Riding at NE Expo

Our motivation for traveling to the Nebraska Horse Expo was twofold.  Firstly we attended so that I could ride with Jane Savoie.  She very rarely comes to the middle of the country to teach, since she lives in VT and winters in FL.  I had met her and audited her presentation when she was in Denver two years ago, and enjoyed it immensely.  Secondly, I've been asked to teach a jumping clinic at this expo for 2014, and I wanted to evaluate the facility and expo to make sure this was a location where I want to teach.

Jane getting some history on our horses before beginning the clinic session.  On the left is a well schooled Morgan gelding who rode in the session as well. 

Feeling fancy

Jane talking about rein aids

"turning the key" to get flexion at the poll

Major's nice working trot

I love this beautiful boy

Alert!

Major went really well on Fri morning when I just rode him in the arenas so he could adjust.  Then on Sat morning he was wonderful in the first clinic session, demonstrating the stretchy trot beautifully, doing leg yields with his head toward the wall, and showing off his trot/halt transitions.  Sat. afternoon was a whole different kind of stressful.  There was a bull whip demonstration happening in the next building over, and the buildings were connected so Major heard EVERY crack of the bull whips.  For those who haven't been around them, bull whips are much louder and more intense than any lunge whip used with horses.  Major has some history with being spanked over fences before he came to Bit of Honey Training, and he was really really upset.  That ride was kind of a wash, I was just grateful that he wasn't too sore after being so tense.  Sunday morning, however, we were able to redeem ourselves. Major did a lovely demonstration of +7 +1, a suppling exercise where you flex the horse's neck 7" to the right of vertical, then 1" to the right of vertical, repeated three times, then allow him to stretch and relax while increasing the walk stride length.  He also was able to "Hollywood" things for the audience.  I asked him to travel hollow and stiff, then to round out and lengthen to show the auditors the difference.  Whenever something needed to be over-exaggerated to make a point to the audience, Major was the go-to horse.

Discussing leg aids with a cute Morgan gelding

Finally smiling as Major "Hollywoods" tense and hollow to round and through

Sporting the Bit of Honey Training vest

Love my stretchy TB

Listening for the bull whips

Working on suppling my big nervous pony

Just about ready to take a bow

Good boy