The Knowledge Is Fading

The Knowledge Is Fading

In the past fortnight, we’ve lost some towering figures in the classical horse world:
Bettina Drummond, John Saint Ryan, and Charles de Kunffy.
Each of them carried a lifetime of wisdom—and if you didn’t learn from them while they were still sharing, you might have missed out.

I have John Saint Ryan’s book and DVD.
I thought I had Bettina’s book, but I was mistaken. I’ll be buying it now.
And Charles? I have some old VHS tapes that may or may not even work.

That’s the danger—we are rapidly losing access to living knowledge.
Books gather dust. DVDs scratch. VHS players disappear.
And unfortunately, our industry is still hesitant to embrace online learning.

My Teacher, Glenys

At 7 years old, I began riding with Glenys Shandley.
She’s now in her 90s—and she didn’t just “happen” to learn from classical masters like Franz Mairinger, Edgar Lichtwark, and Nuno Oliveira. She earned that education.

Glenys travelled across the world—more than once—to study with them in person, long before online training or social media made learning accessible. She spent years immersed in their methods, until they too passed on.

She never published her book—but I have her notes.
She doesn’t do tech—but I do.
And that’s where I come in: not just to keep her knowledge alive, but to make sure it's not forgotten.

It’s my job to make sure her teachings—and the teachings of those who shaped her—don’t disappear into silence. That they’re preserved in a way today’s riders can actually access and learn from.

Learning in the Digital Age

We live in an era where anyone can look like an expert.
Social media is free. AI can fake reviews, credentials, even videos.
It’s never been easier to publish content—but never harder to prove experience.

So if you're learning from someone—especially online—please ask:

• Who shaped them?

• Are they still learning and growing?

• Do they offer more than free content?

• Can you trace the depth of their understanding?

Because real horsepeople don’t just make flashy posts.
They build horses. They build students. And their track record speaks for itself.

What Can We Do?

If we want classical knowledge to survive, we need to preserve it now.
That means encouraging trainers like me—who have that lineage—to also learn the tech skills. To teach through modern tools. To not let it fade.

And it means that riders—like you—have a role too.
To ask questions. To look past the surface. To seek out those with real roots.

💬 I’d love to know—who are the teachers who shaped your riding?
And what do you think we need to do to stop this knowledge from slipping through our fingers?

Want to learn how I’m preserving these teachings in a way that works for today’s riders?
Start with this free resource

Thank you so much for being here!
Until next time,
Merindah