Adamo Equestrian

Standing at the rail and watching someone else's lesson will teach you things your own lesson can't.

When you're riding, you're inside the problem — reacting, adjusting, feeling. When you're watching, you can see the whole picture: the aid before the response, the moment the horse changes, what the rider did that you can't feel from the saddle.

After 12 weeks of no riding it was good to be back on my best boy🖤

The Happiest Horses 🥹

In the horse industry, the customer is always right. Thing is- the customer is the horse, not you. So... *you* are not always right.

Unlike most businesses, there is a third party involved that doesn't get a vote. The horse. And sometimes there's a fourth. The rider.

My job isn't to tell people what they want to hear. My job is to make decisions that are in the best interest of the horse and rider, even when those decisions are unpopular.

Sometimes that means telling a client their horse isn't ready.
Sometimes it means telling a rider they aren't ready.
Sometimes it means refusing to do something that I don't believe is right, even if someone is willing to pay me to do it.

If you ask me to push a horse beyond where I think they can succeed, I'm not doing it.
If you want me to skip steps because you're in a hurry, I'm not doing it.
If you want me to use equipment, training methods, or management practices that I don't believe are in the horse's best interest, I'm not doing it.

Not because I'm stubborn.

Because that's what you're paying me for.

You're not paying me to agree with everything you say. You're paying me because somewhere along the line you thought I knew more about this topic than you do. You're paying me because you trust my judgement.
And judgment only has value if you're willing to stand by it when it's inconvenient.

The older I get, the more I realize that good trainers spend a lot of time disappointing people in the short term.

We slow horses down when owners want to speed them up.
We tell riders to go back to basics when they want to move forward.
We insist on foundations when everyone else is focused on results.

And yes, sometimes that hurts feelings.

The rider is ready when the rider is ready. The horse is ready when the horse is ready.

And a trainer's first responsibility is protecting both of them.

Even when that means saying no.

Especially when it means saying no.

Things your riding instructor wants you to know:
1. This sport is hard. You don't get to bypass the hard…..every good rider has gone through it. You make progress, then you don't, and then you make progress again. Your riding instructor can coach you through it, but they cannot make it easy.

2. You're going to ride horses you don't want to ride. If you're teachable, you will learn from every horse you ride. Each horse in the barn can teach you if you let them. IF YOU LET THEM. Which leads me to…

3. You MUST be teachable to succeed in this sport. You must be teachable to succeed at anything, but that is another conversation. Being teachable often means going back to basics time and time and time again. If you find basics boring, then your not looking at them as an opportunity to learn. Which brings me to…..

4. This sport is a COMMITMENT. Read that, then read it again. Every sport is a commitment, but in this sport your teammate weighs 1200 lbs and speaks a different language. Good riders don't get good by riding every once in awhile….they improve because they make riding a priority and give themsevles opportunity to practice.

5. EVERY RIDE IS AN OPPORTUNITY. Even the walk ones. Even the hard ones. Every. Single. Ride. Remember when you just wished someone would lead you around on a horse? Find the happiness in just being able to RIDE. If you make every ride about what your AREN'T doing, you take the fun out of the experience for yourself, your horse, and your instructor. Just enjoy the process. Which brings me to...

6. Riding should be fun. It is work. and work isn't always fun.....but if you (or your rider) are consistently choosing other activities or find yourself not looking forward to lessons, it's time to take a break. The horses already know you don't want to be here, and you set yourself up for failure if you are already dreading the lesson before you get here.

7. You'll learn more about horses from the ground than you ever will while riding. That's why ground lessons are important, too. If you're skipping ground lessons (or the part of your lesson that takes place on the ground), you're missing out on the most important parts of the lesson. You spend far more time on the ground with horses than you do in the saddle.

8. Ask questions and communicate. If you're wondering why your coach is having you ride a particular horse or do an exercise, ask them. Then listen to their answer and refer to #3 above.

9. We are human beings. We make decisions (some of them life and death ones) every day. We balance learning for students with workloads for horses and carry the bulk of this business on our shoulders. A little courtesy goes a long way.

Of all the sports your child will try through their school years, riding is one of 3 that they may continue regularly as adults (golf and skiing are the others). People who coach riding spend the better part of their free time and much of their disposable income trying to improve their own riding and caring for the horses who help teach your child. They love this sport and teaching others…..but they all have their limits. Not all good riders are good coaches, but all good coaches will tell you that the process to get good is not an easy one.

*thank you to whoever wrote this! Not my words, but certainly a shared sentiment!

A good turn doesn’t happen at the corner. It happens several strides before it.

One of the biggest faults I see in the arena (or anywhere else) is the "last-moment adjustment." The attempt at executuon without sufficient prepapration, taking the horse by surprise, and leaving the rider desperate with their aids.

One example is when we wait until we reach the corner to ask for the turn, and then we wonder why our horse falls out through the shoulder or braces against the bit. Whether this is an actual corner or the "edge" of our described geometry off the track is all the same.

We are essentially asking them to make up for our lack of planning.

When you plan your lines with intention, knowing exactly where you are starting your turn, how you are preparing the bend, and where you are exiting, you create a "safety net" for your horse. They stop scrambling and stressing over what’s coming next and start focusing on how they are carrying themselves through the work.

Geometry is the map, and your intention is the compass.

The next time you enter the arena, identify your "preparation point" for each corner. Instead of waiting for the corner to start, start your preparation (like your half-halt or your shift in weight or your sest adjustment) several strides before the corner actually begins. Notice how much more "quiet" and balanced the turn becomes when the conversation starts early.

🐎 Give this a try this week and let me know... does your horse feel more "with you" when you give them the roadmap early?

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🐴 Our focus this month in the 𝘼𝙘𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙃𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 is "Arena Navigation and Geometry." Be sure to look back over our recent posts and stay tuned for more on this subject all month long.

Pippa Callanan returns to River Wind Farm- Oxford NC from June 22nd - June 24th for a French Classical Dressage Clinic. There are only two rider spots remaining, but plenty of room for auditors. Each includes three private lessons, one each day, to cover work in hand and riding, all levels and disciplines welcome, from unstarted to haute ecole/Grand Prix.

Prior clinics have included rescue horses, ponies, unstarted youngstock, working ranch horses, working equitation horses, and dressage horses competing through the FEI levels. Come see how French Classical Principles and kind, ethical, common sense horsemanship can help further your partnership with your horse. Pippa was a long time student of Bettina Drummond, and one of only two Americans to have trained with Philippe Karl as his working student for two years. Pippa develops horses at her home in France, using a combination of contemporary science, natural horsemanship, and her depth of french classical equitation. Pippa is a kind, patient and effective instructor, who has a special gift for meeting horse and rider pairs exactly where they are.

PM me to reserve your spot today. Full riding spots are $725 to be paid in advance, this does not include stabling, which is $50 per night to be paid at the time of the clinic. Spots are reserved on a first come, first serve basis. I accept paypal, zelle, or checks. This purchase is non refundable, but is transferable to another rider until 48 hours before the start of the clinic. Auditing is $35 per day, or $85 for the full 3 days, and includes light refreshments. Bring your own chair. Lunch delivery is available at additional cost.

We hope you can join us for this supportive, informative and unique clinic.