Sunday, October 28, 2012

Pairing a Horse and a Rider

The following is a guest post written by Emily Richards.

When a beginner rider is picking out their first horse, it is tempting to pick the prettiest horse with the highest level training. They think that by getting a horse that already knows it all, it will help them learn it all. 
Unfortunately, what you normally get is a lot of confusion. A horse of that level has been trained to respond to the slightest touch. When you pair that horse with a rider that is inexperienced and not aware of the affect that even their unbalanced weight can have, it can be dangerous or in the very least unproductive. 
A good match for a beginner rider would be an older horse with solid basic training. 
If you wish to have a successful relationship with your horse it is important to match the riders’ skill to the training of the horse.

I see the same pattern with pairing a coach with a sports team or a manager with a software team.  Before putting a manager in charge of any group, make sure there is a good fit.

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