Be not afraid of growing slowly...

Chinese proverb

Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.

Maybe it's due to Easter holiday and people having a go at riding, maybe it's just a pure coincident but I've spent most of this week teaching beginner riders and sat on a horse once (today in fact) and one thing is sure - sadly, this is not working for me. 

Don't get me wrong, I actually do like starting riders off 

and I am very committed to teaching my regular beginner riders who progress as we go but all those on/off-for-fun lessons are not my cup of tea. I am not even any good at them.  I am way too technical, way too strict and probably way too serious about riding to be able to offer enough fun for a twice-a-month recreational rider. There are much better instructors out there who can create fun atmosphere for those riders and yet teach well - I am not one of them. It's almost as if I had a limit of 'play lessons' that I am able to give before I go lethargic.

I like to keep my brain busy, figure out ways to improve people who really want to better themselves but who also have more opportunities to practice, more drive, more passion for the sport in general. 

Need to ride more regularly too. I seem to have weeks when I ride everyday, then weeks when all my work is teaching. Can't go on riding once a week as schooling horses and working on myself are the only things that keep my teaching truly alive.  

Had this hyper pony to school today first thing in the morning and absolutely loved it. There is nothing else that puts me in this state of total mental focus. You can leave whole world behind.

Was cooling the pony down thinking that I need a good balance in what I do and who I teach to truly enjoy my job. 

There is something in me that needs to move on and on and standing still feels detrimental. 

I am looking forward to teaching my tomorrow's riders, only wish I could get them horses that would give them better feedback. 

And then, here's hoping for next week to be more challenging than the past one.