Essential Riding Skills

In this clinic you will learn and practice the essential riding skills necessary to achieve safety and good control of speed and direction.  Through gentle but clear and effective communication techniques you will develop a close partnership with your horse that will result in light and smooth responses to your cues.   Your horse will be at peace under your confident, consistent leadership. 
In this one-day clinic you will see immediate improvement in the correct performance of these movements:

• A sure stop from your seat, eventually not using your reins to stop while having the horse use his hindquarters in the stop instead of stopping on the forehand
• A “go” cue for immediate walk departs and upward gait transitions with no kicking, squeezing or urging.
• Slow down cue without pulling on the reins
• Backing with no pulling on the reins and lightness in the forehand
• Smooth, fluid turns with lateral movement of shoulders and hindquarters
• Constructive methods of using your horse’s extra energy without frustration or pulling on the reins
• Correctly performing side-pass and leg yield lateral movements.  These movements are very useful on the trail for avoiding branches and opening gates. 
• Having your horse “pick you up” from a mounting block, fence, picnic table, etc. and stand perfectly still while you mount and wait until you ask him to move.

No Experience Necessary

You do not need to be an experienced rider or horseperson to participate with your horse in this clinic. Beginners as well as advanced riders have found the skills taught in Ed's clinics to be very useful. His system of working with horses builds confidence in handling horses on the ground and mounted, equips owners with natural communication skills and establishes their authority as confident, consistent leaders for their horse. You will develop a better relationship with your horse- lighter responses, more respect, trust, and harmony. This is all accomplished with respect for the horse by using gentle, natural horsemanship techniques.

Ed's teaching style is very clear and straight-forward, giving students a methodical and systematic approach which is easy for both horse and rider to understand and apply. His gentle methods have been proven effective by successfully working with hundreds of horses and humans. You will learn problem solving principles and teaching techniques that work with the horse's nature and instincts in order to overcome resistances and find solutions with confidence, patience and understanding.
Thirty-five years of working with horses in the ranching, motion picture and training industries along with Ed's formal training in 17th century classical equitation provide him with a very unique and broad basis of skills and knowledge to pass on to lesson participants. Ed has conducted clinics and taught riding skills all around the US, Canada and Europe. You'll learn gentle horsemanship and riding techniques that you've never seen before and that are not taught in any other clinics.

The clinic hours are 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM Saturday.  All riders are expected to be in the arena promptly at 10:00 AM with their horse saddled.  Riders should be on foot with their horse in hand on halter and lead.  Bridles should be attached to the saddle or hung nearby on the arena fence.  We will begin with some brief essential warm up exercises in hand then move into the mounted work for the remainder of the day.  Lunch break will be 1:00 – 2:00.  Riders should be mounted in the arena promptly at 2:00.

Follow Up Lessons

Following the clinic, Ed will be available for individual or group lessons. This a great opportunity for you to have a private session to improve the skills learned during the clinic. Ed will be happy to work with you and your horse on any particular problems or issues that are most important to you. Fee for individual lessons is $150 per hour.

Group sessions of two or more riders may also be arranged if there is a group of participants who would like to work on similar topics. Fee for group lessons is $75 per rider per hour.

These “after clinic” individual and group sessions are open to anyone including clinic participants or auditors who would like to work with their horse or with one of our school horses.