Clinic: Be Your Horses Leader!
Clinicians: Kate, Juleen, Estella & Pamela
Date: May 17, 2025
A Resounding Success!
Our first clinic of the year, “Be Your Horse’s Leader,” held on May 17th, was a fantastic day of learning and connection for both horses and handlers! We were thrilled to welcome 17 enthusiastic participants who came to hone their communication skills in-hand and under saddle.
A huge wave of gratitude goes to our incredible clinic committee! Your dedication and hard work behind the scenes truly paid off in creating such a valuable experience for everyone.
We were fortunate to have four exceptionally experienced members step up as our instructors. Working seamlessly as a TEAM, Estella, Kate, Pamela, and Juleen generously shared their wealth of knowledge accumulated over many years in the equine world. Their passion for horsemanship was truly inspiring!
The diversity of our participants and their equine partners made the day even richer. We welcomed seasoned horsewomen with their young horses, members embarking on the incredible journey of owning their very first horse, and even an auditor who learned that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams of horsemanship.
Estella kicked off the clinic with a demonstration illustrating the profound impact of your mood on your equine partner. The morning session then delved into essential groundwork, guided by Estella’s insightful instruction. Participants then broke into four smaller groups, benefiting from personalized guidance from Kate, Pamela, Estella, and Juleen.
Juleen shared insights into the differences between a horse’s brain and the human brain, shedding light on why horses require time to process and “soak in” new information. Kate followed with some insightful sending exercises, helping participants develop clearer communication. The morning session concluded with Pamela’s practical demonstrations of various techniques to encourage your equine to back up with finesse. A special shout-out to Traci, who kindly stepped in to assist Linda with her long-legged two-year-old, Slate, when Linda was feeling under the weather.
After a well-deserved lunch break, Juleen provided a valuable demonstration of her preferred mounting technique, mphasizing the importance of minimizing strain on our equine’s spine. She highlighted the benefits of using terrain, mounting blocks and fences, as well as being able to mount and dismount from both sides of your equine.
Kate led the afternoon session with focused exercises designed to help participants gain precise control over their equine’s footfalls under saddle. After several hours of dedicated riding, it became clear that both horses and a few humans were reaching a point of overload!
Demonstrating commitment to our participants, Kate stayed after the formal sessions to provide individual assistance and address specific challenges participants were encountering.
The progress witnessed from the morning to the afternoon across all attendees was truly remarkable – a testament to the dedication of our instructors and the willingness of our participants to learn and grow.
A massive thank you to Holly, Maggie, Estella, Traci and every single person who pitched in to make this clinic such a success. We are incredibly proud of our supportive and engaged WSCSC community!
