California Dressage Society puts on the wonderful Linda O’Carroll Memorial Adult Amateur Clinic each year with a rider from each chapter getting to attend one of three different session. I’ve been applying to go for years, and this year I was the lucky lady in the draw! I was so happy to be the rider for the East Bay Chapter for the North AA Clinic with Lilo Fore this year.
In my sessions we worked on our right to left change (which is funky) on the first day and on the second day played a little bit with walk and canter pirouettes making them more correct (well making ME ride them more correct instead of just letting him do it), a couple of changes (and stopped after he got the bad one clean), lots of half pass, some half step work and trying to build more cadence in his regular trot.
There was a lot to digest from this clinic with two full days and 24 rides and I thought I would share a little with you in case you could get something out of it as well. My main takeaways for the clinic (from my rides and the others) were:
- Making sure both legs and both arms feel and act similarly and that the leg aids go up and through to the bit in an even way to maintain straightness.
- Canter needs to stay the same all the time. No rushing. No stopping or getting sticky.
- Quickness of the hind end is important and the reaction to the leg aid into the hand. Really a lot of focus on the horse being more quick and reactive to the leg. But straight through the reins.
- Be specific in what you ask. Don’t let the horse take over, but really ride every step.
- Don’t over bend or do too much shoulder in all the time (I have a tendency of riding too much shoulder in on straight lines), but at the same time…do ask for bend (varied a lot by rider of course).
- Allow your horse to relax over the neck when you’re feeling tense.
- Do the piaffe out of a lateral movement. Like walk half pass into the piaffe, that way you don’t allow too much cadence or it gets too much like passage. It is not a stopping action, it is a forward action.
- Pirouettes – do not over bend. Pirouettes are basically a half pass on the spot. Do not turn more with the inside than you have control of the outside. Inside allows. Leg yield half pass in the pirouettes.
- Use your corners. Ride correct lines. Be more exacting in geometry and placement.
Notable Quotes
“Both legs are equally important. Both reins are equally important. Try to be even in both reins.” and on the same vein “Make the horse go straight out in front of you. Between both reins.”
“The only way the horse can bend and flex is if you really do allow it.”
“Horses want you to be in charge. They get nervous if they don’t know where you want to go.”
“Without energy you will not create the horse you want.”
“Don’t trot bigger. Trot quicker.” and on the same note “Big strides are overrated. Active strides”
“A calm horse can do things.”
“A quick hind leg reaction is great for fixing everything. ”
“Small actions more often help the horse. Doing too much makes them stop. ”
“If a horse is a little bit slow or “not involved” with the haunches you lose the quality. “
“Every horse is another world ”
