James Shaw Clinics Reports

by Rachel Bedingfield

Intro:

I bounced back into horses in my late thirties after a long gap and soon found I was bouncing off them when they bucked or bolted. Three years ago I didn’t bounce…I broke. A vertebra to be exact and I have spent the last couple of years recovering physically and mentally. The latter has been much harder as my confidence took the brunt of the damage. That was my state when I organised my first clinic with James last July (2006).

First Clinic:

My first impression of James was of a warm and friendly man and I felt instantly relaxed to know I’d be working with a positive teacher. My next impression was less warm, when he informed me we wouldn’t need chairs for the morning session. At that time, I “couldn’t” stand for more than 20 minutes due to back pain, so I didn’t see how I could get through a whole morning without a seat. That was my first learning on how our minds can limit us. I did get through the first morning without a chair by learning to stand in balance. That experience alone was a revelation as I realised that my body was in much better shape than I realised. (Mind you, not having a tea-break nearly did finish me off…what is it about Americans and tea breaks???!!)

The clinic was two days and it started me on the road to recovering from the pain of falls and bad posture. I also learnt to feel where my seat bones were and to breathe deeper and more effectively when I was riding. I felt fizzing with energy after my second riding lesson which surprised me as, until then, riding had become an exhausting experience. I turned Toby out into the school to have a roll in the sand and was amazed to see him bucking, kicking, galloping, rearing as if he too were releasing muscles and fizzing with energy.

Second Clinic:

I invited James back in November for a four day clinic. I brought my rescued mare, Roisin, to that. I had started to re-back her in the summer following three years of rehab. This clinic was when I made great progress with the physical recovery of my body but also hit the fear threshold. In becoming more self aware physically I was becoming more aware emotionally and the fear was coming into my consciousness. I realised that I rode with bravado, not confidence, and probably always had. I found the ridden lessons emotionally difficult, especially when I fell off having carelessly forgotten to tighten my girth. James was wonderfully supportive, working with me where I felt comfortable but also helping me to go further. His way of asking you to focus on your breath and your seat bones was calming for me and Roisin responded beautifully when I was able to focus and settle under his guidance.

By the end of this clinic I was able to do all the ground exercises featured in his book and started to do them as part of my daily routine. Now, I am not a routine person. I have done Yoga, jogging, piano, journal writing etc etc etc and this is the only thing I have stuck at until it is part of my life. And the reason for that was simple: it felt really good to do the exercises. I usually feel joyful and always get a sense of being grounded. By this time my family were noticing that I was becoming a calmer person and much more able to take stress in my stride.

I didn’t ride for a couple of months following the clinic as the winter weather here is so horrible and the days so short and this is where the real magic of James’ teaching comes. By doing the ground exercises daily and being aware of my posture and breath lots of times during my daily life, I was actually working on my riding. When I did start riding again, it was much easier to control my breath, sit in balance and thus connect with Roisin. As I began to become familiar with the feeling of balance and connection I began to gain true confidence from the inside out. I could now feel when Roisin was with me because I could feel a physical connection. In other words, where “feel” in horsemanship had previously been some sort of esoteric thing that I suspected other people were born with and I simply didn’t have, I now know that it is something tangible and everyone can learn it.

Third Clinic:

James has just left from his third clinic with me and the riding was wonderful. I am no longer fearful about riding since I am only prepared to ride connected. If I lose the connection I know how to regain it and, so far, despite the odd spooks and sparks which I have sat nicely, I feel connected within minutes of being in the saddle. This time, James worked with me on even more subtle use of the body to ride circles and straight lines and to create transitions with little more than intention and breath.

Last year, before I started working with James, I could ride for about 40 minutes until the back pain meant I had to get off and walk for a bit. My total time, walking and riding, was 2 hours maximum and I would return home sore and stiff and be very sore the next day. Riding was also a fearful activity and any time I felt the horse’s energy come up, the video nasties would start to play in my head and I would have to stop the horse. Now, I can ride for over two hours and am energised and comfortable when I get off. I ride with connection so am beginning to laugh when things go a bit pear shaped rather than clutch up in fear. I am still only walking and trotting and have not yet ventured into open spaces but I now have the means to ride with confidence as I know how to be connected with my horse and she gets daily more responsive with me. The best I can do for her and me is to pursue the ground exercises so that each time I ride I have a bit more awareness and body control.

My favourite quote from James’ book is “To be at one with your horse you must first be at one with yourself”. The great thing is, he knows how to teach you to achieve both and that is his real gift.

P.S. if you come to one of his clinics at my farm in Yorkshire, don’t worry about the tea breaks. We’ve naturalised him!