I’m a 16 year old eventer. I’m a guy and I’m taller than most other riders my age. I’m currently training with a 4* eventer but she’s a female and shorter so our riding styles are very different and I don’t feel like I could learn but so much from her. So I was thinking about Doug Payne, He looks like an amazing rider, I actually just watched him ride yesterday at Morven Park HT. And he just seems like a really cool guy. But I think I would benefit more from riding with a taller name rider because they know how to ride with our body type. So I was wondering if anyone here has had any experiences with Doug Payne, good or bad.
I have not ridden with him, but I have followed his career for years. I have been impressed with him at every turn. I would not hesitate to contact him and see if his style works for you. There is definitely something to be said for riding with someone who knows how to work with issues, such as being tall.
He’s fantastic. I trailered to his farm quite a few times before he moved and really enjoyed the lessons. He’s patient while still pushing for quality.
I’m not a male, but I am taller than most females. Never even thought about the height thing but that’s probably a good point.
Highly recommend him.
Haven’t ridden with him myself, but here’s a clinic report on Doug Payne here from someone who posts on the board. Rider had different needs than you do but…:
http://ridingwithscissors.com/2015/01/21/in-which-doug-payne-kicks-ollies-ass/
Nothing wrong with looking for an instructor that “gets” you (and your horse), but a good instructor should be able to help you regardless of your height differential.
I had a horse with him for training, just for a month, but that month made such a huge difference. I went up to his farm when he was in NJ every weekend to see how my horse was doing and just watching him ride was an education. He is very patient and explained everything to me easily. He is easy to talk to and I think my horse really liked the way he rode him. I would highly recommend him to anyone.
I highly recommend him! I’ve followed his career for years and finally got the chance to ride with him this year. I did two clinics with him - one in July and one in August (I actually organized that one). The first clinic I only took one horse, but after that I decided to take both my horses to the second one because I got so much out of it and knew he’d be good with my less experienced horse, too.
Overall, he made a HUGE difference in my riding and my horses’ way of going. He is very good with his eye and his feel (he rides a lot of the horses in his clinics so that he can feel their issue and tell you how best to address it since each horse is different). I feel like he really takes things down to a basic level in the flat work, which is what I needed. For me, it was getting my horse truly straight so that he could relax and work over his back. And since riding with Doug, our dressage scores have dropped significantly - about 8 points on average. With his fence work, he is great at challenging you using technical questions, but at low heights. I’m doing a lot more with my gymnastics and jump work at home now and both of my horses are proving more brave and focused at events.
I think he does best one on one or with small groups, just because he gets so in depth with the riders. So if you are close enough to do a private lesson with him to see if you like his style, I suggest that. Doug is definitely to the point with his teaching, but not harsh (i.e. he is just as quick to praise as he is to point out a flaw). And, he has quite the sense of humor. I got ribbed by him nationally for being off my aim getting my horse’s bit in his mouth on a very early (after a very late night) xc day. :lol:
I’m trying to figure out a way financially to go ride with him this winter. And I plan to organize another clinic with him next year at home (plus ride in one or two of the others he does near us with another group). I’ll take ANY chance I get to ride with him now.
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He’s fantastic. I trailered to his farm quite a few times before he moved and really enjoyed the lessons. He’s patient while still pushing for quality.
I’m not a male, but I am taller than most females. Never even thought about the height thing but that’s probably a good point.
Highly recommend him.[/QUOTE]
I haven’t ridden with him, but I have a teenage female friend who is very tall and she loves riding with him.
I haven’t ridden with him, but I know people who have and I’ve ridden with his mom Marilyn in several clinics. His background (i.e. with mom) suggests that he would be a good teacher and that is confirmed by friends of mine who have ridden with him. What they say is that he is very articulate, explains things clearly, and is good with a variety of horses.
There’s a young man I know who did a clinic with him and really enjoyed it and learned a lot as well. (He’s also tall.)
I’m 5’11" (female) and I do agree that being tall means your body mechanics are different. What’s traditionally considered a balanced position doesn’t always apply or mean we’re balanced. So, it’s important that any instructor understands that. Thankfully, my trainer gets that even though she’s around 5’4" or so.
Nothing to say about Doug Payne, but if you live in Virginia, Will Coleman probably is closer and he is 6’2". You might want to check what he has to offer as a clinician.
Yes! I was definitely going to contact will coleman too. I’m a working student for a 4* eventer right now but I’d like to try out as many options as possible to find what suits me the best. I’m just more interested in riding with a male instructor
Doug and Will are both good coaches.
This may be an unnecessary comment, but just feel like I should make a note of caution though. It can definitely be helpful to ride with taller people/people with a similar body type to you. I’m female but 5’11 and have had plenty of discussions with coaches about riding best for my body type. My old SJ coach that I rode to the GP level with was a bit taller than me but we rode very similarly and had lots of discussions about how to use our height to our advantage. BUT you don’t have to ride with someone tall to learn that. So much can be learned by watching video and live performances. There is plenty you can learn from other people. I just wonder if you are in a bit of a rush with your other thread it sounded like you hadn’t been with your current coach for very long and you were second guessing her advice. I’d encourage you to stick with a program for the length of time you’d committed to and be careful not to rush from program to program without getting the most you can out of it. Remember not to burn bridges as you go along.
Agreed…I think it is less important to ride with a tall rider when you are tall. But you can gain some insight. I would certainly take a few clinics.
Now if I’m sending a horse off for training to be a horse for ME to ride…I want to send it to someone who isn’t terribly different from myself as a rider (but obviously a better rider).
But any good trainer will teach an effective position…and will understand the body mechanics. The trainer who has been the best for that for me is Jimmy Wofford…and he and I are not similar in body type at all! I’ve also seen him very effectively coach tall riders.
As far as riding with a male trainer…sure, give that a go. But honestly, you can learn a ton from all good trainers. No one will be perfect.
And don’t forget to also READ the classics. I’m shocked at how little riding theory many of today’s eventers have studied. The classics are classics for a reason and still VERY valid in effective riding and training.
BFNE, what would you suggest as classic reads?
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BFNE, what would you suggest as classic reads?[/QUOTE]
Jimmy had the best list I’ve seen here and all the must reads I think are on it
http://www.equisearch.com/article/wofford_winter_reading_list_122107
In particular
Riding Logic, Centered Riding, The de Nemethy Method, Reflections on Riding and Jumping, Basic Training of the Young horses…(and of course Jimmy’s books) are all books I’ve personally read a few times. Every time I pick one of them up, I feel I am reminded of something or now understand it in a slightly different manner. Of course there are many other great books out there as well.
But when you talk with many of today’s young riders…or even some of the young pros (even 4* riders)…they have not read anything. I find that just mind blowing that they can’t be bothered to under stand some of the solid theory that is out there…that will make them better horseman and trainers.
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. But I think I would benefit more from riding with a taller name rider because they know how to ride with our body type. [/QUOTE]
This is smart thinking.
While it’s not necessary to have a regular trainer of similar body type, you can really get useful – and often unusual, in that it’s stuff you wouldn’t have thought about – advice from a more experienced rider of similar build, especially when you might be of a type that’s not ‘average’.
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Jimmy had the best list I’ve seen here and all the must reads I think are on it
http://www.equisearch.com/article/wofford_winter_reading_list_122107
In particular
Riding Logic, Centered Riding, The de Nemethy Method, Reflections on Riding and Jumping, Basic Training of the Young horses…(and of course Jimmy’s books) are all books I’ve personally read a few times. Every time I pick one of them up, I feel I am reminded of something or now understand it in a slightly different manner. Of course there are many other great books out there as well.
But when you talk with many of today’s young riders…or even some of the young pros (even 4* riders)…they have not read anything. I find that just mind blowing that they can’t be bothered to under stand some of the solid theory that is out there…that will make them better horseman and trainers.[/QUOTE]
I’ve read and re-read some of those–I return to Riding Logic regularly. I also recommend Training Hunters, Jumpers and Hacks (Chamberlin), The BHS manuals, Practical Eventing (O’Connor) and Klimke’s Cavalletti.
Hee, good times. And yeah, I really can’t say enough good things about Doug. Even though Ollie was being a dickhead for me and DFP that weekend, the instruction was really, really helpful. And all of the attendees were similarly happy with what they came away with.
train with Doug Payne
I think Doug would be a great trainer to help a tall rider. He seems to handle his own height well. Though most of the horses he rides now are giants, I sent him a scrawny short tb to ride and he does great on him.
