Clinicians

[ewells]

[QUOTE=belgianWBLuver;8616379]
Another instructor with a solid Saumur/Cadre Noir training that concentrates on lightness, impulsion, the rider’s body mechanics, and also incorporates jumping in his clinics.
This gentleman has been around for a long time. I audited a clinic of his in the UK 2 decades ago.
He has been in the US since the 70’s and has a solid following.

2 books by him:

The Handbook of Riding Essentials
Handbook of JUMPING ESSENTIALS

I will clinic with him in the future, if logistics makes it possible.[/QUOTE]

If he comes to our area (PNW) I’d really like to know about it at least so I can try to audit :).

[Magicboy]

Here’s a vote for Heather blitz…focused on biomechanics but such a great eye for what the horse needs, too. I found her very practical and able to zero in on changes that interrupt the chain of consequences from rider imbalance.

Great personality and inspiring to watch…willing to get n your horse and explain while she’s riding.

[2DogsFarm]

Haven’t seen Jeff Moore mentioned:

http://www.osierlea.com/Staff.html

Personally I’ve ridden in 2 clinics (different horses) with him & have audited a handful of others.
My current trainer rides with him regularly when he is in our area & so I consider myself to be getting his training philosophy 2ndhand

He has absolutely no breed snobbery & I’ve watched him make significant differences in all sorts of combinations of riders/horses at all levels from green to GP.

His clinic schedule puts him in GA this year, not sure if that is close enough for you to check him out.

[ewells]

I think expense is really important as several of the clinicians mentioned are for me just too expensive. Would I like to ride with them absolutely but could I afford it not right now maybe someday. Plus I’m riding a youngster and I think spending my $ for regular training with a good local person is more effective until he’s older the basics are established and we’ve gotten to at least solid second level working on third.

I’de love to ride with Anne Gribbons, Debbie M, Conrad S, Lilo Fore & Christine Traurig.

[Silverbridge]

I can’t say I’ve yet been to a bad clinic. I think every person I’ve audited or ridden with has offered some nugget of wisdom or some application of an exercise or technique that helped my riding in some way.

I’ve audited:

Charlotte Bredhal Baker
Hilda Gurney
Axel Stiener
Jan Ebeling
Conrad Schumacher

I’ve ridden with:

Jan Ebeling
Conrad Schumacher
Niki Clarke
Christine Traurig

Of all of them I get the most out of Niki and Christine T. They both work with my trainer and know my horse, which puts us all on the same page. I still apply things I’ve learned from all the others. I’d definitely ride with Conrad S and Ebeling again if the timing and budget work out.

Niki will get on horses in clinics to feel what’s happening, and to see her ride your horse is a revelation. She’s a petite person with phenomenal tact and timing.

[Velvet]

I keep wondering why it’s only BNT names requested. Is this a major clinic to have auditors, etc.? Or is it for the OP to setup a clinic to help her improve as well as others? Big difference between the two. One will be a much bigger headache to coordinate and will also cost a LOT more and probably still net the same results (as far as training goes) as many of the BNTs. Especially if you get people who have worked with them and are better teachers.

[Crockpot]

[QUOTE=Velvet;8620623]
I keep wondering why it’s only BNT names requested. Is this a major clinic to have auditors, etc.? Or is it for the OP to setup a clinic to help her improve as well as others? Big difference between the two. One will be a much bigger headache to coordinate and will also cost a LOT more and probably still net the same results (as far as training goes) as many of the BNTs. Especially if you get people who have worked with them and are better teachers.[/QUOTE]

If you have ever hosted clinics you will know it is a fact of life that you often need some name recognition to fill the clinics-

no matter how wonderful or obscure the trainer- they all like to be paid and deserve to be paid- so you need to fill the clinics

That is how I understood the OP. YMMV

[bettyk]

Betsy Steiner is superb! Have audited her clinics and am hoping to be a participant in the next one in our area. Very patient and excellent for all levels from the ground up. Have ridden in a Heather Blitz clinic and found it very helpful. Have audited Lilo Fore’s clinics…just leave your ego at home if you ride in one of her clinics:)! And while I would not put her in the BNT category (yet), Emily Wagner does a phenomenal job. I think she’s excellent and will be one to watch for the future.

[Wicky]

[QUOTE=SportArab;8619469]
Is he still doing clinics? I audited one of his about 10 years ago and he was just amazing.[/QUOTE]

Yes, Karl Mikolka is still doing clinics, although he only does three lessons a day. He is 80 and had a tough time with cancer a few years ago. He tends to only go to people he has worked with for years (Shannon Peters is one).

That said, he IS amazing. He concentrates on the rider and the horse. He is a stickler for the basics - can you ride good 20 meter circles? Straight lines? a proper shoulder-in? What are your horse’s holes?

Riding with Karl is NEVER being told how good you are. A waste of time, IMHO. I want to know what I need to do to be better. And if you take that attitude to his clinic, you will be drinking from the firehose! When Karl was ill, I took one clinic with another former SRS rider. A terrible disappointment. I was hoping to get some new exercises to do so I could keep improving. All he did was to tell me to circle, change direction, shoulder-in… do these things, but not how to make them better. A waste of hundreds of dollars.

In between lessons, I do the exercises that he has taught me that deal with the problems of the week. I do not drill movements. The proper exercises result in the correct movements, which sometimes I test at the end of the ride.

Karl has a system of progressive exercises. Unfortunately, a lot of this classical SRS stuff is not how riders ride today. When and how to use the whip, or the spur, or the lower or upper leg… these techniques contradict what most people are being taught and so riders can get frustrated (and so can teachers).

[Velvet]

@Crockpot;8620644

If you have ever hosted clinics…

Thus the reason I asked and had details regarding affordability. I’ve organized many.

[Velvet]

Totally true on Karl Mikolka. And if he’s not correcting and you do something wrong, one look at his face and you know it is still not good enough. :lol:

[right_horse_at_the_right_time]

[QUOTE=Silverbridge;8620531]
I can’t say I’ve yet been to a bad clinic. I think every person I’ve audited or ridden with has offered some nugget of wisdom or some application of an exercise or technique that helped my riding in some way.

I’ve audited:

Charlotte Bredhal Baker
Hilda Gurney
Axel Stiener
Jan Ebeling
Conrad Schumacher

I’ve ridden with:

Jan Ebeling
Conrad Schumacher
Niki Clarke
Christine Traurig

Of all of them I get the most out of Niki and Christine T. They both work with my trainer and know my horse, which puts us all on the same page. I still apply things I’ve learned from all the others. I’d definitely ride with Conrad S and Ebeling again if the timing and budget work out.

Niki will get on horses in clinics to feel what’s happening, and to see her ride your horse is a revelation. She’s a petite person with phenomenal tact and timing.[/QUOTE]

CS is here in a week and a half…full but do you want to be on the waiting list?

[HSS]

I will second, third, and forth Lilo Fore. She was my instructor for a number of years, and I have followed her around to clinics all over just to watch and hear her teach. You cannot possibly go wrong with her- I use exercises she taught me 30 years ago today.

Klaus Balkenhol. Beyond fabulous- produced several of the clinicians & their big time horses mentioned here. Attended every USET training session held in CA just to gleen some wisdom.

Another clinician/trainer who is superb is Sabine Shut-Kery. She was in my area a number of years ago and she is just as fabulous in the ground as in the saddle.

Gosh- there are so many wonderful instructors mentioned here- we are truly lucky to have all of them in this country!

[the_sandiest_shoes]

I’m still not sure on the etiquette of reviving old threads? But if it’s cool, I wanted to add that I was in a clinic this weekend with Christine Traurig and enjoyed it very much. It was extremely helpful and she knew exactly how much to push the horse. She gave me some really useful exercises to use and overall it was very worthwhile.

My favourite clinician in the US is Laura Graves. Expensive but amazing and I will jump at the chance to ride with her again.

[Willy_Von_Whompers]

I have been to some awful clinics, both as a spectator and a rider. Big names too. LOL I’ve paid probably $200 a word from some one super famous…got two grunts, a jah and tempo tempo. Whoopee doo. The hopeless lady after me who happened to be riding the horse she bought from him…got a lot more than a couple of grunts. But hey…that’s life.

John Lasseter is my FAVE… (SRS rider/student) he’s not everyone’s cuppa because he gives standard set exercises to start with and tailors his instruction to how well you DO these set exercises. If you fail three times to ride a 20 meter circle - correctly - then that’s what the rest of your lesson will be on…accuracy.

He has a bit of a undeserved rep locally for cookie cutter exercises…but the point is - if you do them with attention to detail they DO work for every horse and rider. I if you manage half assed decently he is fabulous…amazing wealth of knowledge. I had the two best lessons of my LIFE from him and I came in on a OTTB that bronced his way thru the first 10 min. The fact that I rode thru it and fixed it and carried on cheered Mr. L up enormously I think and I got the full benefit of his knowledge.