Tinypony
Well-Known Member
I'm going to be very brave and put up a little clinic report, so please be gentle! I wasn't the best rider there, but the best riders would prefer to avoid the H+H experience LOL!. I'll put up some photos as well, they're a bit rough, I wasn't there to show off the things I do well, but to work on some of the things I needed help with. Everyone had such a good time though, so I thought it would be nice to share.
The riders and horses arrived at the beautiful Adds Farm during the afternoon on the day before the clinic (apart from one who got there at midnight!!). This meant there was time to get out for rides in Ashdown Forest, or just sit around on the patio nattering and chilling out. We had asked Amanda Barton to come and teach us for two days because some of us who have seen her ride were quite inspired and wanted to find out more. Amanda is one of Mark Rashid's student instructors.
There were riders and horses from a variety of backgrounds at the clinic, from western to classical, people who wanted to jump, a newly started youngster... Amanda adapted easily to the different goals and, if it makes sense, taught everyone at their level. I'll just tell you about what me and my little Celebrity got up to.
All I wanted to do was work on his habit of leaning down on my hands. My eventual aim is to be able to ride in a "contact" that is just the weight of the rein, and we've had flashes of brilliance with this, in rope halter, bridle and bosal. However it's inconsistent and tends to vanish when he loses attention or gets a bit worried, and I can't get it back. By the end of the two days I was starting to feel that we'd got enough of a pattern established that he was beginning to listen to me asking him to soften and maintain it, and that it would be something I could use to bring his attention back to me. I've got my homework and understand what to do.
Day 1 he was pretty tired (had a wakeful night being "on guard" in his paddock so we actually moved him in with a horsey friend in the morning). We worked slowly in a walk, and at a halt, a tiny bit of trot and backup. I think I finally got the difference between fixing my hands to keep them still, and just holding them there with a feeling of "give" to ask for him to soften. It was more in the mind and a feeling in the body than physical, I just had to make sure I didn't set up a brace. When I got it right, he did. A bit disconcerting though to realise how easily I could send a feel of a pull down the reins, all he needed to put his weight down on my hands again. His backup was there, but a bit reluctant, not too soft or straight.
Day 2 we were both different, as if we'd absorbed the message overnight. I was pretty happy, it was as if we both just got the feel from the start. So we were working on 3 strides of "soft feel" in a walk, working up to more. When I asked for a trot there was a surprising development as he suddenly found another gear, the really extravagant movement I only see in the field normally (he's a bit of an Arabian show horse!). This completely threw me, and as you'll see from the photo, I ended up holding the saddle until I could sort out the tempo and start to ride with it. Very important thing was not to pull on the reins at this stage and undo all the good work. Once I got my act together he showed that he had his act together and had just been waiting for me. Without asking for to much, he was softening his neck, bringing his back up, and I could feel the weight had lifted from his shoulders. So more of asking for a few strides and then giving a loose rein, and working on changing gait by mentally counting the tempo of his feet. (From 1, 2, 3, 4 to 1, 2 and vice versa). Decided to see if we could improve the backup, and it had improved. He backed up soft and straight when I lifted and stroked my finger along the rein. So we said "Thanks very much little man!!" and didn't over-cook that.
Then just as I was deciding how to use my last valuable 10 minutes, along came the next horse, and we were able to practise asking him for soft to bring his attention back. And it worked. Yay for us!
In conclusion, an absolutely brilliant clinic. Great instructor, great company, great hosts - Sue and Chris who fed us well and seemed to enjoy having us around, great beds to sleep in, great booze to drink (much fizzy pink wine and blackcurrant vodka...). What more could we ask for?
OK, these are the only photos I have really, so I hope you like them. I'm not asking for a critique ta, I'm very aware of my failings, but my horse is pretty so I thought you might like to see him.
The riders and horses arrived at the beautiful Adds Farm during the afternoon on the day before the clinic (apart from one who got there at midnight!!). This meant there was time to get out for rides in Ashdown Forest, or just sit around on the patio nattering and chilling out. We had asked Amanda Barton to come and teach us for two days because some of us who have seen her ride were quite inspired and wanted to find out more. Amanda is one of Mark Rashid's student instructors.
There were riders and horses from a variety of backgrounds at the clinic, from western to classical, people who wanted to jump, a newly started youngster... Amanda adapted easily to the different goals and, if it makes sense, taught everyone at their level. I'll just tell you about what me and my little Celebrity got up to.
All I wanted to do was work on his habit of leaning down on my hands. My eventual aim is to be able to ride in a "contact" that is just the weight of the rein, and we've had flashes of brilliance with this, in rope halter, bridle and bosal. However it's inconsistent and tends to vanish when he loses attention or gets a bit worried, and I can't get it back. By the end of the two days I was starting to feel that we'd got enough of a pattern established that he was beginning to listen to me asking him to soften and maintain it, and that it would be something I could use to bring his attention back to me. I've got my homework and understand what to do.
Day 1 he was pretty tired (had a wakeful night being "on guard" in his paddock so we actually moved him in with a horsey friend in the morning). We worked slowly in a walk, and at a halt, a tiny bit of trot and backup. I think I finally got the difference between fixing my hands to keep them still, and just holding them there with a feeling of "give" to ask for him to soften. It was more in the mind and a feeling in the body than physical, I just had to make sure I didn't set up a brace. When I got it right, he did. A bit disconcerting though to realise how easily I could send a feel of a pull down the reins, all he needed to put his weight down on my hands again. His backup was there, but a bit reluctant, not too soft or straight.
Day 2 we were both different, as if we'd absorbed the message overnight. I was pretty happy, it was as if we both just got the feel from the start. So we were working on 3 strides of "soft feel" in a walk, working up to more. When I asked for a trot there was a surprising development as he suddenly found another gear, the really extravagant movement I only see in the field normally (he's a bit of an Arabian show horse!). This completely threw me, and as you'll see from the photo, I ended up holding the saddle until I could sort out the tempo and start to ride with it. Very important thing was not to pull on the reins at this stage and undo all the good work. Once I got my act together he showed that he had his act together and had just been waiting for me. Without asking for to much, he was softening his neck, bringing his back up, and I could feel the weight had lifted from his shoulders. So more of asking for a few strides and then giving a loose rein, and working on changing gait by mentally counting the tempo of his feet. (From 1, 2, 3, 4 to 1, 2 and vice versa). Decided to see if we could improve the backup, and it had improved. He backed up soft and straight when I lifted and stroked my finger along the rein. So we said "Thanks very much little man!!" and didn't over-cook that.
Then just as I was deciding how to use my last valuable 10 minutes, along came the next horse, and we were able to practise asking him for soft to bring his attention back. And it worked. Yay for us!
In conclusion, an absolutely brilliant clinic. Great instructor, great company, great hosts - Sue and Chris who fed us well and seemed to enjoy having us around, great beds to sleep in, great booze to drink (much fizzy pink wine and blackcurrant vodka...). What more could we ask for?
OK, these are the only photos I have really, so I hope you like them. I'm not asking for a critique ta, I'm very aware of my failings, but my horse is pretty so I thought you might like to see him.
