Some highlights from another rewarding clinic!

I met some terrific folks at the clinic in Kentucky. With riders from beginner to advanced competitor, all seeking to develop a 'better feel' for their horses, it was a fascinating weekend of connecting with entirely different horses through feel. Here are a few highlights...


A 13 yr old young rider, who had just acquired her first horse, a super jumper, that very day (!) came to the clinic, eager to connect with him. This horse was as honest as they come - just a little tight at the faster gaits and spooky at times. By riding in time with his feet, and associating clear meaning in a specific feel of the float in her reins with his diagonal balance point, they really started to feel of each other. The horse was getting a clearer message from his rider, in terms of his natural locomotion. By 'riding the diagonals', she helped his forehand and hindquarters stay connected and shifted weight to his hips, freeing his shoulders. Such meaningful feel between them was calming for both horse and rider (along with remembering to breathe!). With small adjustments to how she rode each gait, she also gave him more freedom of movement in his back. With freer, more balanced movement, he was less apt to lean on the forehand, which was causing him to get unbalanced, hurried, then worried. Blending these skills into her current training will give this young rider better access to her horse's athletic capacity for jumping too. An edge for her future in showing! During the course of events, she not only connected with her horse's feet, but also gained another important connection... with her horse's mind. This pair will go far, there is no doubt!


A new horse-owner with an off the track Thoroughbred, also came in search of a better connection with her new horse. It was easy to see that he was a sweet and kind horse, and wanted to get along. The owner was facing a few challenges with him. A small amount of pressure on the lead-rope caused him to rear, so he could not be tied; he was tricky to bridle, saddle and mount. The musculature he had developed over the years revealed that he was tense under a rider too, carrying himself with a hollow back, high head and braced neck. The good news was that the seemingly long list of challenges really boiled down to one thing: his concern about feeling confined, whether by a tight rope, bridle, saddle, rider, trailer etc. The challenge was for us to unravel his troubled response and re-educate him with a different understanding of confinement. We began by re-working his instinctive response to rear when he felt his lead-rope go tight. He proved to be a fast study, quickly understanding he could put the float back in the rope for himself by softening and reaching a hind foot towards it. This would be crucial for the successful introduction on day two of some basic control for the owner under saddle. It was the foundation for him to soften and offer his hips when she picked up on a rein, whether for a turn or a one-rein-stop. Just as important before riding this horse, was to build in some softness in his neck, when asked to bring his head down, or around to the left and right, without moving his feet. We re-introduced the bridle and saddle, in the wide open arena, through feel and release. He was now mellow and ready to ride, instead of tense and busy with his feet. He stood like a rock for mounting. The owner then put it all together under saddle, in their first experience of riding through feel and release. Her experiments were right on and her horse tuned in more and more. It was moving to see the end result: such an offer of softness in his mind and neck, a release of the poll, lift through his back - a whole new way of carrying himself that was healthier for him, more comfortable for both of them and safer too. Judging by her surprise at our gasps of awe, I'm not sure the owner had any idea just how GOOD they looked together. What a team!


What fun too, to meet a successful Prix St George Dressage rider, who after being away at college, longed to be a team again with her towering 18.2hh Hanoverian. She mentioned that it was challenging to achieve the lightness she knew he was capable of - the kind she saw in him out in the field. She had to ride with more weight in her hands than she would like. We began under saddle, and started by elevating his withers in some simple upwards transitions through release (release the root of the neck, so the rib-cage comes up, along with the shoulders). This also made it easier for him to reach forwards with his hindquarters. With a little more 'life' available via more elevated shoulders, we then began educating him about new meaning in the feel of each rein. By placing the outside diagonal pair of feet (natural balance point for the horse) for a turn or curve, his inside shoulder could be free and light to reach towards the new direction. We also did some focused groundwork to continue helping him elevate his front-end for a lighter ride - by shaping him to shift the weight to his hips, and improving the connection between his diagonal pairs of feet (and therefore all 4 quarters), as well as freeing up the lateral use of each shoulder. This made a marked difference in the ride he offered that afternoon. The owner commented that the frame she was used to just 'showed up' as she experimented with blending feel and release with what she already knew. With less effort, he felt genuinely light - and the normal weight in her hands was not needed. A beautiful rider, she then stayed in harmony with a soft, classical seat when her Hanoverian gentle giant released into a stunning and powerful trot - now generously clearing the ground in the moment of suspension, with relaxed vertical flexion from poll to tail, on a light rein. Quite a picture!


It was inspiring to work with such open-hearted folks, from such entirely different backgrounds. Gorgeous weather, a terrific facility and great food was the icing on the cake. A perfect weekend, with one pesky exception... the attack of the chiggers! Just add nail polish and all will be well :)


Karen