About riding clinics
Private farms. Riding clubs. Therapeutic riding facilities. Let’s plan a custom riding clinic for your group! Training tips, based on the science of how horses think and learn, with insights from equine research.
Riders go home with a game plan for the training ring, warm up ring, or show ring.
Workshop topic suggestions:
Tackroom or larger meeting room. One hour, unmounted horse talks. With whiteboard or PowerPoint .
- Thinking Like a Horse: The science of why horses do what they do. With insights from the fascinating science of equine behaviour, we find clues to solve everyday horse behaviour issues, ride more effectively, or get the winning edge!
- How Horses Learn: How to teach your horse any skill, systematically. In the horse world, evidence and traditions sometimes collide. Tack and training techniques, based on the evidence of how horses think and learn. Schooling at home – making your practice time count!
- Make the Most of your Show Day Score cards, penalties, class procedures and showing tips. What are judges looking for? Hunter, jumper, western classes, competitive trail etc. When things go wrong in the show ring: How to prevent and recover from unexpected challenges -“But he never does that at home!” Warm up, mental preparation, safety tips, memorizing a course.
Mounted session ideas:
Putting the theory sessions into practice!
- Small group riding sessions. Is it me or my horse? (western or english). Solving puzzles, based on equitation science – how horses think and learn. Let’s work on whatever training area you feel needs improvement, or let me spot an area! Examples: collecting the canter, consistent gaits, lead issues, teaching lateral movement, lightening up the lazy horse, teaching neck reining.
- Make the Most of your Show Day. “Show and Tell”- A fun practice show in which the judge explains class strategy and. after the class. observations and tips for improvement.
- Navigating trail obstacles – for competition and just for fun!
A great off-season training project – gain fine-control of your horse by maneuvering through obstacles. Or prepare for competition – from trail show classes to Extreme Obstacle competition to Pony Club Trec events. Step-by step – how to teach it and score it. - Schooling at home: Making your practice time count! Does your training time need a creative game plan? Trotting around the same worn track? Need to fit the maximum skills into a minimum time budget? The 4 Ps of planning a logical schooling session based on equitation science: how horses learn. Exercises and patterns to add variety and ban boredom! Lesson plans for the seasoned, green, or horse with an “issue”.