Catherine Haddad's latest editorial

[skydy]

[QUOTE=paulaedwina;7103327]
Frequently in my college-level microbiology class I have students who lack basic algebra. I could make them feel small, berate their lack of skills, malign their high school teachers…or I can help them with their basic algebra. In fact I get a kick out of a grown up’s eyes as the light finally dawns and s/he understands something that has eluded him/er for years.

Paula[/QUOTE]

…and that is a good thing. However it doesn’t solve the problem of inadequate teaching at the high school level which seems to be the point of the article.

What I understood from the article, is that “College Level Microbiology” teachers (CHS) are not being presented with students who lack basic algebra , but are being presented with students that can not reliably add and subtract.

[BaroquePony]

Lendon Grey is an exception to the rule.

[skydy]

I do think that the theme and tone of the article is related to the intense focus by USEF and the USDF to “up” our international dressage game.

We shall see if there is truly an interest in doing so, by the “grass roots”.

[Donella]

If only any sport were so easy. Just get good instruction and presto! you are now a dressage superstar! Sorry but in most cases there is much more than just instruction separating the average ammy from dressage greatness.

[skydy]

[QUOTE=Donella;7103497]
If only any sport were so easy. Just get good instruction and presto! you are now a dressage superstar! Sorry but in most cases there is much more than just instruction separating the average ammy from dressage greatness.[/QUOTE]

Of course! I think the U.S. push for “international excellence” and “podium” results has colored CHS’s language in the article.

I know nothing about what she has been asked to contribute to U.S. dressage, but I would guess that she has been tapped and that this is her opinion about what will need to change for the U.S. to compete and be successful internationally.

It really does strike me as a “well, you asked, and here’s what I think” answer.

[Caol_Ila]

As I understand it (correct me if I am wrong), top European riders get enough sponsorship and general financial support that they don’t HAVE to teach an endless array of ammie owners pottering along at the lower levels in order to pay the feed bill. In the US, unless an upper level rider is independently wealthy, they have to subsidize their participation in the sport with teaching anyone who will show up and pay. I, of course, am not complaining as I had the opportunity to clinic with some great riders when I lived in the US. But for this reason, I believe there is a culture of people saying, “Oh, there’s an FEI rider doing a clinic in my town. I’ll go.” It does not occur to them that it would be disrespectful or a waste of the FEI rider’s skills for them to take their Training Level quarter horse to the clinic. It wouldn’t have occurred to me.

And like other people in this thread have said, clinic organizers need enough people to sign up in order to afford the clinic. In some areas, upper level dressage riders are few and far between and I don’t see any facility holding a clinic where only like five people might be able to attend.

I agree, however, that a lot of people are really lacking in basics and lots of trainers don’t know how to teach basics. I see that in Britain too. I wish I had a pound for every rider I saw who clearly doesn’t understand elastic contact. I’d be able to afford that FEI horse! Yet, despite being full of happy hackers who wouldn’t know an independent seat if they tripped over one, Britain still wins lots of big international dressage competitions. The sort of haphazard education people receive at the lower levels doesn’t seem to bear greatly on what the UK’s upper level riders can do. So leveling the blame at “grassroots” trainers for the ‘state’ of US dressage seems a bit unfair and is, perhaps, not the entire picture.

[Jeito]

I saw the article on Facebook, with lots of complimentary comments and adulation from Catherine’s fans/sycophants :winkgrin: Here are some of my observation in no particular order:

1. I love Catherine’s intelligence and honesty when it comes to assessing other people, if not herself. Maybe it’s something she picked up living in Germany where, in my experience, people are a little more blunt than in the US. Here, we hear lot of whispering but very few willing to publicly say what they think. I welcome Catherine’s lack of filters, and hope that Catherine respects that same bluntness in other people.

2. Dressage is really hard. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and I’ve done quite a few sports, including riding hunters and jumpers most of my life. I know (we all know) that there are amateurs, some very new to horses, who think they can buy a fancy horse and leapfrog up the levels. I suppose there are trainers who cater to people like that, and there are trainers who are greedy/hungry/clueless - you name it.

3. Having said all that, there are plenty of trainers in the US at Catherine’s level or above. Why would every trainer want to participate in Catherine’s clinic at $300 a pop? In my area (New Jersey), there are plenty of trainers who have more accomplishments that she has. My own trainer gets regular instruction from people who have accomplished more than her. So I would bluntly ask Catherine what there is unique about her teaching that would fill up her clinics with the kind of people who matter to her.

4. So, to summarize, I see two themes in the article. One is the lack of good basics and instruction in the US. I get that. The other is the idea that Catherine alone can fill that void. I don’t get that.

[Bogey2]

But damn if she doesn’t expect someone else to manage her red carpet. That’s her job

:lol::lol::lol: well said katarine!

[suzy]

[QUOTE=chisamba;7103474]
Apparently there is no one in the whole of the USA capable of teaching as well as CH.[/QUOTE]

You need to reread her blog. Nowhere does she say that she is the ONLY one in the “US capable of teaching…” She’s simply pointing out where her skillset would best be utilized.

[Eclectic_Horseman]

[QUOTE=suzy;7103592]
You need to reread her blog. Nowhere does she that she is the ONLY one in the “US capable of teaching…” She’s simply pointing out where her skillset would best be utilized.[/QUOTE]

Well, the blog is all about her. And that’s okay. It’s her blog. And she correctly (but quite indirectly, IMHO) points out that there is no system of instruction in the USA, and that there are many incompetent instructors as a result. I think that most of us know that.

What would have been worth blogging about is some sort of proposed real solution to the problem. Taking into consideration the financial and geographic constraints in the USA. But she doesn’t do that. Instead she directly identifies the problem as the people who are sent to her clinics. And the proposed solution is exactly what, CHS? Only competent riders and trainers be “sent” to your clinics? Do you really think that is going to solve the problem of incompetent dressage instruction in the USA?

The logic completely escapes me. That’s why I read this blog entry as one big petulant rant.

[meupatdoes]

Maybe the reason the instructors aren’t teaching the basics is because it is a completely thankless task trying to teach the basics.

I think perhaps this blog enlightened me.

I am a lawyer in real life with my own budding FEI horse.

I don’t NEED to get up at 5am to ride other people’s remedial projects before heading into work. I don’t NEED to struggle endlessly to attract and keep clients who actually will tolerate learning exactly these basics, so that they can be better riders for their horses. If they won’t listen to my instruction I don’t NEED to try to find them quality “bigger name” instruction that they will listen to. I don’t NEED to ride under pressure from owners who want their horses to be doing more sooner, to be going to shows faster, teach people who don’t want my advice because it’s too boring to ride on a circle and what the hell do I know anyway, I don’t need to pass up riding my own horse so that lesson students can learn from him, I need exactly none of this. I could get twice as much sleep and just ride develop the FEI work in my own horse, have a significantly lower injury risk, do my own thing and have to put up with zero crap.

But instead I have this pathalogical desire to spread quality instruction to people who could not otherwise afford it, because I can see how many people here have no other options, so I slash my rate to $40 a pop and drive 45 minutes one way for one lesson on the side of a hill Sunday morning and keep going for 12 hours straight on the weekends. I take sh*t from horses, owners, students, barn owners, the god damn barn cat, you name it, and now we can add the COTH blogs to the list.

But wait! The solution is at hand! I should just “SEND MYSELF” to Catherine Haddad for 18 hours of driving and some instruction and then when I return magically all of the horses will stop being remedial and all of the clients will want to go slower and more deliberately with their horses, we will all go on horse show moratorium for the summer, clients will flock to me and everyone will listen to my advice and actually do what I say.

Or you know what else I can do? Infinitely reduce the amount of crap I have to put up with on a daily basis by hanging up my shingle, focus only on my own horse and my own learning, spend more time on developing my real career than on this thankless quest, and let everyone else make their own way up the ladder without feeling any compunction to help or pay it forward. I can play the “teaching the basics isn’t worth my time and effort” card too. I already know how to ride, I have a plan that works to keep moving forward with my own riding, I have my own nice horse that nobody can take away from me or dictate to me how to ride, why “wear myself out” teaching other people how to hold the reins? Who needs it, honestly? Forget this noise.

If someone has an FEI horse they want me to ride around, call me.

In case anyone is still wondering why riders don’t have good basics installed, maybe it is because being one of these lowly basics-installing trainer is an endless, largely thankless, frustrating slog and by the time riders reach a certain level they decide they don’t want to bother with it anymore. Someone else should really knuckle down and pick up the pieces. Sound familiar?

[Crockpot]

Well, the blog is all about her. And that’s okay. It’s her blog. And she correctly (but quite indirectly, IMHO) points out that there is no system of instruction in the USA, and that there are many incompetent instructors as a result. I think that most of us know that.

What would have been worth blogging about is some sort of proposed real solution to the problem. Taking into consideration the financial and geographic constraints in the USA. But she doesn’t do that. Instead she directly identifies the problem as the people who are sent to her clinics.

yes. It’s hardly a news flash re the fact that North America lacks a system for building the trainers coaches and riders of a caliber to promote excellence and consistency on an international level in dressage (although must hasten to add that some still manage to do it.)

And the proposed solution is exactly what, CHS? Only competent riders and trainers be “sent” to your clinics? Do you really think that is going to solve the problem of incompetent dressage instruction in the USA?

The logic completely escapes me. That’s why I read this blog entry as one big petulant rant

Yes and this is just the latest petulant rant in a series.

She could have made her point without the hubris…

[Lord_Helpus]

Hey, she can teach anyone she wants to.

Does George Morris teach cross rail riders? Bet your bippy he doesn’t. When he had his beautiful farm, Hunterdon, he had several assistant trainers for the younger, less experienced riders. You had to earn the right to lesson with GM.

I know that dressage clinics are not the same. They are closer to taking lessons with a visiting instructor more than what other disciplines think of as a “clinic”, so this problem is unique to dressage. But the Instructor still has the right to teach only who he/she wants to. And if you are good enough and popular enough, then the trainer can say that the student needs to earn the right to take a lesson with you.

I am also new to the dressage world, like LucasB. But I cannot imagine a training level rider thinking that she can take a lesson with Stefan (sp?) Peters; does he teach lower level riders?

Mid level trainers should be able to teach low level riders until they are good enough to move up to an upper level trainer who teaches mid level riders. And International trainers can teach top level riders if that is all they want to do.

[Crockpot]

Hey, she can teach anyone she wants to.

As everyone agrees. That misses the point.

[suzy]

[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]
I think this is a brilliant idea and is a program that USDF and/or USEF should institute across the country. It would address so many of the problems people have pointed out in this thread. Not only would teachers have the opportunity to improve their teaching skills, but riders of varying levels would have the chance to participate in clinics with top trainers. These sessions should be open to auditors and include longe lessons…among other things.

However, everyone has to accept that there is going to be some level of commuting involved no matter where these clinics are held because of the sheer vastness of the U.S. OTOH, we have such a plethora of technology available now for bringing things like this right onto our computer screens that almost everyone who is interested should be able to participate on some level. Another more obsolete but effective option is for these sessions to be videotaped.

Even though you may not appreciate CHS’s blog, she is making some valid points, and I see this as an opportunity for people to contact USDF/USEF with constructive recommendations on how to organize clinics that address training the trainers and what to include.

[paulaedwina]

I was talking to my dad about this last night, in particular about that constant comparison between the Americas and Europe in the tone of, “Why aren’t you as smart as your brother” and he suggested that perhaps CHS’s attitude might be one of the contributors. You know, it’s like nouveau riche being bigger snobs than old money -so much more to prove.

Paula

[Kadenz]

[QUOTE=Discobold;7103524]
So, to summarize, I see two themes in the article. One is the lack of good basics and instruction in the US. I get that. The other is the idea that Catherine alone can fill that void. I don’t get that.[/QUOTE]

Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!

[ivy62]

I was surprised to see when a friend of mine moved to a really nice dressage barn with an USDF gold or silver medalist I am not sure which one, the trainer looks beautiful on a horse BUT my gril friends horse became very resistant to this trainers methods to the pint of exploding. The trainer basically cut her loose and said the horse was injured and she has to be cleared by the vet. The vet cleared her to work and so did an Olympic trainer! but the trainer was unwilling to try anything different if it did not fit into the program, the horse was hurt and acting out because of it not that the methods were not working. It has taken me many years and many trainers to find one that not ony clicks with me but my horse also.
A trainer has to has a lot of tools to use. Horses are not cookie cutter.
I am an adult rerider that is learning the basicas and having a blast. My horse is a second level schoolmaster that is so tolerant of my mistakes he is worth everything to me. He even takes my 11 year old DD around as she learns also. Good instruction is good insrtuction but there are a lot of bad trainers out there.
GM might not teach the little ones but Denny Emerson does and those kids ride away with not only more knowledge but a ton of confidence…

[dudleyc]

[QUOTE=Lord Helpus;7103664]
Hey, she can teach anyone she wants to.

Does George Morris teach cross rail riders? Bet your bippy he doesn’t. When he had his beautiful farm, Hunterdon, he had several assistant trainers for the younger, less experienced riders. You had to earn the right to lesson with GM.[/QUOTE]

George Morris won a gold medal in the Pan Am’s a Silver medal in the olympics. Students trained by Morris have won medals in the 1984, 1992, 1996, and 2004 Olympic Games. Morris has acted as chef d’equipe for numerous winning teams, including the 2005 champions of the Samsung Super League. He fully assumed the position of chef d’equipe of the United States show jumping team in 2005. He also served in that role for many Nations Cup events.
He coached United States teams to individual and team Silver metals at the 2006 Fédération Équestre Internationale, FEI, World Equestrian Games. In 2008 he coached the team that won the Team Gold Medal at the Olympic Games in Hong Kong as well as the team member who won the Individual Bronze Medal. (from wikipedia)

CHS does not have this resume. “Through patient and consistent training Haddad and Maximus became a true combination and competed extensively between 2005 and 2009. They made their international Grand Prix show debut in 2004 and were long listed for the U.S. dressage team. They were the alternates on the U.S. team for the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen and placed 7th at the 2007 World Cup Finals in Las Vegas.
In 2009 and 2010 Catherine’s younger Grand Prix horses Cadillac (by Solos Carex) and Winyamaro (by Walt Disney I) gradually claimed more of her attention. “They started to overshadow his accomplishments with their youth, talent and vitality,” she said. Haddad and Winyamaro spent the summer in the U.S. as alternates for the 2010 U.S. WEG dressage Team.” (from eurodressage).

[suzy]

[QUOTE=Eclectic Horseman;7103624]

What would have been worth blogging about is some sort of proposed real solution to the problem. Taking into consideration the financial and geographic constraints in the USA. But she doesn’t do that. [/QUOTE]

I appreciate what you are saying EH. Of course, look at the discussion her blog has created, and the number of people who have stepped up to say that training in this country (and not just dressage) is a shambles. I think most (or all) of us can agree that there are people out there hanging out their shingles that have no business doing so. And some of them (you know who I mean) are making bundles of $ with their videos, special whirly-twirly gizmos and gadgets, and so on, but they are not imparting any real wisdom or horse sense to their “students.”

CHS has fired up a discussion which is valuable. I don’t think it’s her job necessarily to find the solution. However, she has clearly identified a need, and that’s the first step toward finding a solution. If she wants to make suggestions to USDF/USEF or organize like-minded trainers to get on board with some sort of program to address the issues we’ve been discussing, that’s great. In my post above, I made a few suggestions on how to solve the problem. Perhaps everyone could stop gawking at the train wreck—yea, I appreciate how hard that is because it is REALLY fun!!!—and put their prodigious brain power and energy into how they envision a “Training the Trainers” program might look. Organize these ideas and submit them to our national organizations so that they have a framework from which to develop a program.