Joe Wolter in So. IL

[Weebonilass]

After three days of riding, I think I can speak for my horse and say we are both exhausted. That's more riding than we've done in a long time. Part of the time I was thinking it was well worth the money and the other part of the time I was thinking it wasn't. I think a lot of this was due to us or rather me not being totally ready.

We spent the morning in Horsemanship and the afternoon was spent in cattle work. One interesting difference in Joe than other clinicans was that there was no discussion of the seat playing a part in our communication. The other difference was that he said that the leg was to back up the hand, not vice versa. He was always reminding us to release right away, but I've always been taught that the rein was the last aid to use, so it was interesting.

I stepped outside my comfort zone several times and that's always a good thing. My gelding loved the time with the cows best.

This is short, but I'll try to expound later on it... right now I'm exhausted and way behind with my work.

[FrancaV]

After three days of riding, I think I can speak for my horse and say we are both exhausted. That's more riding than we've done in a long time.Seven and I can relate to that!

Part of the time I was thinking it was well worth the money and the other part of the time I was thinking it wasn't. I think a lot of this was due to us or rather me not being totally ready.My guess is that's pretty common with a new clinician, especially one you haven't even audited before. (You hadn't seen Joe Wolter before, right?)

We spent the morning in Horsemanship and the afternoon was spent in cattle work. One interesting difference in Joe than other clinicians was that there was no discussion of the seat playing a part in our communication.Yeah ... I've found that the men tend not to talk about the seat much, at least in western-oriented riding. Well, not in so many words, anyhow. They will talk about weight and balance, and since your upper body is supposed to remain vertical (you don't want a human dropped shoulder any more than you want an equine one), you can sometimes infer certain things about what the seat should be doing. Also, when someone like Ray Hunt talks about "bringing the life up" that very much includes the seat as it's an area of significant contact with the horse. More significant for many of us females than it is for most men, LOL. But you're right - usually what the cowboy types mention specifically are the hands and the legs. I've got a couple of great women instructors to help me whenever I need clarity about my seat.

The other difference was that he said that the leg was to back up the hand, not vice versa. He was always reminding us to release right away, but I've always been taught that the rein was the last aid to use, so it was interesting.It's truly fascinating how one clinician/trainer/instructor can put the hands first and another can put the hands last and still the end result is pretty much the same. I guess the reality is that when your horsemanship is very advanced, the difference is measured in micro-seconds. The communication happens essentially all at once and is practically invisible to onlookers. When you've achieved that level of harmony it takes so little to get your horse ready to go with you that it makes little difference to the horse or the rider which part of the body makes first contact and let's the horse know a change is coming. I'd say it's about 50/50 among the people I've worked with whether you pick up a rein first or not.

I stepped outside my comfort zone several times and that's always a good thing. My gelding loved the time with the cows best.:) Very cool!

This is short, but I'll try to expound later on it... right now I'm exhausted and way behind with my work.Yes - take some time to rest and regroup. I was a zombie for a couple of days after the 4-day Peter Campbell clinic! Thanks a bunch for taking the time to post what you did - not easy to do when you're mentally and physically wiped out.