE=meupatdoes;7104361]
I suppose US Dressage, like most riders, wishes it could just know now what it will know in 20 years. Wishing won’t make it so. The way it stands now we need the people who are willing to teach what US Dressage needs to know. Perhaps US Dressage needs more straightness and fewer tempi changes, still.
Some people want to skip past installing the basics and just skip to tricks and medals.
So do some BNTs, it seems.[/QUOTE]
It is quite possible people are not willing to search around but instead think they NEED international riders to teach these things.
It is also possible the trainers are not teaching it enough and sending them to big name trainers for help, which would again circle back to the blog making a valid point.
Its not really hard to dodge feelings on this one and accept the fact that on a business level of things she makes a very valid and good point as usual.
I don’t think we NEED them. But if we are willing to pay for them, and the clinician hasn’t specified the basics/minimum that needs to be there at a clinic, then what’s her beef?
It’s still money coming in…it’s the same chunk of time…if she doesn’t want to do it, then just edit more closely the participants. (I know this point was made many times, pages back.). Don’t take the money then whine about it. It makes people upset, clearly. Never bite the hand that feeds you :).
[QUOTE=right horse at the right time;7104369]
I don’t think we NEED them. But if we are willing to pay for them, and the clinician hasn’t specified the basics/minimum that needs to be there at a clinic, then what’s her beef?
It’s still money coming in…it’s the same chunk of time…if she doesn’t want to do it, then just edit more closely the participants. (I know this point was made many times, pages back.). Don’t take the money then whine about it. It makes people upset, clearly. Never bite the hand that feeds you :).[/QUOTE]
I actually respect the fact that someone with her viewpoint would offer something besides a grin as she cashes our checks…
But I actually agree with her! I think there IS more trainer education needed in this country.
However, I absolutely do NOT think she is the one who should be responsible for it. We have plenty of other clinicians of her caliber and higher, willing to teach those trainers, and their lowly Smurf clients, as well.
It’s her holier-than-thou-and-everyone-else attitude I have a problem with.
Could her supporters just take a peek at the photo accompanying this blog and tell me if we think we’ll better ourselves on the international stage by looking like that? Is that what will do it?
[QUOTE=NOMIOMI1;7104372]
I actually respect the fact that someone with her viewpoint would offer something besides a grin as she cashes our checks…[/QUOTE]
You mean, a grin to your face and a nasty editorial written for all the world to see?
Yeah, breath of fresh air, right there. :lol:
[QUOTE=easyrider;7103035]
I agree with Catherine about the problem but I don’t think her solution is a great one. Giving lessons to trainers isn’t going to fix the problem. Talented riders are not necessarily good instructors; these are two different skill sets. If she wants to “train the trainers” to teach better and not just ride better, she needs to work with trainers as they instruct, on the ground, instructing them on their instruction rather than on their riding. Now that would be an interesting challenge for Catherine.[/QUOTE]
Well-said and absolutely agree! :yes:
[QUOTE=NOMIOMI1;7104372]
I actually respect the fact that someone with her viewpoint would offer something besides a grin as she cashes our checks…[/QUOTE]
I hear you, and again, I agree. But I think the better solution would be to avoid the situation altogether…just state before the clinic that you work with pairs who meet the following guidelines: x, y, z. Problem solved.
I think someone posted a link that her clinics state she welcomes beginners? if not, I apologize for making this point…but if so, I think that taking their checks and then writing a blog like this post is incongruous and could be construed as, in the least, disingenuous, and at worst, possibly quite dishonest, unfortunately.
Well that is true too but mayhap we misread that she doesn’t want them there AT ALL maybe only that she doesn’t expect these basics missing in the riders in the first place if they have not only begun and dislikes as often as she finds them lacking in introductory training?
I think we jumped on the “no beginner” wagon right away but reading for comprehension I can see she is clearly asking, “Why aren’t your riders past this point after x amount of time has passed?”
There is such a jump to defense things are overlooked here IMO.
Instead of riders “wasting her time” I think she asks, “Have they been in lessons with you and not learned these things yet? Why?”
GOOD QUESTION
Mrs CH may have the worst bedside manner but on purpose or not she is seeking to get you MORE for your money by furthering the education of your instructors and gut checking them about their own programs.
People should see this as an important piece of the betterment of dressage. If the upper level trainers and clinicians do not put pressure on the trainers beneath them who will? The judge can only see so much and certainly cannot give feedback on the day to day!
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