Estella Rides RJ
Estella and her sister, Matilda enjoyed a private viewing of RJ working with his trainer Rex at Thornedale yesterday morning. The girls were thrilled to watch RJ perform his many tricks and to ride the famous stallion.
Archive for the "Clinics" Category
Are you a Mounted Pedestrian or a Rider?
Anyone can learn to become a competent rider if you understand the basics of horsemanship and how horses think. Horses are herd animals so it is crucial that you understand that you are the leader of the herd. We train horses to listen to our command on the ground when working with actors who have little experience riding. The audience rarely realizes that the horses on screen are being directed by a trainer off camera.
We are rehearsing a scene for a film where the main actors are riding double and the horse rears. It takes hours of training and conditioning to prepare the horse for the days of shooting. And then it takes a great deal of patience to work with the actors so they do not panic. If the rider panics the horse will not perform and a day of filming could be lost. As with everything, preparation is the key to success. Remember the old boyscout saying, “be prepared.”
Solving Your Horse’s Bad Behavior
This horse came to us with an issue bucking and misbehaving. After several weeks training you can see he is overcoming his fears with his rider and walking calmly over a tarp. He became proficient with all the obstacles on the course and gained confidence in his rider who has this to say;
“My five year old Dutch Warmblood developed a serious bucking problem, using
it to avoid working at all cost. He even began bucking while walking on a
lead line, especially if he were tacked up for work. I’m not young enough
to bounce off the hard ground anymore, and it was stressful to handle him,
forget about riding him. A friend told me about Rex, and I decided to
bring my horse to one of his local clinics. Sure enough, on the lead line,
walking around the arena, he began to buck. It was embarrassing, but at
least he wasn’t hiding the problem I wanted to fix. When Rex told me that
in his book, my horse was a “convicted felon,” and that no horse should
ever buck for any reason, I felt relief. I had secretly wondered if I was
just chicken to ride my bucking bronco, but now I knew I was right to get
help. Rex’s partner Cari suggested I bring him up for 30 days of training,
and that they would send him back to me super safe to ride. I have to
admit I was skeptical, but I was also desperate to move past this and start
seriously training this horse. Plus, Cari is a dressage rider, and I knew
she’d understand my goals. After one week, there was a noticeable change
in his behavior. After two weeks, Cari was working him in a dressage
saddle, and I began riding him as often as I could. Trail rides and
obstacle courses gave me an opportunity to push his buttons, while using
the set of tools that Rex and Cari taught me gave me-and my
horse–confidence. He came home three weeks ago, and so far, he’s been
perfect. This is the horse I thought I’d bought last June! He’s calm, a
pleasure to handle, and a joy to ride. He’ll even get “down on one” and
bow for me! I’ve entered him in his first schooling show, something I
wouldn’t have even dreamed of earlier this spring. Rex and Cari did
exactly what they said they would, and I highly recommend them.”
Linda Marciante
Congratulations Bob!
Bob proved he is a star at his first horse show winning best young horse in the show. He started training with Rex as a yearling, learning to have excellent ground manners and how to behave like a gentleman. In spite of the high winds and horrible weather at the show, he stood his ground and won every class he entered. Bob is not yet two years old and is maturing into a lovely horse. It pays to start training the youngsters early and will pay off in dividends in the future under saddle. Contact us to schedule a private lesson with your horse.
Three Year Old Rides a Three Year Old Colt
Last weekend, our youngest student, Vanessa, age 3 rode Rex’s three year old stud colt who has only 16 rides on him,he is a lovely horse who proves if you start them correctly with no mistakes, you have a super horse.
Windrock Farm Clinic
After schooling all the horses through the obstacle course, we went on a hack to cool the horses down. Many of the horses did not like the tarp initially, but everyone was successful at working through all he obstacles….including walking under a tarp, over a tarp, over logs, through hanging plastic bottles, backing around a tree, and various cross country jumps. These are excellent exercises to improve your communication with your horse. Jumpers, Dressage and Event horses improve each day.
Ride Your Horse Through Obstacle Course
Come to the Rex Peterson Clinic this weekend at Windrock Farm and train your horse to walk through the obstacle course…take the spook out of your horse and improve communication with him. Contact cari@cariswanson.com to sign up
Levi-Small Large Welsh X Pony For Sale
Levi is a confident bold jumper, he has a motor, great personality,
loves cross country, uncomplicated to ride, super event, dressage or hunter prospect.