Never fear, the USEF is here!

This year, the entire clinic was filmed and now the videos are available for online viewing free of charge. Watch over 10 hours of George Morris teaching the invited young riders in this annual clinic. The riders included Ali Wolff, Anna Hallene, Kate Haley, Brittany Hurst, Lillie Keenan, Kelsey Thatcher, Victoria Birdsall, Taylor Ann Adams, Karen Polle, Molly Braswell, Bayley Barnhill and Chase Boggio.

You can also view photos from the event at EquiSearch.com.

“We realized that our annual client education day was a great opportunity to combine two of our fundamental interests: helping clients learn more about horses and horse care, and improving equine welfare through charitable work” said Dr. Pownall of McKee Pownall Equine Services, headquartered in Campbellville, Ontario.

The event promises a day packed with information, with topics such as (but not limited to!):

• Deworming Strategies
• Upper Respiratory Tract Conditions
• Equine insurance
• Scintigraphy and MRI
• Diseases and Injuries of the Eye
• Shoeing the Lame Horse
• Breeding 101
• Dentistry
• Equine Lameness: A Case-based Approach
• Equine Laminitis

There will also be a silent auction with great items that were donated, proceeds going to the charities.

To learn more about the event, visit the event on Facebook, or CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

Click here to register for the event!

It was a frigid Sunday morning as the riders trotted briskly around the arena, while two of the riders from Group 1 stood in the middle of the ring, wrapped in wool coolers in an attempt to stay warm.

As they warmed up, he scowled about the two most common (and his most despised) jumping faults that are seen in the ring today, which are jumping ahead and ducking over the fence. These faults only serve to hinder the horse’s natural balance, which is enhanced by the rider staying in position and having a soft, automatic release over the fence.

There was an outside line that was set up with offset poles at first, so the riders could warm up over the smaller vertical and oxer. George decided to school Chase’s horse over the fence to correct his form by creating more impulsion to the fence and giving him more freedom with his head and neck (which allows the front legs and shoulder to lift up and over the fence with ease).

George working Chase's horse over the offset vertical

Once everyone had warmed up over the individual fences, the jumps were put up to their true height. As the riders jumped the line one by one, he reminded to make sure the quality of the canter was established well before the first obstacle.

The next obstacle was to work over the water jump, which the riders had already schooled over extensively earlier in the week. Once all the young riders had successfully completed the exercise, the fences were put up to approximately 3’9″ – 4′ and it was time to jump the full course. George commented that while it is important to have impulsion created from the leg, a rider should not be chasing the horse to the fence or unnecessarily kicking him at the base of the fence unless the horse has a history of stopping.

Jumping the stacked cavaletti on course

As each rider completed the course, George dismissed them and they trotted back to the barn, to avoid getting chilled in the cold morning air. It was Theo’s horse that started having difficulty at the gate, as it was an exaggerated rollback from a vertical. While coming out of the turn from the left, the horse was drifting to the right and began drifting sideways right past the fence. George barked at him to be aggressive, and make Theo repeat those two fences at least 10 times until the horse was correctly jumping both fences. George insisted that a horse must be schooled and repeat the exercise until it is accomplished, provided it is a simple disobedience.

The airy vertical

Chase was the last rider to complete the course, as all the other riders had already gone back to the barn. Once he had successfully ridden the course, George addressed the audience and repeated his high opinion of the riders that were in the clinic, and thanked everyone in the audience for attending the final session despite the bitter cold.

It was a great experience to watch George work with such talented young riders, and he truly is a great horseperson.

Thank you for following this clinic’s series on MyHorseChat.com!

Click here for Group 2 photos

I will do my best to have it finished by tomorrow, as well as some final thoughts on the week.

Time to say goodbye to Wellington (for now!)

Spectators were beginning to peel off layers as the temperature rose, well on its way to the high of 76˚ for the day. As Group 1 entered the arena, George reminded riders to take off any unwanted layers before he started, and jumped right into the session; all riders without stirrups.

Lengthening at the canter

Ideally, no stirrup work should be done on the longe line, however similar results can be achieved with specific flatwork exercises. George urged the riders to work on keeping their position slightly forward versus tipping too far back, which puts undue stress on the horse. The horse must accept the pressure from the riders pelvic bones and both hands, and be able to respond to simple voice commands such as “whoa” and an encouraging cluck.

As the young riders performed their no-stirrup work, reins in one hand like the earlier group and toe-touching, George cautioned the audience that when it comes to training equipment on a horse, less is more. He felt that too many accessories had more to do with fads than actual horse training. He asked the riders to perform a head roll, in which they had to keep their backs straight and roll their heads from the side, back, side and front. He had them repeat this several times while at a working trot. George also had the riders lean back, and then lean forward which was to improve the seat’s flexibility. He then instructed the riders to pass their crop from hand to hand, as well as holding it straight upwards in their hand.

Jennifer practicing leaning back during no-stirrup work

The group then performed a working trot around the ring, as George shouted out corrections of hand and flexion. The theory was that horses were similar to accordions, and the rider needs to be able to compress (shorten) and extend (lengthen) the stride to get the best results. The riders worked on shoulder-in and canter-trot-canter transitions. He explained that while inside leg at the girth and outside leg behind the girth is the accepted method to transition to canter, as rider become more advanced they will be using inside leg to outside rein.

Once sufficiently warmed up, he asked them to perform flying changes across the diagonal. He suggested that Jacqueline use a half-halt after the change, to keep her horse balanced and avoid becoming flat in the canter. He repeated the self-carriage test from Group 2’s session, asking the riders to push their hands forward for 2-3 strides to determine if the horse was truly carrying himself. The riders worked on lengthening and shortening the stride, while keeping forward impulsion and correct flexion. While compressing the canter, the riders had to package the horse from back to front without allowing the horse’s haunches to drift off the track.

Jacqueline keeping a nice rhythm

It was finally time to give the horses a brief rest, and George asked all riders to come to a walk on a long rein. While at the walk, the horse is still expected to march actively forward, maintaining his straightness, keeping the hindquarters engaged and no fussing with his head or yanking the reins away from the contact. If that happens, you must reprimand the horse with a quick “attack” (as George calls it) of the leg and spur, as well as close your hand. While walk on the long rein is considered a recess for the horse, it is not like the free walk where the riders hand is touching the buckle on the reins. The outside rein acts a barrier or “watchdog” to prevent the horse from allowing the shoulder to fall to the outside.

Finding an opportunity for some corrections, George decided to get on Jessica’s horse and demonstrate some of the exercises. The horse was displeased with its new rider, as upon George taking the contact and attempting to move him off the leg, it curled into resistant ball and looked as if it were about to go backwards or up. George simply kept his leg on, giving little “attacks” and allowing the horse to move forward with his hands, until finally the horse relented and uncurled himself. George felt the horse needed to accept the contact better, and used half-halts, transitions, and left/right/left/right half circles to encourage bending and suppleness. It is from the riders leg that will get the horse to travel uphill and in balance. He worked on small canter circles, until the horse was very close to performing a canter pirouette. As he practiced flying changes across the diagonal, he eventually had the horse swapping leads every two strides, also known as two tempi changes. It was wonderful to watch. He also used a variation of the neck rein while on a small circle, which was bringing the outside hand towards the inside of the horse’s withers, which is an exaggerated way of encouraging the horse to keep his shoulder on the circle instead of falling outwards.

George demonstrating proper impulsion and steady contact

He brought the horse back to walk and gave him lots of pats and a long rein. He told the audience that while he enjoys coaching, riding is still his first passion. He continued to demonstrate that by deciding to also get on Christy’s horse, and did an impressive rein back on a circle at the walk. That exercise makes the horse shift his weight to the hindquarters, which compresses the horse’s energy. While backing up, George noted to not allow the horse to stiffen up through the back and keep the horse ahead of the leg. Once moving forward, he did some shoulders-in and lateral work, including a half-pass to the left, then right; and then finally combining them into a zig-zag movement across the arena. He practiced counter-canter for the horse’s balance, and said it is essential to use the half-halt to your advantage if the horse gets quick before a flying change. If you find your horse getting quick, use a short half-halt then release, half-halt then release (and repeat as necessary). He also noted that if a horse gets nervous or tense, such as waiting by the in-gate at a show, to use a figure-8 shape on a circle to distract and relax the horse.

George brought Christy’s horse back to her and dismounted. He reminded everybody that every horse is completely different from one another, no two are the same. A good rider must always be adjustable in their methods and techniques to what best suits the horse and improves his training. Horses learn by repetition, not by force.

Before the session ended for the day, George dryly remarked that most riders are duds when it comes to natural feel and ability, however if you stay sharp and absorb every tidbit of information along the way you will be able to improve. We all laughed (although he was quite serious!) and clapped. Only one more session to go tomorrow!

Group 1 :: Photos

(View the rest of the photos from Group 1 here)

George riding without strirrups

George using the outside rein to keep the shoulder aligned

Sitting trot with both reins in one hand

Fortunately, the session is rescheduled for tomorrow at a crisp 7:00am. The riders will pull together all their lessons from the past four days into a full course.

A rainy day at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center

George schooling on the flat

Thank you for your patience (it will be worth it!) and until then, enjoy these additional video clips which certainly convey the message from today’s session regarding impulsion and the importance of a solid seat.

Click here for more video clips of Group 1 from today’s session on Facebook

The sun was out in full effect this morning as the audience settled in for Day 4 of the 2010 George Morris Horsemastership clinic at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. No frozen hands or toes this morning!

Doing rider exercises with one hand on the reins

Group 2 (riding first today) came into the ring stirrup-less for the days session, which was focusing on the rider’s position and seat. George had the riders put their reins into their outside hand, along with their crop. The inside arm was kept free to perform a variety of exercises, such as reaching to touch their inside and outside toe, forward to the poll and then back to the dock of the horse. While the rider worked on their balance in this exercise, George noted the key to any collected pace is proper impulsion and enough activity from behind. He had the riders change rein on a 20 meter (or so) circle, reminding them to use their outside rein to balance the horse through the shoulder. To keep the horses round during the exercise, riders had to use their leg and close the outside hand to steady the contact.

When asking for the halt, he reminded them to stretch upwards, keep the leg on and don’t allow the horse to “fall” to a stop. While the horse is standing, they must be still, no fidgeting or moving off before the rider asks. Unless the riders were practicing a lateral movement, they had to keep their horses tracking on a straight line, especially since most horses have a tendency to swing their hindquarters in one direction or another.

George had the riders change direction multiple times across the diagonal, practicing lengthening strides (versus an extended trot, which he explain could be performed later one the horses were truly warmed up). He reminded several of the riders to use the half-halt and raise the hand if necessary to correct horses that were traveling heavy on the forehand; or to close the fingers of the hand if the horses tried to come above the bit. George recommended using shoulders-in both directions to help build the musculature that will enable straightness. Bringing the group back to the walk, he then asked them to perform small circles at the walk, spiraling inwards (almost until they were performing haunches-in). In order to keep the momentum on the circle and avoid any stiffness, he barked at them to use their legs and keep the impulsion through the walk. It was important to go forward immediately once out of the spiral, in order to give the horse the ability to release the power that had been collected on the circle.

He told the audience he had been discouraged by the canter departs earlier in the week, where riders allowed their horses to fall flat during the transitions. He made the group ride multiple canter-to-walk transitions, and reminded them to use the leg and hand evenly to keep the horse straight. Once the riders had established their horses at the canter, George had them repeat the spiral on the circle, getting smaller and smaller until they were close to a canter pirouette. The average amount of circles before completing the spiral was approximately 6 circles. The next exercise was to perform a flying change on the diagonal, in which George expected a smooth, clean change.

Theodore working on suppleness

In typical “George” fashion, he was very vocal about his dislike of the flying changes he often sees performed, where the horse kicks out, tosses its head and is late to change behind. He stressed that horses need to be able to do this exercise correctly and accept the seat during the change, as it is absolutely essential for the properly schooled horse. Several of the horses did have a few moments of irritation while performing the flying change (the riders did it several times in each direction), however most had very fluid transitions.

The next exercise had a slight twist to it. George had the riders practice their shortening and lengthening at the canter, except instead of shortening on the short side and lengthening on the long side, he had them lengthen stride approximately 30 feet out from each corner approaching the short side. The riders shortened on the long sides and lengthened on the short sides! He reminded the group that without contact and impulsion, they would not be able to complete this exercise correctly. Chase had to be reminded to soften his hand and arm to create a more sympathetic contact, which resulted in a much improved lengthening of stride on the short sides.

Walk on the long rein

Finally George asked the riders to come back to walk, and loosen the contact so the horse could stretch long and low. He addressed the audience, stressing that impulsion is “the mother of equitation” and whether hunters or jumpers, all horses need to be able to carry themselves and not rely on the rider’s hands. George compared the horse’s back to bridge; a structure that has a variety of systems in place to create the successful end result. It can’t sag in the middle, the horse’s back must similarly be “up” and engaged in order to travel correctly. Allowing the horse to travel incorrectly it means the horse is not active, and will result in back and joint problems due to concussive force on the front end.

After the brief break for the horses, he instructed the riders to pick up their reins on a 20-30 meter circle. On the circle, riders had to keep their inside leg at the girth and outside leg behind the girth, using the outside rein to balance and the inside rein was half-halting to keep the horse round and flexed at the poll. The contact on the inside rein should be like a “flutter”, by opening and closing the hand, versus some riders who have a habit of see-sawing the reins (which he despises). While on the circle, the riders picked up the trot and had to do an “S” shape to change direction. George reminded the riders to ride with their inside leg to outside rein, instead of trying to steer the horse with the hand. It was through this exercise he wanted them to determine if their horses were truly carrying themselves and not relying on the riders. The riders kept the contact on the outside rein, but had to stretch the inside rein forward for 3 strides to see if the horse fell on the forehand or continued on without rider assistance.

Zazou's contact allows her horse to relax

Once all riders were able to complete the exercise, they had to do a flying change through the circle on an “S” shaped track. Coming back to trot, George instructed them to allow their horses to stretch out while keeping the forwardness and impulsion, calling it “the decent of the neck”. Once the horses had stretched out, he then asked them to perform the upwards transition to canter, changing direction and flying changes without letting the horses drop onto the forehand. He clarified that a free walk is when the hand is on the buckle, versus a long rein which still has a steady contact.

After pausing briefly to lament the use of buckled tack (calling it convenient but dangerous over regular stitched leatherwork), he asked the riders to come back to walk and pat their horses.

George giving instructions from the driver's seat

Turning to the audience, he reminded everyone that a horse should never be put away wet or breathing heavy, as that is detrimental to a horse’s health and is a sign of poor horsemanship. George insisted that the sport is not about ribbons, money or being a “celebrity”, but the HORSE. The horse is why people should be riding, not the perks that come with competition. He also noted that compromise and patience are the great virtues of riding, and the hallmark of a great rider is knowing when NOT to act, or try to drill the horse on something it is not understanding. A true rider knows when to call it a day, in the best interests of the horse.

It was time again for a break, and none too soon with all the information that George had drilled into both his riders and us the audience. Shortly it would be time for Group 1’s grueling no-stirrup session!

Group 2 :: Photos

(Not many photos of this group today)

The entire session was without stirrups

Schooling with impulsion and bend

Already prepared for Group 2!

Group 2 consisted of the remaining five riders for the clinic:

• Zazou Hoffman

• Theodore Boris

• Reed Kessler

• Chase Boggio

• Victoria Birdsall

He had the riders begin with posting trot to walk transitions, repeating his earlier assertions about softness in the elbow and hand. He specified that half-halts, when used correctly, are very valuable when schooling. The ideal half-halt is only 2-3 seconds in duration, otherwise it loses the effectiveness; the rider must give immediately afterwards and then repeat as necessary. After repeating the upward and downward transitions in each direction, the riders went into a forward-seat canter. George corrected riders on their position, noting Theo and Chase were particularly stiff in the elbow, which prevents proper flexion. He pointed out that riders need to be aware that bending and flexion are two different training tools, but both will encourage suppleness.

The next exercise was using a quarter turn for a change of direction at the trot. He had the riders sit the trot while executing the turn to collect the horses, then once straight (in the new direction) he had the riders ask for a forward canter and resume a forward seat position. George noticed that some horses had a tendency to bulge at the shoulder once in the turn, which prompted him to address the audience on the use of direct and indirect rein to prevent that error. He felt that riders need to be able to properly use all types of rein aids, including the aforementioned pulley rein from Group 1.

Once mastering the quarter turn, the group proceeded onto the cavaletti exercise from the first session. He pointed out how Zazou’s horse was able to stretch through the body and neck over the trot cavaletti quite nicely, and exemplified the goal of the exercise. Several of the horses struggled with the trot portion of the exercise, cantering through the trot poles or jumping several of them at a time. George noted that it was essential for the rider to be able to adjust his or her method to suit the particular horse.

Chase trotting over the cavaletti

He decided to get on Theodore’s dark bay horse, who was having some problems with resisting the hand, tossing his head and getting heavy on the forehand when Theodore tried to increase the contact. George called the well-known Frank Madden down from the audience to assist him with a leg up. As he rode Theodore’s horse around the huge ring, he was swift to correct him using his spur when the horse showed some reluctance to travel away from where the rest of the horses were standing.

George getting a leg up

He had only been mounted for a minute or so when he realized he had forgotten his helmet, and promptly rode back to the golf cart to retrieve it and put it on. While he acknowledged the requirement for riding with the proper safety equipment, he also gave a dry chuckle when he said he has received enough “hate mail” about being photographed riding without a helmet that he could fill a whole book; which got a great laugh from all of us.

Once again mounted on Theodore’s horse, he worked on taking the contact and improving the horse’s obedience to the hand. George was met with resistance in the way of scooting off when he applied the leg and a grouchy attitude and head tossing. He worked with the horse using haunches in, which he noted was an excellent exercise for suppling however was sometimes difficult for the horse to perform. He shorted and lengthened the horse’s stride at the canter, counter-bending and then shoulder-in (in each direction). He also focused on shrinking a circle at a canter, until it was almost a volte (6 meter circle). The goal was to compress the horse from the back to the front, while loosening and elongating the neck to create true suppleness. While George was quick to reinforce his leg aid if the horse did not respond immediately, he was also very soft through the hand and would immediately reward with a gentle pat or stroke on the neck when the horse complied. After he was satisfied with the horse, he trotted him around on a longer rein, allowing the horse to stretch down and out. The horse gave a relaxed snort, which George mimicked a few times, making us all laugh. He said it was important to hear this noise, because it meant the horse was truly at ease. Before he dismounted, he patted the horse a few more times, and said riding is about a partnership between horse and rider. Sometimes riders have a habit of taking without the give that makes the balance equal.

George schooling Theodore's horse

Once on the ground, he strongly emphasized using flatwork to improve a horse’s jump. He felt there were too many gadgets out there that riders relied on, and while he acknowledged their use in certain situations, it was the core principles of balance and impulsion that cannot be replaced by gimmicks. George recommended riders take one or two dressage lessons a month to improve on their flatwork, since he felt the best flatwork was based on classical French training. Another strongly emphasized training method was no-stirrup work, as he felt no matter how advanced or well of a rider a person was, it could always improve their balance and feel.

To demonstrate how this could benefit every rider, he had the group do the same bank exercise, except with no stirrups! Each rider went, one-by-one with no stirrups over the vertical and up/down the bank. The exercise was amazing to watch, as each young rider went through the gymnastic without a single problem. Their lower legs appeared to be cemented on with glue, leaving the audience suitably impressed.

Stirrups not necessary!

Apparently we were not the only ones who shared this sentiment, because during the next exercise with the twisting course, George off-handedly remarked “This isn’t teaching…this is entertaining, because they are so good!” All five riders exemplified the principals that George had been talking about. Soft hands over fences, solid lower legs, keeping the pace and rhythm but making adjustments as required, they had true finesse (just like the first group).

Moving onto the last obstacle, the group took turns at the water jump. Chase rode his lovely grey horse in a forward pace to the water, which resulting in a beautiful, clear jump. The riders were so good that George remarked more than once, “Let’s see that again, just to prove that it wasn’t luck!”

He was adamant about riders being the problem when it comes to water jumps, not the horses. George mentioned the reason many horses don’t clear the tape on the landing is because the riders drop their hands and body too early in the air, resulting in a premature landing. If you ride the water with impulsion and from the back to front, the result should be a clear jump. (See the video, he felt strongly about water jumps.)

After all the riders had completed the exercise, George addressed the audience. He talked about the five key factors that will make a rider successful:

1. Ambition!

2. Emotional makeup for competition

3. Equine management

4. Horse selection

5. Talent

George addressing the audience

He felt those five points were accurately placed in order of important; specifically noting that talent was last on the list. For emotional makeup, he was referring to the ability to keep it together under pressure of rigorous training and demanding competition. He noted that the most difficult point on the list was equine management, and that to keep a horse physically and mentally at its peak was extremely difficult. His words of wisdom regarding horse selection came from a family member; that it costs the exact same to keep a mediocre horse as it does a great one! Finally, he said that talent can just as easily be replaced by a solid work ethic.

He thanked the crowd for being a great audience, as well as Connie for doing such a great job of organizing the session. Everybody clapped, and we are all looking forward to tomorrow!

Group 2 :: Photos

(View the rest of the photos from Group 2 here)

Victoria jumping the oxer

Zazou on top of the bank

George schooling

Jumping up onto the bank