Don't Be a Blob

Sounds kind of funny right? I mean, we think of blobs as large masses of gooey, ooey messes - not riders. But this is exactly what I'm talking about. I've recently been to a couple of horse trials (events) and what I see there -even at the lower levels- can be scary. Now before we get all worked up, lets look at what I really mean. To me being a blob is the same as being an ineffective rider. It's not about how hard you look like you're working, or how little you look like you're working. It's about doing a job. Many riders I see, seem to have this idea that if they're pushing, pulling, and fighting with the horse then they're not being blobs. Other riders seem to have the traditional sense of being a blob; they sit around let the horse do whatever he wants and then complain when something doesn't go right. While all this is occuring, the majority of us look on and either don't say anything, or are clueless to what is happening.

Let me put this in an example: Most Olympic dressage riders (the good ones) look as if they are sitting on the horse doing absolutely nothing. In fact its written in the rules that the aids should be imperceptible to the audience. But who would question if the horses are being influenced by their riders? Of course they are! You don't make it to the top of the game by being a blob. You make it by becoming an effective rider, one that respects the horse, but knows how to get the job done.

I'm not saying that all our lower level riders need to be masters. They're not and that is what the lower levels are for. But is it truly fair to send students out, when they barely have basic control over the horse? We would call that dangerous, and unsafe. So why do we teach our riders to be blobs? It's time to sit down and truly think about what we are teaching. Are we taking the fast road to glory that will burn out quickly? Or are we teaching students how to be effective riders who know how to think and feel? Because if we're not doing this, we're letting our riders turn into blobs.



                          

      Are we letting our riders become blobs?