Joe Midgely Clinics

[Ample Prosecco]

I thought that might be it.

Thanks!

I have no idea what that move might be called - if indeed it has a name! Or really why it helps lighten Lottie up so much but I rode her today and she was mega. So much more responsive to subtle cues, really soft. ONe day we will get that in a dressage comp. One day......

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Another fab lesson. Focused initially on consistency as she is still fussy in her mouth and a bit bracey. So he told me to basically make it black and white. Firm up on the contact when she came above/below/behind the bit or evaded any other way, give her the rein completely when she was moving and carrying herself nicely. So she can have pressure or no pressure. No shades of grey. Then as she got more consistent on a loose rein, slowly pick up a bit of contact, and try and maintain that clarity. But with firmer contact/softer contact as opposed to firm contact/no contact.

A clip shows this work. It did seem to help to be very black and white first, then to move to 'shades of grey'.

Then my sharer worked on rein back to canter cueing at exactly the right time. Lottie antipcate a bit so was not as soft as she could be, but she reacted instantly to the cues. Then finished off with some roping, just for a bit of fun. This horse has never had a rope swung off her back before. She did not bat an eyelid! She's a star.

 

[BallyJ]

Any tips on how to get hold of him? I've emailed and messaged on Facebook and haven't heard anything?

 

[shortstuff99]

Any tips on how to get hold of him? I've emailed and messaged on Facebook and haven't heard anything?

He is very, very, very bad at replying. Just have to keep trying. Although I've been trying for a long time to get a second date from him and have sort of given up now which is a shame.

 

[BallyJ]

He is very, very, very bad at replying. Just have to keep trying. Although I've been trying for a long time to get a second date from him and have sort of given up now which is a shame.

Thanks!! Didn't want to be a pain, but looks like i'll have to be

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Another Joe lesson earlier in the week. Lottie has come out of her post Aintree break feeling good. More consistent, more relaxed.

Some really nice moments. I am still waiting for the test scores to reflect the huge improvements over the past year, but tbh I don’t care that much if they don’t. I am riding a totally different horse who is relaxed, soft, carrying herself. If that gets the same marks as when she had a tonne of pressure on her head and was braced in every movement , so be it. I can tell the difference!

 

[Caol Ila]

Really need Joe back!

I don’t know how best to utilise his skills, though. With Hermosa, who’s a straightforward character but I don’t know what the hell I’m doing with the vaquero stuff? Or with Fin, who I’m doing standard dressage work with but his tension can be a real ball ache to work through.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Joe is extraordinarily versatile!! He can do it all. He’s now with Sophie Wells, so more than capable of working with high level dressage horses, as well as vaquero, youngstock etc etc

 

[Caol Ila]

I know that, but I don't know if I can cope with two hours of training on very different horses, with very different questions. I'm knackered enough doing that on my own without people telling me what to do.

One of these days, one of these horses will get easy and mindless to ride (Hermosa often is with her hacking, but this week has been hard because I've had to do a lot of creative nav to dodge ice). That day is not this week.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

I personally like the fact that his lessons are so focused and set the direction of schooling for the next 4-6 weeks. It’s not just supervised schooling, which is how most previous lessons have felt. It gives the work structure and gives me clarity on what I’m looking for and how to get it.

 

[Caol Ila]

I think you can focus a lot more than I can.

He gave me things to work on, but without regular contact, my sorta undiagnosed ADHD-type clusterf**()ery makes it really hard to dedicate myself to working those things to perfection. No self-discipline to speak of. Oh, hacking, shiny, and that's me out of the school.

I'm struggling with working out how to establish lateral bend in the hackamore (inside leg to outside rein disnae work), but winter is breaking my will to live and I can't see on internet videos how to make it work in real life with a real horse.

 

[Red-1]

I know that, but I don't know if I can cope with two hours of training on very different horses, with very different questions. I'm knackered enough doing that on my own without people telling me what to do.

One of these days, one of these horses will get easy and mindless to ride (Hermosa often is with her hacking, but this week has been hard because I've had to do a lot of creative nav to dodge ice). That day is not this week.

I think you can focus a lot more than I can.

He gave me things to work on, but without regular contact, my sorta undiagnosed ADHD-type clusterf**()ery makes it really hard to dedicate myself to working those things to perfection. No self-discipline to speak of. Oh, hacking, shiny, and that's me out of the school.

I'm struggling with working out how to establish lateral bend in the hackamore (inside leg to outside rein disnae work), but winter is breaking my will to live and I can't see on internet videos how to make it work in real life with a real horse.

I think I should let you know that, whilst I have been in disarray personally after the death of my husband, I kept on with my regular Joe lessons. Many of them have been him coming here and me just warming up, followed by him riding; or him working the horse and me riding afterwards. For a long time, this is all I was capable of. In fact, at first I didn't ride at all, I just watched!

Those lessons have been as worthwhile as any. I could watch and learn. The horse learned whilst I was unable to do the work.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

So I was going to do a 1 year anniversary of When Lottie Met Joe! But it was icy so I was not riding that week. And I've not had a lesson since November either. But today I took the PIVO up to capture the schooling session, and - with all the cr@p going on in the world of stress-age - never have I been happier that I changed track a year ago now.

Back then I had had Lottie for a year and my then PSG trainer had ridden her and taught me weekly throughout that year. Lottie's body improved. She muscled up, she got more supple and straight, she developed better balance. On paper her scores got better. But her brain stayed exactly the way it had been the day I tried her. She constantly wanted to run through the bridle, power forward, accelerate, anticipate. She was constantly braced and evading. She was constantly heavy in the hand. Everytime I raised this the anwer was the same:

- She's an opinionated/ stroppy mare
- She is letting you know she needs a stronger contact
- It won't be strong forever, when she submits, you can lighten off a bit, but right now she needs you to be firm
- You aren't pulling on her, she's pulling on you. And that's on her.
- She's the type who needs you to ride every stride
- School in a stronger bit then swap for competion
- Your flash needs to be tighter to stop her gawping.

And most of all - this is normal in an uneducated horse. She's doing fine. She looks great.

And then Joe got on her and said:

- OMG this feels HORRIBLE
- She's pulling like a train
- She is so strong
- She is not listening to me at all
- She is just fighting me in so many places

And after 5 minutes, concluded:

- She has no idea how to release to pressure. Or how to stay soft. If she did she would never choose to run around with a tonne of pressure on her head, because this is as horrible for her as it is for us.

I cannot tell you relieved, happy and grateful I was that someone was validating what I deep down felt to be true: Lottie was stressed and tense, and we needed to find another way.

So the mission for the year was to get her to understand she did not need to brace, fight,anticipate and run etc. I needed her to relax, to listen, to wait to be told what to do. To learn leg does not necessarily mean forward. It could mean sideways or back.

To avoid boring us both with endless drills, we have mixed it up loads over the year - garrocha work, haunches in, leg yields, lateral work and half pass. Rein-back to walk, trot and canter. Counter canter and flying changes. All sorts of stuff. But always coming back to the foundational goal of being able to transition within and between gaits on a loose rein in all 3 gaits, with Lottie holding herself in self-carriage and not bracing. And for Lottie to listen and wait for instructions, then to react immediately.

One test of this was can I go walk to rein-back and back to walk, and have Lottie change the leg direction on cue, without putting the leg down. Ie the leg is in the air going back, then moves forward without touching down first. The early part of the clip show this twice. At first that seemed a crazy goal!

So here is a 1 year on video. (Ignore the rider, just look at the horse! Watching myself always makes me wince). Lottie is soft and obedient. She never tries to speed up without being asked. She comes back to me easily. Downward transitions in canter need more work, but she no longer speeds off in canter. Comparing this to that Day 1 with Joe when she was fighting and pulling and running off, she is simply a different horse. Back then the idea of riding on a loose rein was insane, and so often she just got faster and faster till we hit 'wall of death' vibes and needed an emergency stop to reset and try again. I could not be happier with the difference in how this feels. And maybe one day I can add the elements needed for a good test... but she is a pleasure to ride now, which is the main thing for me.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Another milestone.... I have been happy with how Lottie has felt in schooling but I have been waiting till she is 'with me' before asking for a change. Test riding is very different... and shows up more gaps in her foundation - mainly consistency. So I have decided to enter an E-Riders dressage test every month so see how she goes.

Here is an edited version for this month (just cut out all the stuff up near A as you can't really see without zooming in). Happy with how relaxed and responsive she is.

I think once I have basic obedience consistently I can ask for more impulsion, expresson. But my personal priorities are:

- stay soft
- keep listening/connected (mentally)
- Be on the aids instantly up and down.
- don't brace against a cue
- stay in the rhythm I ask for until further notice

- all with minimal cues

THEN I can build on that. I will be curious what judges make of this. But I am happy anyway even if they aren't. I have no real interest in progressing in dressage. I just want her to be nice to ride, relaxed and obedient. And this feels so nice compared to the fight it used to be.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Another Joe lesson.

This one is for nh geeks really. It all looks boring and a whole lot of nothing much. But I find it fascinating, and there is more going on than might first apear! But I get this is not everyone's cup of tea.

I realised we need to go back to basics on the 'control the feet' thing. As is always the way with deceptively simple concepts, I thought I had this sorted years ago. Yep I can more all 4 feet in the direction I want. Sorted? No, not quite. You need to move the foot you want to move while the rest of the horse stays straight or curving or whatever you want it to be doing! It's not just contril the limb, its control the limb while keeping everything else the same.

A short clip of practicing being on a circle and changing which ever limb I am directing while staying on the same circle. Joe drew a circle and I had to stay on it while moving one limb or the other in or out.

Why is that useful? Full body control, suppleness through the rib cage, isolating what you want to move while staying soft is the foundations for every other movement you might want one day.

Then straight line walk to canter transitions with correct lead - I initially got the lead by exagerating haunches in. And cued canter at the right time, as outside hind was leaving ground. Later we can lose that preparatory step and strike off straight.

And finally a trip to the nursery field - I have seen this hind-end/front-end exercise on Buck Brannaman DVDs and Buck taught it at the clinic I went to. This simple pattern has so much useful in it. And many adult horses (including Amber) seriously struggle with it. Felix - now aged 22 months - nailed it first time of asking (near end of clip). Mainly because he is not afraid, nor pushy, nor has he been over handled or taught anything unhelpful. He had 2 sessions with Joe aged 8 months and 12 months and that has been all. But those taught him to yield. And that has been retained 10 months on. He is the perfect blank canvas, curious, friendly, and therefore in a good headspace to learn. Joe has so much natural authority. It looks so easy! Felix mugs me for head scratches but would not dream of crowding Joe after being corrected just one or twice. I need to get much better at reinforcing boundaries.

Mylo also had a session which I'll put on Mylos Foal Skool thread later. Pic though coz he's cute.

The aim is for Mylo and Felix to learn all this very easily and painlessly so we never get the tension and bracing that is so much part of Lottie's reactions to everything.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Thought a camp write up might interest people following this thread. x

This camp was in the heart of the Peak District with riders in cottage accommodation.

After a deluge the day before, the weather was verykind to us. I even got sunburnt! Day 1 was for arriving, settling the horses, exploring the beautiful area around us, and drinking wine or fizz in the hot tub.

Day 2, things hotted up with a talk on creating emotional balance in ourselves, so we can see things more clearly, understand our horse's perspective, stay emotionally regulated, stay present rather than lost in past/future, and respond more helpfully to what is happening in each moment. Joe then did a workshop on the importance of balance for horses, and the need to not knock them off balance by cueing them at the wrong time. Then it was time for a groundwork session. Some horses were a little unsettled and Joe worked on getting their attention onto him, and maintaining his personal boundaries – making the point that the last thing you want is a horse who tries to sit on your knee when the horse gets anxious! Other horses were obedient but a little mechanical. Joe was clear that he wants the feet, but he also wants the mind. All the horse made very noticeable positive changes throughout the session.

We then had a talk from Joe about the skull and facial anatomy, looking at teeth, nerves etc and offering advice on bitting/bridles and the importance of understanding the different actions of different bits so you can find an option comfortable for your horse.

After lunch riders were in 2 groups: another ground session and a ridden session. The ground work translated readily over to ridden work, as the softness and accuracy achieved on the ground carried through under saddle.

After those sessions Remy came out to do his thing! It was wonderful to see Joe working through Remy’s anxiety and how the training was so solid that even though the movements lacked smoothness as he was a little distracted, he was still with Joe and doing everything asked of him.

The evening saw some riders heading for a hack, while others hit the hot tub again. Meanwhile Joe demonstrated his dedication and professionalism by working with Remy again ‘after hours’, doing what needed to be done to ensure Remy ended the day positively.

Then day 3: Remy did another demonstration followed by a demo on Lottie: I have been given advice from a vet on posture work, getting her back mobile and stronger, with poles and canter work. However, if Lottie works hollow, then that effort will not lead to the desired results. So Joe prioritised softness and lift through her back with a head carriage that was relaxed. He explained the need to ensure the muscles behind the jaw and under the neck are loose and soft – these tense and bulge when a horse is working braced. And the focus on working loose and soft applies to all horses – not just those needing to build muscle in the right places following injury. Finally, every rider had a private session working on whatever they wanted help with and again lovely positive changes were seen.

Loads learned, and I am feeling super inspired and motivated!

 

[southerncomfort]

Just read that he's going to be doing some clinics this year at an equestrian centre 5 minutes from me!

 

[Hackback]

Just read that he's going to be doing some clinics this year at an equestrian centre 5 minutes from me!

Oooh that's exciting. I have a lesson with him on Thursday so I'll ask him about them. He did one today that would have been ideal for me but I had a long standing prior commitment. I do hope to get to another though.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Another 2 good lessons for Felix and Lottie.

Felix: He is very laid back and calm, which means generating usable energy is not always easy. He's definitely a more woah than go horse. But I'd like him calm and responsive as opposed to calm and dull. In watching me work Felix, Joe observed that I had a tendency to nag him with the flag to keep him going - which over time would teach him to need nagging. And under saddle that looks like kick...kick...kick which we absolutely don't want. And also that unlike with Lottie I don't really use energy cues - because he is a bit oblivious to them. Whereas Lottie is super responsive. But if you go straight in with a physical aid you wll ALWAYS need a physical aid. Start as soft as you'd like it to be in the end and build stepwise, and slowly horses sharpen up to the subtler cues. I know this under saddle but of couse it is just as important on the ground. And doing it on the ground first creates the template in the horse's mind that any cue starts soft and builds.

So with the flag it was energy/intent, then raise flag, then flap flag then tap with flag. He did then start moving off the raising of the flag and no longer needed flap or tap.

We were all aware of a group on a bridge overlooking the field filming us. Which is a bit sad and intimidating. Flapping/tapping with a flag could look aggressive to some eyes I guess - though the whole point of the flag is that it can't hurt the horse! It's a piece of cloth. But hey ho. I doubt viral videos of Felix will be dropping anytime soon.

Then Lottie - working on stopping her anticipating and on consistency. She is such a clever horse and wants to do the right thing. And in SJ we want her to anticipate - though she is overly keen on that, forever locking onto the wrong fence. Under saddle she is constantly offering new behaviours when she just doesn't need to. Eg we are trotting and all I want from her is to maintain the trot, stay soft, and listen to my legs for steering. But she gets to a change of rein on the diagonal and surges because recently we've done some medium trot, or we do a figure 8 and she offers canter at x, or I turnn into a serpentine nd she dives for the new line thinking 'I know where we are going' or I turn down the center line and she slows in prep for halting. And she gets a bit het up and tense. As if asking: this? now? or this? Surely now? when I just want her to relax and listen and srtop second guessing everything!

So the answer was being completely random! A new aid every 5 seconds and nothing that she could possibly guess. Rein back, then 5m circle then half pass then trot then leg yield, then rein back then stand and do nothing. Even picking up the rein triggers her walking foward so we did a lot of pick up and drop, pick up and drop without asking for any movement. Then worked the trot for a while and then canter on one rein. Then a long break from canter as we did a load of other stuff till she stopped thinking 'canter' knowing she nornally does one rein then the other.

Re consistency the key was to be very black and white. If she is soft and carrying herself she had the rein. If she wasn't, I much firmer till she softened and carried herself again - and then she got the rein again. So she had a clear choice. I had been riding with a sort of wooly contact mainly because judges in tests sai I needed moe contact. But as I said to Joe - this week of all weeks maybe I should stop giving a monkeys what judges think and just school/ride my own way loopy-reined way!

 

[SEL]

I think people filming is quite rude but I guess you're in open countryside with Felix?

Your point on repetition is interesting. Both geldings I've had have been infinitely better working on consistent patterns whereas my mares need the variety or start to predict what comes next. I also get the "more consistent contact" comments on test sheets, so I tried that yesterday and got my lowest score ever! I need to just keep being me.