Lendon Gray and Education

I got back late last evening from a trip to Woodbury, Ct.  I was presenting one of my educational powerpoint/videos at the Dressage4kids Weekend Educational Program, otherwise known as WEP.  This was the 10th annual WEP and the brain child of two time Olympian, Lendon Gray.

You really have to hand it to this woman.  She has truly dedicated herself to the education of riders.  Her focus has been on kids, as they are obviously our future riders and the caretakers of our horse knowledge.  However, education is for every age and the door is always open and adults are encouraged to attend these events.

Here’s a brief overview of some of the topics that were offered this weekend.  Dr. Hilary Clayton, the country’s premier researcher on equine bio mechanics, gave lectures on horse back pain, bits, bitting and rein tension.   Other presenters talked about everything from animal cruelty investigations, to speech therapy and therapeutic riding, to improving performance through sports psychology.

There were also sessions for professionals in the business that tackled the tough subjects of difficult client situations.  Examples:  how to deal with difficult boarders (and tell them to leave…), and the sometimes dicey relationships between students, parents, and horse owners.   Lendon was one of the presenters for this one and it was great to hear how she’s dealt with these difficult client situations.  After decades in the business and running facilities with more than 50 boarders she’s pretty much seen it all.

Personally, I found every session I attended interesting and informative.  There’s never an end to how much you have to learn in the horse industry (and in life itself for that matter).   A big thanks to Lendon for doing her part to make all this knowledge accessible.

-Hollie McNeil, Owner/Trainer:Riding Right Farm, Author:40 Fundamentals of English Riding

Cool Mo-Cap

The technology that is turning movie making into a computer project, almost rather than an acting project is the future.  Take for instance, Tin Tin, Avatar, and Lord of the Rings.  It’s the melding of what’s real and what’s not and sometimes and it’s tough to tell the difference.  For our Fun Friday today a look at how one film company took on the project of motion capture with horses.  This is some fascinating video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbNeRjfEPkw

-Hollie McNeil, Author:40 Fundamentals of English Riding, Owner/Trainer:Riding Right Farm

Equine Affair – Ohio

Following up on her great reception by the audience at Equine Affaire in MA,Hollie has been invited to be a ‘featured presenter’ at Equine Affaire in Columbus, OH this Spring.  You can see more at the Equine Affaire website.  It’s a great recognition of Hollie’s skill as a teacher/presenter of riding.

So What If It’s Cold

If winter weren’t so darn cold we’d all enjoy it more.  It’s just no fun to have frozen fingers and toes and to shiver.  Many people, especially the kids, just give up riding in the winter.  But you don’t have to.

We like to tell the kids to dress like they’re going skiing.  Wear the snow pants, warm winter boots, neck warmers, mittens and heavy coats.  These two girls pictured to the right could be heading out for skiing, snowboarding, sledding; whatever winter fun they want.  The list includes riding.

Can real serious riding be accomplished dressed like this?  I suppose that’s debatable.  But what’s more important:  exercise, fun, learning, being active?  Or staying inside and watching TV, playing computer games, snacking, texting, etc?   The answer is easy in my opinion.

Some people say, “Oh, it’s just too cold for the horses.”  No, not really.  Horses are not tropical animals.  They are designed for the cold of winter.  Besides, exercise and staying in shape is just as important to their health as it is to ours.  The horse who doesn’t work all winter loses fitness, muscle tone, and cardiovascular conditioning. They become stiff and sore.  Our oldest guys are still around, in part, because of staying fit and active all year long.

So get out your ski attire, bundle up and head to the barn.  You’ll have a good time!

-Hollie McNeil, Owner/Trainer:Riding Right Farm, Author:40 Fundamentals of English Riding

Goals for 2012

The start of the New Year is a great time to sit down and think about your riding goals.  Without a plan we tend to wander around a bit. With a plan, we can focus on what we really want and take the steps to make it happen.

What are your riding goals for 2012?  Last year, when Sports Psychologist Dr. Jenny Susser came here for a clinic she gave us a great lecture on goal setting and success. The first step to making those goals happen is to write it down.  This makes a mental commitment to the process.  Now figure out what day to day things have to be in place to reach that goal.  Dr. Jenny made it real clear that having a realistic, attainable goal was the most important thing.  If you say, as a beginner rider, that you want to compete at second level or jump a 3 foot course you are setting yourself up for failure.  Another important point is to not let other people’s expectations color your desires.  If you want to compete at a walk-trot division and feel like setting the goal of cantering is just too stressful, but everyone else is pressuring you, stand your ground.  These goals are yours and not your parents, friends, or trainers.

If you’ve got your goals figured out and you ride with an instructor, let your instructor in on these goals.  Perhaps a little sit down over a cup of coffee and a discussion of these goals.  This means you’re building your “team” to reach your goals.  No one ever gets there alone.   The better your support team the better your chance of success.  Most important of all, have fun along the way.  Riding is supposed to be fun, not a battle to be waged.

-Hollie McNeil, Author:40 Fundamentals of English Riding, Owner/Trainer:Riding Right Farm