You know if you are struggling with your horse I can help. I have spent a lifetime learning, researching and trying different methods so I believe I can save you some time and money going down wrong paths. In this series of 3 clinics I would like help you build a solid foundation. A horse that is easy to catch and happily wants to come play with you. Stands calmly to be saddled or at the float or in the arena with you. Knows how to emotionally regulate and easily comes back to you after getting a fright, is better prepared for the competition or trail riding environment. Loads easily into your float and is on the way to being a solid partner for you.

Does that sound like a horse you would want to have around?

So often we get busy in our lives fitting in work, home life, friends etc and riding or spending time with your horse just becomes one more thing that you need to “fit in” your busy day. So we jump on and just want to ride our horse and enjoy ourselves forgetting that there is a whole lot of foundation work that just hasn’t happened and then we expect it all to go beautifully. Often times left disappointed and frustrated at what was supposed to be fun.

I really want to help you know the steps to help bring back the fun and relationship you want with your horse so I am running a summer series aimed at doing just that.

The dates are November 10/11, December 9/10 and January 19/20.

Bonus, if you book for all 3 there will be substantial savings for you.

Go to this link for the first clinic and said me a message if you want to book for all 3 and get a discount. naomi.strong2@gmail.com

https://www.strongperformancecoaching.com/product/summer-clinic-series-1/

I had a lot of reactions to my before and after photos of Avondale Lindt (Choccie). Some with almost an air of disbelief and it really got me thinking about why I did get such an amazing result in such a short period of time. I think there were many factors involved, he was at an age where all growth development had settled so could really cope with the workload, he had some good basics and foundation underneath him to build on and I was extremely determined and worked on it every time I touched him.

Its the last factor I would like to expand on a bit more.

I think change is hard, we all know deep down what we should do. get enough sleep, eat right, exercise daily and manage your stress levels. But day in day out I do the same stuff. Now is that Stuff really helping me towards my goal or  is it hindering it? Too often I take the easy road, it tastes good, I hate sweating, I have trouble saying no! Frustratingly I know what is best, I just don’t do it.

However if we put in the hard yards and be consistent on a daily basis, day in day out slog away at the basics, those small simple steps then in what seems like a vey long period of time but is actually quite a short time increment, amazing things can happen.

Doing the In Hand work is the same, it takes absolute dedication each and every time you touch your horse. Does it mean that is all you do with them? Absolutely not, but I can tell you if your time poor and struggling with finding the time to ride or the motivation, then 15 minutes four times a week will give you astounding results.

The downside is that you will feel totally uncoordinated for awhile, you might fall over, trip yourself up, get tangled and feel all the emotions of an adult learning a new skill. Along with a new vocabulary not suitable for small children!  You have to get use the feeling of being uncomfortable, of not doing it right and failing a lot. And that is where most people give up! Even though you know it could be really beneficial for your horse, even if you know it could make a massive difference. It is like eating right exercising daily, meditation etc you just don’t do it.

I have run some Case Studies the last few months with my students. They have to dedicate that 15 minutes 4 times a week. Video the sessions and send to me but most importantly be absolutely committed to following through. Turn up each and every week and do the work in between. The results have been nothing short of astounding! Its been truly life changing for both horse and rider. Having to be accountable to someone, doing the daily grind, following through has given far greater results than I could have ever imagined. The most rewarding work I have ever done in my life.

Here is a little video of Choccie recently taken at the September Belinda Bolsenbroek clinic. We still struggle, I still get uncoordinated lose my timing and get I wrong. What he is learning here is how to do sequence changes in hand and some passage steps. Its not perfect but its incredibly good fun when it comes together and I can’t wipe the smile off my face. I am totally committed  to teach him the hard stuff In Hand first as I know it makes  a massive difference to our harmony and understanding under saddle and I am following through on the daily work. of doing those small incremental steps of improvement.

Now I just need to address the rest of the equation and hope for the flow on effect of doing the daily grind in one area of your life and add eating right, exercising and managing stress to the next level.

In Hand/ Straightness training

Before I started on the journey of doing In Hand work with my horses I thought I was doing ok, you can see with the photo on the left below, Choccie(Avondale Lindt) was competing medium level. There is lots to like about the photo, he is active from behind, coming uphill, nicely in front of the vertical. Getting ok scores, nothing brilliant, and we were struggling with taking the next step forward into collection. In fact a LOT of the time when I asked him to collect it ended in rather large tantrums!

For some reason I got talked into doing a clinic with Belinda Bolsenbroek, I tried to back out, I don’t know why I agreed, I really wasn’t interested in riding in a funny saddle and doing levades or caprioles. I had looked at her website and really didn’t think it was for me. But I had agreed to go, had paid my money which they wouldn’t give back so there was no choice but to go along and see what it was all about. That first clinic I have never felt more useless and out of my depth in all my life. I was a rider, what do you mean play on the ground with all this lateral movement and exercises. It was hard to get my head around, I felt uncoordinated, had no timing and wondered why on earth I was doing this! But something about this method had struck a chord, I could see from the theory lecture that actually there could really be something vitally important here, the missing piece of the puzzle.

So I went home, promised myself I would try it for three months, if it didn’t work ok so be it, I didn’t have to go back to another clinic. I could prove to myself if it was worth adding to my program or just another method that didn’t work for my horse.

It was a struggle, I didn’t enjoy the work initially, its tiring, you feel ridiculous, its frustrating when your coordination and timing are out. But I had made a deal with myself, 15 minutes 4 times a week I was going to do the exercises and help my horse get strong on both hind legs, correct his natural asymmetry, not helped by being a high/low horse in his front feet. I stuck with it, pure stubbornness on my part!

The second photo (below on the left) was taken 7 months after the first photo. The difference in my horse was astounding! He built topline, he gained power, he learnt how to carry himself in collection. I finally found my missing piece of the puzzle. Its a different story today, I LOVE my In Hand work, I look forward to playing with all my horses everyday because I know the impact it has on everything. They can carry equally on both hind legs, they understand how to move their bodies in a way that creates a sound functional athlete. They know what correct contact and self carriage feel like. We have a real partnership of trust and understanding, its everything.

I wish every rider no matter their discipline could understand the value in training their horse on these very basic exercises, that they knew to build their horse from the ground up before they started to specialise in their ridden work. What a massive difference it would make! How incredible it would be to have sound functional athletes for long competitive careers or riding partners for life.