Where I live we have a really good dressage trainer. And a really good hunter jumper trainer. But no “eventing” trainer. Where I used to live I worked on both with someone who had done pretty high level eventing and this was awesome. What do you do for training in these different disciplines that are both part of eventing? Ever find it confusing to have two different coaches if that is your situation?
For me very confusing. I travel to my UL coach. Worth every minute & every penny. I lesson with him 1-2x/month and do my homework.
Specifically UL dressage trainer had my horses SUPER tight in the bridle which caused them to suck back and not really give forward/impulsion at least for my ammy self and ammy horses. My eventing coach really helps me reach deep and fix issues using the basics/fundamentals.
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It’s pretty common to work with separate instructors for flat and jumping (and sometimes even separate xc and sj). I haven’t found it to be a big deal. I think that if they are good enough horsemen what they are teaching should be complementary for the most part.
But I definitely would try to find a good eventer to school xc with and jump with occasionally because I don’t think a h/j trainer can fake it through xc.
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It can be confusing but it doesn’t have to be. Some trainers are better at fixing you to fix the horse - others are better at solving problems the horse might have, like connection or rhythm issues. There is nothing wrong with seeking instruction from multiple sources.
Be up front with all your pros – so they know you are seeking instruction from multiple sources. Most mature pros are okay with this. Some are not and sometimes it can be an early sign they may not be the best fit.
I have three instructors I regularly seek training/instruction from, and one XC clinician I always take the time out of my schedule to lesson with. I’ll forward this with the caveat I usually only lesson with one of them once a month and ride at home the rest of the time; I don’t have the budget to do much more than that.
I have an eventing trainer that has been my real trainer, through a lot of green horses, for over 20 years. She is semi-retired from teaching but still gracefully gives me instruction about once a month. She is who I go to when I need to polish some dressage and throughness with my horses on the flat - she has a great eye, is all about fixing the small details to make the horse go better – and I always dismount feeling the horse went 110% better in the last 15 minutes than how we started. She is more of a “horse fixer” and it is rare I have a lesson with her where she is not fixing tiny pieces of my position and giving me “Aha!” moments. Perks of teaching for over 50 years…
I have another eventing trainer who has been in my orbit for a long time, but not through a lot of horses. She is who I go to when I need to practice specific elements of eventing, like XC or SJ grids/gymnastics. She is great at boosting my confidence, but we don’t often work on my position so much as the cadence and rhythm of the horse.
My third trainer is a dressage trainer, and I only see her once or twice a year – she gives me great exercises and breaks down complex exercises into simple asks. She is great at giving me work-at-home exercises and being a periodic evaluator of how I am progressing in my training.
All three of these trainers know I see other sources of instruction and have zero issue with it. And I have never felt like anything they say conflicts with one another, either – even though all three of them have a VERY different teaching style.
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I am an adult amateur, dabbled at training for eons before finding the right coaches.
I have a dressage coach who is worth her weight in gold, she is the diamond in the rough that people are just finding out about. My dressage went from complete whack crap to being in the top 3 for the last 4 years. It shows, due to Covid and her moving, I’ve barely had dressage lessons and I’ve fallen to mid-pack. That speaks volumes.
I have a jumping coach, although she is an eventing coach, I have her for my show jump and cross country, who has done won’t with my mental psych and my ability to ride better.
You need to find coaches that are similar in my opinion, that don’t contradict each others way of riding a horse.
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Some of it depends on you. Can you make the multiple instructors harmonize? Can you successfully implement their methods, and make the differences work? Part of training with other coaches is recognizing what works, what doesn’t, and taking what you need and tactfully ignoring what you don’t need in a certain circumstance. Understand what they are teaching, take the bits that apply to you, your horse, your sport, without being confusing.
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Thanks for everyone’s input and any more to come. I am in a small community and most people know each other and are pretty level headed/low drama. I would inform both trainers that eventing is my goal. We do have some local dressage shows up here that I might enter next summer. There is also a lady here who events pretty regularly, I don’t know if she can offer training (I’m not even sure at what level she competes). And I am well aware that just because you can do something does not mean you can teach. However, she might be a good person with whom to travel to events. I could go to a few to observe before taking along my pony. It’s been a long time since I had the opportunity to event. I’m probably just looking at beginner novice to start back in.
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Of course it just occurred to me that I should ask my eventing friend with whom she trains. Duh.
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This was my thought as I read your post. Ask this local eventing person who they train with. I am sure they will gladly help you find the right trainer.
For years I lived in an area with a good dressage coach, several good hunter/jumper coaches, but no eventing specialized coaches. I rode with the local coaches for dressage and stadium, then relied on XC clinics with UL eventers who came to the area every so often. It worked but it wasn’t ideal, at least partly because I hate trailering to lessons (so had to board with either a dressage or stadium coach and trailer to the other) and I really needed the practice in the XC phase. I never really had issues with conflicting info from the different coaches and everyone in the area was used to eventers mixing & matching their coaching! Eventually, I moved, at least partly to have more equestrian options & opportunities, and now have an eventer coach who is proficient in teaching all three phases and I board at her facility (which even has a modest XC course), which is wonderful!
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