POTLUCK PICNIC, PRACTICE & PLAY-DAY REVIEW
Golden State Horsemanship Club (and co-host Lucky Star Horsemanship) had its Spring Potluck
Picnic, Practice and Play-Day on Saturday. If you missed it you missed a REALLY
GOOD TIME! We were able to combine a great learning opportunity, some really
fun obstacles/ games and of course some fantastic food. For CLUB MEMBERS this
was a FREE EVENT (just a food contribution for the Potluck). How can you beat
that!
The WEATHER: It
was SUNNY and in the 70’s for the day! A slight breeze made it very pleasant to
be working with the horses. Since the arena is in a public park there are
always spectators. We end up doing some Club and general Horsemanship public
relations when we host an event at Pioneer Park. Always a good time!
The PRACTICE: The
theme of the Practice was “Quiet Conversation.” As is the way of the G.S.H.C,
Groundworks was the first thing everyone did. The Focus Exercises were selected
so as to help folks with Communication, Control and Confidence and to better
enjoy the OBSTACLES/GAMES that were set up later in the day! Lateral Flexion,
Sending, Respectful Lunging, Ground School Circles and Side Passing along the
Fence were the exercises we all worked on. Everyone got individualized
attention and instruction to help them improve the Three C’s. Body language,
intent and position were stressed as was the concept of “C.P.R” being Clarity, Patience and Release.
These are areas that MANY people struggle with and are AMAZED at how different
their horses respond when THEY (the Humans) get clear and in their
communication, allow their horse to “figure it out” and then reward when a good
effort is offered up. Lots of WINS on the Groundwork.
Then we got to work under saddle. Since the concept of “Quiet
Conversation” was the theme of the day we wanted to make sure everyone was
riding with “softness” and “quietness” in their hands, seat and leg. Not as
easy as you might think! So many folks hold tighter than they realize to the
reins. This creates a feeling of being “restricted” in the horse which often
leads to other less than optimal behaviors. We worked at all three gaits on “loose
rein” and crafting a better stop. We then got into control of the hind end,
transitions through bend, Ground School Circles under saddle and Side Passing.
Lots of WINS and “ah-ha” moments for folks. The horses appreciated the “softer”
approach and you could clearly see it in how fast they adapted to it.
The LUNCH: Fried
chicken, salad, cheddar popcorn, ham & cheese sandwiches, veggies & dip
and more filled the picnic tables! If anyone walked away hungry it was their
own fault. Lots of laughter and great conversation filled the air and we all indulged
in some warm fellowship.
The OBSTACLES: We
had a Cowboy Curtain, and L-Box (you had to back up in a L shape), a Turn Box
(do a 180 degree turn around moving the front and hind end without stepping out
of the box, a Log Jump, A Serpentine, a Cone Box, a Pom-Pom Carry, a Giant
Soccer Ball a Ring Joust (yes you had to use a lance and hit a target) and a
Banner Carry. These definitely tested the skills and confidence of the horse
and human! Folks worked on the ground and under saddle and had some great wins.
We played with some sequence runs and beta tested some ways to time the games
(we are going to have some “competitions” at the Spring Retreat and Fall
Play-Day later this year) to challenge riders and horses of various levels!
Folks found some WINS and some challenges. The SMILES on everyone’s face made
all the efforts worth it.
You can see some fun pictures here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/Lucky-Star-Horsemanshp-1857426887814701/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1929796740577715
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