Came home from the National Academy Finals, our last show on the ’16 calendar—it’s fall all the kids are in school—our annual slow down time for lessons, shows, camps, extra practices  .  .  .

It’s very quiet .  .  . eerily quiet.

I always read, “enjoy the slow times—use this time to sit back and review—plan for next year.”  “Use the slow time to work on new projects and ideas.”

The longer I sit here—the more the panic builds—where’s the noise from all spring and summer—all the noise from lessons, riding, people, camps .  .  .

It’s almost Winter—where’s the income going to come from?

Soon it will be cold and dark!

I told myself, “Be calm—you had a good 2016 with camps, shows and lessons.”

You have some new ideas and plans for the winter and spring months.  Be calm and work on those.

And you know what .  .  . I didn’t work on any of my prepared thoughts and plans.

But I did come up with what I think will be a fabulous idea.  Sometimes my fabulous ideas turn out to be real duds, but if you don’t try—you won’t know, right?

It was like a lightbulb .  .  . probably time to worry, seems like too good of an idea.

I immediately texted the instructors and they both thought is seemed great.

A few weeks ago we hauled a handful of our quietest ponies over to a local school—several of our riders attend this elementary school and it was their fall festival time.  One of the dads of our current riders, said “hey, how do you get into this riding thing?”  So he gave lots of praise to us and our instructors.  And then he said that his daughter, Madison had a lot of friends who would enjoy riding.

But how to get them to the barn?

And then it hit me—Madison could have a Pony Party.

Well, yes most of our Pony Parties are for someone’s birthday.  And we do actually sell these pony parties.  But what if Madison had a party and invited all 30 something of the kids in her class out, to meet all her furry friends and take a Mini lesson.

Sometimes this is where my great ideas can get a little crazy—but hey, why not give it a try!

So I will give Madison a pony party (she is 7 years old, best age to get them in the door!), for free—and she’ll be the coolest kid in her school.  And hopefully someone will sign up for some lessons.  It will only last an hour, and we’ll have several new kids and their families out to the barn.

Then I got to thinking—why not some of the other kids.  The Saturdays that we don’t have other parties scheduled why not invite a select few of our current riders to invite their classes out also, for their own Pony Party.

I’m even thinking I’ll put together the invitations and just hand them over to the mother and she can get the child to hand them out.  And possibly also get some emails to add to our email list.

Well, I’ll keep you updated on how it all works!!

Everyone’s first question—What did you do all week-end?

The whole seminar was on sharing and networking.  So while an agenda was created—the idea was to have a panel of instructors discuss the topic with lots of time given for questions.  In fact interruptions were welcomed.  Ideas, practices and inspiration were bounced back and forth.  .  .

From all over the room came .  .  .  How did you do that?  How did you get them to do that?  How much do you charge?  How was it organized?  Where do you find that?

It was amazing!   So much feedback!  So Cool!

I’m going to try to share some of the tons of material that was covered during the seminar!

For this post I’ve included the Seminar Agenda so you can get an idea of what we accomplished!

RIDING INSTRUCTOR WORKSHOP 2016

AGENDA

2:00  ACADEMY NATIONALS INSTRUCTOR POW-WOW WITH JOYCE WEBSTER

FRIDAY, MARCH 4 (5:00-9:00 p.m.)

5:00-6:00         MEET & GREET AND EARLY REGISTRATION

5:45     Ellen Beard:  Success in the Saddle

6:00-7:00         DINNER

7:00     Parker Lovell

7:00-7:30         INTRODUCTION TO THE WORKSHOP:   HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF IT

7:30-8:15         “HORSES DON’T WRITE CHECKS, PEOPLE DO, THREE PROVEN STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE YOUR PERSONAL BRAND”                                                           DOUG EMERSON, THE PROFITABLE HORSEMAN

8:30-9:15         CLIENT RELATIONS:  WORKING IT OUT!

MAUREEN CAMPBELL

PLEASE WEAR YOUR NAME-TAG TO EACH DAY!

BRING YOUR NOTEBOOK EACH DAY!

BOTTLED WATER AND SNACKS AVAILABLE THROUGHOUT WEEK-END

AFTER LUNCH ON SATURDAY WE WILL TAKE A GROUP PIC!

THERE MAY BE SOME SLIGHT CHANGES OF THIS AGENDA!

SATURDAY, MARCH 5 (9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.)

8:30 EARLY REGISTRATION (PLEASE BE EARLY SO WE GET STARTED RIGHT ON TIME)

9:00     MARKETING WITH ZERO DOLLARS (LITTLE TO NO MARKETING BUDGET)

(Christy P, Brooke V. Jamie J)

10:00   GET ‘EM IN THE DOOR AND KEEP ‘EM

(Jenny L, Jeanine L, Maura D, Brooke V, Georgia M)

11:00    FEEDING THE SCHOOL HORSE AND SAVING MONEY

ROBERT STEPP, TRIBUTE EQUINE NUTRITION

12:00   CUSTOMER CENTRIC MARKETING

KATHY DOUGLAS OF KDOUGLAS VENTURES

1:00     LUNCH (group photo)

2:00     OPEN TOPIC DISCUSSION:  ADVERTISING,

3:00     WHAT EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA FOR MARKETING A HORSE BUSINESS                                                                                          DOUG EMERSON, THE PROFITABLE HORSEMAN

4:00     HAVING THE MONEY TALK:  HOW TO CONFIDENTLY TALK TO YOUR CLIENTS ABOUT SPENDING MONEY WITHIN YOUR BUSINESS

(Jaime J, Christy P, Georgia M, Marilyn M)

5:00     EXTENDING YOUR CLIENT’S SHELF LIFE:  MAKING MORE MONEY WITH YOUR CURRENT CLIENT BASE

(Christy P, Jeanine L, Suzanne S, Georgia M)

6:00     DINNER

7:00     ROUND-TABLE DISCUSSIONS

SUNDAY, MARCH 6 (9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.)

8:30     EARLY REGISTRATION (PLEASE BE EARLY!)

9:00     LESSON PROGRAM MANAGEMENT:  GOOD TO BETTER TO GREAT (PT 1 & 2)

(Brooke V, Jamie J, Jenny L, Maura D and Anna S)

11:00    CAMP:  DON’T BE AFRAID!

(Anna S, Jeanine L, Brooke V, Marilyn M)

12:30   LUNCH

1:00     INSURANCE:  LIABILITY & RISK MANAGEMENT (MARKEL INSURANCE)

2:00     COLORING OUTSIDE THE LINES: MAKE MONEY WITH WHAT YOU’VE GOT

(Jeanine L, Suzanne S, Maura D, Marilyn M)

3:00     GET ‘EM TO SHOW:  THE FIRST COMPETITION TO THE WORLD’S CHAMPIONSHIPS

(Betsy W, Marilyn M, Jamie J)

4:00     MAKE SURE YOU’VE GOTTEN ALL YOUR CONTACT INFO—SAFE TRAVELS!

Probably you haven’t noticed but I haven’t posted anything on the Riding Instructor WorkShop page in quite some time.  In fact nothing since the seminar in March.

Again, you may never have noticed .  .  .

But I have simply tortured myself over it.  I’ve decided it’s time to face my four letter word.

Oh sure I had all the right reasons, why I didn’t post anything—we went to the first show of ’16 the very next week-end, we had a tournament the next week-end and then so much other stuff kept getting in the way.

And then campers came and so many shows .  .  .

Actually I was just hiding—there I’ve admitted it.

You may say from what—and here it is the four letter word—FEAR.

Success I was hiding from success.

The RIW Seminar ’16 which was in March was a HUGE (another four letter word) success!  Huge success—I mean HUGE success.

Over 30 professional instructors and trainers from all over the country joined in a week-end of professional development and continuing education.  But it was even more than that—it was simply sharing.  Sharing knowledge, sharing experience and sharing inspiration.

From the moment the Seminar started we had other instructors, texting, calling, emailing—We want to know!  We want information!  What are you all doing!

We simply have a mountain of information from all the instructors that attended.  Not only were they required to bring any type of marketing or useful lesson program management “stuff” they use with their own lesson program, but then there’s all the discussions and notes which were scheduled during the seminar.

We had instructors who had only been teaching a year to instructors with decades of experience.  We had instructors who manage their own program with instructors working for them and had instructors who work for a stable.  We had full time instructors and part time instructors.  So much knowledge it was so exciting just to be there!

This year we had two instructors who were strictly not saddle seat instructors.  One of them was Sayer Townsend.  Sayer had seen on FaceBook several years ago the first WorkShop that was offered and wasn’t able to come.  She had FaceBooked me every few months for two years, until she was registered for this year’s seminar.  I thought this woman is really determined.  And I’ve got to say that Sayer will definitely be asked to be a mentor for the next WorkShop.  Be sure to check out her stable—edgebrookequestriancenter.com.  Her Edgebrook Equestrian Center is a hunt seat stable and her lesson program is growing so fast that she really wanted more info and more support to make sure that she is heading in the right direction.  If you look at her website and her stable’s FaceBook page I would say she is definitely headed down the right path.  Sayer also came a day early and scheduled her flight out so that she could visit both Louisville and Lexington hunter stables, and learn from them as well.

For the next WorkShop I want to make sure that we get more Hunt Seat and Western instructors.  The WorkShop while there may be some discussion on instruction methods—specifics like Saddle Seat position in the saddle is not discussed.  The WorkShop is geared towards the management of a lesson program and continuing education of the instructor.  You teach a person on a horse or behind a horse, and you’re going to get something from the seminar.

Okay, I’m going to try my best to go through some of this material.  But there was nothing like being there.

For the future of the Riding Instructor Seminar WorkShop—I’ve got BIG plans and tons of ideas.

So keep on reading, I’m going to try to post something weekly on the materials covered in the ’16 WorkShop.

P.S. Special thanks to Rock Creek Riding Club for allowing us to use their gorgeous clubhouse for our seminar!!

The best part of the week-end’s Riding Instructor WorkShop was Monday.  Monday?  Wasn’t it over on Sunday afternoon?

First thing Monday morning—I opened up FaceBook and there it was .  .  .

One instructor wanted to know the best place to get business cards made—one had a new newsletter up—another was re-vamping their volunteer training—another was trying out the new musical lesson plan Christy P had brought us—and still another was in the process of hiring an additional riding instructor.

It was AWESOME!

As riding instructors and trainers we don’t often get the chance for professional development, learning about new ideas and methods, and just as importantly were the networking opportunities.  Being able to get up close and personal with fellow instructors/trainers from all over the country.

I would like to thank all our WorkShop attendees who went home so motivated and so full of new ideas to use in their own programs!

See ya next time!!

Well it’s Monday morning here at the LEC, after a very intense week of showing and working at the biggest and most competitive National Academy Championships ever (36 stables from 19 states competed this year).  And I want to tell you a story, it’s about a young woman who showed at last year’s 2014 National Academy Championships.

This rider had gone to Nationals for a couple of years prior to showing as part of our annual “Pit Crew”, that helps get the “back of the house” under control—getting horses washed, groomed, stalls cleaned, feeding and watering, as well as tacking up the horses and helping get the kids on the horses and ready to go to the ring.  And she told me “next year” I’ll show, and then the next year she said, “next year” I’ll show.

So this sixteen year old, worked at the barn as a lesson helper, she worked as a camp counselor and made more money—and talked her parents into letting her show in 2014.  She probably had less than a dozen shows under her belt, and off she went to Murfreesboro.  Now as her instructor I had talked to her and her parents, over and over again—“the competition will be really deep”, “you are probably stepping into the most competitive division at the show” .  .  .

She hit the ring in her first class, in her first round.  And came out with no ribbon, a good ride—but no ribbon.  She was out in the pleasure division—and this was the division, we had hoped would be her stronger division.  She was out.

But she had another class, the equitation division—had a really good strong, confident ride.  They called first place, and then they called second—and lo and behold, her number was called.  Second with her first time showing at Nationals.  Wow!  So she showed again the next day in the championship round, I don’t even really remember what ribbon she got, but she made the cut.

She got up really early for the final round of competition, and we “walked” her work-out.  And “walked” it again and again.  She was so certain she would get called to do the work-out, and I as her instructor knew that both the age groups would be combined and there would be 16 riders coming back.  And usually the judges only let five or six riders perform the individual workout.

So this rider made an amazing show, she showed way above her experience level, she looked like a pro.  Numbers were called for the riders who would be asked to do a work-out, and her number was called.  If you don’t realized what this means to a rider—it is like winning the class before it is even over.  She did the work-out,  not perfectly—but it was respectable.  Everyone lined up again, and the ribbons were awarded.  And while she did make the Top Ten in this division, she did earn a coveted Top Three placing—but both rider and her instructor were thrilled.

But this is not about ribbons or work-outs.

What this is about is the rider who called me first thing Monday morning after the show, and wanted to know if she could get an extra lesson helper work shift, could work all the horse shows as well as sign her up to work all the next year’s summer camps.  On the ride home from Nationals, she had announced to her parents that she would be showing at the show next year as it would be her last year before college, and she had a plan to pay for it.

And work she did.  An extra night as a Lesson Helper, also working anyone else’s shift who need to cancel, she worked every horse show and tournament, she also worked five weeks of summer camp.

So for this year’s Nationals, expectations were high.  She had ridden and practiced, she had sweated and shown, and here it was.

And rode she did, as an instructor I thought her first two riders were very strong.  But as horse shows are a subjective sport, she earned two fourth place ribbons.  Much better than last year, qualified for both finals.  And then came Saturday morning in the pleasure division—and as her instructor I thought she was flawless.  Aggressive and smooth, and she earned a third place, even better!

Next came the Equitation Championship, both rider and instructor talked—give it all you’ve got.  And she did.  And her number was called .  .  . for first place!  A coveted victory pass at the National Academy Championships!  Fantastic!

But remember another day of competition loomed ahead.  The work-out was walked and memorized.  Strategies were discussed.

But I will warn you, this is not a story about winning.

Pleasure was first, and the rider had an amazing ride, as did the other 15 riders.  When awards were given she was announced as a Top Ten winner—Fantastic again.  Then came the equitation division—another fantastic, flawless ride.  Sitting in the line-up waiting as the numbers were announced for the top riders that would perform an individual work-out, and my hard-working student who had given so much.  .  .  so much effort, so much time, so much sweat and long hours, all with that goal of riding in Nationals again and performing that work-out again, much better this time than last year’s.

Her number wasn’t called.

The riders went out, performed their work-outs.  Some perfect, some not so perfect.  Then came the time for the Top Ten placings to be announced.

Her number wasn’t called.

She came out of the ring head held high without a Top Ten ribbon or getting to do the work-out.  She was a calm and cool as any rider.  She said I got to make a victory pass and that’s something not everyone got to do that week of competition.

As she came back to the barn with her parents getting ready to leave—she said I’ll see you on Monday for work!