Most riding instructors are well-trained in riding theory and technique, but few are directly taught to handle the psychological challenges that riders bring to their lessons. These articles provide explanations for those baffling behaviors, along with suggestions and strategies for helping students overcome their mental stumbling blocks to become more effective riders.
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Information for Trainers
Teaching Challenges: Handling Intense Parents
Riding instructors, raise your hand if you’ve experienced this scenario: You have a student tacking up for a lesson and their parent approaches you. They express frustration that their child doesn’t try hard enough, isn’t dedicated enough, doesn’t win enough at shows. You know that the student likes to ride, but couldn’t care less if she has ribbons on her stall door. Or maybe you even know that she wouldn’t ride at all if given the choice. How do you handle parents whose goals for their child are out of sync with the goals the child has? Many instructors are…
