| I had the pleasure of learning to ride, after 10 years of horse ownership! John Garvey had kindly agreed to 'start' my 3 year old Arabian gelding, Bruhad, and as Bruhad's training progressed, John started to teach me how to ride properly. I'd ridden my older pony BobbySox for 10 years, bareback, with a halter and leadrope for reins. John had his hands full with Bru and me. I hated tack; Bruhad hated saddles, ropes, being made to stop; being asked to go and keep going - and John had to deal with the appealing looks of distress from my baby that I could hardly resist responding to. Like teaching a young strong horse its job isn't hard enough, without an overprotective owner fluttering around the edges! But John was unfailingly firm and kind with Bruhad, and tolerant of my sideline anguish. By the time we were half way through Bru's training, he found the best way to keep me out of his hair was to have me helping - bringing training materials around; lunging Bru before we started, etc. He told me later he'd not done that before, and never would again, as it made life pretty difficult for him, but I am forever grateful that he included me in this milestone in Bruhad's life. I learned so much about the process; about how horses react to the difficult things they must learn; about how to be firm, but kind in teaching horses; about nutrition, exercise, tacking up, etc., that I could not have hoped to learn in a lifetime. Thanks to John, I have a background in how a horse learns, and what they have to learn, that few people have. John was badly injured at a crucial point in Bruhad's training. He'd ridden Bru only a few times when a mare kicked and crushed his ankle while he was riding another horse. But he didn't want all his effort wasted, and he did the next extraordinary thing - he put me on Bruhad, and taught me to ride properly, on this green horse who was learning to be ridden! I look back after many more years of experience, and marvel that John was even able to do this! And neither Bruhad nor I was hurt in the process ... really a marvelous juggling act. He had to teach me to ride - including breaking 10 years of bad habits, and my stubborn inexperienced horse, who was learning to carry weight, respond to cues, and trust both his trainer and his equally inexperienced rider. And keep us safe at the same time. Truly an extraordinary endeavor, gracefully and effectively accomplished. John did make it look easy - I had total faith in him, never realizing just how complicated the task was. And I have years and years of excellent trail rides and horse interaction to show for that training. John's training has been invaluable to me in operating The Golden Carrot, a charity in Southern California dedicated to the retirement and rescue of older and manageably disabled horses. Each and every horse that I have saved has John to thank, for teaching me what I needed to know in order to come to their rescue. In the years that I knew John, he was unfailingly horse-mad - even his holidays were horse related. He knew the names and histories of not only his lesson horses, but even the horses of his students. Every single time I saw him, he handed my horse an apple core and ran his hand down the silky neck. This man looked at the horses he worked with and saw people - he knew if they were "off" before he knew if their rider was! Having the privilege of seeing his methods of "persuading" my young horse to grow up and do his job, rather than brutalizing him, or forcing him, will forever be one of the greatest experiences of my life. And dang, he was just plain fun to have as an instructor - always found a way to make clear to me what he wanted, or what I was doing and how he wanted it to change and why. A terrific communicator, this man, with both horse and rider. With a wide range of knowledge covering all aspects of the breeds and disciplines, the care, and training and riding of horses, John Garvey is a true horseman. If you have a chance to ride with him, do it! |