I love my job! I am always amazed at the changes in both horses and riders during my clinics. Even though I know this stuff works, I still am WOWED at times. Mary Wanless truly is a genius. She is the pioneer of Rider BioMechanics. Others have begun using that word, but most are nowhere near the mark. Mary has dissected what good riders do, and made it accessible for average riders to find. I've worked with Mary for more than 20 years now. And I still learn something new every time I'm around her! |
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| | DAY 1 Liz and Jep Jep is a 5yo full Clydesdale gelding. He is BIG! And he knows it. On the first day, he was what we call "pushed back". He tended to be very hollow backed and strung out behind. He lacked forward energy and always fell into the circle on the right in a big way. He bordered on unmanagable at times. Liz had assumed a defensive position, heels jammed down, leaning forward. I started with reorganizing her alignment, getting her to lighten her feet in the stirrups a little, and move her seat more forward in the saddle. Jep was encouraging her to have her bum too far back which didn't help her with the leaning too far forward part! As long as he could keep her on the defensive, she had no time to take the offensive. This is akin to a soccer game where one team keeps all the action down at the opposing team's goal. The offensive players of the opposing team never really get a turn! They need their defense to kick it up a notch and get that ball down field so the offense can score a point! The only way to "win" is to be on the offense while riding, so you can score points. Horses are very good at keeping riders on the defense, and the majority of riding instruction is all about defensive riding. "If the horse does X, then the rider should do Y." In my teaching, I say the rider should do X so the horse has to do Y!!! | | |
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| | DAY 3 Liz and Jep My helpful volunteer photographers managed to get pictures of Jep in almost the same location in the arena at the same moment of a stride, the difference being that one has Liz in the sit phase and one has her in the rising phase. But for comparison sake, these pics are super. First thing I hope you notice is the difference in Jep's hind leg activity! Most people will notice his head postion, which is in a good place reaching into the contact, but that is a result of the increased activity behind. Liz is bearing down hugely (use of her core), she's got weight distributed through her thighs instead of it all going to her heel. This gives her more stability and power which are must haves to ride a horse like this. The picture doesn't do them justice, they really got it going on the 3rd day! Jep no longer looked like an uneducated big baby Huey. He was moving beautifully, with balance and connection. The circles to the right became round, the throughness from behind carrying him around the circle easily. No one claims they were perfect in 3 days, but positive changes were shown in both horse and rider. RWYM isn't magic, although it defintiely seems that way sometimes! I see the results time and time again. I never go in with expectations that I have the "fix" for everyone. I watch, assess, then go after what I think is most doable and most pertinent at the moment. The changes can be instantaneous, or I might get an email weeks later telling me how well it's working for a rider. | | |
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Video Analysis Nicole contacted me, wanting to ride with me. There wasn't going to be chance for several months so we did a video consult. She emailed me a short video, WTC both directions. I watched it on my own, then we scheduled a time to watch together while on the phone. I went over what I thought were the biggest issues. She took those changes and ran with it! Nicole was able to ride with me in the Huntersville, NC clinic. She had made some great inroads on her own balance which helped the balance of her sweet mare, Confetti. I was impressed at how much better they both were after one short video consult! This pic is from Day 3 of the clinic (I think) and they are really getting it together. Confetti is a 19yo rescued former Saddleseat Morgan who has had 9 foals. She can be hot, fussy, and hollow. Here, Nicole is doing a good job of keeping her connected and beginning to use her abdominals to keep her back up. I don't think we ever got her to fully track up but she will as she gets shorter in her underline and longer in her topline. It was a big accomplishment to get the mare to accept quiet contact and stay steady! Not as good as an in person lesson, but better than floundering about on your own! And a great way to check your progress if you've ridden with me! Send me a 5-10 min video. Video Analysis Fee is $35 | | |
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Upcoming Schedule Running a little lighter schedule for the summer this year. It's been a busy year, and I thank all of you for that. Feel free to share this newsletter with friends! All of the venues allow riders to trailer in. If you are interested in riding with me, contact me directly. Sometimes I am the organizer but even if I'm not, I will get you in touch with the right person. What are you waiting for? Let's get your riding on track! | | |
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I have two clinics coming up in June. I think there are still a couple of spots in the Milton, FL one. The Fayetteville one still has some openings as well. Remember, I can work with riders of all levels, on any breed of horse, riding any discipline. |
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June 1-3 Milton, FL June 22-24 Fayetteville, GA July 13-15 Auburn, AL July 27-29 Havana, FL August 2-4 Lafayette, GA August 5 Hiram, GA August 10-12 Huntersville, NC August 17-19 Wausau, WI |
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