“My main philosophy of riding is to keep it as simple as possible. Good riding is about doing it in a nice peaceful way. Keep it simple, keep your mind fresh. We are lucky to do this and you should enjoy your time in the saddle.” – Rodrigo Pessoa at Sonoma Horse Park, 8/2/11
Very good advice. I watched a jumper competing in the ring one time and each time her horse knocked down a rail she yelled “s#&t”. She was very angry. Not only was she displaying poor sportsmanship, she sure wasn’t enjoying the ride. And I didn’t enjoy watching her. In the warm up arena a trainer was schooling her student and yelling “Smack him with the whip! Get after him! He jumps better when he’s mad at you!” Poor horse. Poor rider. Bad trainer. I didn’t stay more than 10 minutes at that show. The riders were angry. The horses were stressed. It bothered me to watch.