Eventing Bootcamp Begins

Moving to Dan Clasing and Kaitlin Spurlock's farm has got to be hands down the best decision I have ever made for my riding. In just one lesson, Dan managed to peel away all the bullshit and magnify  the key problems in Leo's training and development:

• Improper connection in the bridle due to an unengaged hind end and a lack of leg by me
• Underdeveloped canter
• Lack of strength to hold himself to a 12-ft stride

I think his list would have been longer but he probably didm't want to be discouraging in the first lesson! Dan is confident this can all be corrected. Whew! He admitted training any horse to the upper levels in hard - it doesn't matter how experienced you are.

In lesson #1, Dan watched us trot for a loop of the ring and then stopped us. Right away he didn't like Leo's inconsistent contact in the bridle and lack of engagement.

Stage 1: Develop connection at the walk by engaging the hind end

• The walk must be kept very slow and deliberate
• Use an insane amount of leg; pressure must be even to prevent lateral movement 
• Cluck
• Move your seat
• Squeeze core and knees to prevent trotting or a faster walk
• Hands cannot come back; they must remain in a forward position
• Horse must remain straight even on a circle

This was really difficult for us. The whole exercise really emphasized our lack of straightness, Leo's evasion tactics, my bad habit of trying to correct Leo with my hands not my leg. 

Stage 2:  Adding trot

We moved into the trot and introduced changes of direction and transitions between walk and trot. The trot was still more on the collected side - and I had to keep it energized with a lot of leg. Leo wasn't allowed to fly away with me. He had to channel the energy and settle into the contact. I was not allowed to pull back on the reins or use the reins for any corrections. This was a theme for the entire lesson. Leo had to carry himself through the transitions and I had to use my core and legs to create a better quality connection and gaits. 

Stage 3:  Collected canter

Then we moved to canter and Leo again had to maintain a collected, connected, straight canter without me touching the reins. When I say collected, I'm really just talking about a 12-ft canter stride that maintains an even steady pace and has power. 

More and more leg. More and more core. This was really an exercise in producing a better quality canter. Leo had to stay engaged and hold himself in a 12-ft stride. I had to encourage this performance by holding the canter step with my core and creating the impulsion with my legs. This was kind of a fail for us to be honest - we really struggled to complete a whole circle in the right canter. This is a huge hole in our training! 

Stage 4: Riding a collected canter over jumps

The progression continued with the addition of a small cavalleti exercise. Three fences were set up on a circle. Each fence was 18 ft apart, middle-to-middle. The fences on the end were maybe a foot off the ground. The center fence was maybe 2 - 2'6". Small. To start we did a figure out over the exercise, just jumping the last 2 fences on each approach. We started at the trot. Leo had to maintain a collected trot into the first fence, canter one short stride over the second fence and then repeat. Then we moved onto canter the exercising. Again, when approaching the first fence Leo had to maintain a collected canter. I couldn't pull back on the reins. He couldn't change his stride length. 

At the end we cantered a circle over all 3 fences in succession out of a collected canter. No reins. All core and legs. Leo got tired very quickly and Dan said the exercise showed not just his lack of training but also his lack of strength to hold that quality of canter. 

So wow, do we have a lot to do this summer! But I'm excited for the first time in a long time to ride and learn. Dan and Kaitlin are running their farm at a very high standard - far superior to anything I have ever experienced before. I can't wait to watch and learn and see how the pros run a training establishment. Clearly, they have a program for training event horses and I want to know what it is!

Leo in his stall! Swanky!

Hermitage Farm

The barn at Hermitage Farm

The farrier schedule!! This blew my mind. 

The most organized feed board ever