·        When correcting the rider’s alignment, always check the foot position first. If the base of the rider is not correct, there is no way she can properly stack the upper body parts.

·        It is very important that the instructor give the rider the proper visual in their own body when standing, walking, or demonstrating technique. 

·        When placing the rider’s body, it is vital that the instructor be in their own center, & that all movement originates from there (versus using solely the arm muscles). ANY touch must be soft, and movement must be as slow as it would be when entering a horse’s space. Quick movements, tension in the teacher’s muscles, or too much pressure causes the rider’s body to enter defensive mode, & then the body can’t learn.

·        Patience, patience, patience. All frustrations from outside the lesson must be left outside the arena. Sometimes the teacher’s agenda, the horse’s agenda, & the rider’s body’s agenda are in conflict. Be flexible & open in all the senses, including that all important 6^th sense. I have often had to readjust my agenda for the student, sometimes many times. The rider can’t relax & soften if the horse is tense or anxious. The body can’t let go if the rider’s mind is in turmoil. The horse will provide opportunities for the rider to learn; if the student really trusts the instructor, eventually the student’s body will begin to provide similar opportunities. Memories, trauma, & emotional blocks are stored within the physical body, & manifest as “stuck” places. To permanently transform these physical blocks, the student must first access, move through & resolve the emotional stress. This issue must be approached very cautiously, & w/ great respect. A few casual remarks about emotional tension being stored in the body usually gets the student thinking, & mentioning that it is OK to be emotional creates a safe space if the student wishes to discuss anything that may be coming up.  Letting them know that this process is normal & that you have seen similar circumstances in many other students gives them permission to freely express or feel whatever may come up as a result. I usually tell them that if they are not feeling anything emotional now, they might want to check in on that physical block when they are in a quiet time at home & see if anything comes up for them.

·        Giving riders permission to truly feel their fear, anger, frustration, or total joy by acknowledging it allows them to truly process the emotion & move through it into learning that goes into the body at the cellular level. Knowledge gained in this fashion gives the student skills that carry over into their whole life.

·        It takes time & experience to learn when to focus on details in the rider’s position, & when to let these details go in order to concentrate on the bigger picture. There are many levels of correction. I give them the overall picture in the beginning—this is what it feels like to be totally correct—and then focus in

·        later lessons on the parts that I consider to be of vital importance to their safety and balance. During this time of refinement, I may allow minor deviations in position in the rest of the body.

·        If a student keeps coming in w/ the same problem in their body, and you have tried every way you know to correct it, and they have gotten proper physical support from chiropractors, doctors, etc, then the source of that problem lies in the way they deal w/ their daily life. In that case, it may take months, or even years for the process to evolve that will enable them to reflect an inner change in their outer body. When you sense that this is the case, back off the corrections in that area. Otherwise, the student becomes too frustrated.  Focus on other things, & just come back to it from time to time. Eventually, you will know when it is time to address that issue again.  I have one student whom it has taken 5 years to be able to truly feel where her feet are in space when the horse is in motion.  Only when she had worked through many issues in her life, as well as her approach to coping with them, could she begin to make adjustments to her feet. Otherwise, she would literally freeze into a position, and during that time, she was unable to feel what her body was doing. Luckily, she has a very patient & understanding horse, & we were able to work on various other riding projects while she went through this years- long project. 

·        I have found that it takes a lot of pressure off the student if I acknowledge how hard they are trying, and that this process is indeed very difficult.  That it takes time to correct a lifetime body habit pattern.  I also reaffirm occasionally that everyone’s learning curve is different, & that one should never compare oneself & their progress to another. Each person can only learn at their own pace. There has been many a time that I’ve had to back off in my teaching because a rider was taking a very long time to learn something basic.  I found that I had to approach this problem from many angles & keep repeating them until the student had digested the information.

·        When stuck on how to get a piece of information across, give the student a task to keep them busy, & ask for guidance from within.  Listen quietly, & inspiration will come. 

·        It is very important to give students time to digest something you’ve just taught them. That is why I send them out to practice on their own, & try my best to not say much while they are processing. I have found that they sometimes take a great deal of time to really get the feeling, because they are usually only just learning how to feel in the first place. 

·        A person can only hold 3 thoughts in their head at a time.  Only give them 3 goals, or 3 points of focus to work on.  Never change more than one thing you are doing at a time.  For instance, in a jumping lesson, you might ask the student to focus on their breathing, eyes up, & having the weight in their heels at all times. Those are three goals. In the actual jumping exercise, never add height & a different fence at the same time. Or add height & change from a X rail to a vertical. 

·        In jumping, people feel safer adding height to a X rail than to a vertical.  When making a vertical for people who lack confidence, make it lower than you’ve been having them jump the X.