Mark Rashid Clinic

by Rick Roll

Hi folks -

Well, sorry to say it is over. It was a great eight days of learning for about 18 riders and a number of auditors.

Here is a brief run down of the happenings. This time I saw:

Once again, a quiet, patient and effective teacher teaching in a format where the horse and rider never got lost in the crowd. Neither horses nor riders were overfaced.

Every person and every horse got just what he or she needed to progress.

Riders finding how light they could be and being surprised. because they thought they were already light.

Riders finding they had to do more to give some meaning to their cues and some direction to their horse.

Riders learning how important it is to ride with contact and how many times a loose rein can really make it hard on the horse.

Riders finding out how much their horses wanted to get along, but couldn't because the riders cues were confusing, conflicting or too intense.

Riders finding out how to ride while letting the horse make decisions which might or might not have been desired by the rider. Then riders finding out how to help the horse find other decisions to make so that both the horse and the rider were both getting

something they wanted.

Straight forward (ie. no riddles, no cocky wisecracks, no hassle, no zen mumbo jumbo) help with feel, timing and balance. IMO, this s what all of every clinic should be about but so often is not. This is why I keep returning to these clinics.

There was help with seats (thanks Trish!), which helped with hands and legs.

There was help with fee6ng and seeing what the horse was offering up or getting ready to offer, so that riders could become more aware of what to feel and how to time a cue closer to the horse's thought.

Riders learning to use a cue and not the equipment.

Horses that got less and less bothered, so that they could relax their polls, their necks and then their shoulders. Some relaxed clear on through the hindquarters.

Auditors seeing the difference between a horse being light and being soft. Riders feeling that difference.

One horse and rider, both back for the third year, hit the point where the horse would collect and then remain collected on a loose rein. The horse had figured out that was the best way to move while carrying a rider. I had never seen that before. This person and horse are not into dressage. They are just backyard riders working to find a way to ride together. The first year this horse and rider could not get together on a trot. The second year, they were doing canter departs. Now this amazing thing.

People finding out first hand that, if they would just pay attention to the good things that were happening, more often than not, the things they did not like would just disappear.

IMO, it does not get any better than that.

If you want to learn about your horse and how to find these things, you owe it to yourself and your horse to see Mr. Rashid. I would be best to ride.

You can always catch your favorite cowboy at the rodeo later. RR

" If you can find a teacher who can show you how to get a glimpse of the inside of your horse, who cares who is the best cowboy?" - Rick