2009 Clinics
Pure Balance Equine assists horses and their riders in
a variety of ways through our clinics. Each clinic is
designed to specifically address the horse and
rider/handler's life stage, skills, and natural
abilities.
Please click on the Clinic title for more
details.
Introductory Clinic: Training Through Relationship
Pure
Balance Equine will help you define a new level of
expectation and achievement with your horse beyond
performance. We will help you teach your horse to
make good choices and become a trustworthy partner.
Go beyond the mere mechanics of working with your
horse and into the place where knowing “why” lets you
intuitively determine the “how” that is right for
your horse and your situation. Tom Dorrance aptly
called this “feel.” This clinic introduces you to a
cross-discipline approach that shows you how to:
January 11, January 31, February 28, March 29, May 2, May 31
*Jan 11 clinic is full*Jan 31 clinic is full*
- Set your horse up to make good choices
- Develop your horse into a trustworthy partner
- Communicate with your horse with a purpose
- Learn how to use mistakes (yours and your horse’s!) to your advantage
January 11, January 31, February 28, March 29, May 2, May 31
*Jan 11 clinic is full*Jan 31 clinic is full*
Riding Club / Open Practice
Attend
one of our bi-monthly club meets to practice your
skills in a supportive environment. We will be there
to help everyone, time permitting, and encourage you
to help each other, as one of the best ways to
solidify your own learning is to have to teach
someone else. You must have attended one or more Pure
Balance Clinics with your horse to join us in these
play/practice sessions. $15 for the first horse, $5
for each additional horse. Additional facility fees
may apply, depending on location. 1.5-2 hrs.
Basic Ground Work
This
clinic is ground-work only, and covers skills that
can later be applied to under-saddle work. Safety,
fun, and thinking outside of the box are emphasized.
Prerequisite: None, but the Introductory Horsemanship
Clinic is recommended. 2 days, $195 with your horse,
$65 for auditors.
- Why is ground work important? What can I achieve? How do I communicate with my horse in a meaningful, useful, and fun way?
- Discovering your horse’s true personality and strengths.
- Basic principles of equine behavior. How horses learn, how they communicate.
- How to get your horse to WANT to do things for you.
- Using mirroring behavior to teach your horse how to communicate with you.
- Getting the attention and respect of your horse on a lead rope.
- Catching your horse.
- Teaching your horse to “catch” you (how to teach your horse to come to you when it sees a lead rope in your hand, not to run from you).
- Controlling your horse’s feet.
- Aligning with your horse.
- Forward movement in a round pen or on a lunge line.
- Whoa.
- Step back.
- Stand quietly.
- Desensitizing techniques.
- Starting yielding work (hind end).
- Beginning steps toward pedestal work and how they apply to things like fun and safe trailer loading and trail riding.
Advanced Ground Work and Beginning Equine Agility
This
clinic is ground work only, and covers skills that
can later be applied to under-saddle work. Safety,
fun, and thinking outside of the box are emphasized.
This clinic builds on the principles and skills
taught in the Basic Ground Work Clinic. Prerequisite:
Basic Ground Work Clinic. 2 days, $295 with your
horse, $65 for auditors.
May 23-24.
- Controlling all 4 feet of a horse.
- Hobbling and tying.
- Mirroring techniques.
- More on yielding: lowering the head, front end, face, beginning lateral work.
- Advanced pedestal training (2 feet up, 4 feet up, starting turning, voice control over all 4 feet)
- Teaching the salute or one foot up.
- More on trailer loading.
- Leadership and confidence for you and your horse.
- How to approach other obstacles with confidence and safety.
- Free lunge in the round pen.
- Come here.
May 23-24.
Riding for the Trail
An
intermediate course for those wishing to improve
their riding to progress to Advanced Trail Skills.
Suitable for the rider who wishes to improve their
knowledge of riding cues, having a balanced seat,
mounting and dismounting, stopping, directional
control, emergency dismounts, tack tact (tack and use
of tack). Prerequisite: Basic Ground Work Clinic or
Introductory Clinic. 1 day. $195 with your horse, $55
for auditors.
March 7-8, May 16-17.
March 7-8, May 16-17.
Advanced Trail Skills
Applying
equine agility while under saddle. This course will
culminate in a group trail ride over an assortment of
obstacles. Includes info on trailering, care of
the horse away from home, tack, what to bring on a
ride, safety considerations, including the equine
“emergency brake.” Prerequisite: Advanced Ground Work
and Beginning Equine Agility as well as a riding
evaluation; Riding for the trail may be suggested as
a prerequisite for some horse and rider pairs. 2
days, $295 with your horse, $75 for auditors.
April 11-12, June 13-14.
April 11-12, June 13-14.
Butt, Butt, Butt: The importance of seat and impulsion
Learn
the importance of seat and impulsion for
communication, performance, and horse health. This
cross-discipline clinic focuses on why a good seat is
important, what a good seat really is, and how to
achieve one. Your seat, in turn, controls the level
of impulsion in your horse’s hind end. Learn what
impulsion really is, how it relates to collection,
what collection really is, and how to achieve
collection. This clinic includes a discussion of the
anatomy and physiology of the horse and explains how
a poor seat and false collection can actually harm
your horse, and how to avoid common mistakes most
people make but aren’t aware of. Two days, $195 with
a horse, $65 for auditors. Prerequisites: Riding
evaluation and you must have a horse that is able to
be ridden calmly and is under control at all gaits to
bring it to this clinic;. if you are not there yet
with your horse, please contact us for suggestions on
courses to attend that will assist you in achieving
this with your horse, prior to attending this course.
2 days, $295 with your horse, $75 for auditors.
April 25-26, June 27-28.
April 25-26, June 27-28.
Equine Kindergarden: Cultivating the joy and brilliance of your foal or weanling
Proper
early training of a foal can make a future of
starting, riding, trailering, and a lifetime of
teaching other tasks easy and enjoyable for both of
you. This clinic provides two days packed with
information and interactive fun to show you how to
play your way to a fun, obedient, safe, and willing
relationship with your foal/weanling. This clinic is
held on two successive weekends, leaving the week
between to practice important skills covered in
class. $225 with a foal, $75 for auditors.
- Making your barn foal friendly.
- Imprinting. What is it, why do it, how to do it.
- Can a foal be "over gentled?"
- Early handling. Figure 8 leading, basic yielding, pedestal work, bean bag, allowing touch.
- Pre-weaning handling. Haltering, leading on a halter, picking up feet, preparing a foal for clipping and tying, continuation of early handling skills.
- Weaning. How to prepare for it, what to expect, some suggestions.
- Weanlings. Handling your foal when it has a little more “personality” and starts trying to say “no.”
Introduction to Equine Massage
A happy,
comfortable horse is easier to work with! Learn how
equine massage can promote maximum comfort and
efficiency for your horse and how physical discomfort
can lead to behavioral issues. Equine sports massage
is used regularly for elite equine athletes,
including at major racetracks, by the US Equestrian
Team, and by top-level competitors in all
disciplines. Equine sports are quickly catching up
with other national and international competitive
sports where professional massage helps the ability
and performance of athletes. Learn some basic
techniques that will give your horse the benefits of
massage, which include:
March 22.
- Increasing range of motion
- Increasing flexibility
- Improving circulation
- Reducing resistance
- Improving attitude
- Balance and coordination
March 22.
No Horse Left Behind: Starting Horses in the 21st Century
Learn
how “breaking” techniques of the past are falling by
the wayside and gain a comprehensive understanding of
how starting a horse is a “process” not an “event”.
Proper starting of a horse can literally mean the
difference between making or breaking each animal.
Build up your equine basics “toolbox” and leave this
clinic with a variety of different techniques you can
use to start horses. Additionally, learn about the
different types of personalities and characters a
young horse can have. This clinic will be audit only
and will involve discussions and demonstrations on
horses supplied by us. There will be some hands-on
opportunities to try illustrated techniques on our
horses. Due to the nature of young, green horses, the
potential dangers, and the concerns of trailering
inexperienced horses, we will not be allowing
attendees to bring their horses. 1 day, $175.
July 11.
July 11.
Barn Management
Learn
about the latest in quality horse care
including:
April 5, June 7.
- Preventative care
- How to apply minor first aid and medications and when to call a vet
- Parasite control
- Feed and nutrition
- Tack tact
- Grooming
- Record keeping
April 5, June 7.
Custom Clinics
Contact
us for a customized clinic for your group or
club!