Rare clinic report

Goldenstar

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I thought I might take a crack at writing a clinic report .
Friday /Saturday saw me and C my 15 yo ISH C at a dressage clinic run by our local riding club the trainer was Pammy Hutton .
C is BE adavanced and was very ill in the summer when he had a complicated recovery from a fractured rib .
I have been working with my usual trainer to mobilise and condition C as he returns to work after his injury we have been working towards this clinic - it gave me something to work towards .
I got to the venue early to watch two sessions before I got on board to get my ear in with Pammy .
I find this always helps me get the most value from special lessons.
I train at this venue regularity so C is chilled there but as I waited outside the school he heard Pammys voice and I could feel him thinking that's not our usual trainer .he tucked up his tummy and raised his head .
I got into the school and started a gentle warm up working through the leg yield and transitions to loosen him he felt up for it and ready to work .
I discussed with Pammy the work we have been doing to get him back into shape l went out and showed her the work we have been doing in the rhomber ( head and tail to the wall ) in the canter with shoulder in and leg yield mixed in .
We worked a fair bit in canter as this has been the pace that he's struggled since his injury .
We rode a few changes ( which were work in progress before he was injured they were an issue I bought him with ) I think I rode five two were late behind one he put in a sneak mini transition to trot and two ok when I went for them on a diagonal line from a shoulder in positioning the good thing he was calm and remained calm and that's a big step forward .
Pammy had picked up immediately that it was a left rib he broke and encouraged me to go for a big bend to right on a circle we kept the head slightly low and he did resist at first but Pammy encouraged to keep gently at it until I got a big bend on a circle we then took him in that bend to the half pass , we did the half pass left in 'normal bend '.
This really loosened him and I got a greater feeling of energy in the paces.
We finished wth some stretchy stretchy .
I was beyond pleased with him.
On to Saturday if you're still with me .
I decided to ask Pammy to look at the medium trot and my half halts which I feel could be better .
I worked in and Pammy got stuck in to the half halt she encouraged me to push firmly down in to the stirrup as I half halted and although I found this quite hard to coordinate with my other aids I did get some good feelings as time went on especially in the canter .Pammy encouraged me to think of the long and short half halt the long half halt for training and the short for when the horse has really learnt and understood what your after and to use in tests .
We worked in canter taking the canter back as much a possible when it got very very short it went four time my instinct was to take the horse forwards out of this but Pammy encouraged me to stick with it and he did begin to find his balance better .
This is a big lesson for me , don't be too quick to take the horse out of a troublesome situation give the work long enough to give the horse a chance to find it own way through and learn the lesson .
We then went for the mediums in trot and the way forward ATM is with a loose rein so I know we're I am going with them now .
We then went to half passes we had couple of those magic moments you get if you are lucky the horse and you in moment in a bubble I could take the half pass steeper ,put the hind legs across more or reduce the angle the shoulders were easy to position the horse in the moment completely giving himself up to worked .
Those moments are so special .
I was so happy with C who had a KS Op in December and broke a rib in May he worked for two days with energy and was very generous he's a real pro I am so lucky to have him .
A really good two days watching a really top trainer dealing with all sorts of stuff and helping riders on a wide range of horses
Well done anyone whose waded through this I have wine but no crisps because I have eaten the lot .
 

Kylara

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Glad you enjoyed it. Pammy is amazing. So lucky to get to watch a bunch of lessons as well as ride them! It's always such an amazing feeling when everything clicks together in that moment and everything feels perfect and easy and adjustable. I had one on Wednesday on a hill work and canter hack with my new 4 year old (proper dressage very new). Had a messy lot of canter and then it all clicked together. Not got it since! But just the knowing it is there is wonderful. Good luck with you collection and I'm sure that the better it gets the better your changes will be!
 

JennBags

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Sounds like a great couple of days, really glad you got on with Pammy, and have moved forward with your training. Some competition reports due from you soon then :D
 

spacefaer

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I really miss my Pammy lessons (back when I was doing dressage and didn't constantly ride in a jump saddle!)

Sounds like you had a really good pair of sessions with some good homework!


(says quietly.....isn't it renvers??)
 

crabbymare

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sounds as if you got a lot of positives out of it. its always good to hear how different trainers work through things. and although everything relates to what the horse in front of the trainer is doing at that moment sometimes one of those little ideas may give another reader something to try
 

Goldenstar

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I really miss my Pammy lessons (back when I was doing dressage and didn't constantly ride in a jump saddle!)

Sounds like you had a really good pair of sessions with some good homework!


(says quietly.....isn't it renvers??)

It's a typo an excellent one even by my standards
 

PorkChop

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I am so chuffed for you that your boy is well on the road to recovery, you both deserve it :)

Very interesting about collecting the canter, I too would also ride forward if the quality of the canter was dying - though I realise your boy is trained to a higher level than mine.

Hope you can crack on through the winter ready for next season, much as I am sure that you would like to wrap him up in cotton wool, resisit the urge :D
 

LeannePip

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Sounds like an excellent couple of days and your horse sounds awesome, what a good chap!

I'd love to have a lesson with Pammy, a friend and I are hoping to get some in with Charlie once my horse is back off her hollibobs.

I'm alsways so envious of those who's riding clubs organise clinics with big names, we tend to just get local guys!
 

vallin

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Sounds really positive! You've just prompted me to send an email to Talland to find out more about how they organise lessons etc as really need to get D's flatwork back on track and am now only 30min from there!
V
 

Tiddlypom

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Great report (rhomber and all :D). Sounds like a fab clinic, good on your Riding Club for putting it on with such a high profile trainer.

So pleased that you've been able to get C out and enjoy him, after all his earlier physical problems.

It's fascinating watching other combinations work at these clinics too, isn't it. There's always lots to learn.
 

Nicnac

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Sounds like a fantastic two days. I have seen Pammy teach and she's terrifying but brilliant. Personally was imagining C doing a few rhumba moves which are far more slinky than renvers ;-)
 

Lanky Loll

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Love those lightbulb moments :) I always find Pammy's lessons really valuable - we're lucky enough to have her as one of our RC trainers so there are group lessons every few weeks and they're always popular.
V - worth looking at Abbie as well for lessons she's stood in for Pammy before, and is very good.
 

Goldenstar

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THank you all for for comments C was well today nicely tired but not exhausted which he was after a big session we had a fortnight ago so he is getting stronger .
Fingers crossed we are on the up.
 
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