Category Archives: Training/Clinics

Motivation from Moshi 61, by Jane Savoie

“Aha!” I love those moments. Don’t you? When you suddenly GET IT? It’s such a rush when everything comes together and really works for the first time.

How do you create more “Aha Moments”? When Jane is riding me, they come when both sides of my brain kick in, along with the muscle memory of the new movement. And that comes with both intellectual understanding and physical practice. It happens when the left side of my brain, where logic and linear thought resides; meshes with the right side, where emotion and artistry lives, and then shows up in my physical body as the execution of perfect movement. My whole being responds to everything coming together with an exciting and satisfying “Aha!”

Learning to ride well doesn’t take good luck or exceptional talent. As the cowboys say, it just takes wet saddle blankets. In our case, it’s wet dressage pads. I learn something from Jane every time she rides me. And she learns from me too. Sometimes our progress is imperceptible, and sometimes it comes in huge Aha’s. But we only have forward progress when we actually put what we’ve intellectually learned into physical practice. And that takes commitment and work.

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Equestrian Federation of Finland Honors George H. Morris with Gold Badge of Merit

George H. Morris with his Gold Badge of Merit from the Equestrian Federation of Finland. Photo courtesy of EFF.

Ypäjä, Finland – U.S. show jumping legend George H. Morris received a Gold Badge of Merit from the Equestrian Federation of Finland (EFF) on May 5, for his work with the Finnish show jumping athletes. Morris, who is the Chef d’Equipe for the U.S. Team, has globally impacted the sport of show jumping.

Tom Gardin, a representative of the Scandinavian country’s Federation, awarded the Badge to Morris at the conclusion of a three-day clinic. The presentation took place in Ypäjä, a small village 80 miles northwest of Helsinki best known for horses and its equine college that hosts Finnderby, an international competition that takes place annually.

Morris has been making almost annual trips to Finland since 1984. He has been highly appreciated by the hundreds of riders and trainers, including participants from the Baltic countries, who he has taught and inspired throughout his years of training and conducting clinics.

“I like coming to Finland… I value this badge highly and feel honored,” said Morris.

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Dressage Master Walter Zettl Teams Up with Linda and Pat Parelli to Appear on Dressage Training Online

Linda Parelli rides one of her own horses in a lesson with dressage master Walter Zettl. (Photo courtesy of Barbara Schnell)

Ocala, FL (May 5, 2011) – Classical Dressage Master Walter Zettl has built his successful dressage career on understanding the relationship between the horse and rider.  Zettl coaches Linda and Pat Parelli, founders of Parelli Natural Horsemanship, Inc., and regularly conducts private dressage clinics at the Parellis’ Ocala facility. Zettl recently spent time in Ocala with the Parellis, teaching and being taped for dressage videos which will appear on the Dressage Training Online website.

“The Dressage Training Online website is a wonderful venue for us to be included in,” said Linda Parelli. “Walter is a great bridge for us because he believes in what we are doing in natural horsemanship and he sees how closely our approach relates to the principles of truly classical dressage.”

Zettl taught lessons and was taped for the Dressage Training Online segments with Linda and her horse West Point as well as with Canadian Para-Equestrian Team member Lauren Barwick, a para-equestrian who won Gold and Silver Medals in the Beijing Paralympics in 2008. Barwick is a Four Star Parelli Instructor and a Senior Protégé in the Mastery program of the Parellis’ Natural Horsemanship Program.

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Jack Hardin Towell Sr.

Jack Hardin Towell, Sr. started his own business as a hunter/jumper trainer at the age of 17. Now the owner of Finally Farm in Camden, South Carolina, and one of the leading horse trainers in the US, his accomplishments as a trainer have secured his stature in the industry. Jack has used his skills and intuition to discover and make top hunter ponies and horses. He has trained 65 champions and/or reserve champions in the best indoor shows, including The Pennsylvania National, Devon, The Washington International, Capital Challenge, and The National Horse Show.

Jack is also an R rated horse-show judge and has officiated at many prestigious horse shows including the Washington International and the ASPCA Maclay Finals.

Please join us May 7-8, 2011 at Longfield Stables located at Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, SC for an opportunity to ride with a master. Contact Lauren Marcinkoski at SwampFoxFarms@gmail.com or (912) 484 8510 for more information.

Motivation from Moshi 60, by Jane Savoie

I’ve been in love a few times in my life. The most recent mare I fell head-over-hooves for was a beautiful palomino Tennessee Walker, named Annie. Oh my gosh, that girl was a beauty! Long blond hair, lovely big hip, with the most elegant sashay as she’d walk down the road. My heart went pitter-patter every time she and her person rode by our barn.

I’d not seen her in awhile. I would watch the road hoping she would come by, but nothing. Then, a long time after I’d last seen her, Annie’s person stopped by our barn and told a friend that Annie was gone. She’d gotten into something poisonous and had severely foundered. Her owner tearfully shared that they had tried for months to save her, but she was in so much pain and her coffin bone had rotated so far, that the vet had suggested that the kindest thing to do was to end her suffering and put her down. Her owner was still distraught about the decision, not sure she had made the right choice. Annie’s person’s guilt and self-doubt was tearing her apart.

It’s a blessing to us horses that we live in the moment. We don’t fear death because we don’t project our thoughts into the future and wonder what it will be like when we leave this physical existence. We are now. Being now also means that in spirit we don’t have judgment as to the reason why we may have left the physical world. Of course our natural instinct is to survive, and our fight and flight instincts will kick in if we are threatened, but that’s not a conscious thought. That’s programmed impulse.

Continue reading Motivation from Moshi 60, by Jane Savoie

Chester Weber’s Biggest Fan Will Win a Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience to Train with the Legendary Driver for Two Days in Ocala

Chester Weber is taking part in the Gift of the Horse website contest and one winner will get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend two days at Live Oak, training with the legendary combined driver. (Photo courtesy of My Elizabeth Weber)

Ocala, FL (May 3, 2011) – In the world of combined driving, Chester Weber stands out above the rest. Now, thanks to a contest being held on the Gift of the Horse website, Weber’s biggest fan can win the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend two days on Weber’s Live Oak Plantation in Ocala, Florida, training with the legendary combined driver.

Weber, the eight-time USEF National Four-In-Hand Combined Driving Champion, has joined together with the world’s most recognized and admired horsemen and women to contribute prize packages for their biggest fans. The contest is being sponsored through the Gift of the Horse, a unique and exciting event designed to be fun, interactive, educational and most importantly give back to the equine industry through the generosity of Gift of the Horse sponsors and donors. 100% of proceeds raised through Gift of the Horse will go directly to The American Youth Horse Council which impacts over 400,000 children in programs such as 4-H, National High School Rodeo, Pony Club and most Breed/Youth Organizations.

“Chester Weber is an icon and an inspiration to horse owners of all breeds and disciplines. I’ve had the pleasure of watching Chester perform in person and the thrill and excitement the crowds experience when Chester comes thundering into the ring is unparalleled,” says Jacqueline L. Robbins, President of Equine Publishing, LLC. “He is an asset to Gift of the Horse and it is an honor to have him in the line up of top horsemen that have generously contributed amazing prize packages. Spending two full days with Chester Weber and his team is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=13794

Bill McMullin Wins Shadow Trailer Give-Away at Wellington Classic Dressage Challenge III Show

West Palm Beach, Florida (May 2, 2011) – Many eager Florida dressage competitors awaited the announcement of the 2011 Shadow Trailer Give-Away at this past weekend Wellington Classic Dressage Show in West Palm Beach, Florida. A generous donation from Del-Raton Trailer Sales and Shadow Trailer Inc., Florida dressage competitors waited all season to see if they would be the lucky winner of the 2011 Shadow bumper-pull trailer.

FEI Dressage Rider and Trainer Bill McMullin happily accepted his new trailer. “The last group of horses just left this morning for Massachusetts and I wanted to make sure I made it to the show for the drawing. I have had a great season with my horses and clients, but it all went so fast. Winning this trailer is a great way to wrap up the Florida season!”

McMullin who resides in Wellington during the winter season and Stoughton, Massachusetts in the summer months rode Kim Quinlivan’s 9 year old mare, Rosabella, at the IHS Derby and Jim Brandon dressage shows. “What a great surprise. I want to thank the dressage show managing partners for organizing such great shows and Del-Raton Trailer Sales for making the trailer give-away possible,” McMullin added.

Continue reading Bill McMullin Wins Shadow Trailer Give-Away at Wellington Classic Dressage Challenge III Show

Motivation from Moshi 59, by Jane Savoie

It’s a touchy subject. It’s one I’ve avoided for a long time, because it’s going to hit some nerves. But I overheard someone tearfully share that a trainer had told her she’d become too fat to ride, so I figured it was time to break the silence.

Weight. There, I said it. Human society is incredibly obsessed with body size. How many people don’t ride or stopped riding because they think they are too fat? How many people hide their talents and abilities behind a wall of shame because of their BMI (Body Mass Index)?

When I hear people talking about weight issues, it makes me so glad I’m a horse! We are expected to have a big, round “hip” and be well fleshed. Unless you’re a racehorse, it’s perfectly okay to be plump. In fact, we are “fattened up” for halter classes and viewed as healthier when we have some meat on our bones.

Why aren’t people like that?

I hear it’s mostly because of movies, TV, and magazines. Back when food was scarce and only the rich were plump, “Rubenesque” women were all the rage. But now that food is abundant for almost all people, you’re expected to be waif thin and wrinkle free if you want to be “in.” The media perpetuates this ideal simply by glorifying the skinny and the young.

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Motivation from Moshi 58, by Jane Savoie

I don’t remember my mom very much. I remember her being warm and snuggly, and very tall. I suppose I’m taller than she was, now, but I’ll always remember her towering over me. Her size and gentle strength made me feel safe. I never met my dad. I hear that I look a lot like him, though.

Are you like your mom and dad? Most people are. We learn so much when we’re little that who we are to become as adults is shaped before we’re even aware that we’re being programmed. It’s such a deep part of us that we rarely even see it.

Often, our best and our worst relationships are with members of our own family. The good news is, most of the time we find ways to resolve our issues. We can’t choose our families, so we are forced to deal with whatever comes up. The bad news is, we can’t choose our families, so we are forced to deal with those issues even when we don’t want to.

Do you have an unresolved issue with a family member? What would it take to get that resolved? Is one of you insisting on being “right” or having your own way? Could you let that go? Can you forgive whatever happened, no matter how terrible? I’ll bet you can.

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The Outside Rein, part 1, by Jane Savoie

Many years ago while visiting the stable of the late Hector Carmona in New Jersey, I was intrigued by a sign in his indoor arena that boldly proclaimed, “The secret of riding is the outside rein”.

I soon discovered that the outside rein (AKA the rein of opposition) has many critical jobs:

1. You control speed with it.
2. You use it to steer.
3. You use it to keep your horse straight.
4. When you combine the outside rein with both your driving aids and your bending aids for 3 seconds, you give the “connecting aids” to put your horse on the bit.
5. Later in training, you’ll use a momentary closure of seat, leg, and hand to give a half halt. (The half halt is one of the most essential concepts in riding because it allows you to improve your horse’s balance – an issue we’re constantly dealing with in training.)

LEARNING TO USE THE OUTSIDE REIN
This month, I’m going to give you some exercises to help you become more aware of your outside rein. I think this is a useful first step because riders instinctively rely more on their inside rein than their outside rein.

Continue reading The Outside Rein, part 1, by Jane Savoie