by Michelle Coleman Grimmer
Mary asked the other day, "Where does Michelle go for inspiration?" Well, that opens up a big can of worms right there. Inspiration is everywhere!I have been very fortunate in my life to have access to some great riding instruction from the very beginning, in 1981, to the present time. Each instructor has given me things to think about, techniques to add to my Rolodex of horsey knowledge. Some items are used in my daily riding and teaching, and some items are filed away for possible future use. Some are immediately filed under the "NEVER EVER do this" heading. There are always new things to learn!
One of the things that I find tricky out here on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula is that we do not have easy access to large varieties of top-level educational opportunities in the form of instruction, clinics, and seminars (Freedom Farm is the exception). I was very spoiled when I lived in Toronto. There, internationally competitive riders and trainers in a variety of equestrian sports reside and train, PLUS visiting instructors from all over the world are there to give clinics almost year-round (except in the coldest months). One month I could go and ride in a clinic with Andrew Hoy (AUS), the next month Leslie Law (GBR) and George Morris (USA) would be in town doing a coaching seminar. For ten years, I was like a kid in a candy store! Of course, as with many things in life, there was a trade-off...
Here, life is good, and inspiration is found in other places and other ways. Thank goodness for Freedom Farm, books, and the internet! At Freedom Farm, it is wonderful to see and experience the foundations being laid in the riding and horsemanship department while the love of horses and 'why we do this' is preserved. Educational opportunities abound in a variety of disciplines.
Books like Centered Riding, by Sally Swift, and How Good Riders Get Good, by Denny Emerson, give valuable nuts and bolts tools for riding itself, and exploration of the psychology of how we progress in our sport. How do we get from here to there? It is extremely beneficial to have constructive things to think about while riding our horses!
What would we do without the internet? It has an immense amount of information which the equestrian world "powers that be" are often extremely generous to share. I'm quite fond of visiting the website of the United States Equestrian Foundation. It posts HOURS of riding seminars which are available to everyone (for free). In addition to the seminars, on the USEF Network you can watch hours upon hours of many kinds of horse showing. (I usually stick to dressage, jumping, & eventing.) You can also look to other websites. Each national organization for each equestrian sport has its own website and educational materials available (some not free, but available with a subscription). One word of caution: If you go to the internet, make sure your 'common-sense filter' is working. Just as with other information found on the internet, make sure that you are viewing material from a reliable source. Lots of crazies out there!
I love to watch other riders ride. I love to watch other instructors teach. Watching what others do is extremely important for everyone's riding education. We cannot exist in a bubble when there is so much to know! Someday soon, I would like to be able to bring more of what inspires me out here to the Olympic Peninsula. Then, I can have my cake, eat it too, and share with everyone!
P.S. Here's more inspiration: The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, April 25-28th.
(Originally published April 2013)
