Ritter Clinic Report

[rescuemom]

Donning my flame-proof suit, I offer my perspective on the Ritter clinic I rode in this weekend.

This was one of the best lessons I have ever had, and I hope to be able to clinic with Thomas again this summer/fall. I planned and schooled for this clinic for weeks because I was afraid my NSH mare, Ivy, would blow up and we would provide the entertainment section of the clinic. As it was, she was very relaxed for her, about a 4 where 10 is tornado wind behavior. I think the barn setup helped with this. The stalls are adjacent to and viewing into the indoor arena, with each stall separated by small wire mesh. She could watch everything that was going on, and since I switched my ride time from 11:30 to 2:15 she had plenty of time to relax.

I rode without flash and on a longer rein than I have used lately. This seemed to have the effect of encouraging Ivy to round and think about coming
on the bit more readily than she normally would. The only time I was instructed to pick up more rein was before cantering, and even then the rein
was longer than our usual for walk/trot.

The first thing corrected was a loosening of the girth by one hole, followed by shortening my stirrups one hole. Thomas tried to adjust my leg position, knee more in and leg back. This was quite difficult to do while maintaining my seat position. I just love finding these previously undiscovered muscles, but it gives me something else to work on. This was followed up by
reminders to sit back (one of my weaknesses), which somehow put me in a slightly different sitting position than I have experienced before. At the end of our lesson I thanked Thomas for helping me get the best sitting trot I have ever achieved on this horse!

Dr. Ritter asked questions of Ivy’s capabilities and problems, and something of my riding level. I told him Ivy knew more than I did and what she was
working on when I got her. Our initial lap was quite quick with Ivy racing around ignoring me. He started us on small transitions of walk-halt,
trot-halt, with the halt requested through alternating reins rather than both reins at the same time. We progressed to 20m. circles, and voltes at walk and trot with Ivy showing some of her counterflexion. His fix for this was to lighten the outside rein, which was more quickly effective than previous fixes.

On to more intensive transitions: full pass, from centerline to wall, turn on forehand, halt, reinback to trot, in varying sequence, and then done every two strides, and into tight corners I thought even small and flexible Ivy couldn’t negotiate. It got both of us very focused and she was quite soft. Back to trot circles and shoulder in, spiraling in and out. Ivy would volunteer a canter when she did not care to exert herself as much as asked, and I managed to stay out of two point when she did this, another hard-to-break habit, after the first time. We finished with a bit of canter work, getting soft and non-racing departs. I think we could have gone on for
another 15 mins. even though the work was pretty intensive, especially those tight transitions. One of the auditors told me later that to her my ride looked like a lot of work, very difficult, but it didn’t seem that way to me nor feel like it was for Ivy.

I have nothing negative to say about Mr. Ritter, the venue, the horses, their treatment, or anything else. It was a wonderful experience and I took away lessons upon which, judging from my ride at home last night, my horse and I can build (instead of fight) our way up the scale.

[Trocadero]

The correct position in the saddle is extremely important and something that I believe we all can improve. I must say, though, that I’ve had many a ‘worthless’ lesson because of the instructor insisting that I immediately change the position in which I’ve been riding for years. It’s one thing to ask the student to bring the shoulders back a bit or lower the hands, etc., but major position changes can’t be made quickly.

IMHO, if one needs significant improvement or changes in their riding posture/seat, then they should get it by riding a school horse or on the lunge. When you force yourself into a new position, you strain and your body tenses up. Then, the horse suffers also.

Anita, did your horse improve while you were painfully correcting your postion? Just curious.

[suzy]

>>>After my ride I frequently get asked “Are you sweating???” in surprise. I work hard on my horse, but it never shows. If it looks like hard work, you’re not really with the horse, a fundamental problem.

Okay, I’ll argue the point. As an example, the horses with the really big gaits are not always the easiest to sit. My horse is one of them, and although from a distance our ride looks “easy,” up close you will see that I am very definitely sweating. If you are talking about the riders who kick and flail and exhaust themselves because they are not applying the aids correctly, that’s something else entirely, and they do need to develop a better seat. However, when you are either learning something entirely new or really working hard to perfect something “old,” you are going to find that you have to work at it. To the observer, it may look as though you are working physically hard, mentally hard, or both. And I don’t see anything wrong with that or any indication whatever that there’s a “fundamental problem.” It’s just part of the learning process, and learning isn’t always pretty. Instead, I admire people who are venturing into new territory - it takes a lot of guts; especially in a clinic situation where there are a lot of spectators.

I was at a show two weekends ago and saw some “pretty” rides in which the riders sat quietly and nicely and weren’t working hard – AND their horses were not going forward correctly. I’d much rather see someone exude some sweat but also have a horse that is really on the aids, than the “pretty” rides that lack brilliance.

As a funny non-dressage aside (but it fits perfectly), I was competing a show hunter many years ago (at age 18 - me, that is). I was so darned concerned about looking nice, that I forgot to ride my horse, and he stopped at the very first jump. From the sidelines, my instructor SCREAMED, “Stop looking pretty, and ride the horse!!!” Some of the best advice I’ve every gotten.

[rileyt]

EXCELLENT review Rescuemom! (And how bold of you to post considering the previous “Ritter debacle”! ) Thanks for the first hand review. If anybody comes flaming,… I’ll bring my fire hose.

[rescuemom]

He had me loosen the girth because he thought it was too tight. He was probably correct, even though I use a eurogirth. My horse has been going through weight fluctuations lately and I quite likely did overtighten one hole.

He did say a too-tight girth is something he often sees, and cringed when I told him my trainer often tightens more than I do. He prefers string girths, FWIW.

[CarolineP]

Hi

New here, just dropping out of lurkdom here to answer this post. Over tight girths and over tight nosebands share quite a lot in common. They both restrict the horse.

An overtight flash, drop, grackle of even cavesson will stop the horse being able to softly chew the bit and relax the jaw.

When a horse works correctly as you know he will expand his ribcage and fill your seat and legs. If your girth is too tight you can restrict him from doing this. You can block him from working correctly.

The girth should not really be necessary to keep the saddle in place unless you are riding out hacking or jumping (different circumstances require different rules) - the rider should be balanced enough and sit central enough to do this themselves.

Caroline.

[rebecca_yount]

because two of my students rode in this clinic, and I might have been interested in riding with him in the future. But the fee structure was set up such that if I had wanted to just go see my student’s one single lesson, I would have been required to pay the full-day auditing fee. I appropriately asked the organizer to reconsider this for instructors or helpers who would just be there with one student, or to consider a reduced fee for part of the day, but she would not. I do notice that the website now lists the auditing fee as $20, but at the time of this clinic it was $35.00. I really can’t justify paying $70 to be able to see two of my students ride with a clinician. Which is her right as the organizer. I was disturbed by my other student’s physical difficulties. There is no proof that this ride (note I did not say clinician) caused the problems, but they were and remain very debilitating and occurred concurrent with the ride.

[anita_m]

Not significantly so, IMO. At least, not solely because of the changes in my position. Ritter’s swinging lunge whip certainly increased my horse’s suspension and impulsion, though! But still it was tense in my opinion, and I felt my horse was reacting more to the fear of the whip than any aids I was giving him.

In comparison, my second ride with de Kunffy on Saturday (Friday’s lesson was not a good example, as my horse was flat and lacked suspension and forwardness, but it didn’t matter because the session was for therapuetic reasons for me, for the most part) was probably the best I’ve ever ridden and about as good as my horse goes, according to witnesses. I much prefer the gentler method. And it certainly didn’t hinder my horses gaits or way of going.

As far as my position goes, I don’t think I’m THAT ineffective that I need to be on the lunge (not that we all couldn’t benefit from more of that). We’re talking about my toes and knees not being turned inward enough, and my heel not always being down enough, and my lumbar back not always being straight enough–not flailing legs torso, head, or anything wild like that, for goodness sake. And the resons I have these problems is becasue I was taught to keep to mostly keep the leg or spur on and the rest of the leg loose. I was never taught this “new position.” Probably my worst fault is my hands are not quiet enough, but part of the reason for that was because that was partially how I was taught. De Kunffy solved this in one session by having me plant my hands on my thighs. During my second de Kunffy ride he did not let me plant my hands and I had no trouble keeping them steady, fists together, hands closed aorund the reins.

[Gaspano]

Help from the ground is standard and accepted procedure in any decent riding school that teaches equitation. Horses which are fearful of the longe whip, rather than simply respectful of it, have a “hole” in their work and are very likely not before the rider’s aids or the riding whip any more than they are before the longe whip. Riders would do their horses a great favor if they would understand and utilize the very valuable help good ground assistance affords.

Equitation matters. Riding with the toes out means there are a host of faults which flow from what a rider may perceive to be a very minor error. But it is not minor. If the toes are turned out, the rider’s knees are also turned out. The back of the calves, not the inside, are against the horse’s belly, The knees invariably pinch the horse for this is where the rider gets security. The heels are rising, the rider sits on the fork and out of alignment with the horse’s center of gravity. Improper leg position means the rider is unable to give the aids either timely or with finesse. In short, what seems a little fault really means the rider doesn’t sit correctly as a whole and that causes a major problem for the horse. Open hands, also an error of basic equitation skills, mean inconsistent contact through the reins. Without consistent contact from a stable seat and correct aids, the horse cannot close the circle of the aids and be ridden on the bit. This is not the horse’s fault. It is the rider’s fault.

Correcting rider errors is the rider’s constant task and responsibility. When riders have ridden incorrectly since the Year Dot, it IS very difficult for them to change and learn to do, both physically and mentally, what is correct. The “wrong” muscles must be convinced to give up their hold and the “right” muscles have to be coaxed to work in ways never before required so the rider can sit in the horse’s movement at all times. This is very difficult and muscles can be strained while this process goes on. It is the rider’s job and responsibility to know his or her own limits and take a rest or even stop work altogether if necessary. Nobody knows the rider’s limits except the rider. It is the rider’s responsibility to tell the instructor the rider needs to take a rest break or even end the lesson. It’s unreasonable for a rider to expect the instructor, who has never seen rider or a horse before, to know the limits of either within the confines of a 45 minute or hour clinic session. Realistically speaking, there’s very little that can be accomplished in such a limited period of time. So it is even more unreasonable, in my opinion, for a rider, who goes beyond his or her own limits and consequently ends up with muscle spasms or strains, to complain to the entire world that the instructor should have known better or is responsible or is at fault for the rider’s own mistakes. Nothing useful comes from overworking rider muscles past the point of fatigue but, on the other hand, nothing useful comes from failing to start the process, sticking with it and working at one’s limit for the rest of one’s riding life. Correcting equitation errors is a rider’s primary task for every riding moment because excellence in equitation is the single most important factor which influences excellence in the horse’s performance. It is simply unfair to expect the horse to give his all, do his best and work to the limit of his own physical and mental abilities unless the rider does.

Work on the longe to correct the seat is no penalty and no insult and no declaration of incompetence. People who understand what it takes to get even a sort of decent, let alone a good seat, welcome this work and insist upon doing it as a routine part of their training. Nobody’s seat is ever good enough and certainly nobody’s seat is perfect and correcting the seat by returning to work on the longe is a life’s work and an obligation the rider owes to every horse.

Equitation skills in this country are extremely poor and that’s everywhere. Instructors don’t insist that students work on the longe because they don’t know how to do this work with a student and they don’t realize how valuable it really is because they never learned correct equitation skills either. Riders often get pretty insulted or miffed if work on longe is even suggested to them by a knowledgeable instructor. They have the mistaken belief that this work is “just for beginners” who have to be connected to the instructor by a longe line because they do not ride well enough to ride independently. So they pass up the very best opportunity to improve themselves and their horses feeling this work is beneath them. A rider, who works on the longe with a knowledgeable instructor every day for just a month, will make more progress and have far better skills than a rider who skips this work and rides daily for a year.

We have a clinic learning system in the US and it does not work very well at all. As a consequence, we have very poor equitation skills even in riders at the upper levels. Even at what are considered to be the “best” dressage shows, one rarely, rarely, sees a rider who sits correctly. The rare rider one does see sticks out like a beacon. At clinics, rider equitation errors are completely ignored and seat corrections are never heard. The vast majority of clinic instructors never mention equitation errors, ignore all of the rider interferences and insist that the rider correct the horse’s performance as if the horse’s performance can be substantially improved while the rider continues to interfere. The instructors who know equitation errors when they see them and not only comment upon and but also correct rider equitation errors are very few and very far between in the US. Ritter happens to be one of these rare few. It’s a blessing to even find these people! Riders who work under these few invariably make far greater progress over time than riders who expect their horses to perform well while they continue to ride rather poorly. Riders should be delighted to find an instructor who knows what a correct seat really is and is alert in making constant corrections to assist riders to work correctly. This instruction is almost impossible to find yet it is the best help for the horse’s performance a rider can possibly get. Ultimately, it’s for the good of the horse.

[This message was edited by Gaspano on May. 21, 2001 at 06:12 PM.]

[This message was edited by Gaspano on May. 22, 2001 at 09:49 AM.]

[Velvet]

(rileyt, you should know better than to make promises you cannot keep. )

It sounds like you had a great time and learned a lot and are communicating more effectively with your horse. Isn’t this what riding and clinicing is all about? Keep going. Keep enjoying yourself!

Thanks for sharing.

[jl1]

what determines if the girth is too tight?

[rebecca_yount]

of the original post. On Wednesday, I viewed a tape made by the Ritter clinic organizer’s videotape person. If you wanted your own videographer to tape JUST YOUR RIDE you had to pay the full $35 audit fee for that person. My student, therefore, had the “closed shop” person designated by the organizer tape her lesson–for a fee. The quality of the tape was very poor, and I could not understand most of what the clinician was saying, I guess because it was taped from inside the viewing area. Therefore it was difficult to assess what he was telling her. She did explain, however, what was going on. If anyone is interested in my comments concerning what I saw and sort of heard, please e-mail me privately at source@erols.com.

[gwynne]

Rebecca, I find your forthrightness, honesty, & diplomacy demonstrated in your post regarding your students’ clinic experience refreshing. “The ride was concurrent with the riders debilitation, but no proof that the ride was the cause” not an exact quote.
As for auditing fees, I agree the clinic organizer should have allowed a discount for instructors attending with their students. In my neck of the woods instructors doing just that seldom if ever pay an auditing fee. When they do it is basically a token contribution. Am not sure from your post whether you believe, or it actually was, Dr. Ritter’s view on auditing fees that the organizer was upholding. But, from my experience with clinics the clinician has their own set fee for rides & auditing which the organizer and/or host farm often tacks their own fees on top of to either offset the cost of lunch/dinner, to be able to provide stalls at no upfront add’l cost to participants, for arena fees, or to show a profit. If it was Dr. Ritter’s standard pricing the organizer was upholding then I would be disappointed, too.

[snbess]

Gee Anita,
I’m not sure I’d take it as an insult that someone suggested lunge lessons. I am a fairly effective rider (2nd/3rd level) and also have issues with my toes too far out and sometimes shoulders not back enough. I’m planning and looking forward to taking a week at a clinician’s barn to ride some of her horses and have lunge lessons to improve my position. I haven’t had many lunges lessons, but have enjoyed the ones I’ve had and crave more. It’s just another in the dressage world of “there’s always room to improve”.

[CarolineP]

Thank you Gaspano

Enjoyed reading that and agree with your sentiments. THe situation is not just US based although we have less of a clinic culture over here. THe really good clinicians like Zettle don’t even cross the water and it was the biggest find ever to discover Herberman cliniced here for a few days over the winter. Audited that and it was amazing.

To find someone who truly has the skills, knowledge and ability to help you is hard work. It took me a long while to find someone to whom I would trust my re-education (yes reeducation because as with most people I am relearning what I knew) to. It is not something light you are entrusting someone with but a major responsibility. The amount of people who have turned around to me and said my position is fine - scary. Even the masters were constantly correcting and refining their position - I have no allusions over how much I have to work at.

I also very much liked your comments about the fact that it is up to the rider to tell the clinician when they need a break - very true. If you don’t push you don’t get but there reaches a point where one gets negative returns and needs to take a little breather for a sec.

With regards to a ride looking hard work it can be taken in a number of ways. The ride should appear effortless but it is very unlikely to be. Brute strength is not the issue but body control, muscle tone, precision, concentration etc. It is also a matter of aerobic stamina and level of fitness of the rider. Riding horses does not get you aerobically fit although it is very good for developing a firm bottom (lol)! For the outsider however it should look like the rider is doing nothing - the better the rider, the better the horse the less is visible to the outside world.

Oh yes - on the subject of DQs - sorry guys - you all have no chance. I am half English, half German and live in England. Those criteria shoots me straight to the top of the pile. Doesn’t matter what I do or wear - I am European - the ultimate criteria - LOL! (please forget first few paragraph whilst reading this - LOL).

Caroline

[KellyS]

“Building (instead of fighting) our way up the scale”

Isn’t that the main point? No matter what trainer, methods, or tack you are using - if you and your horse are happily working together and making progress - that’s what’s important!

I’m glad your clinic went so well! Thanks for posting a great report. I too have a mare that I am focusing on working with instead of fighting with. She is quite independent minded and the approach to training her is a bit unconventional but works. As long as riding stays fun for both of us and we are moving forward, I’m happy! Good luck with your riding.

[rescuemom]

Would you stop asking the difficult questions! I’ll have to guess here and say that TRitter has developed an eye for seeing a too-tight girth. I’d also guess that too-tight means tigher than what is needed to keep the saddle in place. Most of the “theory” of girth tightening I’ve been taught boils down to “keep tightening until you can’t tighten no more.” Maybe that isn’t correct; it certainly wouldn’t be if we were discussing how tight to make the belts around our waists.

[gwynne]

Rescuemom, thanks so much for posting your clinic experience. Am very glad you had such a positive experience!
As for over tight girths; a couple years ago a local saddler who travels nationwide (most of you probably know him) adjusted my girth and my way of thinking. His tip for making sure your girth was not too tight is that you should be able to fit your fingers comfortably yet snugly between the horse’s side and girth. If it pinches your fingers or you have to struggle to slide them under, loosen the girth. I struggled for years trying to prevent girth sores on my gelding. This simple yet effective tip did what every girth/girth cover known to man could not; nary a rub mark since.
Also, rescuemom…could elaborate more on the full pass exercises you performed on your mare during the clinic?

[rescuemom]

I didn’t suffer any discomfort following my ride and I’m sorry to hear that Rebecca’s students did. My horse, who has of late expressed what seems to be some fear of a lunge whip (and I don’t know where that came from) did not have any problem with Dr. Ritter’s whip. Of the other rides I saw that day no horse seemed bothered by it, and he was quiet and gentle when using the whip to generate more activity behind on an advanced horse. The lessons gleaned from my ride with Ritter have continued to be very useful in getting Ivy focused, a major issue for the horse.

I agree with Rebecca that the auditing fees were stiff both in price and structure. I would have liked to have my trainer audit as well, but I can’t blame her for not wanting to spend that much to watch one ride. I don’t argue with the clinic host’s right to charge that. And I did pay a stall fee over and above the clinic fee. I thought it was reasonable given that my horse was there most of the day. It seemed less reasonable that if a rider wanted to come early or stay after her ride to watch others it was necessary to pay the stall fee as no trailer “stalling” was permitted.

[Trocadero]

Anita, in my post, I in no way meant to discredit your riding ability. I didn’t express my point clearly, and I can undersand why offense was taken.

Let me try again. I have some position problems similar to what Anita describes, and I need to work on them. I know it’s going to take a while to get my hip/thigh to rotate inward so the toe points forward or in. I think when I fix that, my hands will be better also. In my case, I would much prefer fixing these things while mounted on a horse where I didn’t have to be concerned with getting him connected and all the other training issues we must deal with when riding. Like Anita, I am fairly effective in my riding, but I could be much better if I make some position changes.