Will To Win

Written by:  Heather Clemenceau

For hundreds of years, the horse has been recognized as…

In the last blog post I introduced you to Alex and her lovely three year old filly, Kalipso.  Within days of starting Kali under saddle, Alex was out riding safely on the trail.  If your baby has a good start they can be safely and successfully introduced to the wonders of the world early on.

Last week I watched Kali wander past a bed frame on the side of the road,…

Because of the mares.

Last Sunday I got to ride Cider.  When I greeted her she gave me a soft blow.  When Shannon groomed her she gave little snorts of approval.  While I rode her around the ring (at a walk) she started rewarding me when I used my aids properly with more little snorts of approval.  Now don’t get me wrong, Cider still insisted that I get myself perfectly centered in the saddle from the start of my ride.  But Cider’s hard work over the past few months is…

It’s been quite a year so far. We had fires the first half of summer and floods the second half. It’s like 2013 was determined to stand out from day one. It’s been year of erratic weather in our lives as well; lots of reluctant change and no shortage of loss. Some of the changes have been nothing but good, and even that doesn’t always mean easy.

On top of that, this year had serious velocity. Such speed that weeks were the length of days, and…

He didn't refuse to go over an obstacle once yesterday. Most significantly, he went over a new jump of his own accord.

They weren't big jumps, about a meter high, no more, but he went right over them with only one slight hesitation.

I suppose most riders might not find this particularly outstanding, but two years ago it was a life-and-death argument to get over a simple trot-pole. He would explode over it and follow it up with a wild-west show. The arena has a couple of…

Well, it finally all caught up with me, making the wool saddle blanket so I could use it with my Corrector, cleaning my saddles every time I rode, and going up North to take my yearly lesson at North Fork.  I started getting more and more tired, then I entered a fog of exhaustion and it started affecting my riding.

Two weeks ago I started off on a good note.  I had gotten the book “American Dressage” by Chuck Grant, found something in it I could try in my riding, and I…

Hello All !!!after a long show season and winter approaching  take some time to refocus, refuel, and rejuvenate with a clinic . I am a rider and also a Certified Yoga Instructor through Louise Cameron,s Galloping Yoga Program. I will come to your barn  and deliver a fun and experiential program that will awaken your senses and bring new life to both you and your horse. Through Intuitive, conscious movement your energy will be free to flow, allowing natural balance and confidence to come…

For the last three weeks, all I have done is stick to my guns. I've ridden almost every day since the doctor released me and I honestly cannot believe what I have achieved in that short amount of time. It is everything I have dreamed of and I could not be more proud of my horses, and for the first time in a very long time, myself. My knees are holding up pretty well, and so is my back surprisingly. We've worked our way up from ground…

Not being content with Mick’s trot I made yet another change to my padding system, this week I put the Corrector UNDER the wool saddle blanket I had adapted instead of on top of the saddle blanket.  To recap my experiences so far--with triple fold woolen Western saddle blanket Mick gave me a non-banging sitting trot but he would not move his forehand freely; with a double fold wool blanket with the Corrector between the folds Mick still gave me a sittable sitting…

HEY EVERYONE!   

I have a favour to ask.... anyone who has facebook, it would mean the world to me if you could "LIKE" this photo of PACO!!  I would LOVE to have a painting done by Debbie Goldring of him as he means A LOT to me!

Paco Photo:…

Did you know that your finances affect your second chakra? Did you know that your second chakra is located in your lower abdomen?  Did you know that the lower abdomen is your point of balance and strength when you ride, allowing for an independent seat and effective communication with your horse?

For more information on the importance of your lower abdomen when riding, check out this…

…..The Rest of the Story

Last week Alex had her first ride on her three year old filly, Kalipso. Yesterday they went for their first trail ride down the trans Canada trail! Kali was calm and easy to handle every time. Her first rides have been completely solid and stress free. With any green horse you want them calm, but Kali is over 16 hands and as a big baby, it's vital that the situation is safe…

This was a very tiring week for me, yesterday I just could not get up enough energy to write my blog since it was the first day all week I got some down-time and all I could do was just sit and do nothing.  At least I made some progress with Mick this week!

One reason I was so tired is that I spent days cutting down one of my wool Western saddle blankets and adapting it to use it with the Corrector.  I sewed, and sewed some more, tried it on Mia (at least she did not…

Sound the trumpets! We have a new horse at the farm and he's quite a character. He likes to lick people like a dog and is very fond of people in general. Indy is a joy to interact with. My property is perimeter fenced and when it's time to bring the horses in off my pastures, I just open the gate and they all run to their separate grain eating areas. The first day I called…