Best Clinic Reports of 2012

Clinic reports have long been a reader-submitted staple on Eventing Nation. Taking a clinic with a top rider or trainer offers an incredible way to expand and stretch your riding knowledge and ability. What better way to fully capture and remember every detail from the clinic than to type up a report and send it to [email protected]? Grid diagrams, quotes from clinicians, photos, and your analysis — we want to see it all firsthand. Here’s a look at the best clinic reports we published  in 2012. 

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Clayton Fredericks removes a noseband during the clinic.

1. Clayton Fredericks Clinic, submitted by Denya 

Why we loved it: We’re total suckers for diagrams of grid exercises that really challenged you and your horse. Denya included two excellent diagrams of Clayton’s clinic exercises, which consisted of poles and low jumps set on a variety of creative angles. She also included this great tip from Clayton: “Watch your horse’s ears. If he is listening to you, they will be turned out to the side. If they are forward, he’s not paying attention to you.”

Our favorite part:  Clayton removed 12 of the 30 horses’ nosebands during the clinic, explaining that tight nosebands allow the horse to lean and argue with his neck muscles. “Without a noseband, they only have their lower jaw, which offers them no leverage and relatively little strength. Having taken the offending nosebands, Clayton preached soft hands, give when the horse responds — and to the amazement of many, it worked,” Denya said. Many thanks for submitting such a super clinic report, Denya!

 

George Morris shows off his classic scowl during the clinic. Photo submitted by Katie Murphy.

2. George Morris Clinic, submitted by Katie  Murphy 

Why we loved it: Eventer Katie Murphy audited a George Morris clinic and found herself agreeing with many of his crotchety opinions. “Day by day, I found myself aligning with George. He and I shared many of the same thoughts: perfection begins in the details; you must work through a problem not remove it from the equation; be bold and achieve your objection through accurate, well-planned riding,” Katie said.

Our favorite part: Katie included a list of George’s best quotes from the clinic, which include some true gems, like: “I’m not putting up with this meek and hapless riding” and “You sit there like a soup sandwich.” Gotta love George! Many thanks for sending in this great report, Katie!

 

Amy practices the puzzle of poles exercise.

3. Peter Atkins Clinic, submitted by Amy Grayson

Why we loved it: A broken leg didn’t slow Peter down during this clinic. He kept all the riders on their toes, especially during his puzzle of poles exercise, which he used to prepare the riders to jump. We also loved that Peter walked Amy through jumping on a diagonal, a challenge she’d never tackled. That’s what clinics are all about: trying new things under the watchful eyes of a pro.

Our favorite part: “In a way that only Peter can do, he asks each rider question after question, partly for us to know the answer, but mostly to get us thinking for ourselves and analyzing every single moment we are on our horses. I will give you a tip about riding with Peter: no matter how dumb an answer, he doesn’t care as long as you NEVER say, ‘I don’t know,'” Amy said. Thanks for sharing your report with EN, Amy!

 

Mary jumps during the clinic with Colleen.

4. Colleen Rutledge Clinic, by Mary Getsey Bernier 

Why we loved it: Mary hadn’t been on a horse for two months and hadn’t jumped in a year when she took this clinic with Colleen Rutledge. We love the way Colleen worked with Mary to have her back to jumping in no time. “Colleen helpfully pointed out I tend to not look at the top rail of my fences as I approach them. How can I see what I’m jumping if I don’t look at it? Colleen explained I must focus on the top rail of the fence, on the approach, until it cleared my horse’s ears,” Mary said.

Our favorite part: “Jumps and poles were always set up for me in a lesson, without explanation of distances.  I knew the basics of how far apart to set poles and jumps, but Colleen spent time going into detail about why the distances were set as they were, for the whichever particular exercise we were working on, at that particular moment,” Mary said. Kudos to Colleen for taking the time to explain distances to Mary. Great job on this report, Mary!

 

Oliver works with riders during the clinic.

5. Oliver Townend Clinic, by Jessie Widner

Why we loved it: Jessie included a lengthy explanation of Oliver’s warm-up routine, which consists of (1) giving the horse 5-10 minutes to just walk, trot and canter around however he wants, (2) starting work and geting the horse to listen, and (3) transitions and change of pace within the trot.

Our favorite part: “The most important point Oliver made to every rider is the need to stay as still as possible and not interfere too much with their horse before the fence. He stressed the importance of coming in with a powerful canter and letting the horse do its job,” Jessie said. A big thanks goes to Jessie for sending in this report!

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