Connecting Riding
Season Update
by Trisha Wren
Well, what an exciting and eventful season it has
been! At the very start of summer, in
Nov/Dec last year, internationally renowned horsemanship clinician Mark Rashid made his first visit to
Mark differs from most other clinicians in that he
works with each rider individually, and his skill is being able to see exactly
where any problem lies, honing in quickly on timing issues and breakdowns in
communication. For auditors this makes
each lesson a case study and an opportunity to observe Mark’s approach to
individual problems that the riders were experiencing. He worked with a variety of riders, of
differing disciplines and experience levels; from dressage to endurance,
jumping, and groundwork for a 2 year old colt, and encompassing softness,
timing, breathing and feel to improve every combination. All of the horses and riders made amazing
progress - there were many grinning faces - and the auditors made the most of
being able to ask their own questions in between sessions. Mark’s demonstrations, patience, and good
humour made the clinics an enjoyable learning experience for all.
Some of the comments received about the Mark Rashid
clinics:
Depth of knowledge
in such a common sense approach of delivery, amongst a wide range of
horses/riders provided some truly beautiful moments.
Exceeded all
expectations. I am blown away and filled
with hope and motivation that this harmony with your horse is possible not an
elusive target. I feel honoured to have
had the chance to see Mark and soak up his knowledge and outstanding intuitive
people skills for 3 days!
Then in March we were thrilled to host Peggy Cummings, Connected Riding®, here
for the first time. Many of you have
already had an introduction to Connected Riding through your lessons with me,
and Peggy’s clinics took everyone on to a new level. The initial emphasis was on our own bodies,
and through a number of discussions, demonstrations and exercises everyone
became more aware of how to use themselves more efficiently, and how what they
were doing with their body would impact their horse. Next was observing each horse, and learning
how to see their patterns of posture and movement, as well as their tight spots
and areas for improvement – and all before a rider even got on! Groundwork exercises focussed on the horse’s
posture and carriage, teaching them how to release any braces and come through
from behind. Then the rider was
introduced, with the first ridden session concentrating on maintaining correct
posture and softness consistently. By
the end of the clinic the riders were experiencing a new lightness in both
their and their horse’s bodies, with improved connection and impulsion.
Clinic comments:
The energy,
enthusiasm and passion that Peggy brings to her clinic was truly amazing!
Peggy assessed us
all individually whilst sitting in a saddle on a saddle stand. This translated to a clear understanding of
what an independent seat actually is and the resulting stability in the saddle.
I can now 'see' a
horse, see the tension AND have been able to release a lot of it.
The most exciting
and rewarding moment for me was when I experienced the thought that I could do
this (ride) for ever – it required such little effort to have him soft, and
there was no resistance from him.
Mark will be returning at the end of 208, and Peggy will be back in March
2009. Contact Trisha to be kept
informed.
Keep Connecting!
©Trisha Wren March
2008
as printed in: The Organic Equine magazine (Apr 2008)