Our columnist reflects on the changes in his life and career over the past few years.
A couple of years ago, a former client and friend sent me a note after she retired from riding expressing her appreciation for our time together. She wrote of how much she learned in our work together, but more importantly, how her lessons prepared her to function on her own as a rider.
I’ve always felt that one of the most important elements of teaching is to give the rider the tools to be able to think and function on her own. After all, you cannot be in the ring with her, think for her or ride for her.
I believe that while I inherently always knew this and it’s been part of my teaching philosophy, I didn’t consciously realize how important it is not just for the rider, but also for the teacher, until the past few years.
Life is made up of a progression of changes, which happen far quicker than any of us realize.
Just seven short years ago, I had no idea I’d be asked to join a group and eventually lead the creation of the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association, the national affiliate for the hunters and jumpers. I was immersed in my own world of coaching riders and training and riding horses, competing at hunter/jumper competitions all over the East Coast and, depending on the year, Canada or Europe.
Those were some fast-paced times, and I’m grateful for all the experiences I had as a professional trainer.
For most of the past 10 years of my professional training career, I spent the better part of my time and energy concentrating on one rider and a very nice stable of great horses. I was fortunate in this position to also have the flexibility to still coach and train a few other clients who had been with me for years. This opportunity helped me remain fresh for all these clients and provided me with a level of independence.
In the past two years, as my life has changed, so has my involvement in the sport as a professional trainer.
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Beginning approximately 11⁄2 years ago, I started the process of turning over the full responsibility for the care, custody, control, training and competing of the stable of my primary client to the client herself.
We talked about this change, and together we developed a plan for my client’s role to gradually increase in proportion to the decrease of mine in the day-to-day activities.
Whether a person is passionate about astronomy, horses or anything in between, I believe there comes a point in every young person’s education where you have to give him or her the space and ability to take the reins and accept responsibility for their own path in life. Now I know how parents feel when they see their children leaving the nest to go off into the real world with real world responsibilities.
To make this change, we made sure that the foundation of the stable was solid and supportive of our mission. Everyone had to be on board to make this transition successful, including veterinarians, blacksmiths, grooms, managers and all the way through to the business side with accountants and farm managers. Changing authority figures is a much larger issue than many realize.
For our staff, it meant understanding and accepting people in new roles and with new responsibilities. When you spend the better part of a young person’s life with them, it’s sometimes hard for everyone to recognize that they have grown up and are ready for the new challenge. A gradual transition has been the key to a successful changing of the guard.
I remember one day last summer when I went to ride a couple of horses, and upon returning to the barn, the groom didn’t ask me what I wanted done with the horse, he asked the client.
This moment seems insignificant, but it was so meaningful to all of us and indicative of the fact that everyone was on board and comfortable with the changes. I’m glad to say that just over 18 months later, my student has successfully assumed the role of trainer, manager and rider of her own stable and is becoming a hands-on true horsewoman.
As with any mentor and friend, she knows she can call on me for advice and help when she needs it. Our relationship has evolved from trainer and student to a new level of friendship and respect for one another.
Since I retired from this position in March, I’ve had several people ask me various questions ranging from whether I miss riding every day to whether I miss regularly going to horse shows.
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To be honest, yes, I miss the riding. My body doesn’t, but my mind does. In the past few years, I found that riding gave me the chance to get away from all of the other clutter in my life. No phone, no e-mail and no fax on horseback—pure escape. I cannot think of a better way to get away from a hectic day than to interact with a horse.
As for going to shows on a regular basis, I miss seeing the horses perform and visiting with friends, but with all the travel I’m doing for the USHJA, I still experience the same early mornings and late nights.
I’m on a plane, which I had to get up at 3 a.m. to catch, writing this article. And by the time I get home in a couple of days, it will be well after midnight. This schedule is a lot like going to shows, especially the East Coast fall indoor competitions, where you felt you were awake 24 hours a day.
I find that by being away from day-to-day stable life, when I visit I can feel that everyone has a new respect for what we all brought to the table. It’s like visiting family without the baggage of having grown up with them.
The teacher in me still gets his fix because I still coach and train a few riders and horses and still have an interest in some investment horses. I even go to a few competitions as well.
I’ve filled much of the time that became available with more USHJA activities, some judging and with expanding my own equestrian experience by getting involved with the equestrians in the 4-H club in my hometown. This experience also helps to satisfy the teaching addiction. Writing these articles works much in the same way. Fellow equestrians who have gone through similar circumstances will make a connection and reflect on their own stories.
It’s so easy to get tunnel vision when you’re young and driven to be successful, but there will come a time when all of us have to make changes and rethink our paths in life. Living this and realizing this, I believe it’s important for young people to know that there are many ways to be involved in the world of equestrian sports, and as you age and change, you can still find rewarding and fulfilling ways to be a part of the horse community.
The ability to bring people to a level where you can set them free and they can rely on your teachings to make their own path in life is by far the greatest reward I’ve experienced in my training career. I wouldn’t trade this for all the championships in the world.
Bill Moroney, Keedysville, Md., is president of the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association, a member of the U.S. Equestrian Federation Board of Directors and a USEF R-rated judge. He started writing Between Rounds columns in 2004.
