Well I guess the day that GM (not Bobby Knight per my original post) throws a chair at somebody and engaging the media on a national level is a day for a new conversation, but nobody (least of all his championship players) had a problem with his coaching style when he just limited himself to calling them the college basketball equivalent of a dumbbell (let’s just say that equivalent probably would be a smidge worse than calling someone a weight). And hey, nobody forced anyone to play with BK and I’m sure more than a few players found his style not to work for them and transferred. I’m sure some of them are better and worse players for it.
[QUOTE=Coreene;5337608]
Hells bells, it’s a riding lesson, not Up With People. If everyone needs a trophy and a kissy, go play AYSO soccer instead.[/QUOTE]Like.
One of the big things he cares about is that you really try to do what he tells you. It sounds like this person was not trying.
Sometimes you do have to shock people in order to get them to pay attention. I’m a bit more limited than GM WRT I can do in my classroom, but I’ll cite an incident. Students were issued with latex gloves to do a chem lab. One male student, fairly arrogant and mouthy, make a comment to the effect “girls, are you ready for your exam?” I looked around the room, make a quick assessment that this particular group of students probably wasn’t going to report me, and said “you know – they examine boys with those gloves too.” He looked puzzled, then asked a friend, then his eyes got really big. Not only did he shut up, but I had no more mouthiness or other trouble from him for the rest of the semester.
:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
[QUOTE=rileyt;5337700]
But calling someone a dumbell? Really. That is tremendously self-indulgent.[/QUOTE]
Clearly some riders are more sensitive than others. I know riders that could never stomach GM. I can. People are different.
He is “super star status” and has become who he is because of his amazing results in many riders.
Have you ever been super star status? Probably not. When you are, you are extremely busy… and when you feel someone is wasting your time, not listening; you speak up.
I don’t think dumbell is a horrible word. I also think GM is self indulgent at times and he clearly admits it. It’s no secret.
You do realize the riders in this group are all past the kiddy stage and do know that they represent themselves as the best and brightest we have about ready to advance to the top competition levels here, don’t you? For riders expessing an interest in International competition and claiming the ability to advance to that level?
It was billed as a Masters level session. Conducted in front of an expert audience. Not a friendly 2’6", 3’ and 3’6" clinic in your area.
And, whoever said he should get after the trainers? Well, obviously that person never watched him teach. He pretty much gets after everybody, including noisy auditors
But, go ahead and write a letter demanding the USEF sanction him and remove him from any and all activity sanctioned by the USEF and the FEI including chef d’equippe and any involvement in selecting and developing International riders.
Complaining he needs to go on here will not get anything accomplished.
Studies show that students learn better in a close-to-stress-free environment.
My only concern is that an individual with a stature like his sets the tone for other lesser trainers who think it’s okay to belittle their students on a daily basis. I’m pretty sure GM name calls for show, but I’ve ridden other trainers who try to emulate him and it just turns into a disaster of crying kids, pissed off parents, and unaccomplished goals. I’m fine with insults because I am hard enough on myself that I can ignore them but not everyone is like me. But I’ll tell you that I’ve hesitated riding with him because I haven’t had a fancy horse and didn’t want to be the one who couldn’t do the exercise because my horse’s ability was limited. I do think that in order to be a top rider, you have to have a dig-down-deep-toughness and so you need to be able to develop a selective hearing that filters out insults and gossip.
“Don’t apologize for making a mistake. No one comes out here to make a mistake on purpose. Just don’t make the same mistake twice.” - Linda Allen
Thanks for the clarification, Lucassb – I’ve been able to watch part but not all of the morning sessions and must have missed GM’s castigation of the riders’ trainers. Honestly, I think it’s time for him to write another book, this one addressing the problems he’s seeing today.
I also think it’s worth noting that he’s willing to poke fun at his own riding, both here and in his writings, when he feels that it isn’t up to snuff.
[QUOTE=Bethe Mounce;5337647]
Tell me…perhaps I am SO barking up the wrong tree…why do these riders all ride with their toes out? The horses are being banged with that spur at almost every stride. It is toes in, always.
These riders may “sit pretty” but as far as effective riding is concerned…I see very little on these videos.
…
Yes, of course riders must know diagonals, correct posture etc…but my riders do not perch, they use their seats in an effective manner to elicit the response from the horse when needed. [/QUOTE]
So far as this is concerned… It’s Mr. George Morris himself who teaches that toes should be angled out at 45 degrees. He’s also a great proponent of the half seat, aka up out of the saddle, little sitting and driving with the seat, more driving with the legs.
I’ve never been the biggest GM fan BUT who cares if he calls someone a dumbell? I am so tired of hearing people whine about “the children” and “damaging their self-esteem”. That is what is wrong with many of the teens/young adults these days - they all think they are so special. Guess what? They aren’t. Nothing wrong with someone telling it like it is. If you can’t follow instructions, repeatedly, you ARE a dumbell. If it was my kid I’d have been ready to throttle her myself.
Now back in the '70’s my trainer used to make us all cry on a regular basis but he was always right and we learned how to ride. A compliment from him was priceless. I guess we were made of sterner stuff back then. Funny, I don’t recall anyone being damaged psychologically either.
:lol::lol::lol:
You left the “cry baby” off the end there though.
That’s it? Hon, I don’t think you understand the term “bully.”
JSwan - I love that commercial. Perhaps GM should take a box of tissues with him to use during his clinics. :lol:
Lessons and clinics are where you learn. Everyone learns differently, everyone has their respective coach or trainer for a reason. Riding is not for the faint of heart. However, coaches have to respect the riders goals. Some riders do not want to aspire to the Olympics for example. Some want to ride “good enough.”
These riders, though, are supposed to be the future of the sport. On the other hand, their lack of experience with different kinds of horses is in living color. If you always ride the nice horses, you learn nothing but how to push the right buttons. I don’t know these riders’ experiences or who they train with.
If I were George, I would be calling the trainers on the carpet.
As George mentioned, jumper riders are made “on the flat.” No truer statement was ever made.
[QUOTE=klmck63;5337748]
So far as this is concerned… It’s Mr. George Morris himself who teaches that toes should be angled out at 45 degrees. He’s also a great proponent of the half seat, aka up out of the saddle, little sitting and driving with the seat, more driving with the legs.[/QUOTE]
I know…sigh…I disagree! I don’t agree with everything he says. 
For many his word is gospel, for me it is too, to a certain degree. I have never ridden with him, but had the opportunity to talk to him.
[QUOTE=lcw579;5337753]
I am so tired of hearing people whine about “the children” and “damaging their self-esteem”. That is what is wrong with many of the teens/young adults these days - they all think they are so special. Guess what? They aren’t. Nothing wrong with someone telling it like it is. If you can’t follow instructions, repeatedly, you ARE a dumbell.
Now back in the '70’s my trainer used to make us all cry on a regular basis but he was always right and we learned how to ride. A compliment from him was priceless. I guess we were made of sterner stuff back then. Funny, I don’t recall anyone being damaged psychologically either.[/QUOTE]
I have been in lessons where I have seen girls ride off in tears and I didn’t think the trainer did ANYTHING WRONG to provoke the water-works…
IMHO the tears were because the rider couldn’t do something right and wanted to be the super star of the the lesson…
But it seems to me that our national sporting federation should hold people to a higher standard than this.
At the higher to top levels…all sports are pretty much the same.
With anything Equestrian being seen by the rest of the sport watching world as namby-pamby expensive hobby for the uber-wealthy spoiled elite.
Make it so all top level training in this sport is butterflies and rainbows and…well…our reputation is well deserved then.
Even watch training camp for the NBA, NFL, MLB? (especially for the athletes that don’t carry free agency contracts?)
Do you see the coaches standing there and calling out, “You need to listen please and try to do what I asked you to do again and see ifyou can get it right this time.” :eek:
GM has been doing this since Jesus was in short pants. He’s well known to the point that the initials GM have immediate recognition in the equine world.
And not a single equestrian doesn’t know that he’s going to be brutally honest.
To be taken seriously as an actual sport and not as a waste of time hobby for the elite we need the GMs of the world and I only hope we keep that frankness and serious training alive as he (sadly) keeps aging.
Heaven protect us from the Stuart Smalleys of the world. :no:
Training and clinics are free choice…GM is 100% known to not being a hand-holder.
Don’t like him? Don’t train with him. It can be avoided.
I do find it odd though to get offended for someone else who wanted to train with him and decided to ignore his instruction. How did it affect you personally?
Well said…
Of course, reading the FULL write up wouldn’t paint any more of the story now would it?
Some other Mean George Quotes:
I’m sure the horse is devastated.
Evil, I tell ya.
and my favorite:
I dunno. Some of this stuff actually sounds kinda helpful.
And no, these weren’t “posted” by GM, but I can’t make the quote function say that.
For what it’s worth…when I was very young, the last statement made to me at the ingate before I went in to jump a rather big course on a green horse was: “if you do not go clear, you will never ride this horse again!” I learned to be tough yet compassionate. It has served me well.
Yeah I guess it is the trainers BUT there is tremendous pressure on them to have little Suzy or Johnny succeed. The parents spend zillions of dollars on the perfect horses to get results immediately. You don’t learn to ride over night no matter how much $$/success you have…Big dollars means big pressures and big results. Like an old horseman I know used to say (Henry Schurink for those who know him) “America is the land of instant coffee”…No one wants to pay dues, no one wants to earn it, they want to buy it. Those hapless kids are reaping what they (their paretns/trainerrs/etc) have sown. Sad, but true.
[QUOTE=sptraining;5337745]
My only concern is that an individual with a stature like his sets the tone for other lesser trainers who think it’s okay to belittle their students on a daily basis. I’m pretty sure GM name calls for show, but I’ve ridden other trainers who try to emulate him and it just turns into a disaster of crying kids, pissed off parents, and unaccomplished goals.[/QUOTE]
I’ll agree there are wanna-be types who try to use GM style methods without the ability to back it up with results. Hopefully those people winnow themselves out as they produce unhappy customers, rather than successful competitors.
