On April 19th I hosted an "Intro to Groundwork" clinic at the barn where I board. Jen, the barn owner, put out a beautiful and super yummy dinner for us, and then we got to work. This was meant to provide those who were unfamiliar with this style of horsemanship an intro to getting control of your horse's feet, gaining respect and learning to communicate fairly. Everything we do on the ground carries over to when we're in the saddle.
Ricky started out by demonstrating on my little mare Kaiyah.
Ish and Steel, Maya and Mango, JJ and her pony, Stephanie and their yearling POA pony.
After I had been doing it for a while and learning some great new stuff on Kaiyah (thanks to Sarah while Ricky was helping the newbies), to help keep her from counter-bending, Kizi asked if she could do it too... I figured Ricky would let me know pretty quickly if it wasn't okay, and Sara offered to help her, so I said sure.
Sarah (above) is Ricky's fiancee. She is a former fox-hunter from Baltimore, and we all credit her with helping the new, "kinder and gentler" Ricky emerge! :)
I'm so proud of them both! A year ago Kaiyah was running around like her tail was on fire. It's been a tough road, but I've learned a lot thanks to Ricky, Denise and Nicki. It was so satisfying to watch these two. Like Ray used to say... "Enjoy the prosperity," and I am!!
So sweet!
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