Post by Laura on May 2, 2010 15:00:15 GMT -8
I had a great time at Shelley Kerr's clinic on Friday! She has learned so much from her training with Dennis Reis, and I was really so proud of her for taking her horsemanship to a new level.
Half of the day was just some basic groundwork - stuff I've mostly done before, but Shelley was able to help me with just little subtle things to help me keep Danny's attention better.
Then after lunch we saddled up, and she helped us with some walk-trot transitions. I've had some issues with Danny being balky in an arena setting, and she was able to pinpoint the problem almost exactly - and it was so simple! My reins are too short! I had bought them from Ann Kirk at one of her clinics when Danny was 2. Well, Danny is a big boy with a loooong neck, and when I pick them up, they just aren't long enough to make a nice, loose drape. Plus, for some reason (probably because I'm a lopsided person anyway), I always picked up one rein just a tad bit shorter than the other. This little thing was causing Danny to question whether I still wanted to go forward or not, and so he would drop his shoulder to the inside and then slow down. Once I held the reins as loose as I could make them, he was nice and forward without dropping out! I never would have figured that out on my own. I have some longer reins on order.
Plus, she taught him in about 30 seconds to come over to the fence for me to get on. I'm talking about standing perfectly still against the fence, and I just dropped onto his back without using stirrups. It was cool!
Then she noticed I was nervous at faster speeds, and she put me in her round pen and I had to ride at a trot and a lope with no reins! I was scared out of my mind, but it really taught me to trust Danny and get a better, more independent seat.
I would recommend Shelley's clinics to everyone, and you can't beat her price. It will go up as she gains more endorsements and becomes fully certified from Dennis Reis, which she plans to do at the end of this year, I think. She is great at explaining why she is asking you to do something, and how to feel for footfalls and give cues at the right point for the horse. She is just amazing. There were only three people at the clinic on Friday, so we got a lot of individual attention.
I was going to do another clinic with another trainer at the end of this month, but I think my money will go to Shelley!
Here's her website. www.cwquarterhorse.com/
I'm not sure when her next clinic will be, but I think she's planning to do at least one a month. Alexa and I both will be at the next one.
Half of the day was just some basic groundwork - stuff I've mostly done before, but Shelley was able to help me with just little subtle things to help me keep Danny's attention better.
Then after lunch we saddled up, and she helped us with some walk-trot transitions. I've had some issues with Danny being balky in an arena setting, and she was able to pinpoint the problem almost exactly - and it was so simple! My reins are too short! I had bought them from Ann Kirk at one of her clinics when Danny was 2. Well, Danny is a big boy with a loooong neck, and when I pick them up, they just aren't long enough to make a nice, loose drape. Plus, for some reason (probably because I'm a lopsided person anyway), I always picked up one rein just a tad bit shorter than the other. This little thing was causing Danny to question whether I still wanted to go forward or not, and so he would drop his shoulder to the inside and then slow down. Once I held the reins as loose as I could make them, he was nice and forward without dropping out! I never would have figured that out on my own. I have some longer reins on order.
Plus, she taught him in about 30 seconds to come over to the fence for me to get on. I'm talking about standing perfectly still against the fence, and I just dropped onto his back without using stirrups. It was cool!
Then she noticed I was nervous at faster speeds, and she put me in her round pen and I had to ride at a trot and a lope with no reins! I was scared out of my mind, but it really taught me to trust Danny and get a better, more independent seat.
I would recommend Shelley's clinics to everyone, and you can't beat her price. It will go up as she gains more endorsements and becomes fully certified from Dennis Reis, which she plans to do at the end of this year, I think. She is great at explaining why she is asking you to do something, and how to feel for footfalls and give cues at the right point for the horse. She is just amazing. There were only three people at the clinic on Friday, so we got a lot of individual attention.
I was going to do another clinic with another trainer at the end of this month, but I think my money will go to Shelley!
Here's her website. www.cwquarterhorse.com/
I'm not sure when her next clinic will be, but I think she's planning to do at least one a month. Alexa and I both will be at the next one.
