The Value of a Great Instructor I’m a learning junkie. So naturally, when I was introduced four years ago to Parelli Natural Horsemanship, I was attracted to Pat’s principle of never ending self-improvement. In the beginning I watched every video and read every article I could get my hands on and I have been fortunate along this journey to have attended Fast Track at the Parelli Center in Florida and to have taken clinics with such wonderful professionals as 6 Star Master Instructor Carol Coppinger, 5 Star Master Instructor John Barr and his wife 4 Star Senior Instructor Kathy. But lately, as I have been reflecting on my progress, I’ve come to realize that the person who has been most valuable in helping me along the way is my local Parelli professional, 2 Star Junior Instructor Jane Bartsch. Like many fortunate coincidences, Jane came into my life at exactly the right time. I had been introduced to Parelli by the director of the horse rescue where I was volunteering my time and with the help of a set of tapes, I was working my way through the old level one program. While I had lots of chances to practice horse handling with the rescue horses, I was using my own horse, Sonny, a big, easy going LBI paint gelding as my levels horse and he was proving to be a challenging subject for me. I had recently retired from a 28 year career in corporate America, spending much of that time in supervisory positions, and I was used to having people do what I told them to do. I was now working with a clever but stubborn, easily bored, food oriented, argumentative 1200 pound animal who seemed to understand how to press my buttons in a way that no human subordinate ever had. To make matters worse, unlike my previous horse, a RBI who actually seemed happy to see me when I arrived at the barn, Sonny could have cared less whether I was there or not. I was the food lady, good for a treat now and then but generally not all that interesting. There were many times that I wasn’t sure if I should be laughing or crying with frustration. Because I had done a fair amount of organizational development during my corporate days, I prided myself on my ability to self-observe my mental and emotional state and self-correct during interactions. And while I had grown pretty skilled at interpreting non-verbal feedback from my peers and subordinates at work, reading Sonny was another matter altogether after making some early progress with him, I was pretty well stuck. Fortunately this is where Jane entered the picture. I first met Jane when she came to the rescue to do a horse handling demonstration with her levels horse, Lynn. Watching her working in such harmony with her horse was a revelation to me and I sidled over to the fence to ask her some questions. When I found out that Lynn, who was responding to Jane’s slightest suggestions, was also a LBI, I knew immediately that Jane was the perfect person to help me with Sonny. Jane and I are polar opposites in personality, where I am talkative and outgoing, she is more reserved, but we meshed immediately when I began taking a weekly lesson. I had made good progress with Sonny playing the seven games on line but my skills were not at all refined. Rather than providing a lot of up front instruction, Jane observed and then suggested small refinements in technique that led to big improvements in results. In a typical lesson, she would sit on the fence and suggest an exercise. Then she would watch me play with Sonny, suggest a change and watch me play again. Through her suggestions, I began to develop a sense of feel and to get much lighter and more subtle in my communication with Sonny. Slowly my ability to read horse behavior and to communicate through body language improved. I had much less confidence in my skills riding Sonny and Jane was always able to recognize and respect my thresholds. She was really good at walking the fine line between pushing me forward while not sending me so far out into my comfort zone that I became frightened. She helped me recognize how my nervousness was affecting Sonny’s ability to relax, and how to adjust what I was doing to reduce the resultant brace between us. As my skills developed, Jane allowed me to self-direct my lessons. She provided constant encouragement and when I got discouraged, she would remind me how far I both Sonny and I had come in our development. Her support reached me even when I was attending Fast Track. After the first week I was so tired and sore I didn’t think I could continue but Jane’s e-mail pep talks kept me focused on my goals and helped me look past my discomfort. One of Pat Parelli’s keys to success is support. The program has wonderful tools to help students with their development, but there is only so much you can gain from going to the occasional clinic, watching DVD’s and reading articles. In my opinion, the best possible support is a knowledgeable instructor you can see on a regular basis, someone who understands your goals and recognizes your progress, someone who encourages you to test your limits and provides you with instant feedback. This spring I passed level 3 liberty audition with Sonny and I just recently submitted my level 3 on line audition. Jane is now helping me refine my bridleless riding and I hope to submit my level 3 freestyle audition soon. I know that without Jane’s help, I wouldn’t have made it this fare so I want to say publically, “Thank you, Jane Bartsch”. You have certainly proved to me the value of having a great instructor right here in Delaware.