Terrific Teaching

I am sure everyone is sick to death of hearing what an incredible trainer I have, but she proved her worth yet again yesterday.

Since late summer, I've been able to host a "mini" clinic almost every month. Our turnout is usually pretty small, 4 to 6 horses, but all of the riders have an incredible amount of fun and can't wait to come back for more. Chemaine's style of teaching is so encouraging that even the most inexperienced rider feels confident and successful when the lesson is over.

All breeds are welcome, even the little Tehachapi Wild Horse. Photo by Wendy

I started the day off on Speedy, more about that tomorrow, but Wendy followed me on her horse, Bloo. Bloo is not your typical dressage horse. She's not a warmblood, and she doesn't even hit 15 hands. Even so, she and Wendy had a great lesson as they schooled the trot lengthening and walk to canter transitions.

Wendy and Bloo (Wendy's photo)

I rode Izzy next, more on that in the days to come, but our last rider was Kat on her Tehachapi Wild Horse. He was rounded up this past June where he was found with a small band of mares and foals. He was worked under saddle for 120 days and then put up for sale. Kat was brand new to horses having only been riding a leased horse for a few months. She bought him in October and has been learning to ride over the winter. Wendy has been helping her along over the past six months, but yesterday was her first "official" lesson.

Chemaine schooling Kat on her Tehachapi Mountain Horse

I am sure that Chemaine finds teaching riders to do tempi changes or canter pirouettes more stimulating, but even so she gives the same quality of lesson to a rider struggling to find the correct diagonal for posting or the rider trying to learn to sit the trot (me!).

Morgan, Wendy, and Erica

When she finished with us, Chemaine went to the second barn where she gave a second round of lessons. She'll be back at my barn this afternoon to give me two more lessons. Feel free to stop by!