May 13-14 weekend, Janet. Well worth it! Bid on the entry we’ll have on the Area II Yr auction please!!! It was a lovely gesture so I’d like to get some $ for the YR’s for it…
Thanks. I will look into it.
WRT getting your arms out in front of you- the conventional wisdom is that the reason Christopher Reeves was so badly injured is that his hands were caught in the mane/reins, and he could not use them to break his fall.
Well, I won the Area 2 space, so I’ll be there!
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Reporting back (sorry about the delay, I’ve been caught up in work stuff):
They do teach you to put your arms out, but it is a far cry from the locked elbow, let’s-break-a-collarbone kind of reach for the ground. Instead, they want you to put your hands up with your elbows rotated out and slightly flexed, so that you deflect the energy of the fall into a rolling motion. Then you somersault over with your chin tucked way down so that you are rolling onto your shoulders and not your back, and keep your legs tucked up enough to roll forward onto your feet.
The first part–probably at least half–of the session is essentially tumbling, working your way up into a dive onto the mat. Happily, the mats are very, very thick, so if you unfold too quickly and land on your back (guilty), it won’t hurt.
They do a lot of rotational falls on the simulator, but also teach you how to bail from the buck and rear. Having one who likes to do the latter, I really, really appreciated adding that to my skill set.
The point about practice is well-taken: would I react as will in a fall that caught me by surprise? I’d like to think that I could do at least something to mitigate it with this training. I know I’ll be mentally reviewing it any time I set out on XC. I’m actually thinking of trying to find a gymnastics gym that would help me improve my rolling skills, so I can keep practicing the moves they taught me.
Overall, It was great and I learned a lot. I was also pretty dang sore from using unfamiliar muscles!
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Resurrecting this.
I am signed up for a Land Safe clinic in MD this June. Can’t wait !
I didn’t do a clinic through this organization but I did do one with a high level vaulting barn many many years ago. While at the time my parents made me go, I am grateful for the skills I learned.
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Please report back! I’ve thought about doing one of their clinics.
Not the person you asked but I have feedback. 
DH took their clinic a few years back.
3 months ago, he was riding my clyde in a lesson. Clyde spooked, saddle slipped and he bucked DH in to a column in the indoor arena. As DH was flying through the air, he said he had Danny’s voice in his head telling him how to roll to avoid going head first in to that column.
He ended up with a dislocated and broken shoulder, rather than a head injury that would have had more dire consequences that I just shudder to think about.
He was able to thank them in person at their booth in KY 2 weeks back. I thanked them too.
I am definitely going to sign up!
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