# Finding the right coach



## AJ Yammie (Dec 20, 2020)

Hullo People! 
some of you who have been following my threads would know I’m having trouble with my coaches and being taught the wrong things. How do I know when I’m with the right coach? Most coaches are about 200km away but if I’m not being taught the right thing I might be able to arrange something else. thanks in advance


----------



## untamed equestrian (Nov 16, 2020)

I've read some of your other posts and no matter who you end up with, its is so important to *do your own research.* Even the best trainer in the world can be wrong. Never just assume anyone is right just because they have experience with horses. Yes, I know we pay trainers to educate us, but I find in the equestrian world there is an overwhelming amount of people who believe everything their trainer says, that's been traditionally done, and do what everyone else does, just because. Ask "why" whenever you're taught something. Why should I feed this to my horse? How does it work? Why does this way of training get that effect with my horse? 
Study biomechanics, study the horses anatomy, study diet, study saddle fit, study how the horse's brain works and how training effects them. Study everything. This is how you become a better horse owner. Don't lean so heavily on what other people say. Of course, you can also be wrong, and there is a lot of bad information out there, but you what to always be searching to expand your knowledge. 
Well, that's my $0.02 and hopefully that was somewhat helpful. Best of luck to you and your horse!


----------



## AJ Yammie (Dec 20, 2020)

Thank you very much! I do try to question my coach but he’s very proud and tries not to answer. I don’t like that about him at all


----------



## untamed equestrian (Nov 16, 2020)

AJ Yammie said:


> Thank you very much! I do try to question my coach but he’s very proud and tries not to answer. I don’t like that about him at all


I used to know a trainer like that. Its definitely frustrating. I wasn't talking so much about questioning your coach (although that's good too, they should be able to explain to you why they do something) but about expanding your education with other sources. There are so many good books, articles, videos and courses with great information and material.


----------



## AJ Yammie (Dec 20, 2020)

Yeah, I know I’m not the best at researching so this forum is great for me


----------



## untamed equestrian (Nov 16, 2020)

I understand that, and research can be time consuming. I think it’s great that you joined this forum and you have such an open mind to learning more. But, I really encourage you to move outside of this forum. There are some really great books, articles, and videos by amazing and qualified people about everything from biomechanics to diet. Trust me, it’s worth it to learn why rollkur is bad, how join up works, the importance of balanced diets, the reflex points that your saddle shouldn’t touch, and e eeything in between. Invest in your education. There are a lot of free resources out there that are so easily accessible on the internet, but spending some money on some good books or even online courses is worthwhile as well.


----------



## AJ Yammie (Dec 20, 2020)

Who do you watch/read? I’ve watched quite a bit of Warwick Schiller and listened to his podcasts. I used to watch a lot of Clinton Anderson too. I don’t really watch English riding/training videos but when I do it’s usually Natasha Althoff


----------



## untamed equestrian (Nov 16, 2020)

I think Warwick Schiller does great work. I ride English, but most of my attention atm is spent learning about how a horse should be ridden, biomechanics, movement, and things like that instead of training videos. I’m also really big on +R so I’m pretty much always digging for more information on that, as well as horse behavior and how they think and act. Two books that I think are great no matter what discipline you ride are: Recognizing the horse in Pain II: And what you can do about it! By Joanna L Robson DVM, and Tug of War: Classical vs. Modern dressage and how incorrect riding negatively affects your horse’s health, by Dr Gerd Heuschmann. Amazing books. I’ve honestly been all over the place with researching different things, lol. I also love Kathy Sierra and her work with horses...actually I just signed up for her Pain’t science workshop, which is a course about pain science(obviously, lol). movement, and motivation in horses. Heres the link to her course, I strongly recommend watching the videos she has up on her site..just look at how her horses move.https://www.pantherflow.com/ Her course is about to close for enrollment, and you won’t have access to the course or the three videos she has posted right now once she does.
I listen to a lot of podcasts as well, equiosity is a great one, as well as The Feed room chemist and spirit of horse.
Equitopia also has amazing videos on biomechanics and proper development in horses. 
Lol, I could go on all day about a ton of really great trainers, books and resources but these are what are coming to mind right now and that I think they are worth looking at!


----------



## AJ Yammie (Dec 20, 2020)

Thanks heaps, I’ll check them out!


----------



## untamed equestrian (Nov 16, 2020)

__





Pain Science Workshop







www.pantherflow.com





Just realized that the link to Kathy Sierra’s course I mentioned isn’t working...reposting.


----------

