July 2011

Happy Summer Everyone!
Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the cooler temperatures. This month I've decided to do a
something a little different with the newsletter. I have noticed a lot of new people on the email list so I want
to take this opportunity to do a little introduction of myself.

This is an interview I did for the American Riding Instructor Association magazine in 2009.

1. Why did you decide to become a riding instructor?

I want to be a riding instructor to “Help Horses With Their People.” I think that people sincerely want to do
the right thing for their horses, but they don’t understand what is actually best for the horse. My mission is
to help people communicate and understand
what truly makes a horse happy so that they can have that relationship and partnership they want with their
horse.

Instead of sending horses out to trainers, I believe it is better to teach my students how to ride and train their
own horses. In the long run, it is much more cost effective and personally rewarding. Horses are sent to
trainers for 30 or 60 days, then the horse returnshome and the rider has the same problems she had before,
the trainer and the horse are bad mouthed and nobody is happy. Horses are not trained in 30 or 60 days,
it takes yearsto develop a good riding horse. I want to educate my students, so that the horses can continue
to progress even after the initial 30 days.  When the students have this foundation, they can re-train or re-work
their own horses whenever they need to, such as after an injury or winter down time. The best part is that once
my students have this knowledge, they can and do help other horses and their people. I love being part of this
positive cycle. What a great job!

2. How long have you been teaching?

I think I’ve been teaching since I could talk. My Mother, Virginia Hood gave riding lessons at our farm,
Empty Pockets Farm in Randallstown, Maryland when I was growing up. Mom said I didn’t do well in
leadline classes at the horse shows because I tried to help the other riders. Instead of focusing on my own
riding, I was busy telling the other kids what they were doing wrong. I started showing in leadline when I was
three years old.

When I was a little older, I would have friends over to play and I would teach them how to ride. We would
play horse show, tag and cowboys and Indians. I didn’t have any brother or sisters but I always had plenty of
horses and ponies. Officially, when I started to make moneytraining and teaching was when I turned 16. We
moved to Pennsylvania when I was 15 and my first after school job was at Barlow Knoll Stable in Gettysburg
teaching and training horses.

3. What is your background as a rider, horse owner, etc.?
 
I was a very lucky little girl growing up on a horse farm in the country. My Mother worked at home breeding,
raising and training Appaloosas. Ever since I can remember I had a pony and/or horse of my own. Other then
school, horses were my life. I was in pony club and 4-H. I started showing Appaloosas with my parents when
I was nine. I had some really nice hunt seat horses to ride when I was a kid. I kept showing Appaloosas until
my son was born in 1992. Then I started barrel racing and coaching students at the National Barrel Horse
Association (NBHA) shows.

I have showed at the prestigious Upperville Horse Show, Washington International, and The Pennsylvania
National horse shows. I showed in the over fences classes and I had a couple of really nice sport horse
prospects that I showed in hand. I was a certified Open Show Judge for 10 years. I fox hunted and hunter
paced regularly for about 12 years. I even showed and fox hunted in a side saddle.

I like a lot of breeds of horses but the Appaloosas will probably always be my favorite because of their
versatility. My first horse, Duce showed over fences at the big shows, won the Appaloosa World Champion
Jumper class in 1983, was competitive in barrel racing and pole bending and was a local pleasure
champion. I have a Quarter Horse that I love dearly because he always gives all he can. All you have to
do is ask. His name is Easy and he is easy. I also have a Thoroughbred that I raised that holds a special
place in my heart. I love the responsiveness of the Thoroughbreds. When you ask them to go, they say
“How fast canI go?” I like the sensitive horses that most people have trouble with.

4. When and why did you become ARIA certified?
 
I became certified to push myself to learn to be a better instructor. It’s just like showing horses. If I know
there is a show coming up, I will practice and school the horse to get ready. When I knew the test was
coming up, I studied. Doing the ARIA lesson video helped me to see what I look and sound like when
I’m giving lessons, which really helped me improve my lessons.

5. How has certification affected your business?

I think that being a certified riding instructor shows my students that I am a dedicated professional
and that I care enough to push myself to be better. I hope that it inspires them to push themselves to
improve too.

6. What other aspects of the horse business are you in?

I work with Richard Shrake at clinics and Expos when he is nearby. He has been my Mentor for a long
time and I try to help him and learn as much as I can from him.  I also do a little bit of training for my
students to help them out but otherwise, my primary focus is on lessons and clinics.

7. What are your hobbies and interests outside of the barn?

My husband and I enjoy watching Nascar races. My favorite driver is Jeff Gordon. I like to root for him
because he is a winner, a good driver and he has integrity; he’s a real class act.

8. What is your biggest success?

Being a full time riding instructor is my biggest success. Ever since high school, I had full or part time
jobs in addition to training and teaching. I just couldn’t swing it financially without that steady paycheck.
When I was laid off from my service writer position in 2003, I was so excited to try teaching full time. I
didn’t have the nerve to quit a good job and take a chance like that but since being laid off wasn’t my
choice, I went with it. I think that sometimes something bad has to happen for something good to happen.

I love riding, training and showing horses. I love to see the horses’ progress and develop. For me,
showing is how I measure how successful I am with my training. But the real success is when one of my
students’ rides, trains and shows their own horse. That is the ultimate success for me: helping riders
reach their goals with their own horses.

Giving riding lessons has definitely been good for me. It is incredibly rewarding for me to get calls and
emails from my students telling me about their rides and shows. I call them “good reports” and I love to
get “good reports.”

9. What words of wisdom would you share with new instructors?

My first advice would be to find a mentor. Richard Shrake from Sunriver, Oregon has been a huge help
and influence in my life and career. I remember when I first met Richard Shrake; it was at the Expo in
Maryland. Through the crowds, I caught a glimpse of a horse in the main arena that I thought I recognized.
The horse turned out to be an old stallion that I had trained and showed so, I stayed and watched. Everything
the clinician said made sense to me, I agreed with him and wanted to hear more. And I still want to hear
more from Richard Shrake; he teaches me something new almost every time we’re together.

I would also advise new instructors to be open minded and to learn all they can about riding horses. I learn
by taking lessons, reading constantly and watching others ride. Then, I take what I have learned and pass
it on to my students. My other advice is to listen to your students. I ask my students “What do you want
to do?” then I tell them what they have to do to get there. Sometimes, I even have to let a student go so
that they can work with a specialty trainer to reachtheir goals. If I’ve helped a rider develop a good
foundation and they are ready to go onto another trainer that specializes in their discipline, I feel like our
process has been a success. I don’t mind when my students take lessons from other instructors because
everyone has something different to offer. I enjoy taking lessons with different instructors myself and it’s
not that I like anyone better, I just like to learn. So, I’m happy when my students want to do the same.

A good riding instructor should be able to explain the why’s or reasons behind her instruction and also
be able to get on the horse and demonstrate. My other advice is to recognize your limitations.  Don’t be
afraid to tell a student that you are not qualified to teach something. You’ll both be better off for your honesty.

I think the most important thing instructors need to remember is to teach “in the positive.” Tell your students
only what is right, how to picture doing it correctly and then point it out when it’s correct so they can recognize
what they are feeling.

10. If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently?

I’m not sure if I would do anything differently, I believe everything happens for a reason and all the things I
have been through have made me the person I am. Besides, it’s been a lot of work, I don’t think I want
to do it all again.

11. What are your future plans and goals?
 
This is an easy question because I love to have a plan and set goals: more instructor certifications and
more learning. I want to become a certified dressage instructor and go for the Level 3 certifications with the ARIA.

Two years ago I said I wanted more certifications and last year I completed the International Society of Rider
Biomechanics instructor certification with Colleen Kelly. This year I am going to be a Independent Saddle
Fitter educated and certified through the Saddle Fit4 Life program in Canada. Wow! writing down your goals
really works.
As always, thank you for reading my little newsletter and for letting me be a part of your riding goals.

TTYS & God Bless
Terry