Simplicity is a basic part of my system; we teach one thing at a time. When we teach a rider about his legs, we don’t worry about his hands. When we teach a rider about a shoulder-in, we’re not too worried he’s got a little roach in his back. If we’re teaching a rider about his release at a jump, we’re not worried about his eyes. Especially at low levels of riding, we’re very strict about keeping things simple. At first, we teach essentially one thing at a time. Later we teach a sequence of two or three things, step by step, in a row. When a rider knows each of the little parts, then we put them together. When teaching is done this way, learning is quicker. It takes longer to learn if the rider is taken out into the ring without a simple program or structure. He’s confused if several instructions are thrown at him at once, over and over again. That’s what we call cluttering.
Reprinted with permission from George H. Morris Teaches Beginners to Ride by George H. Morris, published by The Lyons Press