Tiffany McDermott attended a World Class Grooming Clinic with Emma Ford and Cat Hill last month at Hinckley Equestrian Center Ohio, and she's now kindly sharing a clinic report with us! Be sure to share your own clinic reports with us at [email protected].
Emma Ford shows the correct way to apply a FLAIR Equine Nasal Strip.
As the guru George H. Morris once said, “Love means attention, which means looking after the things we love. We call this stable management.”
No matter what level you’re at — whether you’re competing at Intro Rider or you’re in the process of bringing up your three-star prospect — everyone should know proper stable management, safety and first aid care, and proper grooming.
Being a true equestrian means that you would do and will do absolutely anything necessary to keep the partnerships with your equine athletes as strong, healthy and as efficient as possible. That being said, being a good horseman (or woman) comes far before the show ring. Going to the ends of the earth to make sure your horse is being properly taken care of should be a number one priority.
Learning from Cat Hill!
Introducing their book, World-Class Grooming for Horses, Olympic grooms Cat Hill and Emma Ford (who currently works for Phillip Dutton) have been doing a tremendous job with sharing their years of knowledge and experience, with all sorts of tips and tricks to help out all of us fellow equestrians on improving and perfecting our grooming and care-taking skills.
The last five years I have grown into my riding career from the roots up at Hinckley Equestrian Center located in Hinckley, Ohio, and on Dec. 20 and 21, Cat and Emma traveled from New York and Pennsylvania to Hinckley to host a two-day World Class Grooming clinic, which I had the amazing opportunity to partake in.
They brought along copies of their wonderful book, prizes from their sponsors (which include Equifit, FLAIR Nasal Strips, Absorbine, Equi-Nature, Shapley’s and Horseware). Along with their years of priceless experience, Cat and Emma were able to share their knowledge with the Bath Pony Club members, as well as with members from various Pony Clubs in the area, and students such as myself from Hinckley Equestrian.
The whole clinic crew at Hinckley!
Aspects of the book such as braiding, mane and tail pulling, clipping, different types of wraps and wrapping techniques, general barn management/safety and much more were all taught hands on and are also covered in the book to help remember for later. Buying this book and participating in this clinic is by far the most beneficial thing I have done in my riding career thus far.
All of what I learned in those few hours will benefit me for the rest of my riding years, especially in the long run. When we are taking care of our horses, we are taking care of our athletes and teammates, and they should be treated as if they were basically royalty (if they aren’t already spoiled enough!), and should be just as well taken care of as we would take care of ourselves.
Not only did Cat and Emma put together an amazing schedule of things for participants to learn, they made the day a fun, exciting experience. So, if you’re thinking to yourself “I can wrap a leg, but what do I put underneath it?” or “Wait a sec, what size clippers am I supposed to use again?” I highly suggest to consider participating in one of these clinics.
If you can’t participate in a clinic, I would most definitely recommend buying the book. I know I will remember this experience for the rest of my life!
Mark your calendars for Feb. 15, when Emma and Cat will be hosting a one-day clinic for grooms, working students and barn staff in Aiken. The program will be tailored to the attendees, but Emma and Cat will cover time management, barn organization, handling show situations and any specific needs, like braiding, turnout, first aid, wrapping and leg care. Contact Emma and Cat for more info or to sign up.
