Bill Scott Horsemanship Clinic May 4th-6th

[High Tails Farm]

Hi everyone,
Bill Scott will be in NC again this spring and we can't wait! Every Bill Scott clinic I have ever ridden is has been such a great experience. If you haven't ridden with Bill, you are truly missing out. Anyhow, the clinic will be held at DC Western in Goldsboro, NC May 4th-6th. There will be a Horsemanship 1 & 2 class each day. If you can't ride in the clinic, there is plenty of room for auditing. Please call me at 910-385-5209, or Erika Carroll at 307-290-0319 for more information or to register for one of the classes.
Hope to see you there!
Jana Lake

[Sylvana]

Whether you are seeking a competitive edge in reining, cow-work, dressage, or eventing --or are just seeking to improve your relationship with your horse-- you'll find something to gain at one of Bill's clinics.

Bill’s overall philosophy carries a very high degree of respect for the horse, and elevates one's relationship from the typical push-me-pull-you of physical aids into a mutual mental connection, where we seek to operate our horses on visualization, feel, and focus to the extent possible.

What advantages might you gain from a three-day or four-day clinic with Bill? It depends on your interests; Bill’s philosophies are effective for resolving a wide range of issues and elevating the fineness with which we operate our horses. Does any of these scenarios sound familiar?

--It takes so much effort to get the job done, you wonder, ‘If it takes this much in aids to get lower-level stuff working, where will I find the strength for higher levels of collection or responsiveness?'

--You’ve been at a plateau in your training for a while, experiencing resistance from your horse as you try to move up a level, or having a frustrating mix of good days and bad.

--Your ranch horse or sporthorse is tuning you out when the going gets fast, especially in open country.

--Sometimes your fit horse is downright scary with his antics on frosty, windy mornings--or at events--and you'd like some new tools to defuse his tensions and keep you both together and safe.

--You have a greenie with whom you'd like to get going on the right track from the start.

--You have a pretty darned nice horse, performing capably at his job, but you’d like to elevate to an even higher plane of harmony and willingness.

--You’re willing to explore nontraditional avenues for innovative answers to any of these scenarios.

For any and all of these cases, there are gratifying and horse-centric answers available at a Bill Scott clinic.

And if you're an English rider, you know not to be fooled by the Western saddles used by the top mentors in this branch of horsemanship. What Bill does IS dressage, not what you'd typically think of as Western riding. What Bill teaches is absolutely relevant to dressage, hunters, and eventing: working in harmony, with lightness and willingness, working toward all the same goals of the dressage pyramid, and yes, including lateral movements, lead changes, stride adjustment, and collection.

The three-day clinic will be at the DC Western rodeo grounds just outside Goldsboro, NC. The venue has stalls and paddocks, a very large arena, a large riding field and on-site tack shop. The clinics are so much fun, like a big family reunion of kindred spirits, very congenial, with lively group gatherings that sometimes go well into the evening. There will be a group dinner at Wilbur's in Goldsboro on Saturday night; their Eastern-style barbecue is the best I have ever had!

Back to the clinic... each day starts with discussion and Q&A sessions by ringside, then the first group gets its horses and works for about three hours, doing groundwork and riding. There is usually one group for horses and/or riders new to this type of horsemanship, and a second group for horses who are working on more advanced skills, such as halt-to-canter transitions, flying changes, leg yield, renvers/travers, etc. With small groups, there's a lot of opportunity for one-on-one time, if needed.

For a vicarious visit to Bill Scott clinic, visit www.eclectic-horseman.com, click “Information” and “Clinic Reports” for pictorial reports from four other clinics, with captions.

I'll be there, but I'm not sure yet what I'm riding. I might bring out a pretty neat event prospect: the last foal out of the international Advanced event horse, Rumours in the Air, who was USCTA Mare of the Year 1996. Gran Finale is only three, and I've only ridden him twice, so we might have our work cut out for us. Or I might bring one of my own horses. Either way, I wouldn't miss such a fun and inspirational weekend!

--Sylvana