Bullyng Riding Instructors
I agree with one poster that bullying and aggression seems to be creeping into more and more areas of society, not just riding. Happily for me, I have had some really great, kind, and patient instructors who have helped me gain confidence. There has only been one instructor I "fell out" with and it was really because he said that if my horse kept shaking her head, which she did, and refusing to go on the bit, I should get hold of the rein on one side, and yank it sharply! I just said very quietly, because I was a bit shocked and unwilling to do this to my lovely horse, that I could not agree, and he got angry and said in that case he couldn't teach me.
It was upsetting, because I liked this instructor and felt he could have helped me. Maybe I was wrong, and should have complied, but I'm really not the kind of rider who can do anything I think might hurt my horse, and in fact, later in the month when we had the dentist visit our yard, I learned she had some very sharp points on her teeth, and this was obviously causing her pain.
These days, I am careful to ask questions about what kind of instructor I will be paying to teach me. That way, I can't upset them, and they won't ask me to do something I don't feel comfortable about.
There are good, constructive teachers out there, and the bad ones eventually get a bad reputation, so I think things are improving. I hope so anyway.
Good Luck!
Roseanne