# Multiple instructors



## GypsyNymph (Feb 23, 2008)

Does anyone have more than 1 riding instructor, if so what are the pros and cons to that?


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## skittlesfirehawk (Mar 5, 2011)

nope i like having one instructor so i can we can get to know each other and my strengths and weaknesses


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## back again (Mar 29, 2011)

I have two instructors. I go to each place once a week (sometimes 2times) so I know both instructors well and they both know my strengths and weaknesses. They both know that I take lessons at another place and are fine with it. I dont have my own horse and one of the places I go only has one lesson horse - this way I am learning to ride in general and not just learning to ride one horse.

The way I thought about it, was that when I was ski racing I always had at least 3 coaches at a time, each have their own focus. As long as their methods are not drastically different you can get a lot out of different people.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Just be careful.. each instructor teaches things differently, thinks about things differently. You don't want to be in a situation where one tells you something is okay but the other tells you never to do that again. Or one tells you in order to get the outcome you want, you have to do B and then C, then the other tells you no it's all about A and B then G... then you're going to be one confused cookie. 

On the other hand, you will learn from different perspectives and different ways, though slight. 

It's a bittersweet deal.


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## GypsyNymph (Feb 23, 2008)

What type of riding do you do? Would having 2 instructors be beneficial in experiencing riding different types of horses and learning different styles (as long as the differences aren't too drastic) or would it just be confusing?
I'm not really looking into it but I've noticed that there are some that do have 2 riding instructors and was just curious.


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## ChingazMyBoy (Apr 16, 2009)

*I use two different instructors.*

One for jumping & then one for dressage. Though, I started doing this when I started becoming a more serious & competitive rider. Both instructors know eachother & have similarities in their teaching styles. Sometimes, if I'm approaching a big show - I'll have up to four lessons in a week. Or leave him at a coaches place for two days. I think it would be harder if you were using school horses & were having more of a barn experience.

I'm not sure - I just find it better having an instructor who 'experts' in Show Jumping & the other in dressage. I also have a 'trainer' who helps me with everything when I come across the issues.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

It depends on how you are able to handle it and distinguish.

That's like having two people lease one horse. One girl rides him Western pleasure and the guy rides him Hunters. 

Or two people lease one horse. One rides Dressage, the other does Hunters.

You could either benefit from each different kind of style. Maybe one focuses on going through the motions.. riding broke horses and w/t/cing them, while the other focuses on breaking down each step in the walk, in the trot, and the canter and has you on the lungeline.

It could be good.. it could be bad. It's up to you 

Personally I was riding English with one (and my horse) and riding in an English saddle but bridless with the other with a focus on body mechanics.

They went hand in hand.. but it doesn't always work out like that


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## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

I have a nine year old student who has three instructors. One for vaulting, me for dressage and jumping, and another for hunters. I have no problems with it at all. I do not do hunters and have no idea of the ins and outs of it. 

No one can learn too much and every instructor has a wealth of knowledge. It is a matter of putting everything in your "bag of tricks". It will all be used....sooner or later.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

I have one, but if there was a vaulting instructor around, I would be there like a dirty shirt.


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## kbjumper (Jan 22, 2012)

I have two, but ones for a showing/jumping career and the other really just keeps me with girls my age riding and we do some BLM projects and breaking. It depends on what your doing when it comes to 2 different instructors.


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## ChingazMyBoy (Apr 16, 2009)

Allison Finch said:


> I have a nine year old student who has three instructors. One for vaulting, me for dressage and jumping, and another for hunters. I have no problems with it at all. I do not do hunters and have no idea of the ins and outs of it.
> 
> No one can learn too much and every instructor has a wealth of knowledge. *It is a matter of putting everything in your "bag of tricks".* It will all be used....sooner or later.


 
I so agree with the bolded point. A friend of mine doesn't have a regular jumping coach. She simply goes to lots of clinic's and takes different things from different coaches.

Some things she will say - no, I don't think I'll use this. Others, she does. Also, honestly - she is one of the best riders I know! Though, she does still have a consistant coach for dressage.


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## xXSerendipityXx (Jan 26, 2012)

Ive been switching between three instructors lately, I guess the barn where I ride has been getting alot more business than usual, &the instructors arent always as available as they were before. I like it because it mean that I get three different peoples views on things - no two instructors teach exactly alike, &because whenever I see them again, about once a week or so, theyre like, "WOW, youve improved so much since last time!" &it just boosts my confidence alot. The only bad thing is that sometimes that means that I ride alot of different horses, too, &it can be hard to get used to too many peoples teaching methods. Otherwise, I dont think its too bad.


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## ChingazMyBoy (Apr 16, 2009)

xXSerendipityXx said:


> Ive been switching between three instructors lately, I guess the barn where I ride has been getting alot more business than usual, &the instructors arent always as available as they were before. I like it because it mean that I get three different peoples views on things - no two instructors teach exactly alike, &because whenever I see them again, about once a week or so, theyre like, "WOW, youve improved so much since last time!" &it just boosts my confidence alot. The only bad thing is that sometimes that means that I ride alot of different horses, too, &it can be hard to get used to too many peoples teaching methods. Otherwise, I dont think its too bad.


 
On the topic of riding so many different horses - I have personally learnt so much from riding the horses that I am schooling and training for their owners at the moment. As a rider, I believe that the best thing I can do for myself is take every chance I get to jump on a different horse.

Every horse will teach you something - though, maybe this is a thing that comes with experience. Being a beginner as such (not saying that you are), it could be difficult for a rider to be like - this horse has a bouncy trot, where as the other one has a very soft but lazy trot.


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

I think it depends on your experience and your ability to question and think for yourself. If you are still at the stage of relying on an instructor to tell you absolutely everything, and tell you when something is right, wrong etc. Then sticking with one instructor is going to be beneficial. 

I have 2 main instructors, both teach in a fairly similar way. One however is a lot more experienced, has trained for extended periods over seas and has ridden to grand prix dressage on multiple horses. The other is at Inter 1/Inter 2 level, and has done a brief stint overseas. The more experienced coach will come over and make a drastic improvement or give me a whole new concept to think about, while the other coach will help me keep on track with this until the next visit of the more experienced coach. 

I also jump on every opportunity to go to clinics with other coaches, and pick and chose what I want to take out of those lessons. I am experienced enough to know what I want to use and what works for my horse, and what does not. Every coach can teach you something, whether it is what to do, or what not to do. You just have to be smart and clued in enough to pick the differences.


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## xXSerendipityXx (Jan 26, 2012)

Yeah, it has taught me alot Especially in the adjusting department. So I guess its not such a bad thing after all. Im not a beginner, but not anywhere near expert or anything. I just feel like I spend a good majority of my lesson time just figuring out what the horse responds to best &such. Which gets a little nervewracking for me since I just started jumping recently. Anyways, by the end of this month, Ill actually have ridden every lesson horse in the barn, so Im hoping that everything will just get easier from there


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## Nitefeatherz (Jan 23, 2012)

Using the same instructor can be beneficial since you build a relationship but using different instructors can be very beneficial as well. A new instructor can present something (or explain something) in a different way that makes it easier to learn- or may spot something that another instructor didn't. 

It is always good to use different instructors as well because it keeps you flexible in learning styles. Being flexible and keeping an open mind in connection to learning helps you STAY flexible which helps in learning and riding in different ways. Sometimes that something new (even if its a new technique) can help quite a bit. 

If you always do the same thing- imo- even if its with an instructor- you become stagnant IMO.


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## back again (Mar 29, 2011)

The reason I go to different instructors at the moment is actually quite different to some of the other things that people have posted. Because I dont have my own horse or a lot of experience, I go to different instructors who all do different things. 

I am trying to get a broad base of experience, and ride a few different horses and become a decent balanced rider before I consider 'specialising'. Although I think that in the end I would like to do dressage, in the past 12 months I have taken lessons at dressage, show jumping and eventing stables.

So I think that taking lessons from a variety of good instructors will give me a broader base of knowledge for when I do decide to pursue a particular discipline.


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## aeosborne2002 (Jan 30, 2012)

I have two instructors, both at the same farm, since I wanted to take two lessons a week. It's really been beneficial for me, since they each see different things to improve my riding, and they talk to each other about what we've done.


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## Opus (Jan 3, 2011)

I ride with two instructors and I lesson with each once a week.

I love my original instructor, but truthfully, her place is quite a haul for me, so if I miss lessoning with her due to weather/illness, etc., then I don't get to ride that week. Well, an R rated dressage judge moved close by and started offering lessons, and while I didn't want to get another trainer, I needed the saddle time.

So, I talked about it with Trainer No. 1, and she was fine with it. And she makes me send her a little report of what I did with Trainer No. 2, so she knows what I'm working on and how I'm progressing. Trainer No. 2 has no problem at all, and may even have a horse for me to lease in the next month or two.

Right now, the three of us are working on basic dressage -- doing Intro level tests and bending and learning my letters. Eventually, when summer approaches, I'll see if they'll put me back in a good hunter equitation form before the summer shows. 

But I think they key is making sure all lines of communication are open, asking questions and trusting both instructors. Lord only knows, if they were teaching me completely opposite things, I wouldn't be able to do it. 



Kayty said:


> I think it depends on your experience and your ability to question and think for yourself. If you are still at the stage of relying on an instructor to tell you absolutely everything, and tell you when something is right, wrong etc. Then sticking with one instructor is going to be beneficial.


Completely agreed. I'm old enough, and experienced enough to know what each instructor is telling me and how it compares to the other instructor and the discipline in question. So far, they're both teaching me the same things, even if Trainer 2 has fits about my toes sticking out and focuses on the ticky things, while Trainer 1 is trying to work on my sitting trot and some of the broader things.

Now, if this were a decade ago, I'd probably be a mess trying to figure out both trainers at the same time.


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## mudpie (Jul 15, 2011)

I have many trainers

Pros: You get lots of opinions and help
If one's not available, another one is!
You get many views on issues
You make more friends!
You can decide how to be the best rider you can be!

Cons: If they're not on the same page, sometimes you get contradictory instruction

Overall, having many instructors is awesome!


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

I like a lot of what's been said here. I do agree that different instructors serve to provide you with different tools to use in your bag of tricks. I do ride with different instructors since each one picks on different parts of my riding. Some seem to focus more on the way the horse is moving while others pick on the rider position. No one person can teach you everything, so I'm all for mixing it up.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

i have two. i do mostly eventing, but some hunters. one trainer does eventing, so we work on mostly dressage and xc. my other trainer does hunters and jumpers, so we do a ton of flat work, grid exercises, and course jumping. they are very similar, yet focus on different things. the main thing is though, that me and my horse are both better when we ride with either of them ! i also only take 1 lesson a month, so i will ride with one trainer a couple times, then the other a couple times, etc.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

I take private lessons with 2 instructors: dressage and eventing (jumping lessons). Both are aware of my lessons with the other. 

Pros: I learn 2 different disciplines from the very good professional in each discipline.

Cons: It's quite expensive.


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## Kelsyann (Feb 21, 2010)

I currently have about 6 instructors :shock:

I go to Wilson College, and as I'm on the Dressage team and Eventing team, I have two different instructors for that, with very different teaching styles, as well as my regular instructor for my twice weekly lessons at school. Then I have a dressage and a jumping trainer at home too. 

I do like having so many opinions, as people say things in a different way, so that one thing actually clicks with me, but at the same time, its so confusing. I have 3 different dressage theories going on as well as three jumping methods, which all seem to work, its just annoying having to alter my riding style every time I get on a horse :?


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Kelsyann said:


> I currently have about 6 instructors


Jeez girl how do you manage? I could say 2.. 3 is a crowd and 6 is half a dozen of crazy in my book!


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## GypsyNymph (Feb 23, 2008)

6? Wow. How do you keep up?

Is learning more than 1 discipline hard or is it not as hard as it sounds? If you have been doing just basic riding for quite a few years would it be difficult or easy once you know what to do?


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## OuttatheBlue (Dec 8, 2011)

I have multiple instructors... one is more expensive so I can't use him as often as I would like, and then I have my regular instructor at the barn. I also go to clinics/the really fancy guys whenever they are available. I think it helps you learn more faster. Ever since I've been riding I have ridden different disciplines and didn't think it was hard to learn more than one. However, I have always been better/focused on one more than the other.


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## Kelsyann (Feb 21, 2010)

Well during the school year I have 4, and during the summer and winter I only have 2. But it is immensely confusing, because we also change instructors every semester at school. so there's tons of opinions pouring in from everywhere. We just started a new semester, so adjusting to my new instructor's methods and philosophies is hard. But I like having all the different knowledge. 
Everyone explains things in a different way, and some of them will say something in a way that makes total sense to me, while someone else can tell me to do the same thing in a different way and I have no clue whats going on. So it has its benefits....but I'd be fine with like 3 hahah


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