Before you read any further, I would like to thank Lucinda for helping me write the article. I sent off my drafts to her to critique/correct because let’s face it, I have yet to master the English language and any sort of comprehension of riding theory. A huge thank you to Lucinda! Also a giant thank you to Sue Slocum for hosting and organizing the clinic.
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Hello Eventing Nation!
I had the pleasure of attending my first Lucinda Green clinic ever! I drove 90 minutes each way to catch the last 45 minutes of the last group on the last day of the clinic in Minnesota. It was definitely worth it!
Lucinda has been doing clinics in Minnesota for the last several years, and this is the first time she was secured a June date instead of the usual October date. The clinic was held at Sue Slocum’s Wake Robin Farm in Waconia, MN.
Now, I’ve been stalking Lucinda since I found out what eventing was, especially after I heard her voice on the Equestriad 2001 video game as a commentator. I had to ride right by Lucinda! Since then, my stalking has taken me to Youtube videos, online horse forums reviews of her clinics, and the Lucinda Green Facebook page. Lucinda is all about developing the “fifth” leg in your horse. Everything I had always read about her was to not miss a clinic. Even on the ground auditing for 45 minutes, there is much training and theory I can take away with me. This recap is just that, a general overview of the theory and exercises presented. For more in depth theory, attend a clinic. You’ll be glad you did!
Truthfully, I missed the flat and beginning of the warmup (that whole family obligation thing, you know? Gets in the way!) I digress. In person, watching Lucinda’s style of teaching was like a breath of fresh air. She told you what needed to be achieved and praised you when ridden correctly and reminded you when you were falling in to old habits. No hand holding, but more than the usual “Good. Fine.” comments you hear from trainers. There really is no description that will do her style justice, and I could go on for days about it, so you’ll have to experience it for yourself. Back to the warm up. There was a corner made of show jumps, skinnies and barrels set up as well as some blocks. The riders would stay in the middle of their horses and guide their horse over the fences, keeping the designated gait. Once through for each rider, and she’d move the blocks to a new spot, keeping both the horses and riders on their toes (preferably heels). The fences were kept low, and the emphasis on footwork was most important. The horses needed to start analyzing the question at hand as early as possible.
After several rounds of this we moved on to the bank area. The riders were told to walk their horses up and down the banks, and then rode an exercise of skinnies incorporating the banks. Again, fifth leg training of having your horse figure out the striding and where to put his feet was stressed while the rider guided the horse and stayed balanced.
On to the ditches and trakehners next, again start with walking back and forth starting with the smaller ditch and working up to the trakehners. This made me a bit nervous the thought of walking a trakehner, but the benefits from the training completely outweigh any nerves, as the riders (and auditors) soon saw. Lucinda commented that if a horse gets lazy (mentally) and steps a foot in a ditch and there’s a bit of a disaster, they won’t do it again. The rider’s job is to stay on through it.
Water was up next, where the riders were given an option of jumping in cold turkey or walking through it first. This is one tough group that opted to test out the waters by diving in feet first. Horses and riders headed in confidently, albeit a bit cautiously, but the horses were attentive and thinking, a good sign of developing the fifth leg. Throughout the clinic at various times, Lucinda reminded the riders to keep their horses focused. When the horse is not focused, the rider is left with that horrible feeling of no connection.
After mastering each complex, the riders were told to put a course together of the jumps out in the field. Anything they had jumped the previous day and today as well as anything else they wanted to try. The giant log you see the riders take in the video is 3’6” on the one side and 4’+ on the other end.
At the end, the riders were very pleased with the results and were looking very sharp. Lucinda recapped what each horse and rider should take away from their two days together as well as some general knowledge. Personally, I’m a chanter. I need short phrase “gems” to think about as I ride. I shall share with you a few of the gems I took away:
“Why worry about striding?” This was in reference to when you see horses do so many different stride patterns within same complex. “They do what they like.”
“Keep spring coiled. Forward not flat.”
“Please don’t make it difficult. Sit late.”
“Clear your mind.”
“Ride to be in the right place on your horse.”
“Come (to the bounce question) like a set of planks in show jumping.”
“No excuses for being weak and feeble.”
And the most important for riding and for life in general:
“Never waste an opportunity.”
I shall say though, I like a trainer that’s going to give me a good swift kick in the pants especially when it’s backed by exercises that are set up to be successful. Had I been riding, Lucinda probably would have done just that. I feel that riding has gotten a bit overcomplicated as of late (in my experience due to my lack of confidence) and Lucinda gives you the tools you need in a systematic straightforward way. You will gain lots of confidence riding with Lucinda as the main point of fifth leg training is to learn how to deal with and get through the messy bits on course.
Go Lucinda and go eventing.
