In my case, I (sadly) didn’t know who he was…
[QUOTE=Mara;5337577]
It’s not George’s job to stroke their self-esteem and promote their self-worth. He’s there to help them improve their riding. …I am sure all those riders had a pretty good idea of what they might expect.[/QUOTE]
In my case, I didn’t know who he was, I didn’t know what to expect, and I didn’t get my self-esteem and self-worth stroked…Back in the mid-1980s, I attended a college in Southern Virginia (private liberal arts, LOTS of $$$$, in my case, I lucked out with scholarships…) with a great riding program. Up until that point, I only had about 12 years riding experience (group lessons, H/J, some local schooling shows, I rode when I lived in Europe, but as some folks call it, “just a backyard” rider). With seven in our family, riding and ownership was out of the question. I had no one in my family who knew anything about horses, and being “poor” and horseless, with a parent in the military and moving overseas or within the US every two years, I never had a horse, formal training, etc. Still, I managed to become a decent rider. I wasn’t very pretty to watch, but I was intuitive, I could ride, jump, stay on the greenies, do no damage, etc. It was those, “just ride and stay on” days. Again, NO “formal” training, but I could keep up (or even surpass) those with LOTS of money and LOTS of trainers. AND, I pinned at shows, so I must have been doing something right…but lots of holes in my riding education.
My college allowed student to take riding as a Phys Ed. class (you could get credits), so I did. Great 40-stall barn, indoor, two huge outdoor rings, access to trails, etc. I even rode on the Intercollegiate riding team at the lower level. I didn’t know who GM was, so when the riding instructor mentioned a “clinic” with him at our for only $35 per rider, she recommended we all attend. (Me: “clinic? What’s a clinic?” I’m not kidding, up until that point, I didn’t know there were these things called “clinics.”) If I only knew then, what I know now…I wish our trainer had explained to me who he was, what I was getting into, etc.
One full day of flat work and fences. Students from all the nearby colleges attended. There were about 50 of us in the class. I had a great time, rode an old strawberry roan mare named “Rosie.” Flat work was fine, but by the end of the day, with fences, I admittedly crapped out and had a really bad round. I finished the course, but with much difficulty, and again, it probably was very “unpolished.” At the end of the clinic, we all circled GM on our horses in the indoor, as he called out each rider, critiquing their good points and bad, giving them suggestions on what to do. I didn’t recall overhearing him be overly harsh with the riders. There were a few that he was tough on, but I took it as just tough, not rude. (My father’s a Marine, I’m used to “tough.”) I waited and waited, and finally, guess who was the rider who came in last out of 50? Yep, it had to be “me.”
After sitting there, listening to him give feedback to 49 other riders for about 45 minutes or more, I was hoping I’d leave with some morsel, something to work on, even if I was last. I learned enough watching the others, and was eager to learn from this “master” what I did wrong. (wasn’t even hoping for “right” at that point, because I knew I needed direction). His golden nugget of feedback for my $35: “what the hell were YOU doing here?” and he walked away. :eek:
You can imagine the words hanging in the air as he walked away, like a huge nuclear cartoon bubble. I didn’t know if I was angry I didn’t get my $35 of advice from this “Master,” or did I? The snarky equi~snob riders outwardly laughed as they rode away, :lol:others looked at me sympathetically. :no: That moment was telling. Was I ticked off? Damn right I was…Those few words: “what are YOU doing here?” haunted me and stayed in the back of my young riding mind for years. When I was younger, I let those words beat me up terribly. Every time I failed, every time I screwed up while riding, every time I saw someone else get the opportunities I craved, I’d let those words suck me up. (“yeah, what AM I doing here?”) I even stopped riding for 8 years. Until, I got older, started learning more, and starting riding more, and more, and more…and caring less what other people thought and said.
I’m still horseless, but here I am 25+ years later, and still riding after graduate school, marriage, kids, mortgage, etc. Was GM beating me up with his words? Or was he giving me a dose of tough love to make me work harder, ride better? Who knows…Part me of still thinks he was rude and unprofessional. I saw his comments in magazines, saw his clinics advertised, I never “trusted” his advice again, because I lost so much respect for him that day. At the moment of that clinic, I didn’t care who he was, I thought he was an asshole for his comment. Later, when I learned what sort of equi~God he was, I now realize what an opportunity it was to ride in the clinic, but the way he acted still didn’t sit well with me, and not because I was last, but because he made me feel insignificant to all the other riders, at the time.
I now know I must have looked ridiculous, compared to all the other “uber” riders at the time. But even if I rode like crap that day, would I have benefited from some points on what I did wrong, and how I could either work on it, or what my obvious lack of formal training and knowledge was doing to my riding? In short, I guess now my more “mature” (if you can call it that :lol:) brain knows, you have to take those unfortunate experiences, learn from them, and somehow make them useful to you, and only you. You can be a little person throwing a stone at Goliath, but who knows whether it will hit him, and who knows whether it will make any difference to him. In my case, I became determined to prove GM wrong. Yes, you SOB, I DO deserve to be here, I AM here, I’m now riding better than I have in my life, and here I am determined to stay! 
