Nobody knows everything about everything—unless you’re the coach.
By Megan Arszman
This is it. You’ve hung your shingle; you’ve entered your first open events. You’re officially an NRHA Professional. You’re the trainer now—no longer the assistant, taking orders from someone else. No more telling you what to do, right?
Think again.
Non pros rely on their coaches to be an extra set of eyes, to tell them the truth about how their seat is affecting their horse’s stops, and to share tips on how to count spins and shut down their horse “just like that.” They need that extra eye to help them become better at their sport. And everyone knows that the best non pros are always learning from their coaches.
So why should you be any different now that you’re a professional, out on your own? Or if you’ve been a pro for an extended time, do you know all the ins, outs, tricks, and techniques? Probably not.
Nobody knows everything. There’s a saying that we’re constantly learning. Veterinarians must attend continuing-education events regularly. Farriers attend clinics yearly. Even mechanics have to stay up to date on the latest technology to keep your rig up and running. So, of course a reining professional and coach needs to have their own coach.
In this three-part series, NRHA Professional Gaetan Gauthier will explain how you can benefit from a coach’s perspective to become the best professional you can be.
Gaeton Gautier started his coaching career early with his brother, Guy Gautier.
“Guy was the showman, I was the coach,” Gautier says.
After Guy’s passing in 1988, Gautier started showing again himself. After a while, Gautier felt it was more natural for him to be a coach.
“Everybody watched me with my brother and saw how that was working,” he says. “So, every once in a while someone would come to me for help with their horses, and eventually I started coaching the big guys.”
Gautier’s approach is to be an extra set of eyes for his clients—whether they’re NRHA Million Dollar Riders, youth barrel racers, or amateur Western pleasure exhibitors. All in all, Gautier has about 100 clients between Canada and the United States.
The idea of a professional needing a coach might seem a little different, but to Gautier, it’s just a matter of having someone unafraid to tell you the truth and be with you on every ride.
“It is important for your mentor to be there, whether it’s you doing the coach or being coached. It doesn’t matter if there are 200 people all around you, you need to be there and present,” he says. “The minute you turn your head and your client sees you’re not there, it’ll drive them crazy. When my clients look, they need to see my eyes. Then, I basically ride the horse with them.”
Say you feel your horse doing something a little strange on the rundowns. You watch the videos, but you can’t really tell. So you call your professional coach and go over what he or she sees to help solve the problem.
Read the rest of this article at the links above.
