TBT - The time I rode in a clinic

Two years ago last weekend, I got the opportunity to ride in a clinic with my trainer and another rider in Aiken SC at Kate Brown's farm.  The clinician was Will Coleman, who Trainer knows.  As a birthday present to myself, I was just going to go and audit the clinic.  But at the last minute, I thought "what the hell" and asked if we could add Violet in.

 At the time, I had a lot of fear.  Mucho terror.  I was constantly afraid Violet was going to run off with me.  Everything felt like it was out of control.  In retrospect, it wasn't but that was how I felt.  The only reason I did the clinic was that there was no cross country, and there was an elementary/BN division.  Since I had already done a 2'6" stadium class, and was regularly schooling a little higher single fences at home, there was no real issue.

However, whenever Violet and I got anywhere, I was convinced she was awful.  It started when she was a baby (remember, I've been riding her since she was 3).  I could not get her to stand still by the ring without someone standing there stroking her the whole time.  She would dance around, and we walked thousands of little circles.  She would crow hop when being led into the ring.  Again, looking back at this, I'm sure she was picking up on this from me.

Anyway, we got there, got all checked in.

Pony looks pony-like

Kate has a fantastic property and had just purchased the farm and was still setting it up, but did a great job hosting everyone.  We took the horses out for a hack on the hills, Violet bringing up the rear as usual (just can't keep up with those long OTTB legs).  Violet does not understand hills.  She is a Florida born and raised girl that has no concept of "terrain".  She couldn't figure out if she should sidle sideways down the big hill, or bolt headlong down it.

Non-nom

So much grass

The next morning I got up and watched part of the first group of riders.  Then it was our turn.  I was in a group with two other riders who were probably...12?  Whatever.  Violet's neck became about 3 inches long in the flatwork.  Will asked what I do when she does that, or gets nervous.  I told her what I do.  I kick my feet out of the stirrups and ride without them.  It centers me and she calms.  He is big into no stirrup work, so that made him happy.  We did some light fence work, working on individual lines.  I don't think we had to repeat a single exercise, because we just seemed to get it.  Oh, other than the 2 stride.  Had to do that one twice, because we chipped in an extra stride.

The next morning, I was ready.  We started out flatting in a different part of the field, mostly on our own.  Then he brought us together and had us do kind of a flat test, like a class.  This was done both with and without stirrups.

Look ma, no stirrups

When we were done, he said to me, where everyone could hear, that I was a much better rider without stirrups than with them.  He's right.  I'm much more calm without them.  Strange, I know.  Then we started out doing a figure 8 over a cross rail, with simple changes if our ponies didn't give the leads.  Violet was a superstar at that.

Figure 8 cross rail?  No problem

After warm up, we headed to the course.  Will decided I should go first, since we had been so stellar in the warm-up.  Ok, great, the overstimulated older woman is expected to remember all those fences.  Will had a rule.  If you forgot your course, you had to do laps of the field with no stirrups while the next rider did it.  Well, I asked him to repeat it twice, and he did.

Explaining the course

Explaining the course to Violet, because I obviously didn't get it

The third time he refused and just told me to get on with it.  I started out and, even though spectators were trying to tell me where to go, I just couldn't get it.  He gave me a do-over.  I did it again.  At that point, he told me to stand in the middle of the ring and watch, since he knew riding without stirrups would not be a punishment.  That was way more embarrassing.  After that, I got it.  I did the course twice, and did a good job, I think.  Afterward, he said I needed to get my brain out of the way, but other than that, I did a good job, and my pony was obviously well cared for.

I watched the other riders, and Will had only complimentary things to say about Trainer and her students, and the horses care.  He actually told another rider that she needed to take lessons from Trainer, as she knew what she was doing as far as horse care and turnout was concerned.

On the way home in the truck, we were talking and I told them how I had been so scared, and that I realized over fences I tend to fetal and I now recognize it and will work on it.  Trainer asked me what I was so afraid of.  I told her.  She then stated that I needed to get over that.  Violet has never done anything to me to warrant that fear.  She reacts to things, but not in a mean way.  She is a good girl, and I need to treat her like one, and learn to trust her, or else she'll never trust me.  THAT is what this clinic did for me.  I had a true lightbulb moment, and from that point forward, I don't let the fear get to me, and I really try hard to trust the pony (except for cross country, where she has proven to be just a little dirty).  Kate hosted again last year, but we couldn't make it.  I would love to ride with Will again so he could see the progress I've made, and see that I'm no longer that timid scared little woman in the fetal position on my pony.