I only signed up for one ride this time. I figured better than that go all in the first time. If I enjoy one ride then maybe I can sign up when she comes back next time for two rides.
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yes I like the process of having a regular clinician. I think you are on the right track. She has produced some very nice young horse and also shows she can progress all the way up the levels. Not all trainers can do this, particularly the young horses
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Yes! I think we are lacking in this area a bit for trainers like that so itās a treat to have someone like her come. Hopefully I will get some helpful insight on bringing my young guy up. Sometimes I see these upper level trainers and am NOT inspired by how they ride. But Jessica is truly lovely as a rider from what Iāve seen.
And I have seen someone else who rides with her and just blossom. With a young horse a bit similar to mine in build anyways.Although Iām not taking my young horse soā¦ Maybe next time if I enjoy the clinic.
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I agree with Outerbanks77.
I have almost alwabys worked with clinicians to greater or lesser degrees sometimes with and sometimes without a regular trainer. I LOVED the regular clinicians I have worked with but got much out of (depending on the clinician) people Iāve worked with a few times only. Of note, all clinicians were either FEI riders, Olympic level riders, or S, I or O level judges. I had one O level rider/trainer that I almost asked to get off my horse, but other than that, I learned so much even with only a few rides from a given trainer. Their philosophy and techniques add pages to my Book of Tricks. Book of approaches to specific issues. Of note, I have the rides taped and watch them so I can see what each directive means to my horse. Iām a visual person, it helps me to watch video of my riding.
Youāll learn some from Jessica if you make it clear this is not your horse and youāll definitely learn if you watch other riders/horses, ask questions and take notes. A benefit to being a rider in a clinic is that you often get to have dinner with the clinician and can ask questions that relate to your own horse. Jessica is a beautiful rider and seemingly has the horse in mind (I will accept that as a reason why she drops out of so many events after dressage - sheās keen on giving the horse experience). She is an invited rider to the U.S. 70 day stallion test in America to jump youngsters. That is a huge accolade.
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I watched Wisdom teach a clinic to a group of students/horses at the barn of a very backyard-ish trainer down the road in Eugene-ish, OR. She did a nice job at a clinic that felt very āat homeā and relaxed. I was the only auditor. There wasnāt an audience or a host with food. Everyone got help of some sort. She often took a rider and āback up a stepā from where she was, going back to work on some prior, more foundational issue.
I donāt remember her making riders get their horses to extract miraculous performance from their horses. Some clinicians visibly do this. But I think everyone learned something and got individualized help. It was refreshing.
I have ridden a sales horse or two of hers while I was trying them to buy. What stood out was how āorthodox,ā rideable and tolerant they were. Iām a long-time rider with my share of feel, but Iām an old hunter rider, so my best ride on a young dressage prospect would perhaps not scare a horse but I wouldnāt help it any. Nevertheless, these horses packed me around and tried to go as I rode them.
I donāt think we talk or think about the pro who makes a horse that anyone can ride when we consider cliniciansā skill or value. But to me, this meant that Wisdom had not skipped fundamentals with her horses and that the horsemanship had been good because they didnāt get undone by an unhelpful ride. Had I bought one of those horses, I expect that it would have gotten worse than what I rode that day during the first stretch of time that I was its rider rather than Wisdom or one of her working students. But I think that horse would have allowed me to eventually make progress with it because no one had scared it in the way it was trained.
I think my experience with her sales horse does tell you something about what youād get from a clinic. I donāt think youāll be thrown into unfamiliar- and unfair-to-the-horse territory. I mention the bit about the horsemanship and the way she made tolerant horses because I think that means that what she tells you to do, you can take home and practice by yourself (however imperfectly) and not scare or confuse your horse.
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Very nice perspective especially since I do have a young horse. Thank you so much for sharing.
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And one more thought: If you an afford it, youād be doing everyone a favor if your rode twice. IME fair/ethical clinicians err on the side of not asking for too much with a brand new horse and rider. And they donāt know how much pressure either of you can take, plus they have only an hour to figure out how to make the best changes in one or both of you that they can. I think thatās asking a lot!
That means if we ride with a new clinician just once, we are likely to walk away with not much guidance for our money. If, on the other hand, you can show up a second time, the clinician has a basis for moving on from what they were merely assessing during that first hour, and youāll go home with more.
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I agree but the organizer suggested we do the one ride vs two. This might be because they donāt know us well or it actually might be they only had one spot open. But I would be open to two rides if possible.
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IMO Jessica is exceptionally talented, has a detailed eye and was far too talented for the town she taught in for years. Now that she and her partner have moved away , I would jump at the chance for a clinic with her. That said, in any clinic where you donāt know the instructor, you do need to decide what you want to get out of it and communicate that. I rode in one clinic where the instructor was very popular, but dismissed both my horse and I ( not a standard dressage horse) as not worth the effort from the moment we started. Yet another clinician at another clinic who did not know us at all, honed in on our biggest issue and spent the entire time on that issue which corrected many other issues we had.
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Thatās part of the reason I like to audit first. Is the novice on the mixed-breed pony getting just as much focused attention, and being taken as seriously as the 4th level rider with the $$$ warmblood?
Yes if I hadnāt audited her before then I definitely would not have considered doing this right now! Especially on someone elseās horse.
From what I have seen she is firm but fair. And has a lot of experience with young horses and many different breeds and types. So I figure I can hopefully transfer something over to my young horse.
I highly recommend her! She really pegged the horse I rode (and me) very quickly. The clinic format was very quick so she got a very brief history and then we got going. Sheās very effective and gets you right to work. I found her very easy to understand but I could see for some people that she might move a bit quickly if your base of understanding of dressage is not great. Although that could be more this specific format for this specific clinic too more than it was a her thing.
I have had three lessons this week and honestly I think this ride with Jessica was the best one. She is just very effective. Probably not one to go to in the clinic situation wanting her to pick on your seat but if youāre having a trouble spot I think sheās a really good at what she does.
I will absolutely try to ride with her again and will be really excited to bring my own young horse!
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I really wish I could have ridden twice!!
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I know, right?
Thanks for reporting back and telling us how it went.
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Next time, my own horse and 2 rides. In some ways Iām actually glad I took this horse because overall I think a lot of aspects of the lesson were good for me as a rider too.
