Clinic with Dave Ellis! 5/10/19

5/10/19-5/12/19 Next in our life is a 3 day clinic with 6 Star Parelli Master Clinician, Dave Ellis. I rode with Dave in many clinic is my younger 40 and 50 age years. It’s twenty years later and I have an “intriguing” super talented horse that I’m having trouble connecting to.

The mornings are a group clinic. The afternoon is private lessons. In our first morning clinic, we did our ground play under Dave’s direction. Fancy was very nervous in this arena. It was one of the cloth arenas and one long side was extremely scary. We ran half circles and reared. After everyone got on, finally I decided Fancy was calmed down enough to ride. I got to ride for about an hour.

We adjourned the clinic for lunch. Except Fancy was still nervous. I was thinking, I’m going to ride Fancy is a private lesson. We will be the only horse in the arena. Scream. Therefore, I rode Fancy during the lunch period. I was the second horse, so Fancy got to be tied to the arena fence during the first lesson and then it was OUR TURN!

Dave asked me what I wanted to work on. I replied, “SLOWING DOWN”. I have problem especially with the fox trot. She speeds up into a bouncy, almost trot, version of the fox trot. I am unable to get her to slow down. I have much the same problem in the canter too, but at least her canter is not bouncy (until she locks her front leg knees)!

Dave’s direction was to ride her in a large figure eight and when she “revved up”, I held on to one rein contact and went into a smaller circle. The other hand was not to hold on to the rein. I was to lift my hand holding the rein, not hold it at a low level which is what my arm wanted to do. When Fancy slowed down to an acceptable speed, she got to go “straight” again in the large figure eight circle.

It didn’t take long where she started slowing down and was rewarded by straightening out and not having the contact on the rein. Near the end of my lesson, she was staying in the flat foot walk. When I asked for the faster fox trot, I got a few steps of smooth fox trot. That was a fun and rewarding private lesson! I had FUN! Fancy and I improved our communication.

The second day, Dave had me do a few exercise where I had to ask her to turn her hindquarters when a particular front foot hit the ground on the count of THREE. We circled around a barrel going in straight lines and moving the hindquarters and the next time we moved went around the barrel moving the forequarters. I believe this exercise enabled Fancy and I to have communication. We also moved around in a 20′ foot circle with me holding a rein. She had to go where my body directed her, even though my hand had contact on one rein.

After the intense foot fall exercises, we got to do several things going straight. Her speed was controlled. It was thrilling. Fancy and I stepped up in our communication! The intense footfall exercise really helped to relax Fancy and got her smart, athletic attention on my cues!