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1259 North Poes Road Flint Hill, Virginia 22627 (540) 364-2929 betsyp@crosslink.net |
Hunter's Rest Training Philosophy
I have ridden all of my 41 years. In fact, my mother is an A-rated horse show judge and A-rated graduate pony clubber. My father is a former champion steeplechase jockey and trainer, has upper level event horses and acts as field master for the Hillsboro Hounds foxhunt club. I am a graduate of the US Pony Clubs, a former champion steeplechase jockey, a nationally ranked three-day event rider, a rated horse show rider, avid foxhunter, champion trail horse competitor, licensed trainer, classically educated instructor and a lifetime rider. I have worked on the racetrack, stud farms, event stables, dressage barns, hunt yards and more, in the US, England, Ireland, France and Australia.
My training philosophy is derived from a lifetime spent with horses and around some of the world’s finest horsemen. Riding is a privilege – horses are the most generous teachers, if we allow them to be. To that end, my training makes the most of the horse’s natural instincts, our developing riding ability and sense of communication with them. Riding in the arena is certainly part of the development of the natural aids – seat, legs, hands. However, putting those tools to use and practice in a more natural setting – i.e. on the trail, on the lane, in the fields – is my best method of teaching long-lasting and solid fundamentals. The word “Dressage” means “training” in French. Though not all of my students compete in Dressage shows or want to pursue the haute ecole teaching, I make full use of Dressage basics in all training for all horses (including my racehorses) and all students (including my trail riding students.)
To that end, we will spend plenty of time in the arena, certainly, working on basics – giving hands, driving aids, steady leg, soft and effective seat – but we will also work on these basics OUT of the arena. Asking a horse to yield to the bit on the trail, softly requesting a half-pass or shoulder-in on the lane are just some of the things we’ll master. We will develop the half seat going up and down hill, practice collected to extended back to collected gaits over all sorts of terrain and more. Training in this manner has yielded me quantifiable results in numerous champion foxhunters, show horses and trail horses. Horses appreciate my training methods, and I think you will too.
-- Betsy Parker