Jill did not know what to make of the compliment. The same person who had scribed the marks during Jill's rider level examination and told her she did well, when in fact she had failed, had more kind words.
She also quoted the former-examiner as having said Jill attended several clinics she ran, when Jill hadn't. Though the woman had offerred her a free horse to ride, even after failing her on the rider exam, saying the beast "had potential for someone who knew what they were doing." Jill had been quite comforted by that offer, and encouraged to manage the politics required to pass, though she hadn't taken a shine to the aforesaid chesnut.
(on second thought, maybe she meant when Jill was a volunteer student at the coach assesment? And when she attended the instructor assesment? it was a couple of "clinics" if you looked at it that way.)
*
Jill had never understood why the other instructor went to the CLIENTS with her concerns, instead of to her co-worker, Jill herself, directly. Jill was trying to pitch in, to pull together as a team, while their boss was laid up, and was in fact working for free (paying the milage to the barn out of her own pocket, despite a lack of alternate income) -- but the other coach, who was getting paid cash, had set about damaging the business, citing Jill as a dangerous teacher. If that was true, couldn't she give Jill some costructive suggestions and support?
If it weren't actually true, what were Jill's options? To argue? To try and generate an alternative word of mouth among clients? To go to the very weak boss with complaints about the lack of team spirit, and requesting the boss solve it? No options seemed appealling and Jill honestly felt the best thing she could do for the boss, was bail out, and so that's what she did.
*
Now, the same fellow teacher was saying "And, I hope this doesn't sound arrogant, but your teaching has really improved." How had she even heard anything? She was riding in a lesson with some strange visitor at the other end of the ring, while Jill did a very boring school with a now 11 yr old student she had always gotten on very well with. Same old, same old. It didn't make sense...
*
They had a private lesson in the grass field. The canter was the beautiful kind of canter Jill would imagine when she wasn't riding... just glorious. The teacher said, "That looks lovely. You should be so proud. " And, Jill was.
Her request for the class had been a focus on related distances, like riding the same line in 5 comfortable strides, then 4 or 6. It went well.
The teacher suggested taking him out to a Dressage show, so that he didn't always anticipate "An Event" when taken off the property.
At the last event, his former trainer had spoken to the teacher while Jill was riding. "Wow, you guys have him jumping so well." From what Jill could remember, the owner had taken him away from that trainer, because the woman was jumping him too much.
*
The little guy was happily strong and sound. Jill was exhausted. She did a few rounds of the up up down posting she'd been making her students do, a few rounds in two point each direction and then let him gallop a little. She let him get his breath back and then the did another little hand gallop the other direction. He seemed to WANT to do the giant 4 ft course that was set up and looking beautiful in there, but Jill's legs were already shaking. And, he was lathered up. And, she was only planning to stop in and admire his new shoes, she wasn't really prepared for riding... T'was lovely to see him. Even though he actually kicked her while she was scrubbing his skin condition. She whacked him back instantly with the hard part of the brush and a shout, hopefully making the point that the conduct was inappropriate.
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