08/17/2026
The Americans have gotten soft.
We’ve got to make a change where our teaching and coaching is concerned. The Europeans have figured it out. They’ve always had it figured out. All it takes is one visit to YouTube, one visit to European pony club’s pages and you will see a stark difference in the way that their children are taught, you’ll see a vast difference in the expectations from a young age, they’ve got more nerve, they’ve got more grit, and they are not babied on horseback! One of my students’ parents one time called me, the Abbie Lee Miller of the riding lesson world. And we got a good laugh out of it, but I was raised old school. I was raised with grit. As an instructor, my job was never about building the ego of a child. My job is about teaching the skills necessary to become an effective, kind, and successful Horseman. Not a cute pretty little equitation rider that can ride only a made horse. You won’t get that here. As I get older, and further into this profession, it’s alarming what I am seeing. The young people that have drive, have grit, that can roll with the punches, are disappearing. Everyone wants easy. Everyone wants fun. Everyone wants ego building. No one wants to put in the work, no one wants to clean those stalls, clean those buckets, do the first aid, learn about nutrition, and do all the unpleasant things that come with being successful in the sport! I think that some of us could make a lot of money just opening up pony ride programs. Which is unfortunately what a lot of lesson programs in our area are coming to from what I’ve heard. I will continue to press on! I’ll keep this program super small and I’ll search out those kids that have the drive, the want, and the grit. So far, I’ve been blessed with that group! And they make me love my job!
