Marketing Education - or Real Learning

I often hear people complain about getting ripped off by a coach, or going to some clinic and not getting what they wanted.
I touched on this topic of getting what we ask for in the earlier post - Unwilling horses, bad riders, and know it all thinking give trainers a bad name!

Today I will share my reasoning why people sometimes feel coaches screw them, and it isnt the clinicians or coaches fault most of the time.

The largest sector of the horse industry is the education sector. The second largest sector is the marketing of services and products used in the industry.

The equine education sector is full of:

1. Riding instructors
2. Horse trainers 
3. Do it yourself DVD's and Books
4. Clinics for all levels of riders and all types of topics
5. Etc. etc. 

In marketing it does not matter how well a product or service works, the most important aspect of marketing is who is endorsing, or offering the service?

Over the years I have found that often times my best lessons have come from people who were not on the cover of a magazine, or had multiple world championships won.
Like everyone else I kept going to the people who were most successful in the show pen, trying to learn the secrets. Even though the people who always seemed to help me get better, had not been that successful in the show pen.

I have a theory as to why that is the case, it actually has to do with a couple facts:

1. The type of horses I ride and the types of horses that multiple world champs ride are often different in their ability and temperaments.
   - The same training techniques do not work for all horses, the top showmen are most times riding the same type of horse that suits them.
   - Trying to learn how to train my average horse from someone who trains the more gifted and naturally talented horses, does not make much sense does it?  
2. The people who spend most of their time teaching others, have to develop a way of explaining things so students with all types of learning habits can understand.
   - People who are busy winning championships, use teaching as a profitable sideline a few times a year. They do not have to develop a great understanding of what they do. 

 I sat at a clinic a few years back and watched a very famous reining horse trainer explain how he taught a horse to turn around.
 I watched what he was doing, I listened to what he was saying, and I realized he didn't understand half of what he was doing? He was reacting to the horse based on his feel and instinct. He never had the goal of having to explain it to someone wanting to learn what he did. He was explaining what he thought he was doing, without really understanding what he was doing.

Educating is a skill that has to be developed, just as training horses is skill that develops over time, so is learning to be an educator.
 An educator must be able to explain what they are doing so well, they can break it down to the basic fundamentals. They then teach the fundamentals of the skill in a progression, that eventually allows the student to develop the skill.
Trying to teach someone to train a horse to turn around before that person understands how to develop balance and vertical alignment, is like teaching a figure skater to do jumps before they understand about edges. (google search it :))
That is exactly what was going on with this million dollar trainer, he was unconsciously working on fixing the horse vertical alignment with his outside rein while the horse was turning, but he never once mentioned it even though it was the part that was having the most positive effect.
I can't blame him for that, because he would not ride a horse that was not talented enough to find its own vertical alignment very quickly.
I had rode many horses like the one he was riding, that if you did not spend a lot of hours developing their vertical balance, they would never be able to turn around. So I saw what he was doing with this less than talented horse right away.

Also he was offering what most people want - a quick fix, and it worked  for a few of the horses there at the clinic.
It never ceases to amaze me how people will spend endless amounts of money on trying to improve by practicing a skill over and over.
They will go to countless guru's, looking for the magic way to hold the reins, or sit in  the saddle.
If you show them why they can't do the skill, then show them the fundamentals they are missing you are boring them.
Some of the funniest are:

1. Barrel racers, they will go to clinics and want to run around barrels till their horse falls down, but they can not even lope a small circle?
2. Reiners, they will run and stop and run and stop trying to improve their timing, and they can't even feel their horses rhythm at a trot. 
3. Reiners and Barrel racers both, they need their horses to lengthen their strides at the lope for the best performance, yet they can't get the horse to lengthen at the trot?

If people would spend a quarter of the time learning some fundamentals, before they tried the hard fun stuff they would get it 4 times as fast.

BUT IT ISNT FUN ,

ONCE THEY GET IT, THEY WON'T NEED LESSONS ANY MORE!!

Often times people get what they ask for,  then complain about it once they realize the person gave them exactly what they asked for. 

Terminology is also something that causes issues for educators, many terms we use in the horse world have many different meanings depending on who you are talking to.
One of the worst offenders is collection, I refuse to use that word in my clinics or instruction, simply because so many people have a different understanding of what it is.
Again that is something an educator has to be aware of, then make sure that they explain things in a manner everyone understands.

I am always on the look out for the 

confused, or he is an idiot look when I am doing clinics..

I want to make sure that I am explaining myself well enough, that no one is confused. If someone looks like they disagree, then I want them to speak up as well, so we determine if they misunderstood what I said or perhaps they just have a different way.

One of my favorite you are an idiot looks came from a young lady that ended up being my best intern. I saw she had obviously been taught a different way, and I took the time to let her show me how it worked.
Then I had her try what I was showing her - she came to work for me shortly after that clinic. She recently told me I spoiled her, she can't work anymore for the trainers who do not understand what they are doing and are mostly kick and jerk, and blood and hair flying.

By the way, she is looking for a new job, if someone wants a great trainer that understands what she is doing and how to develop all levels of horses. 

If you want to learn, there are many good options

What I suggest to anyone looking for education of any sort, is look at the results of the students, not the instructor.
If you are looking for a trainer or a show person, then look at the results in the show pen of course.

Not all great trainers and showmen are great educators, not all great educators are great showmen.

It takes a few things to get famous in the rodeo arena or show pen, 

1. You have to be a great showperson and or rider, 
2. You need great horses.
3. You need a drive to succeed personally  

A multi world champion would not be sharing their true talent, if they do not  tell you, to win those titles:

• Their clients spent lots of money, 
• They put in lots of hours 
• They had the right horses,

A Coach who has many students who have won titles, would not be sharing their true talent, if they do not  tell you, to win those titles their clients:

• Spent lots of money, 
• Put in lots of effort,  
• Bought the right horse, 

If you want to learn how to develop a specific horse to its full potential, then find someone who has results without saying you need a better horse.
The championships may not be as many on their resume, but they can probably show results with your type of horse.

There is a large amount of material available for the DIY trainer these days. 

• Students - Make sure you look for results with students who have similar financial and time commitments capabilities, as well as your type of horse if you want to learn. 
• Educators trying to market your services, show results of your students progressions. If you have a way of explaining things that makes sense to students and horses, do not share too much for free.

I have heard a good educator explain something, or demonstrate a technique that was really well thought out and original, making it easy to understand.
Then soon after I hear some famous individual claim it as their own explaination, without any sort of consideration for the real educator.

Just my advice, to both people who want to learn and also the people who put in the time to be great educators.

• Students make sure you look for proof the person can help you and your horse, be realistic in your assesment of your time, money and horses skill level.  Look for someone that will make you do the boring stuff, you will learn 4 times as fast and understand it when you are done. 
• Educators keep working to help others, they will eventually find you, show results of your students and prove you can assist that type of rider and horse

Thanks for sharing your time with me,

Rod