4 day Advanced Course

This course is designed for those who have an already well laid foundation, to take the relationship with their horse to the next level. It is therefore a pre-requisite that you have participated in a 3-day basic course, that you have spent adequate time with your horse, and have established a solid connection. Now we can start to work in bigger spaces, outside the confined space of an arena, we can start to dance!

 This course is also suitable for young green horses who are physically and mentally developed enough to be started and have a foundation of groundwork behind them. As you are the one with the strongest connection with your horse, you will the one taking this important next step with you horse, but not alone, you will be in a supportive and safe environment.

Course Content

 Day: 1

In relation to yourself:

  • Share what your experience has been so far; in which areas are you struggling, where do you get stuck, did any fears arise? What is going well etc. We’ll pinpoint what you want to work on and which questions you would like answered.

  • Learn about how different positions and postures influence on how close the horse is to you on a circle and how much the horse, bends and steps under.

In relation to your horse: 

  • Assess where you are at with your horse, are there any ‘cracks’ in the foundation that need to be addressed before we move on to more advanced work.

  • Creative work: Introduce the mountain block ‘game’ to your horse, observe how your horse will naturally align itself next to you when they allow you to ride.

  • Experience how you can improve your feel and connection by just sitting on your horse, being together statically.

  • Reduce the size of the circle. Allow for the horse to bend through the ribcage more and step under. Work on guiding the horse to get in tune with your energy by combining moments of excited play with moments of composed free flowing movement (to also prepare for collection).

Day: 2

In relation to yourself:

  • We’ll explore what helps you to overcome any fears. Increase your awareness about the way you relate to yourself. The way you relate to yourself will reflect how you relate to you horse.

  • Gain an in-depth understanding about reinless riding. We’ll discuss weight, seat and legs aids, and the biomechanics of the seat’s movement compensation. Learn about the positions and posture to guide your horse around you in a shoulder-in on a circle.

    In relation to your horse:

  • If necessary/desired, we could give extra attention to leading your horse outside in a busy or unfamiliar environment.

  • Creative work: Experience how obstacles, and even small jumps can refine your communication with your horse and cause you to be more in tune with each other using modelling (the horse observes you and imitates) and communication with body language from a distance.

  • Have fun with the mountain block game and experience weight, seat and leg aid riding inside the arena (with tack, on a loose rein).

  • Get a feel for guiding your horse from free-flowing forward movements (e.g. long & low) to gather itself more and collect, by collecting yourself. Play around with “collection” and the first steps of shoulder-in in walk on a circle.

 Day: 3

In relation to yourself:

  • We’ll touch on strategies that help you to stay in the right state of mind. Reflect on and move towards improving your leadership qualities. Be an example of trustful surrender so your horse can follow your lead.

  • Solidify your body awareness and control as we review the positions and signals for bending, “gathering” and the shoulder-in on the circle.

 In relation to your horse:

  • If necessary/desired, we could give extra attention to leading your horse outside in a busy, unfamiliar environment.

  • Move towards free riding in arena – let’s try to completely ride with your seat and legs, “hands free”, without touching the reins. Will you be able to ride through a small obstacle course like this?

  • Learn how to incite more expression, that comes out of excitement/joy, and learn how to bundle this joy into other collected movements such as passage and shifting weight unto the haunches. Continue to play around with the shoulder-in in a walk and, perhaps a few steps of trot in collected balance.

    Day: 4

In relation to yourself:

  • Now that we have, renewed our thinking, created new pathways in your (and your horse’s) brain, we would like to strengthen, reinforce and sustain these. We’ll explore what helps you best not to relapse into old patterns.

  • Solidify your body awareness and control as we refine the positions and signals for bending, “gathering” and the shoulder-in on the circle.

 In relation to your horse:

  • Lead your horse with a neck-rope outside, and/or even completely free for short distances in a safe area.

  • Creative work; the Spanish walk; witness how it builds up your horse mentally, improves connection and communication, and physically improves balance and collection.

  • Ride outside the arena “hands free” (with gear) predominantly using seat and leg aids to communicate with your horse.

  • Experience how you can facilitate your horse fully expressing itself. Put your relationship to the test and ‘dance’ with your horse outside the arena on a bigger pasture. Will your horse stay with you and can you dance together in a few steps of shoulder-in in a trot, will your horse show (off) itself and prance around you in a passage followed by a big rear? I can’t wait to find out!

Details

Structure:

Each day we will balance personal reflective exercises, groundwork exercises without our horses, with sessions with our horses focusing on advanced groundwork, liberty and riding. Participants with a horse will ‘work’ with their horses twice a day.

 We’ll start at 09:00 am and finish at about 19:00 pm each day. We’ll take a break from around 13:30 – 15:30. On very hot days (35 C +) we will start earlier, take a longer break and finish later.

 Please take your own sun protective clothing, drinks, snacks and lunch. Depending on the location there may be a possibility to go out for lunch.

 *Note: At our courses and seminars there is no such a thing as a “fence sitter” or “spectator”, you are still an active participant and will join us for all the exercises!

Price

AUD $ 650,- / EU € 550,- with horse, AUD $240,- / EU € 200,-  without a horse.

Minimum number of participants with a horse = 3 (incl. host) – max 6 / Maximum number of participants without a horse = 10.

Please note that you will be required to fill out and sign a waiver form before commencing riding activities.