MARK RASHID CLINIC

March 2000

One on One with Mark Rashid  A Different Type of Clinic

Mark Rashid, of Estes Park, Colorado, has just finished his first two clinics in Scotland. This was a different type of clinic to those most of us are used to. Mark's focus, always, is first and foremost on the horse. He feels that the best way to give the horse and the rider the attention they truly deserve is to work one-to-one. This definitely seemed to have a deeper impact on learning, as Mark gives you as much time as he feels you and your horse need. Both clinics were 4 days long, with the majority of riders (only seven per day) participating for the whole 4 days.

Mark works with where the horse is, not necessarily where the person wants the horse to be. Riders and auditors soon realized that Mark would definitely get them to a place they needed to be  it just may not have been the place they had been directing themselves!! Mark works with all riding disciplines, the clinics being more about the horse and our attitude and approaches to our relationship with the horse rather than about a technique.

Marks clinics are very interactive, with the spectators (and riders who are not in the session) finding that it becomes a classroom setting. There was a constant flow of conversation with lots of questions and answers  and also a couple of very informative demos regarding body position and weight. Mark is also very knowledgeable about saddle fit, which several of the participants found very enlightening.

Below are some comments from participants of the first clinic.

Emma Clarkson wrote:

I first heard of Mark Rashid from a friend who was at the time reading one of Mark's books and was enthusing about it. I eventually got a copy and was enlightened to a whole way of looking at various aspects of horse life from their point of view and not ours! The first book leads on to the second and I was quite envious when my friend and a few others managed to attend one of Mark's clinics in England last year. So, when I knew there was a chance he was coming to Scotland this year I had myself and my equine partner booked in pretty quick and just to make sure I went along to spectate on the first day of the first clinic.

This man has a lovely quiet approach to the horse and each horse he worked with was very relaxed in his care. His voice was never raised and his requests on the horse were clear and consistent with consistency being the key and "asking" not "making" being very apparent. He also has seemingly endless patience, something I am sure we could all improve on, and spent the time necessary with each horse to help address the problem. BIG tip here - throw away your watch when working with horses! They really don't care or know that your tea is ready by six!

I think one of the biggest things that became clear to me when watching the clinic and having read the books is that a horse already knows how to be a horse and we would do well to remember that! He does not think like a human and anything he does which might cheese us off is not the horse's fault. Everything he does is for a good reason. He has either been let down by human beings, is doing what comes naturally for his self preservation, or because it is what he has learned and has never been shown anything else.

The other thing I liked about this man was there were no gimmicks or special tools of the trade such as halters or lead ropes. He uses basic gear that we all have and made it clear that tools are not the trick to get the horse to do something but what you do is. There is no form of punishment used when a horse does something we don't want and the slightest little try on the horses part is rewarded immediately. Mark simply looks at what the horse is doing that is undesirable and makes it more difficult for the horse to do it or not as "nice". An example of this at the clinic was a horse that wouldn't stand still when being mounted. As the horse walked off while the rider tried to mount he was simply made to work on a tight circle. The horse soon figured that this was harder work than just standing still.(note, with a mounting problem make sure you are not poking your horse in the ribs with your toe thus cueing him to go forward and then blaming him when he won't stand!)

I could go on for ages discussing what I saw and learned but it would fill pages. I thoroughly enjoyed the day, which also included the starting of a young horse - I hear that the owner has now had his first ride! All of it done without force, harsh words or frayed temper but in a way that allowed the horse the chance to figure a lot out for himself. I can't wait to get my horse in the arena!

Roberta Cormack Brown wrote:

When I was asked to write a short critique on the Mark Rashid 4 day Clinic I thought there is so much to say how can I possibly make it short! However, I'll try.

Mark Rashid is one of the best trainers I have ever seen. He is inspirational, innovative, and supportive of both horse & rider, he also has a great sense of humor. All the ingredients you need to make learning  FUN! Spectators were more than mere observers as Mark fully involves them with every horse and rider. Cheers and tears were expressed as horses successfully worked through their fears and confusions or learned new tasks.

Mark works holistically seeing horses and riders as individuals. He sees the bigger picture and breaks it down into smaller achievable pieces before rebuilding it into a co-operative partnership between horse & rider. From day one you could see the changes. Aids became lighter, transitions smoother and stops softer. Any confusion between horse and rider soon disappeared under the watchful eye of Mark. This man misses nothing. By the end of this clinic all the riders & spectators were grinning like Cheshire cats. I wonder why! As for the horses, well I think they would be saying "at last we're being fully listened to thanks to the guy on the ground with the strange accent and funny hat!"

Dave Cameron wrote:

Reading some of the clinic reports on Mark Rashid's web-site swung the decision to attend - I knew I couldn't help but learn something. Mark works one-on-one with seven riders over four days. He dismantles big problems into smaller questions like physical damage, saddle fit, feeding, rider posture, aids, habits, etc; works these through individually and then builds the solutions back together. There's no magic or evangelism involved, just huge patience, persistence and trust in the horse.

After a couple of hours, you realize that the clinic schedule is in the bin - the man just keeps on working until he gets an outcome. The audience is encouraged to get involved, ask questions, share experiences, crack jokes, and even try a bit of ground-reining. There's an easy humor and the atmosphere is 'at work' but relaxed.

It was fascinating to watch other folk's sessions and see them work through different problems piece by piece: horses which would not be tacked-up; a youngster who had never worn a saddle before; a horse which braced in turns; a horse which could only turn one way; an ex barrel-racer with a sense of occasion, a horse with only two paces; a horse scared of washing-lines; a rider with the brakes jammed on. There was plenty of variety to keep the questions flying.

Here's a few things I wanted to work on: Bracing against the lunge; Saddle fit; Lack of impulsion, I feel I need to push her on; Attitude, ear-pinning working close to other horses.

Lunging

I work Candy on the lunge maybe once a week, more for my benefit than hers. It helps me see how she moves her feet and responds to my own movements and energy level. I was introduced me to this stuff originally working in her round-pen so I was quite comfortable with Mark's looser way of lunging the horse; walking round more behind the girth and using the tail of the rope if necessary as a visual cue. My issue with her sometimes bracing her neck against the line didn't show-up so I need to remind myself about releasing as soon as she gives to pressure.

Saddle fit:

I wanted to take a look at my saddle fit - although folk I'd asked had said "it seems to fit her OK", I still thought my western saddle might be restricting her shoulder and Mark confirmed a bridging problem. Feeling underneath also demonstrated the saddle not making even contact along the full length of her back; about the fender, you could easily slip a finger under the bars, not good but not irreparable. I saw Mark feeling Candy's spine for sore spots, thankfully no reaction indicates she's not been damaged.

Mark folded up a blanket and used this to pad the centre of the saddle; this relieved the pressure on her shoulder and allowed us to get on with some ridden work the first day in walk and jog. The second day we tried another arrangement of blankets which had the saddle pivoting around the cinch with the back wagging freely, not very comfortable. Off it came and we tried just about every western saddle in the place! Nothing fitted terribly well so we ended up riding in my extra-wide English saddle, which fits the horse really well, and a western bridle. Along with the other work we'd being doing, the difference made by a good fit was immediately obvious in the way Candy was able to move up a gear.

Lack of Impulsion:

Mark watches me walk, jog, stop, and backup for a while then shows what he means by 'try' and 'release', taking the horse's end of the reins and demonstrating by feel. Aha, a wee light comes on with that simple exercise and I begin to appreciate how softly she might work if I just respond to her rather than keep on pushing through that first offer.

Mark asks to ride Candy for a while, partly to work out whether my issue with her being reluctant to move forward has anything to do with the horse and partly to demonstrate what she would do with what kind of aids. I've got into a habit of asking for every step with my leg and was amazed to see her energy build when he took both legs off her side. Let's have a shot of that, with Mark prompting me each time he sees the horse ask a question. It begins to work and now I'm bouncing round with all the impulsion I'm looking for coming from either that kissy sound or just taking my legs off if that doesn't provide. No problem with the horse, she's quite happy to move along if I'd just shut up and stop interfering. <First grin>

I mentioned 'bouncing' and I think it was day-2 we had a wee demo where Mark tried pushing folk off a chair - easy if you arch your back; difficult if you relax and allow your stomach muscles to support. It tickles! Transferring this back onto the horse, I find things a bit less bouncy as I get my hips and back more relaxed but lose it quite often when I feel suddenly out of balance and get thrown forward. Another demonstration - Trisha is asked to stand with her feet close together and she's a pushover; feet just two inches apart and she's hard to budge. The lesson here is I'm gripping-on which makes me narrow and unstable - relax those legs a tad more and trust the mare to respond to my kiss and leg-off aids instead of tensing and reverting to the old habit of one boot per step when I feel her ask to slow.

I think we might be on day-3 by now and we've moved on to lope transitions from jog and walk. I can feel my seat-bones telling me they've been more in contact with the saddle than before; I'm remembering to look where I'm going instead of at the horse's head and it feels there's a bit more of a conversation going on: "Let's go over there, Candy". "Okay, is this fast enough?" "Bit more" "Okay, how's that?" "Nice, keep it up through the next corner then... ready?" "Okay" "Whoa - Tidy stop by the way" "Piece of cake, where's next?".

The last day assembles all the pieces we worked on back together. Despite the deep surface, Candy's moving along nicely and collecting with much lighter aids, I'm happy. Anything else I'd like to work on? We try some lateral moves. Mark watches me sidepass and wonders why I keep my leg on all the time. Good point, I try just dropping some weight into one hip, leaving my leg mostly off and we float away sideways; balance up and we stop; drop the other hip and we float back again. Likewise, some turns on the haunches - balance her onto the back-end and ask for the turn with leg off and a rein against her neck. Menos es mas, I'm done. Excellent! When is he coming back???!

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