By Janice LaQuiere
This article was nominated for the 2025 GMO Newsletter Awards for general interest articles for GMOs with 75-174 members. It appeared in the Midwest Dressage Association newsletter, Midwest Dressage Association News, May/June 2025.
Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers cites the statistic that “10,000 hours is the magic number for true expertise.” As a middle-aged AA rider, I already feel the crunch of time. Even at my current pace of riding 5 days a week, one hour a day, the level of “true expertise” is a staggering 28 years away!
Many of us entered this sport as adults with a life outside of the barn. The average rider is 30+. We are novices, beginners, adult amateurs, trying to get to the barn for our weekly or thrice weekly lessons, on a school horse, lease horse, or even our own. We don’t have a barn, or a string of horses to help expedite our skill level, and most of us aren’t physically capable of riding 6-8 horses a day even if we had the opportunity. Is there any hope that we too can become experts? Here are three things we can do to improve our chances of achieving greatness:
- Maximize your opportunity and find the best trainer in your area that works for you. Putting yourself under tutelage is a deeply personal experience. The older you get the harder it becomes. Work to find a knowledgeable instructor, whose chemistry and animal philosophy blends with your own. The synergy produced by your mutual respect will reduce the confusion and second guessing that older students often do.
- Ask questions. Dressage comes with its own glossary and definition that many times must be seen or experienced to fully understand. Talk to your instructors, barn buddies, and dressage acquaintances to gain a deeper understanding and to minimize misunderstanding of what is required. At 54, I’m too old to waste time guessing at what my instructor is telling me.
- Use the resources available. 10,000 hours is an impossible task if it’s measured in riding time, or even barn time. However, it’s not about riding for 10,000 hours, but looking for ways to gain 10,000 hours of correct learning experience. There are many resources for the busy adult rider that are also quite doable: the United States Dressage Federation offers the USDF University full of podcasts, videos, and lectures, including training symposiums and online education. “Dressage Today” now owned by “Equestrian +” as well as “DressageClinic.com”, for a monthly or yearly fee offer unlimited access to recorded clinics by widely respected clinicians, for riders of all levels. There are many online and in person workshops and clinics that are both informative and knowledgeable and will help unlock the riding potential within us.
10,000 hours seems like an impossible goal for the middle-aged AA rider. However, through maximizing our current learning opportunities, and creatively tapping into new resources, we can grow as riders and continue to find enjoyment in the journey.
Janice is local to the metro-Detroit area. She is currently showing Fourth Level on Risonho, her first heart horse, a 20-year-old Lusitano gelding.
