If you didn't get a chance to ride your horse in our clinic last weekend with Aaron Wilson, we'll give you another opportunity! He is invited back to Twin Springs, we'll keep you posted on dates and times! We purchased the Balanced Rider device that Aaron uses to help simulate what it feels like while riding your horse with balance. I've already given one 'official' lesson on it this week. We're loving it, Aaron will be sending me his manual and video to help us.
I plan to post photos later too, so stay tuned! He also mentioned they will be meeting with the Parellis' as soon as possible to demo the device.
Here are a few of my own personal comments about how the clinic helped me:
Well, first of all, I was really impressed with how these basic balance techniques are congruent with what we learn in the upper levels of the Parelli Program. I see more and more why Pat and Linda teach us to 'keep progressing' on thru to Level 3 and 4, because the horse is soooo ready to move on. Spikey has been waiting for me to catch up for a looooong time!
This clinic simply helped me to re-focus on progressing thru the patterns, thru the levels, keeping in mind to add more Finesse to my riding program. We've done alot of Freestyle, and like Joy, I realize I haven't been asking enough from Spikey to do his part of maintaining gait; and even maintaining some flexion longer and longer WHILE maintaining gait.
I remember our Level 3 clinic with Gena that got us started in that direction of riding more with contact; adding longer and longer time to our gait while keeping them collected and as Pat shows in the new Level 4 and also the Level 4 patterns, to do more and more circles to promote more bend and flexibility in the horse. The timing seemed perfect with this clinic because Spikey was very responsive when I urged him to keep going when he wanted to slow down, he just picked it right back up, and he also had a softer, more relaxed trot than he ever has when Aaron had me adjust my seat! So, what I learned there was, do not ride so much Freestyle 'style' when you're trying to ride with Finesse! My seat was a little "floppy" and too laid back, so I moved my flexors forward, and not so much leaning forward, but more in a straight line, and Spikey went softer in his gait and maintained gait longer!
We're looking forward to inviting Aaron back. We bought his Balanced Rider box so we can start having our students practice on the ball/box then transfer it to the horse. It was quite a transformation for alot of students to apply what they learned from the apparatus onto their horses! Riders who signed up for Saturday wanted to ride Sunday, but the clinic was already full, so we may have him do a 3 day-er next time!
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