Clinic Descriptions - 2008
Level 1 Partnership (2 days): Learn the secrets of safety and success with your horse by learning how to combine Love, Language and Leadership through the 7 Games that horses play! This 2-day clinic involves on-line play (no riding), and is limited to 8 participants. As a participant in this clinic, and especially if you have studied with the at-home educational materials (DVDs) prior to attending the clinic, you may be able to advance your 7 games on the ground to the point you'd be ready for L2 on-line savvy by the time you leave! Note: Auditors Welcome!
Level 1 Partnership (3 days): This is basically the same clinic as the Level 1 Partnership 2-day, but with preparation and simulation for actual riding on the 2nd & 3rd days. Prior knowledge of the 7 games is preferable, as well as you must bring a rideable horse that you can confidently ride walk and trot in an arena with other riders. Note: Auditors Welcome!
Level 1 Advancing / Intro to Level 2: Enjoy 5 days dedicated to just you and your horse. There's no greater way to improve and accelerate your horsemanship than dedicating to yourself a block of quality time when you can focus solely on improving your connection, communication and leadership skills with your horse.
This course will involve both ground play and riding. You'll learn to succeed at playing the 7 games on-line and from the saddle--and begin to win them as you make the transition from Level 1 to Level 2. As a result, your bond with your horse -- and his or her trust in and respect for you--will increase and strengthen. You'll be introduced to the 22' rope and the variety of ways to play with your horse on-line, adding variety to your program as your add arrows to your savvy "quiver." Trailer loading will be de-mystified!
You'll further your knowledge of, and gain confidence with L1 and beginning L2 riding skills and concepts such as saddle fit, passenger lesson, balance point, follow the rail, rein positions, carrot stick riding, maintain gait, sitting that trot, cantering, and much, much more!
Level 2/Level 2 Advancing: Enjoy 5 days dedicated to just you and your horse. There's no greater way to improve and accelerate your horsemanship than dedicating to yourself a block of quality time when you can focus solely on improving your connection, communication and leadership skills with your horse.
In this course you will learn how to earn the true respect and impulsion central to Level 2, to Harmony. Whether on-line, at liberty or under saddle, you'll further develop your rapport and communication with your horse, reinforce and begin to refine your language, and improve your leadership. You'll learn how to be "softer" and more effective, how to practice your natural horsemanship responsibilities and teach your horse his/her responsibilities, how to achieve greater responsiveness and relaxation in yourself and your horse, how to have an even stronger partnership based on psychology and savvy--and fun! Problems you were having in L1 or early L2 will "melt" away!
Nita Jo will teach concepts at the core of Level 2: on-line play incorporating obstacles (jumps, balls, tarps, trailers, you name it) and variety; round pen savvy and liberty skills; freestyle riding knowledge and skills such as saddle fit, balance point and other fluidity concepts (matching energy,"life up, life down"); carrot stick riding, smooth transitions, geting a good seat connection, if and when to introduce the bridle, beginning finesse, bareback riding (for those who are ready), trail riding savvy, and much more.
Clinic begins noon Wednesday with introductions over a light lunch and will end by 4 p.m. Sunday. Auditors Welcome!
Level 3 / Level 3 Advancing: So much has been added to the teaching of refinement, finesse and flexion/collection during the past few years. . .it's time to refresh your savvy quiver with all of the new concepts and strategies for attaining refinement, flexion and collection naturally!
As Pat Parelli has always said of the flow from Partnership to Harmony to Refinement: respect (true respect) leads to impulsion, respect and impulsion lead to flexion--mentally, emotionally and physically. Or, Level 3 is "merely" the 7 games played at 3 distances and in 4 savvies in 5 zones. However you say it, by the time you reach L3 you may find yourself feeling pretty confident about learning L3 content of the first 3 savvies (on-line, liberty and freestyle). Or, with the seemingly large "gap" between the end of the current L2 program and the existing Refinement program, you may be feeling over-whelmed. Either way, this course is for you!
Those just undertaking their L3 journey will learn 45' rope handling savvy, on-line refinement such as playing with obstacles (including trailers) from a distance and at higher speeds, zone 5 driving, and fun with the flank rope, plus the basics of mastering liberty challenges such as flying lead changes and downward transitions. Those who are advanced L3 students will fine tune their savvy in these areas, especially with an eye to using on-line and liberty play to help them with finesse riding challenges such as following the feel of the bit, longitudinal flexion, haunches in, half-passes, transitions, lead changes and much more! Get better at noticing and using your horse's talent for collecting himself as you play on-line and at liberty!
Whether you're just finding a good seat connection or wanting to make it as good as gold, you'll find plenty of fun, variety and refinement with freestyle riding, whether bareback or not, with and without carrot sticks, whether learning to balance over a small jump--or not--whether in the arena or on the trail. And, of course your horse will still be giving you feedback about his mood, temperament and talents, and you'll be developing further your ability to use that feedback constructively, to apply love, language and leadership in equal doses!
Five days will give you much more instructional time than in a typical clinic to focus on and practice finesse without breaking the 80/20 "rule" Pat recommends. Regardless of where you are in L3, you'll gain more understanding of riding with contact, the varieties of flexion, the elements of collection as you also practice specific tasks and skills in L3.
One day off-site trail ride is included in the curriculum, which will provide opportunities for putting principles to a purpose as well as specific instruction on negotiating obstacles, responding to your horse's emotionality, maintaining a seat connection in a natural environment, and general trail riding savvy and etiquette. Auditors Welcome (except during the trail ride)..
Special Topics Workshops (for Level 2 & 3 students) - Got one issue that keeps you from progressing the way you'd like? In 2008, Nita Jo addresses two *Special Topics* -- Bareback Riding and Liberty! Take either or both of the 1-day workshops in order to really make your "good, better and your better, best!" Spend an entire day focusing on what you and your horse need in order to bring your Liberty savvy and your Freestyle savvy to new heights of accomplishment!