CONNECTED RIDING for GAITED HORSES is back by popular demand for 2007 August 9-12, 2007 Junction City, Oregon (north of Eugene) Instructor: Diane Sept
Imagine how it would feel to. . Improve your horse's gait with less effort . Release tension and find the natural potential in you & your horse . Experience a new sense of harmony with your horse If you have a gaited horse and would like to learn new awareness of your own body and how it affects your horse, improve your riding skills, increase your riding comfort and improve your horse's gait -- then this clinic is for you! No matter what your level of riding knowledge or experience, your horse's movement and attitude can improve... Connected Riding instructor and gaited horse expert Diane Sept will show you how! This year's clinic will run from Thursday through Sunday. On Thursday, Diane Sept (see profile below) will offer customized lessons for all levels of experience. Friday & Saturday, Diane will present the core of Connected Riding for Gaited Horses through her unique blend of fun, kinesthetic exercises and cognitive instruction -- both on the ground and in the saddle. Sunday offers further opportunities for individual and small-group instruction: ground manners, pre-ride diagnostics, longeing your gaited horse, and more riding! The location for this year's clinic is a secluded private facility near Junction City, Oregon (between Corvallis and Eugene). Our host, Janet Clark, offers us a 180' x 72' indoor arena, 12x12 stalls with shavings, hot and cold wash rack, and plenty of room for camping and riding outdoors, too. For more information on the content of the clinic or how to register, please read on! For questions, contact Lisanne at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] or 503-838-2500. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunday workshop details: "Improving your Relationship from the Ground" is where it all starts between you and your horse! Building a strong foundation of respect and understanding with your horse will help performance in all areas. Diane teaches gentle, effective methods to set boundaries for control, safety, gait, health and suppleness. You will also learn how most "traditional" methods of teaching your horse "ground manners" cause tenseness that inhibits your horse's gait under saddle, and causes long-term negative impacts on mental and physical health. If your horse is ever in your space, unresponsive to your requests, or loses focus on you, the handler, then this workshop is for you! "Diagnostic Check: What your Horse Needs You to Know!" Increase your awareness and learn to recognize signs of physical and mental stress in your horse. Diane will show how to assess your horse from head to tail, carefully reading signs that might otherwise go unnoticed. Use this information to help optimize your horse's well-being and performance. "Longe your Gaited Horse" Is it beneficial to longe a gaited horse? What gaits are acceptable on the longe line? Learn to longe your gaited horse correctly, in a way that will benefit performance under saddle, as well as improve overall balance, gait and fitness. Back by popular demand, this workshop is limited to four horse/human pairs. "Ground-drive your Gaited Horse" Learn to ground-drive your gaited horse correctly, in a way that will benefit performance under saddle, as well as improve overall balance, gait and fitness. Instructor Profile: Diane Sept Sutton One of Peggy Cummings' original certified Connected Riding instructors, Diane has been teaching Connected Riding to gaited horse riders for over 17 years. A warm, witty, and insightful instructor, Diane is highly acclaimed for helping riders of every experience level get the most pleasure and performance from their gaited horses - the natural way, without devices or gimmicks! Learn more about Connected Riding at: www.connectedriding.com. An accomplished horsewoman, Diane has been training and riding Tennessee Walking Horses since 1970. She has coached and ridden Walking Horses to several National Versatility Championships. Over the years, she has worked with many smooth-gaited breeds, including Rocky Mountain Horses, Paso Finos, Peruvian Pasos, Missouri Foxtrotters, and Icelandics. While she is sought after for her expertise with gaited horses, Diane's experience extends to the non-gaited breeds, as well. She is currently a licensed judge through the Independent Judge's Association, and she judges many open, 4-H, and Tennessee Walker shows. Diane's breadth of experience in the horse world allows her to incorporate a range of teaching and training modes and translate them effectively between "walk-trot" and gaited horses. While living and training in Canada for eight years, Diane helped write the competitive dressage tests for Walking Horses in Canada - the first competitive standards for gaited dressage anywhere. She also studied with Linda-Tellington Jones' sister, Robyn Hood, to learn T.T.E.A.M. training methods. Currently, Diane performs nationwide at National Centered Riding Symposiums, as well as in Connected Riding demonstrations with Peggy Cummings. Diane has even been known to give bridleless riding demonstrations at various venues. Diane's thoughts on riding and training gaited horses: Gaited horse owners have been told for years that shank bits, long toes, weighted shoes, cutback saddles, and action devices can "correct" a horse's gait. Diane disagrees. She takes a more natural approach, based on balance and an elastic connection between horse and rider. "Anything else is a 'quick fix,' throwing the horse into just enough imbalance that it has to do some form of a four- beat gait. It may feel smooth, but the timing, purity, and quality of movement suffer," she explains. "Both horse and rider end up stiff, sore and frustrated." "Freeing up and allowing the natural abilities of any breed to express themselves is what Connected Riding is all about. Once we understand the mechanics of the gait we are striving for, then it's a matter of allowing our bodies, coaching our bodies, to athleticize the animal to achieve that goal. Gaited horses are bred to give us a smooth gait. We just have to help them into self-carriage to allow that natural gait to come through." ______________________________ Judy http://icehorses.net http://clickryder.com
