audit all the clinics!!! (while Pig feels feelings lol)

So one of my birthday treats was skipping on down to Austen's barn to catch Stephen Birchall teach a few lessons. This is the same clinician that Austen rode with a little while back (click that link for more excellent gifs haha), and he was also here the last time I visited the barn.

i like a clinician who is comfortable lecturing

I really enjoyed watching him teach - and got to observe three lessons (on three very different horses) to see which tactics stayed the same and which changed horse by horse.

also huskies. even if they eat mice, Lyra. 

In particular, the second horse reminded me a little bit of Isabel. Namely, the horse had plenty of GO, but simultaneously got a little stuck behind the leg and btv. So not a true connection.

included purely for entertainment value

Takeaways of interest included:

• Leg is sacred. When Stephen first got on the horse (he started out in the saddle for two of the three lessons before passing the horse back to the rider. and for the third, he schooled the horse for the full session), he was very explicit that his legs stayed OFF the horse. No nagging, no constant nudging. No nothing. But when he *did* do something, he wanted a reaction. It had to mean something. 
• "When I close my leg he has to go forward and take my hand, NOT go faster." Yeeaahh. I need more of this in my life haha. 

the horse went like isabel... but did not look like her at all haha

He also focused extensively on keeping the horse even between both reins, and employed a tactic of "rattling" the reins. The riders I saw seemed to be a bit too slow with the movement, but when he did it himself it almost resembled (quickly) turning a door knob with his hand/wrist. 

pictured: dis how you sit the canter

 He also lectured a bit on the 'elusive connection' - how to find it? The answer: Patience.

Womp womp, no magic bullet.

this horse was SUPER adorable

Another tactic that isn't particularly original (but is right in line with how I need to ride) is to keep focusing on asking for softness by opening and closing the rein - like a vibration - and then be QUIET. And after asking for the horse to soften, you close your leg to push them into the hand.

Like I said - not exactly earth shattering, but just steady consistent patient training, every step of the way.

husky balls!!

One thing that really stuck out to me was that no matter the rider, no matter the horse, the focus was always on improving the gaits and connection. Stephen played around with some movements like half pass and changes while he was schooling the third horse, but generally while teaching it was all about quality quality quality. Inneresting. 

Pig!!

 Then I got to stick around a little while longer to see Pig go through his paces with Austen.

'three tracks = no problem' - Pig

Such a pleasant pair to watch - tho Pig's hotness was very apparent after watching all the big lumbering warmbloods lol. This guy's got ZIP!

pictured: Pig feeling feelings

Then off for phase two of birthday celebrating - beers and fried mac and cheese and beers!!! (Tho not before I saw my life flashing before my eyes when Pig spooked at something - mouse farts? - and spun in my general direction. Not particularly close to me... but plenty close enough to set my crippled nerves ablaze and slam down my broken limb... womp womp). 

I'm actually thinking that a third (and belated) birthday treat might be to sign up for a lesson with this clinician sometime this winter if he continues to brave the blustery north. We'll see!