Tik Maynard Clinic Write Up

[BunnyDog]

https://useventing.com/search?q=GRID+PRO+QUO


Lots of interesting exercises.

Love the reports @Ambers Echo

LOL @milliepops beat me to it.


Em

 

[Ample Prosecco]

YES! BunnyDog and MP - perfect! Those look great. Loads of options to play with. Thanks

So the next ridden session was XC. We focused on water, banks and drops for the first session. Tik built everything up very slowly but before too long Amber was being asked to tackle trickier challenges in and around water. Amber is bold over most things but has always been a bit unsure about water. 3 XC stops we have had in total (over about a dozen runs) were either a jump just before the water or hesitation at the water. In training this season, she has needed a nit of coaxing before tackling drops or jumps into water. But all the work up till now in the clinic and all the focus on having her calm, relaxed and listening seemed to have made a big change and she did not hesitate at a thing. So when Tik suggested we do a loop that combined a largish drop fence one stride before the water then in and out, loop round and 90/100cm drop into water at a place she had not been in before I thought she might have problems. But she was absolutely fine.

My experience seemed to be mirrored by the others - problems horses had with things like drops, ditches, water just no longer seemed to be a problem. The general approach was exactly the same as before - focus on DIRECTION before adding speed. Deal with any run outs as described before. Focus on rhythm, balance. He seems quite keen on halt - think - regroup - go again with a plan as a general strategy. Or do things like circle between fences to re-balance or get a better line. So things just feel organised and clear to the horse and you don't just continue doing the wrong thing like canter out of balance or run at jumps or come on a bad line.

Just musing on this as one of my and the kids' other trainers is kind of the opposite. She says every training round is rehearsal for a competition so you just have to keep going and deal with things without stopping or circling. Tik is very clear that training is training, and competing is competing. And he rides differently when training because it is about the process and not the outcome. In fact lots of competing is also training. And even competitive competing turns into training if it has gone wrong.

I can see the value of learning how to trouble shoot as you go and just carry on regardless. I have gone clear a few times in ways that have not been pretty but - in the words of my RI - I found a way to 'make it happen' which is an important skill in her view. On the other hand I can also see the value in setting the horse up for success and focusing on HOW you get the job done, not just doing it. One to think about a bit more.

And that was Day 2. One more day to go.....

 

[Skib]

Your write ups are excellent - and from Amber at the water in CC session one, I would not have known that she had had any problem with it.

 

[DiNozzo]

I can see the value of learning how to trouble shoot as you go and just carry on regardless. I have gone clear a few times in ways that have not been pretty but - in the words of my RI - I found a way to 'make it happen' which is an important skill in her view. On the other hand I can also see the value in setting the horse up for success and focusing on HOW you get the job done, not just doing it. One to think about a bit more.

And that was Day 2. One more day to go.....

I think there's great value in both. If you have a mistake and you know why and what caused it, and it was a one-off over something generally established, then you can 'make it happen' but if its something new, or less established/confident, then it needs to be about establishing or 'training' that thing.

 

[SEL]

I'm really enjoying this thread and thinking I have 12 months to beg, borrow or steal a horse if he's back at Attington next year!

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Really interesting reading, thank you for posting!

On the training vs competing, he sounds very similar in a way to the clinic I had with Tuffy. In my view you need enough confidence banked by building the horse up during training, so that in competition you can deal with unexpected things 🤷🏼‍♀️ Sorry not explained that well I don’t think...

Just it makes sense to me lol.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Really interesting reading, thank you for posting!

On the training vs competing, he sounds very similar in a way to the clinic I had with Tuffy. In my view you need enough confidence banked by building the horse up during training, so that in competition you can deal with unexpected things 🤷🏼‍♀️ Sorry not explained that well I don’t think...

Just it makes sense to me lol.

That's pretty much what he said - training 'banks' good experiences that you can draw on in competition.

 

[FourLeafClover]

I am really enjoying reading this report, Tik’s cinic sounds amazing and just the kind of thing I would enjoy. Where did you hear about it, please? 🙂

 

[Ample Prosecco]

I am really enjoying reading this report, Tik’s cinic sounds amazing and just the kind of thing I would enjoy. Where did you hear about it, please? 🙂

The clinics are organised by Organised Equestrian Events.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=665318057267806

 

[Ample Prosecco]

That link took you to a clip of the weekend. Here is their FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/organisedequestrianevents/

 

[BunnyDog]

@Ambers Echo

Which one are you in this Gallery so we can appropriately "ooooo" and "Ahhhh"?

https://galleries.equinephotodesign.com/gallery/10060940/album/7494868


Em

 

[AandK]

This is a great write up, thank you for sharing! I'd love to do something like this in future so have liked their page on FB.

 

[ScampiBigMan]

Thanks for all these notes, been really interesting reading them through and thinking about how they apply to my own experiences. He sounds like a great person to gain input from. Will keep an eye out for him in the future

Lovely Amber!

 

[Ample Prosecco]

@Ambers Echo

Which one are you in this Gallery so we can appropriately "ooooo" and "Ahhhh"?

https://galleries.equinephotodesign.com/gallery/10060940/album/7494868


Em

This one!!!

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Ok final write up. Told you it would be a novel!

Tik Talk: Jumping
This is his order of priorities from top to bottom:

Direction
Speed
Rhythm
Balance
Stride.

He says if you can see a great stride you can get away with not having such great rhythm and balance eg horses in young event horse classes with pro riders. These horses might be green but pro can place them where they need to be. On the other hand if you have a great line with a good canter, with good rhythm and balance then you can get away with not seeing a stride. This has REALLY helped me because I have had instructors that tell me not to worry about the stride but just focus on riding the canter and the lines, and others that focus on seeing the stride all the time. And I have kept wondering which way was 'right' when in fact the answer is 'it depends!'

A few other interesting snippets about jumping that were news to me....
A ground line gives a young/green horse somewhere to take off from. It should be bright out slightly from the fence. But for more advanced horses it is unhelpful because you want them to be looking at the top rail. So either don't use one or have it directly underneath.

Good jumping positions vary but the important thing is to be consistent. If you need you horse more uphill, sit up more. Don't get 5 strides out in one position then change position as this then distracts the horse at a time when you want them looking and focusing forward. Eg don't come to the fence in light seat then sit up for the fence.

Seat gives horse confidence, legs give them speed so if the horse is backing off, sit back with leg on. Maintain a consistent light contact through the air. Don't catch him in the mouth but also don't abandon him.

Building courses:
An art form. Be aware of flow, rhythm, use of the arena, balanced use of left and right reins.

A 1 stride double is on 12 feet, 2 strides 24 feet etc.

Poles are often 12 foot long so you can practice walking the length of a pole till you can get exactly 4 strides in. Then you will know that 1 stride is 3 feet.

To show jump well, horse needs to be adjustable.

Adjustability exercise.
Have 2 poles 60m apart. (5 strides)
Walk, trot and canter over them till horse is in a relaxed frame of mind and is listening and forward.
Then canter and count and get same number each time. Say 5.
Then adjust +1 or -1 eg 5, 4,5,4 or 5,6,5,6
Then adjust + or - 2 eg 4,5,6,5,4
Lots of ways to play around with adjustability.

Different Trainers.

He says all good trainers have techniques, based on theories and their own philosophy.

Techniques vary.
Underlying theories are similar - a horse is a horse!
But no 2 trainers have exactly the same philosophy.

So everyone who wants to develop their own horsemanship has to decide for themselves what they think and feel and where they 'sit' within the different philosophies.

Ridden sessions

We finished up by building and then jumping a course which was great. And then another XC lesson building on what we had done the day before.

And that is basically it! Highly recommend going along if you can. I am definitely going back next year.

Thanks for reading. Coffee and cake to anyone who made it to the end!

 

[TPO]

Thank you so much for such a detailed report. I've been looking forward to your review and have taken copious notes as reminders.

Glad you had such a good weekend and experience. Cant wait to read all about how you and Amber go after the training with Tik. Thanks again

 

[Denbob]

Very late to the party here, just wanted to say thank you for a really interesting write-up!! It's a long way for us to come up, but will be keeping an eye for the next one.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

It took me 4 hours but I am definitely going back next year. It's actually very easy driving as it is so close to the M40.

Amber has been lame since then which is frustrating as there is so much I want to crack on with! I keep nicking Dolly to practice but it's not quite the same on someone else's horse.