What makes a good trainer?

On my post two days ago, I got an interesting comment from Wiola.
She wrote:

"Someone told me this clever thing a couple of days ago: "Horses always do what they did".
If they come to the arena each day and are allowed to buck that's what they will do next day. If they spend 30 minutes a day fussing with the bit that what they will do next day again.
If you want to break a habit either in yourself or a horse you need to make a proper change, do something different.
Experimenting and trying different approaches is good."

Wiola's comment got me to think of another saying: "If you do what you've always done, you get what you've always got".

That is, if you want to break an undesirable pattern, you have to do something different.

Through the years, I have been riding for many trainers.
Some good, some less so.

One show jumping instructor was very nice, but when a horse and rider had problems with an obstacle, he did not make the exercise easier.
Did not lower the obstacle, did not frame it to avoid the horse running out etc.

So often the result was that the rider kept banging his/her head in the same brick wall without being able to solve the task.

Resulting in repeating the bad behaviour in the horse thus learning him to do things wrong, and getting the rider frustrated.

Not a very good tactic, if you ask me.

I have also found out that a good rider does not necessarily make a good trainer.

So what does?

If I am to improve myself, I have to change things.

I need an instructor who helps me to see what is most important to address.
I want my instructor to have many tools in her tool box, and also to be able to use them at the right time.
I want him/her to be verbal, to be able to interpret a feel into words.

To have an analyzing skill, so she/he can dissect the problem and find the underlying cause.
To be encouraging, but at the same time come with (contructive) critisism, as I know that the only way to improve myself is to do things differently/better.

I want him/her to have a sympathetic approach towards my horse.

I want him/her to look both at me as a rider, as well as to the performance of my horse.

What do you think guys?

How is your ideal trainer/instructor?

The other thing that Wiola's comment got me to think about is the excellent memory our horses have.

I have a vague memory of having mentioned this before - but if I have, you'll have to excuse me.

When Fame was three yo we met a small pig from one of the other stables when out trail riding. It was moving in the undergrowth, hidden behind some bushes.

She got absolutely terrified.

Thing is that every time we pass that place she still gets very alert and tense, three and a half years later.
There is no doubt in my mind that she still relates to that single incident.

Nothing happened, she was just very scared.

And remembers it well.

So we have a large responsibility when training horses, especially young ones.

We have to be very careful about what kind of experiences we give them.

They remember well, both the good and the bad.