Leaning and attending clinics might be my absolute most favorite thing to do in the horse world. I absolutely love to meet amazing horse people, and this is where you can find the most dedicated ones. They are attending clinics, riding in clinics, hosting clinics and teaching in clinics. I will forever love my trainer and my trainer is always number one, but clinicians bring in a new perspective. Sometimes they bring in new angles to approach the same issue. New techniques. New ways to understand the same concept. It can reconfirm what you’ve already been taught, or help you understand something that’s been confusing you by wording things differently. You also get to watch riders have breakthrough “aha” moments in their riding. It can be just as rewarding for the audience as it is for the rider.
That’s why I jumped at the opportunity to audit the Beth Baumert clinic held in June held by ENYDCTA. Before it was announced my goal was to ride with Beth this year, but June was too short of a time-frame for me. Last year we brought her in November (When You’re Green You’re Growing).
Last year I read the book “When Two Spines Align” by Beth Baumert and loved it (The Sunday Review: When Two Spines Align by Beth Baumert).
Beth is a highly renowned dressage instructor, judge, and author. She has written both When Two Spines Align and How Two Minds Meet (I have yet to read the latter). The worked for 25 years as the technical editor for Dressage Today. She is an “L” graduate with distinction for the USDF judges training program. She has served as secretary and vice president of the Dressage Foundation and is now currently the organization’s president.
Beth knows her stuff.
I’ve found her clinics to be incredibly educational. She presents the material in a way that’s easy to understand. She’s patient and calm, and she’s honest. She won’t raise her voice with you but will tell you when something was poorly executed. Alternatively, she will also be happy to tell you that it was “Damn Good.”
I arrived on time for the clinic as it began. My own trainer was the first to ride on her lovely mare. I was filled with awe and pride. I had personally seen the difference between the two since I last saw them in November. They created a picture of harmony and gave me something to work towards. Even though we Stanley and I are not showing or working anywhere near 3rd level, I took away the importance of good transitions…and I often work on these with him.
We also watched a friend who used to board at our farm ride her gelding. We saw some pairs at 4th level, and we saw training, and we saw the levels in between. Each pair had a different goal and each pair had different strengths and weaknesses. We saw a 23-year-old thoroughbred, and we saw a PRE. It was truly a clinic for everyone.
During lunch we had a Q and A session with Beth and we discussed questions that had arisen from the sessions.
My friend Becky was able to bring her horse Cassian to fill the last spot of the day. They were caught outside tacking up in the middle of a downpour. They came in soaking wet and smiling. Her main goal is to eventually ride Cassian tackless so Beth had her begin with steering him around the arena while keeping the reins on his neck; only turning through the body. They did this for the warmup and moved on to pick up the reins and work on other things.
Some of my key takeaways:
- Really good riders don’t do bad transition
- Do not accept a transition when the front end responds first
- “When your horse is balanced then you’re in the land of all possibilities.”
- Shoulder-fore is for alignment, Shoulder-In if for loading
- Being on the forehand isn’t bad, it’s the balance the horse was born in. We WANT to encourage the natural balance, but not to FALL on the forehand
- Riding in theory is very simple but it is innately difficult
I sound like a broken record, but I am so grateful to belong to ENYDCTA. I have met some amazing people through this club, and they’ve organized some of my favorite events.
I am also a very proud supporter and now an affiliate for Trafalgar Square Books. This amazing publishing company is run by a few horse people in the hills of Vermont. I’ve met them personally and they are truly lovely. If I ever become a good writer, I hope I can publish with them someday. I DO very much recommend them AND Beth’s two books, so I hope you’ll tell them I sent you by using my links below.
My Link to How Two Minds Meet by Beth Baumert
My Link to When Two Spines Align by Beth Baumert
The Green Horseman 
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