Instructor clinic with Marijke de Jong

The June 2016 instructor clinic was an amazing 3 days of learning and inspiration. Marley and I found what we had been missing to move to the next level and made huge improvements after our lessons with Marijke de Jong. It was super to watch the other instructors' lessons, inspirational and so much to learn that way as one way or another we generally come across the same challenges.
For me the theme was the importance of getting a proper connection over the back from the tail to the poll, no look-alikes allowed, and to be totally consistent not to accept the compromise the horse will offer us. Getting the fine details right in every exercise to allow the horse to find the point of mass is key.
We had a great time trialling the new ST for riders which will be hugely beneficial, I felt the effects of the new exercises immediately. And this really made us think about how the horses must feel when we ask them to move in a new way, or stretch a certain muscle when they are not used to it. It is so important to allow them time to rest between exercises when they are learning and to listen to their feedback.