TRAINING SPECIAL 2023
A GOOD coach makes all the difference. They can transform that suppressed hint of dread every time you pick up the saddle into genuine enthusiasm and joy. Or they can determine whether their rider finishes on the Olympic podium or freezes approaching the final fence and hits the rail.
What is it that top trainers have? How is it that one instructor can leave a rider energised and confident having jumped the best round of their life, while another can have just the reverse effect?
First, thankfully times have changed. These days there is no room for the Miss Trunchbull style riding instructor, booming “heels down!” as terrified children quake in their boots. Every coach I spoke to agreed that communication is the most important thing. Lynn Bultitude, a popular Pony Club and riding club instructor in the south-west, says: “Modern coaching has moved in a new direction. These days, riders and instructors interact and discuss what they are doing. It
