Putting it to a Purpose Clinics

Sometimes we forget why we started natural horsemanship in the first place, we have enjoyed the journey so much.  Then there comes a point where we have that lovely safe, balanced horse we were looking for and want 'to do' things.  The difficulty can be knowing where to start.  These clinics have come from students looking to develop their horsemanship with a bit more challenge and excitement for themselves and the horse and we have great fun devising them!

Clinics can range from half-day to full 8 day clinics - each half day/full day focusing on a specific theme.

Lovely connection

Lydia perfects a gate

polework helps rhythm

Homemade western bridge

Turbo horse agility!

lifting through his chest

The importance of having a good lead

Spook-busting Chance!

Liberty clinic – one  or more days of liberty including working towards riding at liberty (with strings, without stirrups, bareback, with 45ft lines etc.).  .  Maximum of five horses on a clinic, starting off as a group in the arena to set up and then each person having one-to-one sessions in the arena (usually everyone gets at least two one-to-ones in a day). We aim towards having everyone doing liberty in the arena together – not necessarily on the first day though!

Lateral Work clinic –  working on nose in/out, ribs in/out, shoulder-in, quarters-in, sideways, half-pass,  
                                       leg-yield.

Obstacle Work clinic – can involve spook busting, trec style work and Western trail class obstacles.

Competition Warm up clinic - learn a great way to warm up your horse for competitions

Focus on Faster Work clinic – develop lengthening and shortening your horse in trot and improve your canter work and transitions, playing with sideways to canter in different patterns and good whoa to go.

Jumping clinic – online and ridden jumping exercises from a natural perspective (no experience in jumping necessary) with horsemanship training focus to improve flat work between.  Great for grid work and how to ride a course.

 Pole Work clinic – how to use poles to help stretch and collect your horse and to help you feel your horse work his back underneath you.   Also ideas on how to use poles to keep things interesting for your horse (no jumping needed).

Cow Working clinic – you need to have access to sensible cows that you can ride with!

Western Exercises clinics – cow work without the cows! Learn how to do roll-backs, spins, tight turns back-up to canter, sideways to canter  and a bit of barrel racing too.

 Beach day - find out the best place to park and when the tides are right and we can spend a day at the beach, playing in the water on line, bareback, in hand - even go for a good gallop if you fancy it!

Cross- Country clinic - hire a local cross-country course and we'll find a hundred and one uses for them - including, of course, jumping them - on-line and ridden.

Polo-crosse/Horseball clinic – great way of having a go at polo crosse/horseball  to see if you like it. It improves your riding from the body as you only have one hand on the reins -  and the horses like a bit of purpose running with the others too!

Horse Agility clinic -  This involves a set of ten obstacles which you have to negotiate on line or at liberty in order, without the use of a stick – great fun.  We can even do the month’s online course and you can enter the monthly competition.  Look on line for details.

Hacking clinic – choose a safe off road hacking area with plenty of parking for everyone – a starting place where we could do some groundwork would be ideal.   Work on how to enjoy hacking and school your horse at the same time!

Dressage clinic –  this worked really well at Kingswood in May 2009.   We started the five day clinic with a dressage test in the morning judged by a dressage judge which was videoed.  We then spent the week improving how the horses went and finished on the morning of the last day with the same test being ridden with the same judge who then commented on the improvement.  We all watched the footage of the “before” and “after “ videos and then had some fun in the final afternoon with some western trail and a bit of barrel racing!  At this venue I had easy access to a dressage judge who respects what we do and was used to seeing us in halters and interesting saddles!
Shorter 'dressage' clinics are also effective such as 'learn how to ride a test,' 'how to ride the shapes in a dressage test' and 'how to ride the perfect circle!'
Basically the aim is to take the stress out of dressage as it just means training anyway.

Competition Warm up clinic - learn a great way to warm up your horse for competitions

Winter Blues clinic – so we don’t get too cold the clinic can involve an hour of videoed training which we can watch and warm up again with then go back outside and improve on what we saw and repeat again in the afternoon. I have a video recorder; we just need access to a TV and somewhere warm to sit and watch it.

 

play with liberty

Healey finds his go!

online jumping

Lydia barrel racing!

Jumping is fun

Hacking in bluebell woods

The sky's the limit!

                             Contact Martha              mob  07791 539458                email    thinkhorses@yahoo.com