I blinked

I blinked I have a student that has been training with me for longer than anyone can remember . She is hard working dedicated, committed and above all unbelievably loyal to her trainer (me), no amount of hinting encouraging and plain straight telling ,will make her even consider another trainer, NOT even for a one off trial period. “So what is my PROBLEM ? “ I am sure everyone is thinking. The problem is that dressage is not natural to her, it did not and still does not come easy to her . Every session involve heaving and whizzing, red face and sweaty everything. In the forty three years she have been CHALLENGED by this quest, her personal best competitive achievement was a score of 57.3% in a British Dressage championship that required only to “ Enter A HORSE “ . It is not a lack of physical talent that handicaps her , but the state of her mind , she has what is known among trainers a popcorn syndrome. Whenever she rides her brain is as active as a bowel of microwave popcorn, popping at a Brazillion speed and just when ones thinks it is done and over there is another rush of hoping and popping . No amount of explanation by me that the essence of dressage is ; Planning, preparing , practicing and perfecting , all done in a consistent manner, not Jumping from movement to movement while scurrying from one side of the arena to the other . I put her on a specific line , all I have to do is BLINK and there she is on a different one . Repeatedly I asked her “ how did you get here ? you were over there” . “SORRY” she would reply “the horse WOBBLED ”. This was going on for years , line wobble , movement wobble, different wobble different movement all at a speed of popping popcorn. Until the light bulb moment in which she acknowledged the understanding OF the need to prepare ,plan and practice . She elaborated further how she is going to take care of the small pictures in order to build the big one of taking part in the BD Halt only championship. No more changing and twisting from one course to the other , CONSISTENCY , CONSISTENCY is the name of the game. With a sigh of relief I welcomed this new resolution. The next lesson I was somewhat surprised to be informed that there was a change of plan , a new line decided on and the goal post moved yet again . “ Why is that “ I asked. “Husband and me are expecting” she explained and added “UNEXPECTEDLY “ . “So you wobbled again “ I laughed. “Yes and BLINKED” she said.