P
ublisher’s Welcome
W Te Hows, Nows and Wows
hen I can fit it in my schedule, I enjoy teaching amateur riders to improve their dressage. It’s something I really look forward to doing, as it helps me stay connected to my own beginnings as a rider.
I recently had a new student who, aſter the formal introductions, made it a point to warn me about her learning disability. For
some reason, she explained, with all her past instructors, she could not remember what they had taught her aſter each lesson. Nothing would “stick,” she claimed, when riding on her own aſterwards. Hence, she felt like she was starting over with every lesson and her personal riding time leſt her—and no doubt her horse—frustrated. Needless to say, she found herself bouncing from trainer to trainer, from dressage to hunters and back to dressage, as she struggled to retain anyone’s instruction. Mind you this is an intelligent woman who has her own successful business, is happily married, adores her horses and seems to enjoy life, until it comes to learning in the saddle. Hmmm. I quickly concluded that our sessions were going to be a challenge, especially since I did not want her money or time to
go to waste. I sensed her anxiety as she mounted her horse. I began by asking her to take a few deep breaths and big exhales while we adjusted her position in the saddle. Next I sent her and her horse off at the walk and began to explain a few basic concepts. Guess what happened? For every concept I presented, she was able to recite what some past instructor had to say about it. As it turned out, this student was well versed in plenty of theory—she just had no idea how to make it happen in the saddle and execute it with her own body. Tis woman needed more than a teacher; what she needed was a coach. A successful coach, in my opinion, should still teach concepts and theory, but then take it to the next level. He or she should
engage the student in the activity by first explaining the ‘how,’ then providing the opportunity to make it happen ‘now,’ all the while correcting, adjusting and rewarding the ‘now’ so that the student can experience the all-important ‘wow.’ I believe that to learn a sport, such as riding, the hows, nows and wows together are critical to the learning process and should be repeated at least once, and even better, twice. My “how-now-wow” coaching philosophy also applies to Warmbloods Today. In every issue we give many different equestrians and
equine professionals the opportunity to share their own hows, nows and wows. In this issue we explore the early years of the 2013 70-Day Stallion Test winners, learn with author Patti Schofler new eye-opening facts about Cushing’s, find out why people buy in utero foals, as well as discover what makes the inspections held by the American Hanoverian Society so valuable. Plus, there is a whole lot more—including a special conformational assessment of Chester Weber’s favorite driving horse Splash. Finally, I’m excited to announce the new author, or shall I say authors, of our popular “Warmblood Whoas” column. We wel-
come three well-respected equestrian pros who will rotate the column, starting in this issue with Olympic eventer Boyd Martin. Te next issue’s column will be hosted by FEI dressage trainer Michael Barisone, then aſter that we’ll hear from hunter/jumper judge, trainer and breeder Julie Winkel. If you happen to know any of them, please drop them a line and thank them for taking the time to write for us. As 2014 rolls onward, and life gets shorter, ‘how’ we spend the ‘now’ becomes more and more important. So please, try to find as
many ways as possible to experience those ‘wows’ in your own riding, training and breeding this year. I know I will. Liz Cornell
editor@warmbloodstoday.com
Our Mission: Warmbloods Today is the leading magazine in North America focused on the entire spectrum of Warmblood breeds. It’s a place where people from all aspects of the sport horse community can come together: amateurs, owners, trainers and breeders. Each issue contains interesting, informative and often heart-warming stories of peoples’ experiences with their horses, along with thought- provoking opinions from various professionals and amateurs. We cover all horses from European descent bred for the sports of jumping, dressage, eventing and driving including the Iberian breeds and American Warmbloods.
12 March/April 2014
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