Wonderful clinic!

This weekend I watched as Anna rode Jajan in the Peter Maddison-Greenwell clinic presented by Grace Riding Stables.  The only regret is that I couldn’t ride myself!  I admit this is the first professional clinic that I have attended with any interest.  I have visited several others on occasion, but since I didn’t have a “riding” horse, I really didn’t give it much thought.  I was absolutely blown away by the quality of instruction provided at this clinic!

If you are not familiar with his work, Peter Maddison-Greenwell is a a classical dressage trainer who has worked extensively with the Spanish horse.  Make sure to check out his website El Caballo de Espana.  His insights specific to the breed are wonderful.  It’s hard to train a Spanish horse to function exactly as a warmblood.  They just simply are not built the same.  I am very new to the dressage discipline, but I have great respect for this arena and a strong desire to learn more.  I can’t wait until February when Peter will be back in Texas offering a clinic at the Salado Creek Riding Club.  By then, I should be back in the saddle and not only can I enjoy watching Anna work with Jajan, but I can also ride and learn myself.

Finally, I was excited to get my book “Living and Working with the Horse of Spain” signed. I received mine from Amazon Friday before the clinic.  I spent most of the night reading!  I have read many of the other great books on the Andalusian, but this book so far is my favorite.  It is much more “readable” than some of the Spanish books that have been translated (I need to find them in Spanish instead of translated…I think I’d prefer reading them in their native tongue!) I really learned a lot about some of the traditions that I had heard about, but didn’t quite understand.  I will admit I haven’t finished the book, I had to do some real work today, but I’m sure I will finish devouring it before the week is out.

In summary, with the crappy weather, I was kind of regretting signing up for the clinic.  Within minutes of entering the arena, I was extremely happy we had made that decision.  I can easily say this has been one of the best “horse’ experiences of the year for me!  I was so delighted to see the progress Jajan and Anna made in just a short lesson.  I’m so excited about the possibilities for this next coming season!  Thank you to everyone who made this clinic possible!  Most importantly a gigantic thank you to Peter Maddison-Greenwell….you have a true fan base at Rancho Godinez!