What do you think is a reasonable number in a group for a clinic?
I think the ideal number is around 4. Not more than 6. But I also think that what’s most important is that the riders/horses are pretty similar in ability. There’s nothing more frustrating in a clinic situation than having one person or horse who isn’t quite ready for that level and holds the group back (and I’d imagine it’s pretty stressful for that person as well).
I have been placed in a group of six in a not huge ring. My horse is a good deal more advanced than the others so I am thinking I was the odd one out. Some horses are fairly new to jumping so steering may be a problem at times. I am a little concerned I will be forgotten in the group and the exercises will not challenge the horse and me enough. On the flip side I am telling myself the snow will fly soon and I am not training for something other than next spring so easy may be good? Personally I think it needs to be split as it is about double the size of the other groupings. I would get more from it with fewer numbers I think.
Are you debating whether to do it or not?
Personal anecdote that may/not be helpful: earlier this year, I unexpectedly found myself riding in a hunter clinic on a medium pony. I was a lot more advanced than the other riders in the group I was put in, but you know, I learned a lot from it. I also made a good new connection and (hopefully) a favorable impression* that could get me rides in the future. So in that sense, you never know, and you may get a lot out of a clinic where you didn’t expect to.
*Favorable except for the fact that I fell off the pony within 3 minutes of my getting on :lol: I’m all about making a good first impression!
Hahahahaha re the fall…those ponies have nothing in front so no doubt staying on is a hard job!!!
No I am not considering not going as I am paid but I reckon in with 6 gives me less minutes of attention I could get as compared to others. Then again in a small group one can still get little attention. My thinking is the green horses will take more time. Not that I can"t get something from this but I think there are more in the group than there ought to be. Going to be tough for the clinian who will have to deal with a group that is very much a mixed bag. But I will go for sure…alway reckon if I bring one thing home it was worth going. I would hate to be the person making up the groups because they don"t always know the horses and riders.
I’m confused as to why you are in a group with people/horses that are at a significantly lower level than you and your horse are. I think that would be more a factor of which section you selected rather than the number of people in the group. Why did you choose this section?
FWIW: I do prefer smaller groups, 3-4…but can still learn a lot in larger ones.
I too am confused on that…its a multi site clinic…clinician travels. Seems like they put all the hunters in one group ( I am the only non green horse I think) and jumpers in two small groups.
I probably wouldn’t want to participate in a clinic group if there were more than three or four riders in the group. Clinics, IMO, are just like group lessons, and I wouldn’t want to pay to ride in a lesson with five other people. Just think of the amount of time each rider would spend standing around watching others and waiting for their turn.
I think four is the magic number. I figured it out once with a 2 day, 2hr clinic group each day and six riders and my actual ride time (not sitting on horses back just watching) was only 20 min. each day. the clinic was $400 and that works out to be a very expensive 40 minutes. So I think any more than four riders and i dont think you get the value of individual instruction/riding for what a clinic costs. Some might argue that you get the benefit of watching the others but then I would argue to save the $ and just audit, use the money for a private.
3 max.
After that I’ll audit from a chair on the side, thanks.
[QUOTE=meupatdoes;7217131]
3 max.
After that I’ll audit from a chair on the side, thanks.[/QUOTE]
My thoughts exactly. I’ve ridden in one where I was in a group with 6-7 (I’d have to back and look at the video to be sure), but it really sucked. Way too much down time, not enough individualized attention. I think I jumped a small course twice on the second day, in TWO HOURS of riding. My (then young) horse got very pissy and impatient for all of the standing around and then being asked to go jump a course, etc.
There was a clinic in my area recently that had groups of OVER 15. I cannot even imagine. I did not go watch, but I heard it was awful.
I’ve never done a clinic with less than 6 riders (1.5-2 hour time slots) it works ok but I think less riders would definitely be a lot nicer. Less wait, more doing.
[QUOTE=FineAlready;7217865]
My thoughts exactly. I’ve ridden in one where I was in a group with 6-7 (I’d have to back and look at the video to be sure), but it really sucked. Way too much down time, not enough individualized attention. I think I jumped a small course twice on the second day, in TWO HOURS of riding. [/QUOTE]
the Joe Fargis clinic I did had 6 in it. While it was a lot, I never felt like there was a ton of down time. He’s pretty good at managing a group. The attention wasn’t individual, but there was a lot of wonderful things to learn. I did about four courses total, but plenty of other stuff (gymnastics the first day, courses the second). 'Course Joe is old school and can manage a group of that size. It’s a riding academy sort of style, but the instructor that knows how to manage it can do it well.
It depends a lot on the clinician, and his/her style of teaching. As a general rule, I would not want more than 4.
I did a clinic with Joe Fargis with 6, and I won’t be doing it again. I learned some good exercises and ONE thing about me and my horse.
I learned FAR MORE watching him give a couple of semi-private lessons at his barn, and watching him warm up at shows.
I also depends on how long the session is. If it is a 2+hr session, 6 can be OK with the right instructor.
[QUOTE=Treasmare2;7216924]
I have been placed in a group of six in a not huge ring. My horse is a good deal more advanced than the others so I am thinking I was the odd one out.
Some horses are fairly new to jumping so steering may be a problem at times.[/QUOTE]
I’d bring this up with the organizer now rather than later - see what response you get.
I am a little concerned I will be forgotten in the group and the exercises will not challenge the horse and me enough.
Again, nothing wrong with asking how this will be handled.
Personally I think it needs to be split as it is about double the size of the other groupings.
As above - unless the organizer has booked additional time, it’s hardly fair on anyone in the larger group - are they somehow expecting green horses to take less individual time? how experienced are the riders?
[QUOTE=Treasmare2;7216970]
No I am not considering not going as I am paid but I reckon in with 6 gives me less minutes of attention I could get as compared to others. [/QUOTE]
Yup - ask the organizer about this, especially what it would take to get this large group divided into 2 smaller groups (if it’s just 1 more rider, try to convince someone else to join)
Declare yourself a jumper for the clinic 
If you really are the only non-green horse, ask for a “private” session at the end of each day rather than the clinician & fence setters switching back & forth.
I prefer 3 to a group. I’ve been organizing these local clinics here at our farm for a couple of years now, and have just lucked into just the clinician we have been looking for this year. And three to a lesson is my goal. A rider takes their turn over the jumps, then has a minute to recover while the next person goes, and gets to watch one more, before going again. One needs to limit riders if necessary to get the quality lessons. And have a clinician who will work long hours without diminishing input to riders. We feed and water our clinician religiously. I prefer fewer riders per group, and shorter sessions, rather than long sessions with more riders. We go 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 hour sessions with three riders. Sometimes the lessons don’t go that long, if we are at a finishing point earlier than that, so it leaves some time to switch over riders for the next lesson, or to work on individual problems before the next lesson starts. But we are more interested in offering quality lessons, rather than making money on the clinic with as many riders as possible, and making the number of students in each lesson large. It depends on why you are putting on the clinic I guess, the goal of doing the work. For BNT, GM etc, there are going to be more riders in each lesson, obviously, as they are so expensive to pay for. We avoid that by using not a big name, but still quality. In our area (remote), we need the right clinician, not necessarily a BNT. And the goal is to encourage and promote the h/j discipline rather than running the clinic as a money maker. Longer term goals.
If you would rather be in the jumper group, you think you would fit better there, just ask to be switched. Perhaps the person who was making up the lessons did not realize that in advance.
Well, with 3 you are n the semi private lesson area and I guarantee you the clinician costs more then a resident trainer and the organizer has to cover the plane ticket, rent car, hotel etc on top of what the clinician wants for conducting the actual clinic sessions.
Limiting each group to 3 or 4 is not real practical and would cost each rider considerably more then 6 to 8 riders. You can arrange a private or semi private lesson sometimes with the clinician. If you don’t want to be with more then 4 others, that might be a better choice.
organizers I know need about 20 riders to break even when you add having to shut the barn down lesson wise over a weekend. All depends on the clinician and hosting barn. If its a big arena with a good clinician, 6 is doable. I’ve ridden with 8 a few times, that’s pushing it unless they are all pretty much at the same level. More then 6 with any serious jumping is too many but can work in the beginner section if they aren’t doing much other then ground poles/cross rails.
4 max unless it’s a once in a lifetime type of clinic.
All the clinics I’ve done that have had 6+, I would have been just as well off auditing. Especially if you have a yahoo in your group; and all your group’s time is spent watching them careen around the arena. I have little patience for that.
[QUOTE=findeight;7219274]
Limiting each group to 3 or 4 is not real practical and would cost each rider considerably more then 6 to 8 riders. [/QUOTE]
FWIW, dressage clinics are usually limited to TWO per sessin- and they don’t even have to take turns jumping.
Yes, it DOES make the clinics expensive.
When I was running jumper clincs, you could chose whether you wanted private, semi private, or group- with different prices. I
[QUOTE=Janet;7219410]
FWIW, dressage clinics are usually limited to TWO per sessin- and they don’t even have to take turns jumping.[/QUOTE]
Here they run, 1 per 45-60 min session.
When I was running jumper clincs, you could chose whether you wanted private, semi private, or group- with different prices.
:yes:
