Joe Midgely Clinics

[Ample Prosecco]

I am really excited because Joe wants me to do some rider confidence work with him at the clinic in Buxton. And possible future clinics too. That was an unexpcted outcome! I'm really happy to be working with him though. He can sort out the horses while I focus on riders!

Anyway I won't derail this thread too much because I want to use it to maintain a record of Lottie's progress.

So update: Well project canter has gone so well that we can now canter 6m circles - not quite round a garrocha because I can't ride 1 handed in canter yet, but with Joe holding a garrocha in the middle for me and Lottie to focus on. Slow, balanced canter. Not that long after we were still wall-of-deathing in canter.

Then SJ. Lock on and launch is a thing of the past. It's just stopped. Yesterday I had a lesson and she was rideable and easy. We did jump off practice - tight turns. She was ace. Video evidence! I could barely get her back to make normal lines round a course before. Now we are cutting inside fences! Onwards!

 

[Red-1]

Gosh, that does look different!

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Well that was unexpected!! Lottie was so calm and chilled through our 90cm round at Norton Disney that I got 4 TIME FAULTS. I did ride wide lines to stay out of the mud, but was not going too far round the houses. But clearly I have gone too far the other way and need to ride more forward. She just never got strong at all and felt very rideable. I was over controlled though, so she gets a bit deep a couple of times. She jumped better in jump-off practice in the video above. Still, as far as her waiting and listening goes, I feel we are there. What a transformation! I am very happy with her. Especially as there were not that many clears at all.

PS love Katie's commentary!!

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Super happy with Lottie at dressage today. 67% and 68% respectively. But best of all was how she felt and how different the comments were. No 'hard against the hand' or 'getting strong'. I had 7s for the canter work and an 8 for final CL and halt. I dropped marks with a silly mistake (I thought it was free walk but wasn't) and some of the trot work was less consistent.

She never got strong, she never sped up, she felt light and responsive. I have known for ages that the Joe work is making a huge difference but it is nice to finally, FINALLY get some decent scores. Not to mention 2 red frillies..... (Ok I was the only one in the class for one of them but not the other!)

 

[Cloball]

I wish I had transport for a rider confidence/Joe midgely clinic!

I am really excited because Joe wants me to do some rider confidence work with him at the clinic in Buxton. And possible future clinics too. That was an unexpcted outcome! I'm really happy to be working with him though. He can sort out the horses while I focus on riders!

Anyway I won't derail this thread too much because I want to use it to maintain a record of Lottie's progress.

So update: Well project canter has gone so well that we can now canter 6m circles - not quite round a garrocha because I can't ride 1 handed in canter yet, but with Joe holding a garrocha in the middle for me and Lottie to focus on. Slow, balanced canter. Not that long after we were still wall-of-deathing in canter.

Then SJ. Lock on and launch is a thing of the past. It's just stopped. Yesterday I had a lesson and she was rideable and easy. We did jump off practice - tight turns. She was ace. Video evidence! I could barely get her back to make normal lines round a course before. Now we are cutting inside fences! Onwards!

 

[ycbm]

You're both massively improved, AE, take a huge pat on the back.
.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

You're both massively improved, AE, take a huge pat on the back.
.

Thank you. I feel that I am finally on a horse who I believe I am influencing in a positive way. As opposed to sitting on one that kindly allowed me along for the ride!

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Another Joe lesson. I asked him to ride to see where the next steps should be. He wants me to focus on:

* more consistency. She softens readily but now needs to carry that softness more consistently and not come above the bridle. It’s more about having higher expectations now and being quicker and firmer to correct. So if she does try to come off the contact she runs into a firm hand immediately so there’s nothing in it for her to do that.
* building energy in the trot. Now that we have slowed it all down and have a stop button, we can build it back up again, without losing softness
* time my cues with whichever leg I am trying to influence.
* haunches in
* one handed and rein-free riding to get her more tuned into the leg. She still thinks leg means forward most of the time.
* more work with the garrocha which provides instant feedback for truly round circles, and makes one handed riding easier as the garrocha automatically makes me use my body better and gives her a focus. So use the garrocha to get a feel for how accurately you can direct each footfall do that the tip stays still and you stay perfectly round around it - then do that all the time.
* stop avoiding 2 reins if I’m using a Pelham. The Pelham is good for brakes but needs to be black and white: if she’s soft and responsive she’s ridden in a snaffle. If she ignores me then the curb is used. Her choice. Also I’ll know when I can ditch it altogether as I’ll realise I’ve not used to curb in months.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Another lesson - project dressage!

For anyone who has been following our eventing progress, she has been fab in the jumping phases, but tense and inattentive in the dressage. She jogs, goes sideways, braces against downward transitions and generally feels tense and distracted. She hacks all around the event calmly on a long rein - so it is not just being there she reacts to. It is specifically being asked to do dressage. She warms up beautifully for SJ.

Addvice has ranged from 2 warm-ups, long hard warm up, very short warm up with no canter, lunging first, calmers....

So I asked Joe what he thought. He is not generally a fan of calmers, nor of any approach that just tires her. She should be able to be full of energy but still calm and alert. So exercises on the warm up should engage her mind as well as her body. But use/direct the energy too, if she is just giving me too much ot it. But in a focused way.

So part of the lesson was finding and practicing exercises I can use in the warm up. But the other issue is that this simply a continuation of a poor foundation. He said that if she knows the answer to a question she is a very willing horse, but her instant reaction to a new question, or a familiar question in a new environment, or blending 2 moves together n a new way is to brace through the neck/rest of the body. It is just her automatic reaction.

Bracing is her ‘go to’ whenever you ask her a question. Rather than seek the answer. Even if the question is really not that hard. So even though she is learning a new way of going, she lacks consistency, and she finds it hard to translate knowledge if there is an additional stress added to the mix.

So we to keep working on the basics on the flat. The good news is tshe knows her job inside out when it comes to jumping so is very confident and willing both SJ and XC. I am confident we will crack the dresage too. One day....

In terms of warming up then - in the lesson we practiced hind end- front end. (It probably has a different name). But essentially hind end stepping round the front. Then front end finishing off the circle round the hind.

Pic - Front end moving round hind.



This is quite hard work physically and mentally. But it is still in walk so for higher energy we practiced walk-reinback-walk, then trot-reinback-trot, then canter-reinback-canter. With the idea that there is no halt and no walk steps in the trot or trot/walk steps in the canter exercise. The idea was that as the horse steps forward, the foot is in the air - then the weight shifts back and the suspended leg does not land but swings back into the first step of the rein back. Which she did beautifully but Joe was in the wayso no video evidence! The front leg is in the air as she steps foward, then as I cue to reinback the leg swings back before landing and she continues stepping back smoothly.

She warmed up much better and I used those exercises. But she was calmer anyway. Possibly because of the heat. Possibly because the dressage was a long way away from the SJ and XC so you could not see or hear those phases. Possibly because it was a long hack to dressage over the road and up a hill and through some fields. We had none of the silly jogging and going sideways. Be interesting to see if she has turned a corner or if that was just environmental. But anyway, that feels positive. Lottie CAN concentrate in dressage warm-ups!

We had some really nice work on a loose rein with soft stops. Then we got into the ring and she was more tense. But still better than before and our scores ranged from 7.5 to 5.5. So nice work is there and we are even seeing it in tests.

And the comments were less 'damned with faint praise' than last time too - I had 'nice active work' instead of 'correct paces!'

Onwards!!

 

[Caol Ila]

Looks like I might get a lesson with Joe next month. He said he could stop by my yard on the way to Kinross. Early email exchanges so far, but it's very promising.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Awesome. He is running a camp in the Peak District if you fancy coming South for a holiday!!

 

[shortstuff99]

Crikey not sure how everyone else manages to get replies and dates from him but me . I've been emailing for about 6 months and got nothing yet.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

It took me a while to get a response. Now I book the next lesson at each lesson 22nd July! Need to nail him down. He is very busy

 

[southerncomfort]

Awesome. He is running a camp in the Peak District if you fancy coming South for a holiday!!

Hi AE, any more info on this? Does he have a website? Apologies if you've already said!

TIA

 

[Ample Prosecco]

SC I will PM you about the camp. Here is his FB page but it is not on there yet. Will be soon, I think. Plus his channel

Joe Midgley Horsemanship | Scunthorpe

Joe Midgley Horsemanship, Scunthorpe. Gefällt 8.288 Mal · 571 Personen sprechen darüber · 15 waren hier. Foundation through to advanced horsemanship for you and your horse. Specialising in equine...

www.facebook.com

Joe Midgley Horsemanship - Achievment through respect and trust

One of the Uk's leading clinicians, demonstrators and teachers in the field of good horsemanship.

www.joemidgleyhorsemanship.co.uk

 

[Pippity]

Crikey not sure how everyone else manages to get replies and dates from him but me . I've been emailing for about 6 months and got nothing yet.

Glad it's not just me who's getting no response!

 

[Alibear]

Awesome. He is running a camp in the Peak District if you fancy coming South for a holiday!!

Booked I didn't make it to the WES camp he was teaching at so this is the replacement.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Booked I didn't make it to the WES camp he was teaching at so this is the replacement.

Awesome!

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Project canter update.

It was my birthday yesterday and every year I take the day off with my OH and he videos me riding somewhere. Normally a jumping lesson. But yesterday I roped him in to video some Joe home-work and some garrocha work. I have only tried the garrocha twice - in Joe lessons - because I am cack-handed and keep dropping it. So want to use it when someone is with me. Which never happens really! So it was a good opportunity to play with it.

Project canter has been all about softness and self carriage not bracing, leaning and tanking off. Back in Janaury one handed canter seemed a ridiculous idea. never mind doing that round a 3m pole! But I am super happy with Lottie and with the direction of travel which is definitely translating over into 'normal' work. Dressage scores in eventing tests range from 5 to 8 now. What feels nice to me is clearly also pleasing to judges. But we still lack consistency so can't get good scores. YET! I am undoing a lot of years of cantering 'wrong'. So I can be patient.

Anyway here is some footage. I know I lean. I know my hands are in the wrong place. I know I need to work on keeping them stiller. There is a lot still do. But just looking at Lottie and ignoring the dodgy rider up top - she is soft, relaxed, willing, responsive and she is maintaining a slow canter circle. One handed! And then halts with no rein at the end. This was never ever realistic before. I am so happy with her. So I am braving sharing this. And Project Canter day 1 footage is there too. If anyone is intersted I can direct you to the link. It looks quite different but the difference in how it FEELS is just vast. Chalk and cheese.

 

[tda]

That's brilliant, she looks sooo chilled

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

She looks really happy and relaxed I have lessons with someone who uses that method on occasion, she trains and runs clinics with someone called Shady horsemanship I wonder if he uses the same concept interesting though.

I'm sure when she rode Louis for me once when he was being awkward she also did the front end circle movement with him as well.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

The hind-end/front end is really useful. Buck Brannaman uses it a lot.

 

[shortstuff99]

Sorry to jump on this but I have managed to secure a date for a Joe clinic! I should have a couple of spaces available if anyone here is interested. In August near Huntingdon.

PM me on here with your email and I can send details etc

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Lesson 1 of my 'Weekend With Joe.'

Sharer rode Lottie in the pouring rain! Focusing on getting her more active through the shoulder. And letting her have float in the rein so she hd nothing to brace against. She still did brace from time to time but was gernerally bracing in response to leg, and sharpening her repsonses up off the leg led to a much more consistent head carriage. Also worked at haunches in to increase the movement from behind and the lift at the front.

She went so well. So much more elevatation. He pointed out how much more she was bending her knees in walk and trot than she used to. Canter work was also really nice.

So 6 momths on she is 'just a different horse'.

Also did well in dressage this week. We did P18 and rhe final move is a canter to trot transition at F after going down the long side then a turn onto the centre line. I hated that movement in the past as she was so hard against rthe hand in the downward transision that I could not get her back and balanced fir the turn. So it was a mess. This time we got a 7.5 for that!

As I have aaid before - these changes are REAL. And Joe is a genius! My turn tomorrow. Can't wait.

 

[View]

I’m enjoying following these reports. It’s so important that your trainer/coach gets the combination and has the tools to develop both. From everything I have heard, stick with Joe for you.

 

[SEL]

Looking good AE - although poor Joe in that weather. It's July FFS

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Another day of biblical weather with Joe. And I had 4 horses to ride/work!

Joe blew me away. Again. His talent is just ridiculous.

First up Lottie. Worked on hind-end, front end, then self carriage in working trot, medium trot and canter. All on a loose rein because she just braces against rein contact and fusses wity her mouth. Instead of strapping it shut or firming up on the contact we went the other way and said ‘fine, stay soft, obedient and round and you can have the rein’. And she did. She was fab.




Then I rode a young, green, napppy shire. And whaddaya know - shires can move athletically if you set them up right!



Then helping a friend with a youngster who has been on a schooling yard with a credible trainer and pro rider. Trainer can only lead him in a chifney and can’t load him at all. By the time I’d made us all a cup of tea, horse was self loading. 20 mins later owner was leading him up and down the road on a loose lead rein and he was matching her steps. It took Joe a minute to get that and the other 19 to teach it.

Finally Felix. Putty in his hands. We now have following a feel and yielding to pressure. Effortlessly and easily.

Honestly Joe will be a big name trainer one day and will outgrow me. He won’t travel to tiny yards to do inexpensive privates or small clinics anymore. But for now I am so grateful to be able to work with him, and long may that continue!

 

[Caol Ila]

Haven't got times yet from Joe, but still hoping I get my lesson this coming Friday. Really psyched for it.

 

[SEL]

Great update & photos ..... But that weather!!

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Great update & photos ..... But that weather!!

IKR. Insane. But if they will teach in it, I will ride in it!