Flossy is well known to many on the British Dressage Forum as a teller of interesting stories and perhaps the odd joke or two. We have selected a few tales for your pleasure.

People Skill

“PEOPLE SKILL”
How I admire  those with “people skill”  apart from all the other skills I regretfully never mastered  THE  lack of “people skill “  probably   have been  the most costly   to me.
I would hate  to think of  the number  of clients  I have DRIVEN AWAY OVER THE YEARS BY TELLING THEM THE RIGHT THING IN THE WRONG MANNER  instead of making sure it was at least in the RIGHT MANNER.  .
An experience  I had  the other day highlighted  to me  again   my short coming   in that department .
The child was taking  part in  the Hartpury  Advanced  Apprenticeship   scheme  .This program is led by the ”Equine Academy”  director Nick Burton .
For those that don’t know  , Nick Burton  is one of the guys that  quietly without   much fuss he  amassed  an impressive  resume  of achievements .
His  CV   includes  experience as an international event  rider , through  a spell  OF  chief selector  for British Dressage   to an Olympic  judge  and these are only few of  the positions he held over the years ,there are rumours  that he turned down  an  American republican  presidential nomination  in favour  of an equally  influential   post in the far East.
The important  prerequisite  to succeed  in  any  of  these rolls   is  an  excellent level of  “PEOPLE SKILL”.
Only with high degree of “PEOPLE SKILL”   one would have survived  the complex situation   of having to inform  an ambitious  dressage  rider that their score of 79%  in the “halt only test” does not qualify as   minimum required score for a team place , “whatever  your  Granny  said when you finished your test”.
Due to the Globalization  of the sport  and the  new cultural    trends    ,walking out of the judges booth on one’s own two legs  with both knee caps intact ,  after two full judging days in the Olympics, THIS   is the living proof for the highest level of “PEOPLE SKILL”  .
So  the child was   riding  in the   “Hartpury arena”   and Nick was guiding  her  through  the moves and exercises of the PSG  test . To be fair  for once   I was impressed , there she was  ears pricked  a focused look  on her face  attempting   and  if not for the two  morons occupying   every  available space in this vast arena , succeeding   to perform Nick’s every request.
Just to remind  everyone  the arena in Hartpury is   as vast as the Goby desert , it is so large   that competitors are permitted to use  a  satellite navigation  device in order to find their way out of this  place  at the end of a  test.
In spite  of  this the two other  riders,  that were just cooling their horses down  from the previous session   ,managed to occupy every required space  that the child    aimed at. Although they were immersed in deep conversation  with each other while  walking their horses on a loose reins , they were so tuned into Nicks instructions (aimed at  the child) “Take a long diagonal from H TO f   “  he would  authoritatively    command ,  and like  a well-targeted    missile, the two  will hone  themselves to the F-H diagonal  with the child having to perform  aerobatics  avoidance manoeuvres to prevent an equestrian  collision .
Nick in his calm  and polite manner reminded  the two leisure  riders that  the child is now under orders  and would they PLEASE  leave the centre line free .  “YES” they nodded their heads in acknowledgment  while  busily  exchanging text messages  with each other,  one from  the one  end of   the  centreline to the other rider  situated on the other end of the centre line .
Like  flies  to the honey pot , if the child  aimed at any   square inch of that arena  (size of the Goby desert ) , there they will be  with the friendliest  smile on their faces , welcoming the child   to that section   of the arena   “WE BEAT YOU WE GOT HERE FIRST”  was the distinct message  of  their body language.
And Nick ,in the most composed tone of voice , requested  the two delinquents  if they  “ PPPpppllleeeaaassssse  allow us the freedom of the far corner  just that corner “  so the child could  practice at least  the halt once uninterrupted.
The only one  attending that work session  to show any sign of agitation or irritation    was ME.
Skipping  angrily from leg to leg “HOW DARE THEY SABBOTAGE  my child’s  effort to show off  her   dressage skills”  I turned to Nick and said            “Lucky it is not me  taking this  lesson , if it was me,  by now the air would have seen 50 shades of BLUE  from the use of the FFFF word, telling the two to   F,,,,,,OFF  out of the way would have been the polite version   of my   command of the English language.
Nick  turned to me and said  “  that is EXACTLY !!   what I would have done
 if their parents  were not SITTING  IN THE GALARY over there!!”””
 
 “PEOPLE SKILL”
How I admire  those with “people skill”  apart from all the other skills I regretfully never mastered  THE  lack of “people skill “  probably   have been  the most costly   to me.
I would hate  to think of  the number  of clients  I have DRIVEN AWAY OVER THE YEARS BY TELLING THEM THE RIGHT THING IN THE WRONG MANNER  instead of making sure it was at least in the RIGHT MANNER.  .
An experience  I had  the other day highlighted  to me  again   my short coming   in that department .
The child was taking  part in  the Hartpury  Advanced  Apprenticeship   scheme  .This program is led by the ”Equine Academy”  director Nick Burton .
For those that don’t know  , Nick Burton  is one of the guys that  quietly without   much fuss he  amassed  an impressive  resume  of achievements .
His  CV   includes  experience as an international event  rider , through  a spell  OF  chief selector  for British Dressage   to an Olympic  judge  and these are only few of  the positions he held over the years ,there are rumours  that he turned down  an  American republican  presidential nomination  in favour  of an equally  influential   post in the far East.
The important  prerequisite  to succeed  in  any  of  these rolls   is  an  excellent level of  “PEOPLE SKILL”.
Only with high degree of “PEOPLE SKILL”   one would have survived  the complex situation   of having to inform  an ambitious  dressage  rider that their score of 79%  in the “halt only test” does not qualify as   minimum required score for a team place , “whatever  your  Granny  said when you finished your test”.
Due to the Globalization  of the sport  and the  new cultural    trends    ,walking out of the judges booth on one’s own two legs  with both knee caps intact ,  after two full judging days in the Olympics, THIS   is the living proof for the highest level of “PEOPLE SKILL”  .
So  the child was   riding  in the   “Hartpury arena”   and Nick was guiding  her  through  the moves and exercises of the PSG  test . To be fair  for once   I was impressed , there she was  ears pricked  a focused look  on her face  attempting   and  if not for the two  morons occupying   every  available space in this vast arena , succeeding   to perform Nick’s every request.
Just to remind  everyone  the arena in Hartpury is   as vast as the Goby desert , it is so large   that competitors are permitted to use  a  satellite navigation  device in order to find their way out of this  place  at the end of a  test.
In spite  of  this the two other  riders,  that were just cooling their horses down  from the previous session   ,managed to occupy every required space  that the child    aimed at. Although they were immersed in deep conversation  with each other while  walking their horses on a loose reins , they were so tuned into Nicks instructions (aimed at  the child) “Take a long diagonal from H TO f   “  he would  authoritatively    command ,  and like  a well-targeted    missile, the two  will hone  themselves to the F-H diagonal  with the child having to perform  aerobatics  avoidance manoeuvres to prevent an equestrian  collision .
Nick in his calm  and polite manner reminded  the two leisure  riders that  the child is now under orders  and would they PLEASE  leave the centre line free .  “YES” they nodded their heads in acknowledgment  while  busily  exchanging text messages  with each other,  one from  the one  end of   the  centreline to the other rider  situated on the other end of the centre line .
Like  flies  to the honey pot , if the child  aimed at any   square inch of that arena  (size of the Goby desert ) , there they will be  with the friendliest  smile on their faces , welcoming the child   to that section   of the arena   “WE BEAT YOU WE GOT HERE FIRST”  was the distinct message  of  their body language.
And Nick ,in the most composed tone of voice , requested  the two delinquents  if they  “ PPPpppllleeeaaassssse  allow us the freedom of the far corner  just that corner “  so the child could  practice at least  the halt once uninterrupted.
The only one  attending that work session  to show any sign of agitation or irritation    was ME.
Skipping  angrily from leg to leg “HOW DARE THEY SABBOTAGE  my child’s  effort to show off  her   dressage skills”  I turned to Nick and said            “Lucky it is not me  taking this  lesson , if it was me,  by now the air would have seen 50 shades of BLUE  from the use of the FFFF word, telling the two to   F,,,,,,OFF  out of the way would have been the polite version   of my   command of the English language.
Nick  turned to me and said  “  that is EXACTLY !!   what I would have done
 if their parents  were not SITTING  IN THE GALARY over there!!”””
 
 
“PEOPLE SKILL”
How I admire  those with “people skill”  apart from all the other skills I regretfully never mastered  THE  lack of “people skill “  probably   have been  the most costly   to me.
I would hate  to think of  the number  of clients  I have DRIVEN AWAY OVER THE YEARS BY TELLING THEM THE RIGHT THING IN THE WRONG MANNER  instead of making sure it was at least in the RIGHT MANNER.  .
An experience  I had  the other day highlighted  to me  again   my short coming   in that department .
The child was taking  part in  the Hartpury  Advanced  Apprenticeship   scheme  .This program is led by the ”Equine Academy”  director Nick Burton .
For those that don’t know  , Nick Burton  is one of the guys that  quietly without   much fuss he  amassed  an impressive  resume  of achievements .
His  CV   includes  experience as an international event  rider , through  a spell  OF  chief selector  for British Dressage   to an Olympic  judge  and these are only few of  the positions he held over the years ,there are rumours  that he turned down  an  American republican  presidential nomination  in favour  of an equally  influential   post in the far East.
The important  prerequisite  to succeed  in  any  of  these rolls   is  an  excellent level of  “PEOPLE SKILL”.
Only with high degree of “PEOPLE SKILL”   one would have survived  the complex situation   of having to inform  an ambitious  dressage  rider that their score of 79%  in the “halt only test” does not qualify as   minimum required score for a team place , “whatever  your  Granny  said when you finished your test”.
Due to the Globalization  of the sport  and the  new cultural    trends    ,walking out of the judges booth on one’s own two legs  with both knee caps intact ,  after two full judging days in the Olympics, THIS   is the living proof for the highest level of “PEOPLE SKILL”  .
So  the child was   riding  in the   “Hartpury arena”   and Nick was guiding  her  through  the moves and exercises of the PSG  test . To be fair  for once   I was impressed , there she was  ears pricked  a focused look  on her face  attempting   and  if not for the two  morons occupying   every  available space in this vast arena , succeeding   to perform Nick’s every request.
Just to remind  everyone  the arena in Hartpury is   as vast as the Goby desert , it is so large   that competitors are permitted to use  a  satellite navigation  device in order to find their way out of this  place  at the end of a  test.
In spite  of  this the two other  riders,  that were just cooling their horses down  from the previous session   ,managed to occupy every required space  that the child    aimed at. Although they were immersed in deep conversation  with each other while  walking their horses on a loose reins , they were so tuned into Nicks instructions (aimed at  the child) “Take a long diagonal from H TO f   “  he would  authoritatively    command ,  and like  a well-targeted    missile, the two  will hone  themselves to the F-H diagonal  with the child having to perform  aerobatics  avoidance manoeuvres to prevent an equestrian  collision .
Nick in his calm  and polite manner reminded  the two leisure  riders that  the child is now under orders  and would they PLEASE  leave the centre line free .  “YES” they nodded their heads in acknowledgment  while  busily  exchanging text messages  with each other,  one from  the one  end of   the  centreline to the other rider  situated on the other end of the centre line .
Like  flies  to the honey pot , if the child  aimed at any   square inch of that arena  (size of the Goby desert ) , there they will be  with the friendliest  smile on their faces , welcoming the child   to that section   of the arena   “WE BEAT YOU WE GOT HERE FIRST”  was the distinct message  of  their body language.
And Nick ,in the most composed tone of voice , requested  the two delinquents  if they  “ PPPpppllleeeaaassssse  allow us the freedom of the far corner  just that corner “  so the child could  practice at least  the halt once uninterrupted.
The only one  attending that work session  to show any sign of agitation or irritation    was ME.
Skipping  angrily from leg to leg “HOW DARE THEY SABBOTAGE  my child’s  effort to show off  her   dressage skills”  I turned to Nick and said            “Lucky it is not me  taking this  lesson , if it was me,  by now the air would have seen 50 shades of BLUE  from the use of the FFFF word, telling the two to   F,,,,,,OFF  out of the way would have been the polite version   of my   command of the English language.
Nick  turned to me and said  “  that is EXACTLY !!   what I would have done
 if their parents  were not SITTING  IN THE GALARY over there!!”””
 
 
“PEOPLE SKILL”
How I admire  those with “people skill”  apart from all the other skills I regretfully never mastered  THE  lack of “people skill “  probably   have been  the most costly   to me.
I would hate  to think of  the number  of clients  I have DRIVEN AWAY OVER THE YEARS BY TELLING THEM THE RIGHT THING IN THE WRONG MANNER  instead of making sure it was at least in the RIGHT MANNER.  .
An experience  I had  the other day highlighted  to me  again   my short coming   in that department .
The child was taking  part in  the Hartpury  Advanced  Apprenticeship   scheme  .This program is led by the ”Equine Academy”  director Nick Burton .
For those that don’t know  , Nick Burton  is one of the guys that  quietly without   much fuss he  amassed  an impressive  resume  of achievements .
His  CV   includes  experience as an international event  rider , through  a spell  OF  chief selector  for British Dressage   to an Olympic  judge  and these are only few of  the positions he held over the years ,there are rumours  that he turned down  an  American republican  presidential nomination  in favour  of an equally  influential   post in the far East.
The important  prerequisite  to succeed  in  any  of  these rolls   is  an  excellent level of  “PEOPLE SKILL”.
Only with high degree of “PEOPLE SKILL”   one would have survived  the complex situation   of having to inform  an ambitious  dressage  rider that their score of 79%  in the “halt only test” does not qualify as   minimum required score for a team place , “whatever  your  Granny  said when you finished your test”.
Due to the Globalization  of the sport  and the  new cultural    trends    ,walking out of the judges booth on one’s own two legs  with both knee caps intact ,  after two full judging days in the Olympics, THIS   is the living proof for the highest level of “PEOPLE SKILL”  .
So  the child was   riding  in the   “Hartpury arena”   and Nick was guiding  her  through  the moves and exercises of the PSG  test . To be fair  for once   I was impressed , there she was  ears pricked  a focused look  on her face  attempting   and  if not for the two  morons occupying   every  available space in this vast arena , succeeding   to perform Nick’s every request.
Just to remind  everyone  the arena in Hartpury is   as vast as the Goby desert , it is so large   that competitors are permitted to use  a  satellite navigation  device in order to find their way out of this  place  at the end of a  test.
In spite  of  this the two other  riders,  that were just cooling their horses down  from the previous session   ,managed to occupy every required space  that the child    aimed at. Although they were immersed in deep conversation  with each other while  walking their horses on a loose reins , they were so tuned into Nicks instructions (aimed at  the child) “Take a long diagonal from H TO f   “  he would  authoritatively    command ,  and like  a well-targeted    missile, the two  will hone  themselves to the F-H diagonal  with the child having to perform  aerobatics  avoidance manoeuvres to prevent an equestrian  collision .
Nick in his calm  and polite manner reminded  the two leisure  riders that  the child is now under orders  and would they PLEASE  leave the centre line free .  “YES” they nodded their heads in acknowledgment  while  busily  exchanging text messages  with each other,  one from  the one  end of   the  centreline to the other rider  situated on the other end of the centre line .
Like  flies  to the honey pot , if the child  aimed at any   square inch of that arena  (size of the Goby desert ) , there they will be  with the friendliest  smile on their faces , welcoming the child   to that section   of the arena   “WE BEAT YOU WE GOT HERE FIRST”  was the distinct message  of  their body language.
And Nick ,in the most composed tone of voice , requested  the two delinquents  if they  “ PPPpppllleeeaaassssse  allow us the freedom of the far corner  just that corner “  so the child could  practice at least  the halt once uninterrupted.
The only one  attending that work session  to show any sign of agitation or irritation    was ME.
Skipping  angrily from leg to leg “HOW DARE THEY SABBOTAGE  my child’s  effort to show off  her   dressage skills”  I turned to Nick and said            “Lucky it is not me  taking this  lesson , if it was me,  by now the air would have seen 50 shades of BLUE  from the use of the FFFF word, telling the two to   F,,,,,,OFF  out of the way would have been the polite version   of my   command of the English language.
Nick  turned to me and said  “  that is EXACTLY !!   what I would have done
 if their parents  were not SITTING  IN THE GALARY over there!!”””
 
 “PEOPLE SKILL”
How I admire  those with “people skill”  apart from all the other skills I regretfully never mastered  THE  lack of “people skill “  probably   have been  the most costly   to me.
I would hate  to think of  the number  of clients  I have DRIVEN AWAY OVER THE YEARS BY TELLING THEM THE RIGHT THING IN THE WRONG MANNER  instead of making sure it was at least in the RIGHT MANNER.  .
An experience  I had  the other day highlighted  to me  again   my short coming   in that department .
The child was taking  part in  the Hartpury  Advanced  Apprenticeship   scheme  .This program is led by the ”Equine Academy”  director Nick Burton .
For those that don’t know  , Nick Burton  is one of the guys that  quietly without   much fuss he  amassed  an impressive  resume  of achievements .
His  CV   includes  experience as an international event  rider , through  a spell  OF  chief selector  for British Dressage   to an Olympic  judge  and these are only few of  the positions he held over the years ,there are rumours  that he turned down  an  American republican  presidential nomination  in favour  of an equally  influential   post in the far East.
The important  prerequisite  to succeed  in  any  of  these rolls   is  an  excellent level of  “PEOPLE SKILL”.
Only with high degree of “PEOPLE SKILL”   one would have survived  the complex situation   of having to inform  an ambitious  dressage  rider that their score of 79%  in the “halt only test” does not qualify as   minimum required score for a team place , “whatever  your  Granny  said when you finished your test”.
Due to the Globalization  of the sport  and the  new cultural    trends    ,walking out of the judges booth on one’s own two legs  with both knee caps intact ,  after two full judging days in the Olympics, THIS   is the living proof for the highest level of “PEOPLE SKILL”  .
So  the child was   riding  in the   “Hartpury arena”   and Nick was guiding  her  through  the moves and exercises of the PSG  test . To be fair  for once   I was impressed , there she was  ears pricked  a focused look  on her face  attempting   and  if not for the two  morons occupying   every  available space in this vast arena , succeeding   to perform Nick’s every request.
Just to remind  everyone  the arena in Hartpury is   as vast as the Goby desert , it is so large   that competitors are permitted to use  a  satellite navigation  device in order to find their way out of this  place  at the end of a  test.
In spite  of  this the two other  riders,  that were just cooling their horses down  from the previous session   ,managed to occupy every required space  that the child    aimed at. Although they were immersed in deep conversation  with each other while  walking their horses on a loose reins , they were so tuned into Nicks instructions (aimed at  the child) “Take a long diagonal from H TO f   “  he would  authoritatively    command ,  and like  a well-targeted    missile, the two  will hone  themselves to the F-H diagonal  with the child having to perform  aerobatics  avoidance manoeuvres to prevent an equestrian  collision .
Nick in his calm  and polite manner reminded  the two leisure  riders that  the child is now under orders  and would they PLEASE  leave the centre line free .  “YES” they nodded their heads in acknowledgment  while  busily  exchanging text messages  with each other,  one from  the one  end of   the  centreline to the other rider  situated on the other end of the centre line .
Like  flies  to the honey pot , if the child  aimed at any   square inch of that arena  (size of the Goby desert ) , there they will be  with the friendliest  smile on their faces , welcoming the child   to that section   of the arena   “WE BEAT YOU WE GOT HERE FIRST”  was the distinct message  of  their body language.
And Nick ,in the most composed tone of voice , requested  the two delinquents  if they  “ PPPpppllleeeaaassssse  allow us the freedom of the far corner  just that corner “  so the child could  practice at least  the halt once uninterrupted.
The only one  attending that work session  to show any sign of agitation or irritation    was ME.
Skipping  angrily from leg to leg “HOW DARE THEY SABBOTAGE  my child’s  effort to show off  her   dressage skills”  I turned to Nick and said            “Lucky it is not me  taking this  lesson , if it was me,  by now the air would have seen 50 shades of BLUE  from the use of the FFFF word, telling the two to   F,,,,,,OFF  out of the way would have been the polite version   of my   command of the English language.
Nick  turned to me and said  “  that is EXACTLY !!   what I would have done
 if their parents  were not SITTING  IN THE GALARY over there!!”””
 
 
“PEOPLE SKILL”
How I admire  those with “people skill”  apart from all the other skills I regretfully never mastered  THE  lack of “people skill “  probably   have been  the most costly   to me.
I would hate  to think of  the number  of clients  I have DRIVEN AWAY OVER THE YEARS BY TELLING THEM THE RIGHT THING IN THE WRONG MANNER  instead of making sure it was at least in the RIGHT MANNER.  .
An experience  I had  the other day highlighted  to me  again   my short coming   in that department .
The child was taking  part in  the Hartpury  Advanced  Apprenticeship   scheme  .This program is led by the ”Equine Academy”  director Nick Burton .
For those that don’t know  , Nick Burton  is one of the guys that  quietly without   much fuss he  amassed  an impressive  resume  of achievements .
His  CV   includes  experience as an international event  rider , through  a spell  OF  chief selector  for British Dressage   to an Olympic  judge  and these are only few of  the positions he held over the years ,there are rumours  that he turned down  an  American republican  presidential nomination  in favour  of an equally  influential   post in the far East.
The important  prerequisite  to succeed  in  any  of  these rolls   is  an  excellent level of  “PEOPLE SKILL”.
Only with high degree of “PEOPLE SKILL”   one would have survived  the complex situation   of having to inform  an ambitious  dressage  rider that their score of 79%  in the “halt only test” does not qualify as   minimum required score for a team place , “whatever  your  Granny  said when you finished your test”.
Due to the Globalization  of the sport  and the  new cultural    trends    ,walking out of the judges booth on one’s own two legs  with both knee caps intact ,  after two full judging days in the Olympics, THIS   is the living proof for the highest level of “PEOPLE SKILL”  .
So  the child was   riding  in the   “Hartpury arena”   and Nick was guiding  her  through  the moves and exercises of the PSG  test . To be fair  for once   I was impressed , there she was  ears pricked  a focused look  on her face  attempting   and  if not for the two  morons occupying   every  available space in this vast arena , succeeding   to perform Nick’s every request.
Just to remind  everyone  the arena in Hartpury is   as vast as the Goby desert , it is so large   that competitors are permitted to use  a  satellite navigation  device in order to find their way out of this  place  at the end of a  test.
In spite  of  this the two other  riders,  that were just cooling their horses down  from the previous session   ,managed to occupy every required space  that the child    aimed at. Although they were immersed in deep conversation  with each other while  walking their horses on a loose reins , they were so tuned into Nicks instructions (aimed at  the child) “Take a long diagonal from H TO f   “  he would  authoritatively    command ,  and like  a well-targeted    missile, the two  will hone  themselves to the F-H diagonal  with the child having to perform  aerobatics  avoidance manoeuvres to prevent an equestrian  collision .
Nick in his calm  and polite manner reminded  the two leisure  riders that  the child is now under orders  and would they PLEASE  leave the centre line free .  “YES” they nodded their heads in acknowledgment  while  busily  exchanging text messages  with each other,  one from  the one  end of   the  centreline to the other rider  situated on the other end of the centre line .
Like  flies  to the honey pot , if the child  aimed at any   square inch of that arena  (size of the Goby desert ) , there they will be  with the friendliest  smile on their faces , welcoming the child   to that section   of the arena   “WE BEAT YOU WE GOT HERE FIRST”  was the distinct message  of  their body language.
And Nick ,in the most composed tone of voice , requested  the two delinquents  if they  “ PPPpppllleeeaaassssse  allow us the freedom of the far corner  just that corner “  so the child could  practice at least  the halt once uninterrupted.
The only one  attending that work session  to show any sign of agitation or irritation    was ME.
Skipping  angrily from leg to leg “HOW DARE THEY SABBOTAGE  my child’s  effort to show off  her   dressage skills”  I turned to Nick and said            “Lucky it is not me  taking this  lesson , if it was me,  by now the air would have seen 50 shades of BLUE  from the use of the FFFF word, telling the two to   F,,,,,,OFF  out of the way would have been the polite version   of my   command of the English language.
Nick  turned to me and said  “  that is EXACTLY !!   what I would have done
 if their parents  were not SITTING  IN THE GALARY over there!!”””