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Through a combination of equine and rider biomechanics, classical principles, liberty, groundwork, and conditioning, the Center’s holistic program transforms a horse’s mind and body through the use of simple and logical work. The horse becomes quiet and willing, his body becomes balanced and through. Our lessons and clinics provide the tools to help riders help their horses to achieve these results.
How is this holistic approach different from other programs?
This program emerged from over 20 years studying and combining a vast range of horsemanship principles; including biomechanics, classical principles, natural horsemanship, equine and rider conditioning, and schooling plans. This approach improves a horse’s physical and mental wellbeing and creates a closer partnership between rider and equine. These methods have been applied with successful results in various disciplines — western to dressage to jumping.
Who are our lessons and clinics for?
This program is for horsewomen and horsemen in pursuit of a deep and productive partnership with their horses. Riders from all disciplines and training style backgrounds can incorporate the program’s techniques in their training programs. The Center’s training approach is designed to improve the performance and soundness of equine athletes and pleasure horses alike using a blend of mounted and unmounted instruction as well as groundwork.
After attending our lesson and clinics, most experience a partnership with their horses like they’ve never experienced before.
Foundation Building Blocks on the Path to a Greater Partnership
The Center’s lesson and clinic program is built on the following concepts:
Trust, Leadership, & Connection
This work begins with exploring ourselves — our outside selves and our inside selves and blending those into one harmonic being — our actions on the outside in alignment with our intensions on the inside. We will start with mind and body meditation to be come more aware of our energy and our actions. We will move onto a series of groundwork exercises for the horse to create trust, leadership, connection, relaxation and suppleness.
For humans to be safe around these half-ton plus active animals, we need to become their trusted leaders. When humans lead, the horse can relax into the secondary role of follower. To successfully become a horse’s leader and to connect to a horse’s spirit, we need to be courageous, compassionate, connected, aware, and mindful leaders — leaders that lead from our souls.
Equine Biomechanics
All riders benefit from a solid equine biomechanics foundation that helps them to recognize and address training challenges. (Imagine trying to fix your car without knowing what’s under the hood!) This clinic teaches you how (and why) to create and maintain a healthy topline posture and overall movement for your horse. You’ll learn about “riding back to front,” a swinging equine back, back-movers versus leg-movers, head and neck axes, and how biomechanics impact the horse’s ability to carry the rider and perform.
Rider Biomechanics
Often, issues we face are caused less by the horse and more by our own bodies. In this clinic, we’ll show you a series of exercises to help you deepen your body awareness and develop strength, endurance, and coordination. We then show you how to connect this aware and strengthened body with the horse’s movement and develop improved communication tools for natural connection.
The clinics start with a PowerPoint lecture that clearly describes the goals needed to develop the balanced and connected seat. Then the information is transferred onto the horse through exercises in individual or group sessions.
Classical Principles
Horses and riders in all disciplines benefit by training within the principles of classical riding. Classical principles encourage the rider to maintain the natural movement of the horse and to develop a willing partnership between horse and rider. A horse that is balanced and through and is free to naturally move is a pleasure to ride. The classical exercises and movements increase the gymnastic abilities of the horse and develops the rider to be more mentally attuned to the horse and improves the rider’s connection to the horse’s movement.
Liberty & Groundwork
There is so much to be learned out of the saddle. This clinic shows you how to achieve a better connection and understanding of the horse’s natural movement, as well as how to identify underlying tension in your horse. Riders leave the sessions with new tools that they can use at home to school a green horse, relax a horse prior to riding, reduce lameness, improve performance, and (most importantly) transform your equine partnership for the better.
Sign up to hear about upcoming lessons or clinics!
All lesson and clinics are open to members and non-members