Every ride a lesson... a recurring theme

Yes, a recurring theme with a schoolmaster -- always learning. Blu inspires great confidence in me -- so much so that I can let go and listen to what he is telling me. Here is his latest tale:

So we rode in clinic with this young Canadian-American who has been training in Germany the past few years with an individual I greatly admire. So when an open slot in her clinic at our farm opened I took it. Lesson 1: never put money out for a lesson unless you have seen the clinician teach. It just was not pretty. In fact, it was the most miserable ride I have had on Blu and I am including all those really tough rides we had while he was lame. I was pretty clear about our combined history but for some reason it did not seem to resonate with her. She pushed both of us to places we just should not have gone. She wanted more bend from Blu than his body is ready to give. He balked, he swapped his leads at the canter and he bucked every time I pushed at him! She even asked if he did this to me on a regular basis and when I laughed and replied "NO" she did not back off. So it was a very unproductive and expensive lesson from the standpoint that we really got nothing good done. I did learn lesson 2: it is OK to ask for more but do not ask for too much.