This is something I wrote after getting home from Oregon on Tuesday.
To Oregon and back
I had an absolutely wonderful few days in Oregon. Now that
I’m ‘home’ I have got a few moments to sit and think, without needing to be
prepared to jump up and help with horses.
Two Creeks Farm, where clinic host Joan lives with her
husband Dan, is a wonderful property. The arena is a sand and small rubber chip
mix that is soft but not deep footing. The small barn includes two stalls with
runs for her two retired mares, Amber and Stella. The visiting horses were set
up in portable pens (the panels are a fairly essential item for anyone
travelling to clinics or shows) in one paddock, with another paddock a turn out
area for the horses to rotate through. Chairs were set up at one end of the
arena in a place there was shade from trees and the barn as well as sun (when
it decided to show up). A good friend of Joan’s, Pam, had her video cameras and
equipment under a small gazebo. Pam is the usual “clinic videographer” and only
charges low fee for her time (basically to cover expenses), so the riders can
have the benefit of their lessons being videoed.
This clinic was aimed at a core of 5 people in the
practitioner course: all except one have completed the 101 and 102 training
courses. Naturally, the aim for those 5 is to progress to the 103 course,
scheduled for the end of August. There was also a bodyworker (of sorts) who has
been riding with Peggy for several years, and Joan, who has been working with
Peggy for the last 20 years.
The Oregon PIT group are fantastic. I learned a LOT from them
and their horses. As the Working Student, I wasn’t there to “participate” as
such: I was more of an observer, someone to work/walk with horses in the arena
as required, offer support to riders, handle the rider’s second horse if
required, and so on. The riders have already done a lot together, including
lesson/clinic days with and without Peggy and a demo at an Expo last year. It
really shows in the support they offer each other and I felt they welcomed me
with open arms (of course, it helped that I was the Kiwi Support Person ;) ).
Day one was their chance to catch up with Peggy and for her
to see where they were at. As with most clinics, this meant groundwork in the
morning and groundwork + riding in the afternoon. I spent some time working
with Karen’s horses Rheanna and Zach, Stella and an Appaloosa called Ode.
Day two was set up with two sessions. The aim was for each
PIT to show the process of preparing the horse to ride. This meant a
groundwork-focussed session in the morning and a riding-focussed session in the
afternoon (but, if the horse wasn’t ready to ride in either of those sessions,
the rider would not get on). As the day progressed, Peggy and one of her
experienced instructors Deb, worked with the riders from the ground. Both Peggy
and Deb rode horses to get through various stucknesses, usually with the other
one on the ground and the rider watching. All horses and riders came along in
leaps and bounds – very necessary.
Day three included auditors for the first time. The riders
and horses really had to “bring it” today. Again, the focus was on the process:
the riders came out in pairs and after a brief start on groundwork, summed up
where the horse was at and what they were working on to ensure the horse had
all four legs present and working before they mounted.
It was interesting for me to spend a little time with the auditors and hear
their questions: normally I am so busy with horses at clinics that I don’t have
time or energy to sit and chat with “strangers.” I also took some photographs;
I enjoy watching through the viewfinder and capturing the “YES!” moments.
Day 4 was a lesson day. To me, this was a little more
disjointed and less easy to watch. I didn’t know some of the riders and some of
the horses; I felt integrated with three days with the PIT group. The contrast
to watching someone for one hour with a completely different horse is huge.
Also, Joan’s horse
Stella was thoroughly fed up with all the horses on HER property. She is a well
bred mare who was ridden to Third level and completely broken down before Joan
acquired her. Joan has worked incredibly hard to bring Stella back to
soundness, however she is a very anxious horse and wants to protect her barn
mate Amber. Their runs end beside the gate to the arena so every time Stella was
having trouble with horses coming and going, I’d take a wand and stroke it down
her front legs to calm her. She knows and trusts the Connected and TTeam work.
It helps bring her brain back so that she doesn’t rush around and risk damaging
herself (she is 25, with a host of body issues).
A highlight of my time was getting to know the riders. I
spent the first night in Albany with Karen, then went to Lori’s for two nights.
She had her own horse Alibi (a Saddlebred) at the clinic, as well as a horse on
trial that she wanted Peggy, Deb and Carolyn to have a look at (no point
vetting him if they could find a glaring problem). The drive to and from Lori’s
place gave us a chance to chat. I feel Lori is one of the most dedicated riders
I’ve ever met: she has drive and ambition. Now that she’s ‘Connected’ there is
no way she is doing anything else, and I really admire that.
Lori spent most of Thursday going to view Palmer and
bringing him home (4 hours with the trailer, each way). He was a little shell
shocked when we loaded him on Saturday for the hour to Joan’s place, but
settled very well. I do hope he passes his vet check as he is a lovely type of
horse, built so that being base up is an easy thing (very, very unusual).. Lori
seriously looked at more than 150 horses before finding Palmer so she’s a
little jaded about what’s out there. It is incredibly difficult to find horses
that haven’t been crammed or jammed or are seriously broken or stuck in their
bodies and minds. Palmer’s responses to the Connected work were positive. I
think he will make a very nice horse with some time to learn the lingo.
I slept the next two nights in the tent at Joan’s for two
nights. I can’t remember the last time I slept in a tent! Joan cooked excellent
scrambled eggs for breakfast.
Tuesday was a very long day travelling home.
First stop was Carolyn’s for a lesson. From there we travelled to a barn one of
Peggy’s students is based at. There is a big ‘expo’ planned to showcase
Connected Riding in September 2013 which needs the right kind of venue.
I was delivered to my accommodation for two nights at about
9pm last night. I will be at Peggy & Susan’s place after this when they go
to Wisconsin for another 101. That will make the sixth place I’ve stayed in the
last 9 days (Lana, Karen, Lori, tent, here, Peggy and Susan’s!). It also marks
the start of my second month here (almost half way already – time flies). Now,
it is time to get organised and head to the barn so I can get back into the
swing of things.
No comments:
Post a Comment