TESTIMONIALS : Clinic Reports : Building Respect from the Ground Up - Maplewood Stables, April 1, 2007

Clinic Review by Linda Thee

I had the pleasure of attending Rebekka Rhodes clinic at Maplewood Stables last Sunday. I have never studied Natural horsemanship (other than reading The Horse Whisperer) and this was a wonderful introduction. The clinic was held in the indoor arena and there were about 30 attendees. Luckily, Julie Winkel the owner of Maplewood, being a wonderful hostess, supplied us with coffee and pastries in the morning as it was freezing in the barn. The morning started with Rebekka working with some of the Warmblood youngsters produced by Julie’s stallions at Maplewood. After the introduction we watched Rebekka do ground work with one of the horses. She then asked for volunteers. I jumped right in and worked with Tawny, a coming 3 year old filly, which I was told had some minimal ground training by Rebekka. With Rebekka’s help I was able to influence Tawny from the ground to do a turn on the forehand on the first try! I was also able to get flexion and lateral movement from her. Rebekka said “effective training lasts, ineffective training does not”. So apparently this little filly had effective training.

After our break Rebekka rode an eleven year old mare that at one time had worked at a Dude Ranch. The mare has issues from a past injury that has left her spooky. Rebekka had us study her conformation to find what made it difficult for her to collect. The mare has a long neck with a big head, and a longish back. She has learned to avoid the bit by getting behind it (touching her head almost to her chest) or inverting and coming above the bit to the point of rearing. Rebekka told the attendees that “we should be part of the solution, not part of the problem”. If we can make the horse’s job easier by getting her in the correct frame the rider will become the solution. Rebekka worked with the mare in a kind and gentle way at a walk and trot and got the mare’s legs underneath her, her back lifted and the horse on the bit. Rebekka told the attendees that you should get your transitions at the walk and do them correctly before moving to the trot and canter. “If you practice things wrong, all you are going to get is wrong, so don’t move ahead until the horse is ready”. I asked Rebekka after she dismounted how much pressure she was putting on the horse with her legs to get such great results. She pressed on my hand to demonstrate and I it surprised me how little pressure she used.

After the demonstration lunch was served in the club house. Rebekka answered the attendees' specific questions on their horses.

I got some wonderful information out the clinic including: you can really only influence a horse’s leg when it is off the ground. Instead of a driving seat, you should have a seat that is lifting. Put your focus on the leg you want to influence (that worked amazingly when I was working with the filly). When the horses’ rib cage swings out, the opposite hind leg is going forward.

I went right home and tried some of these techniques on my 7 year old mustang mare. I was able to get much more than I thought I could with a lot less leg pressure, I had one of my best rides I have ever had on my mare.

When I spoke to Rebekka today (to check my quotes) she said that they are planning another clinic at Maplewood in the near future. I am definitely planning on attending.

Thank you from Treecie White:

You owned the clinic, the audience, and the horses today...your performance at every moment was PROFOUND ~ you have no idea the degree that people are in awe of you, and no doubt, the horses as well. This was such an incredible clinic, so intense, but with such CALM and assertive energy, that I don't even know what to say to you except....thank you. I feel this sense of wonderful engorgement from within because of your teachings and watching your actions today. Your performance was nothing short of Olympic quality on every level ~ sometimes I had trouble hearing you, but your results and observations were always loud and clear. You are a gifted woman who just happens to know the inside
and outside of horses...and the riders who own them. I cannot wait to attend the next clinic.

P.S. Just wanted to add....I'm glad to see that my horses are not the only ones who know who is at the end of that lead rope or who is on their backs. Can't get much done this past hour, I keep thinking about your clinic...like going to a profound movie...the impact continues to surface in waves. You are like watching poetry in action...so soothing...so
honest...so perfectly composed. Thank you, once again for such a dynamic morning.

Thank you from Claire Henderson:

Thank you so much for the wonderful clinic. As I watched you work with the young horses, I really started to understand the importance of helping my horses become more balanced. I could see the change in all the horses as you encouraged them to become more balanced at all times-whether they were under saddle or not. It's easy to get lost worrying about our own balance in a way that is almost separate from the horse, but what you showed today is how
critical it is for us to both be balanced at all times together. The horses also showed how much better they felt as you helped them learn to be mindful of their own balance even when they were not being ridden.

It was great to watch you ride Lyn's horse...I saw traits from all of our horses rolled into one...that mare really had a combination of evasions that I recognized, and it was great to just watch you carefully and skillfully ride every step with her. I could see your engagement at every second of your riding, and the appreciation she felt as you continued to answer her questions. Of course I have yet to create that sort of on-going dialogue in my own riding, but seeing it sure helps get the images in the mind to draw from later on. I think it was a fantastic clinic, and such an important opportunity for a different crowd to see your methods...many of them may not have any experience approaching horses on the deep level that you teach.

I had fun working with the young horse, too. It was really funny how perplexed I was by the little filly who didn't want to go! We had had some good moments going forward, stopping, going backward, and then suddenly she didn't want to go when I started going forward again. It was fun to experience the difference in playing with a truly young horse vs. one who just acts like a two-year-old a lot of the time!!! It was fun playing with such a sweet little filly!

Thank you again for another illuminating and important clinic!
-Claire

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