Paul Belasik - anyone clinic with him? Thoughts?

[AnneC]

You will get there on a Monday. Peacocks in the yard, sloping rolling hills with horses grazing, a bridge over a creek and the famous arenas you have seen in Belasik’s books. it will feel magical.
You will likely be welcomed by Rose and her super friendly German Shepherd Dog. You will settle in your little apartment. The stairs to the bedroom are steep so careful. It is very quaint. It has everything you need and I only had to shop at the local Giant store the first day. There is a dvd player, a vhs player and a tv so I recommend you ask to see videos. I regret to asking for books because I think I would have enjoyed that library more. I was shy. do not be.
You will ride once a day. I rode Viktoria, a magificent tall black German mare who is schooled by Paul every morning. She is a cadillac and figures out her riders fast which means by the last day she knew what she could get away with due to my poor anticipation of her moves. I love that because I felt so proud the first day and by the fourth she humbled me. It left me with the desire to come back again.
The intern is in the barn at 7am. Rose usually joins him at 8am with Paul. They all do the chores of the barn. You will be stunned by how organized and clean this barn is. tack is cleaned daily (I will now switch from weekly to daily with mine). the barn is dusted weekly. stalls are fully stripped every morning in a super efficient way. If you ever wanted to learn how to do it right, this is the place. Every horse is show ready for every ride. Even the white horses have all spots of poop off them before riding. The saddle pads and the polos are washed daily. One thing I need to tell you about tasks, stay out of it. If you know how to broom then that you can do. They have a superb system/dance and us getting involved breaks that flow. But ask questions. Rose, Paul and their intern are very generous in information.
You will spend your morning watching rides. Bring a notebook to jot questions and thoughts. Do not take any pictures and videos. Paul and Rose are rightly so very clear about this. We have a priviledge to be here and need to respect house rules. Also the dog will be on his bed. do not disturb him. when they ride, he stays there and watches. It is very tempting to call him over or sit with him . Do not. He has a role and you will see that he is Rose’s shadow.
You will spend a lot of time just sitting and watching so bring a raincoat in case for the walk to the arenas, bring a jacket (although it will not be cold by then), your boots (clean them daily), hats, gloves and riding clothes.
There are such lovely walks around the area from the farm and on the 26 acre farm.
Paul and Rose are very generous with information and guidance. They have a well oiled machine that works splendidly. They ride similarly with slight variations. They are always helping each other and their intern. There is a lot to learn and I came out with a clear idea of what I wish to work on and how I wish to proceed with my ridiing.
My only regret or sadness is that I cannot stay or live close to them. I have had one other instructor , Nicole Zoet-ostermeyer in AZ that I regret not having by me for seat. what she taught me is so complementary to Paul’s education. Seat, seat, seat. legs help. hands guide only. I have been trained the german method for the last year and a half almost and did not really get it all. I get this method.
you will love it and I am glad you are going. To be honest, I wish I could go again that soon.

[Scribbler]

@AnneC

You will get there on a Monday. Peacocks in the yard, sloping rolling hills with horses grazing, a bridge over a creek and the famous arenas you have seen in Belasik’s books. it will feel magical.
You will likely be welcomed by Rose and her super friendly German Shepherd Dog. You will settle in your little apartment. The stairs to the bedroom are steep so careful. It is very quaint. It has everything you need and I only had to shop at the local Giant store the first day. There is a dvd player, a vhs player and a tv so I recommend you ask to see videos. I regret to asking for books because I think I would have enjoyed that library more. I was shy. do not be.
You will ride once a day. I rode Viktoria, a magificent tall black German mare who is schooled by Paul every morning. She is a cadillac and figures out her riders fast which means by the last day she knew what she could get away with due to my poor anticipation of her moves. I love that because I felt so proud the first day and by the fourth she humbled me. It left me with the desire to come back again.
The intern is in the barn at 7am. Rose usually joins him at 8am with Paul. They all do the chores of the barn. You will be stunned by how organized and clean this barn is. tack is cleaned daily (I will now switch from weekly to daily with mine). the barn is dusted weekly. stalls are fully stripped every morning in a super efficient way. If you ever wanted to learn how to do it right, this is the place. Every horse is show ready for every ride. Even the white horses have all spots of poop off them before riding. The saddle pads and the polos are washed daily. One thing I need to tell you about tasks, stay out of it. If you know how to broom then that you can do. They have a superb system/dance and us getting involved breaks that flow. But ask questions. Rose, Paul and their intern are very generous in information.
You will spend your morning watching rides. Bring a notebook to jot questions and thoughts. Do not take any pictures and videos. Paul and Rose are rightly so very clear about this. We have a priviledge to be here and need to respect house rules. Also the dog will be on his bed. do not disturb him. when they ride, he stays there and watches. It is very tempting to call him over or sit with him . Do not. He has a role and you will see that he is Rose’s shadow.
You will spend a lot of time just sitting and watching so bring a raincoat in case for the walk to the arenas, bring a jacket (although it will not be cold by then), your boots (clean them daily), hats, gloves and riding clothes.
There are such lovely walks around the area from the farm and on the 26 acre farm.
Paul and Rose are very generous with information and guidance. They have a well oiled machine that works splendidly. They ride similarly with slight variations. They are always helping each other and their intern. There is a lot to learn and I came out with a clear idea of what I wish to work on and how I wish to proceed with my ridiing.
My only regret or sadness is that I cannot stay or live close to them. I have had one other instructor , Nicole Zoet-ostermeyer in AZ that I regret not having by me for seat. what she taught me is so complementary to Paul’s education. Seat, seat, seat. legs help. hands guide only. I have been trained the german method for the last year and a half almost and did not really get it all. I get this method.
you will love it and I am glad you are going. To be honest, I wish I could go again that soon.

As someone who basically just knocks the dust off my horse before I ride, and rides in the rain in my good tack, but is very picky about how I ride I’m more interested in what you learned at the sessions! What were your three biggest takeaways and how has your riding improved globally since the clinic? What changes have you seen in your own horse? What level are you and your horse at, and what level is your goal?

I once audited an excellent 4 day clinic at the barn where my horse was. I joked that she must have been watching over the fence and learning things because she improved daily over the course of the clinic. But of course it was me picking up tips and cleaning up my riding by watching!

[dressagegirl123]

Anne C, thank you so much! I’m looking forward to my week there. I’m also taking a horse with me that I want to learn piaffe in hand, so that will be fun, too.