Developing the Riders Seat – Basic
This clinic can be for the beginner rider who really wants to start out right by concentrating on their personal balance while being lunged on a well-schooled horse that will allow them to make their mistakes. It can also be for the rider who has become aware that they do not have the right control of either their horse or their body and they want to work on improving their core balance. We spend 30 to 45 minutes per lesson on the lunge line and the rest of the riding lesson with school figures and riding exercises that promote awareness of the riders balance. Topics and exercises include:

• Trot work on the lunge line
  • Rider works on the sitting trot without stirrups
  • Rider works on the sitting trot without reins
  • Rider learns exercises that will create coordination of their seat, hands, and legs
• Canter work on the lunge line – finding the riders balance at canter with or without stirrups
• Vertical alignment
• Lateral alignment
• Jumping alignment

Un-mounted lessons use written materials and videotapes to support riding lessons on the above subjects.

More development of the riders Seat, Hands and Leg aids
 After riders have found their balance in rising and sitting trot, the emphasis in training should be to teach the rider the proper steering techniques that will result in better balance for the horse. Lack of proper techniques result in horses that actually loose their balance in tighter corners because they are too straight through their body for the turns, falling in and out of turns and circles by riders that over or under-steer their horses.  Topics and exercises include:

• The aiding systems – a complete understanding of the different aiding systems used to get horses to go straight, flex at the poll, or bend
  • Parallel aiding
  • Diagonal aiding
  • Alternate leg aiding within the framework of the diagonal or parallel aiding system
• More development of the Rider's Seat, Hands, and Leg aids then learn the riding exercises that support the parallel and diagonal aids, otherwise known as: the school figures.

Un-mounted lessons use written materials and videotapes to give visual back up for the explanation of the aiding systems and the exercises that support them.

Flatwork for hunters and jumpers
We are finding that our hunter type riders are not getting enough detail in their lessons at home to give them the control over their horses that they really desire. It is an easy fix just by giving the riders more tools to ride with. By the time you finish this clinic, you should have many more exercises you can do with your horses at home to make them more flexible and easier to ride. The proof will be in the jumping.  Topics and exercises include:

• A. Riding Lessons -
  1. Exercises that allow you to practice the aiding systems making you are more efficient with your aids.
  2. Exercises that teach you how to make the horse more flexible and efficient with his body.
  3. Gymnastic jumping exercises that integrate the principals of both flatwork and jumping exercises.
   
• B. Un-mounted lessons -
  1. Introduction to what flatwork really is and what the results should be for the jumping horse.
  2. Study of the aiding systems with written materials and videotapes to back up the riding lessons.
   

Jumping Clinic
The jumping clinic is designed to give riders a better understanding of how to keep their own balance while approaching and jumping fences, as well as, learning how to help the horse keep his balance. It is important to study the jumping position and understand the cause and effect of what can happen if you don't keep your body in a correct posture over fences. It is equally important to help the horse's posture for staying straight and connected to the rider's aids. By covering the subjects listed below a two or three day clinic can yield extremely good results. There is great magic in the un-mounted lessons followed by riding again. It makes the subject matter easier to assimilate. Below are subjects that we cover in a jumping clinic.

• Developing the technique for proper upper body control through the establishment of a strong base of support (i.e. work without stirrups, longing lessons, proper leg position).
• Confidence building through simple courses, low gymnastics and easy cross country excursions.
• Introduction to foxhunting. Terminology, dress, protocol, group trail rides with a local hunt during spring and summer. Cartopping, hilltopping or first flight with a local hunt, depending on ability, during fall and winter.
• How to ride a course. The basics of jumping a course, finding distances, counting strides, the elements of a flying lead change.
• How dressage can improve your jumping. Teaching forward movement, straightness and balance on the flat will improve form over fences.
• Connecting your horse from the hind legs, through the back to bit will prevent most of resistance problems that horses have with jumping. Learning how to do that will take you to a whole new level of riding.
• Unmounted sessions on Rules for Hunters, Jumpers, Eventers and Foxhunters. Proper tack and dress for formal and informal events. Braiding manes and tails. Horse4 management, anatomy, vet care. Conditioning for an event.

Dressage Clinics

Training Level
This clinic is designed to make sure that the first part of your basic training is well understood, you are communicating with your horse with a proper seat and that you understand the principals involved in walk, trot and canter.  Topics and exercises include:

• A. Un-mounted lessons – Written materials and videotapes to support all of the exercises used to prepare a finished training level horse for pleasure or show.
• Riding lessons- how to get an 8 on these movements:
  • The 20 meter circle and various circle exercises
  • The free walk on the long rein
  • All appropriate serpentines
  • The changes of direction
  • Canter exercises
  • Ride a training level test

First Level
This clinic is designed to further your training in the horse’s basic training. At first level we make a higher demand on the horse’s balance than we did at training level. We must teach him more about flexion in the poll and jaw; he has to be a more flexible horse to show first level, or go on to second level. Our solid first level horse should have finished up with his basic training by the time we start second level.  Topics and exercises include:

• Un-mounted lessons – Written materials and videotapes to support all of the first level exercises.
• Riding lessons
  • All circle exercises, 15 and 10 meter
  • Introduction to leg yield and all leg yield exercises
  • Introduction to lengthen stride in trot
  • All changes of direction
  • Canter
  • Serpentines
  • Ride a second level test

Second Level
After the horse’s basic training is underway, we can begin his real strength training and flexibility training. The second level work creates the groundwork necessary for the more demanding collection and extension exercises of the third level. It is the first time the horse is required to learn how to do collected and medium trot. He needs the exercises of the second level to help support those new demands.  Topics and exercises include:

• Un-mounted lessons - Written materials and videotapes to support all of the second level exercises.
• Riding lessons
  • All circle exercises, 10 meter
  • Canter and counter-canter
  • Shoulder-in and traverse
  • Medium trot
  • Collection
  • Simple change of lead
  • Ride a second level test