Motivation Monday

Motivation Monday: Every day above ground is a good day.

Getting The Most Out Of Your Riding Lesson

Question: I pay $50 per hour for my riding lesson, how do I get the most bang for my buck?
Answer: Most professional trainers are providing you with the opportunity to gain valuable information. However, it is your job to listen to what they have to say and implement that knowledge on your horse. Riding and training a horse does not come with an instrustion book detailing a program that will work with every horse.
ASK QUESTIONS: Be sure that when your trainer asks if you have any questions that you be honest with them. It is your hard earned money that has bought you the chance to ask a professional questions. If you don't completely understand what is being taught, ask them to explain in greater detail. The only dumb questions are the ones that you never ask. I always encourage my clients to ask questions and to question me when they are in doubt. I would rather take the time to go slow and make sure that they understand than to speed past something that I thought they understood, only to go back and keep fixing the same problem over and over. It wastes my time and their money.
BE ON TIME: Be respectful of your trainers time. Remember that this is his or her job and they may have other commitments that need to be taken care of after your lesson. When I was running a larger lesson program, I liked to have my customers at my facility early enough to have their horses tacked, warmed up, and ready to ride when the lesson began. If your lesson time is 1:00-2:00, try to be there half an hour early so that you can be ready to start at 1:00, and not 1:30. In my program, you will still be finished by 2:00, no matter what time we started and still pay for the whole hour. Remember, just because you are running late, it doesn't mean that the next lesson is.
DO YOUR HOMEWORK: Be sure to work on the homework that your trainer gives you so that you will be prepared for your next lesson. While at home, keep a small note pad in the barn. If you think of a question while riding on your own, you will have the pad close to write down your question, rather than trying to remember what you wanted to ask during your next lesson time. You might also be able to save some money and learn more by having a group lesson with some frends. Taking a lesson with friends will allow you to gain an extra set of eyes when you are at home training; they will have an understanding of what you are trying to accomplish. Having a friend or family member video during the lesson will provide you with the ability to review what you worked on during the lesson. Remember it is your job to get the most out of your lesson, only you know what you don't know.
As always... Ride Hard, Be Safe, and Have Fun. - Steve Kutie

Baby Lesson #5

Baby Lesson #5: The number on the side of the diaper box does not indicate the amount of baby poop that will be contained inside. For example, size one diapers WILL NOT, I REPEAT, WILL NOT hold 1 lb. of poop, pee or any combination of the previous mentioned. I'm betting, at best, they will only hold a few ounces which sometimes is not even close to the amount expelled from out little darling. Remember it is ALWAYS necessary to change the diaper after every use, no matter how large or small the mess, even if the odor is potent enough to peel paint from of the wall. Jax is a big supporter of this last statement, and so is his mom, believe me!.

Fact Friday

Fact Friday: Horsemanship is not something that "you do"; but a state of mind that "you do" from. - The Jeet Koon Do of Horsemanship

Theory Thursday

Theory Thursday: Average efforts don't always yield average results, sometimes they yield no results at all.

Tech Tip Tuesday

Tech Tip Tuesday: While riding, when your horses head comes up don't "pull" or "see-saw" your horse head back down think about squeezing or driving their head and neck back into the proper position with your legs. Your legs control the amount of drive your horse uses, not the amount of speed. A head and neck that comes up and out of position is usually the result of a lack of drive or impulsion. Forward is the key to fixing 99% of all training problems. Remember, use more leg and less hand to make you and your horse happier, train smarter not harder. - Steve Kutie

Anti-Gimmick Clinic, Nacagdoches, TX

I would like to thank everyone that attended the first Anti-Gimmick Training Clinic of the year, hosted by the SFA Horsemans Association at their super arena in Nacogdoches, TX(by the way it was a sold out clinic). It was a HUGE success that helped the great and hard working students on the SFA Ranch Horse Team afford to show and compete. I am super thankful that everyone worked so hard and was super interested in finding an easier way to train both horse and rider, and to Dr. Joe Gotti for making it all possible. The next Anti-Gimmick Training Clinic is scheduled for June 22-24, 2012. Contact me for details.