Peter Maddison-Greenwell Clinics at Honnington Equestrian Centre 27th March 2005...............

Thanks again for all the support for the clinic in March. We had some new faces, Rebecca Tanner and Catherine Walter of the Sevenoaks Riding Club brought along their gorgeous WBs Connor and Oliver and gave the spectators a break from the Iberians. It is always good to see that all breeds of horse and rider combination can benefit from correct classical training. Both riders made great progress in their sessions; subtle changes in rider position brought out some fabulous paces in the horses, both of which were already well produced. Peter also commented that both riders were quick and efficient and that just small changes by the rider made huge changes in the horses' way of going. I look forward to seeing Rebecca and Catherine in May. We also met Julian Buerke and his Andalusian Disti. Julian initially had a few problems, however towards the end of the session both rider and horse were relaxed and working well, again looking forward to seeing Julian in May.

As well as the new faces we had some of our old favourites - Lorri Ould and Zurito again making us mere mortals look bad! Lol. Sally Pentrides brought her two youngsters which we haven't seen since November and they have both progressed within the time lapse, both working with more concentration. However there were some problems with canter transitions. Peter encouraged the rider to use upward and downward transitions form trot to canter, to fine tune the transition and to reduce the hurrying into and out of the canter. Initially the horse was throwing his rider forward and unseating her as he went into canter. With the use of the frequent transitions he was asked to work more from his hocks, rather than throw himself onto his forehand. Good progress was made in the session.

Lauren Taylor (the youngest of our regulars at 12 years old) made amazing progress with her new horse Star, showing us oldies that with a bit of concentration and a smile even youngsters can start to school their horses and ponies with finesse. Peter discussed the fact that Lauren has sway back and that this may effect her riding at a higher level, as she is prone to leaning forward and bracing her back. He showed us a number of OFF horse exercises that can be down to strengthen the back muscles and promote a good posture on and off the horse. All in all an informative and fun lesson. Well done Lauren, keep up the good work!!!
See you all soon, CB